Globalization and Democratic Policies - Term Paper Example

DEMOCRACY affiliation Globalization and Democratic Policies Political equality and its role Citizens in any democratic country are entitled to receiving fair treatment and freedom to comment on governmental decisions. The appropriateness of the government to respond to grievances aired by the citizens gives a clue on the level of equality. Fairness is observed when the distribution of national resources and developmental opportunities is not occasioned by political inclinations and ideologies. The right to vote, freedom of speech and transparency before the law are special ingredients that define political equality. Citizens who directly participate in political rallies, community activities, direct association with political leaders and trade union protests enjoy the common ground of equality. Roles of political equality in a democratic government When the majority of citizens in the society are charged with the duty to make decisions binding on the whole society we term that democracy. Political equality can justify the form of democratic government in various ways that allow empowerment of citizens to grow socially and economically while enjoying their civil rights. The society is held together by a joint action towards realizing a certain common goal. When citizens put aside their partisanship, they will realize that development is indispensible in society. Hence, the need to work together as a team is created. Thus in the light of political equality communities are built and developed through the enabling environment of unity (Kropf 2003). Citizens can promote legitimacy when they are involved in political activities. It is through seeing people as equals before the law that will only prompt their participation in affairs concerning their governance. For instance giving people a chance to vote their leaders will ensure satisfaction with the vote results even if they lose. In most cases, citizens learn to obey the laws and little police control is required to bring order. It becomes a culture by citizens to always get the right things done as they are fueled by the universal call for equality, justice, and unity. Democratic governments are easily identified by the warm and fruitful relationships they enjoy with their subjects through maintaining order and law. Involving people in making policies and laws will instill a sense of ownership making the laws to earn protection from the very citizens it is meant for. Contesting for any seat during national elections must be made open to anybody regardless of gender, colour, religion and race as long as the individual meets the basic requirement of the constitution and citizenship to that country. In doing so, any citizen willing to participate in national politics is not locked up. Diverse issues are represented in the government when people with unique political stands from different origins are rightfully elected in various positions they vied for. All citizens even those from the minority groups are not left out in making decisions and deliberating on national issues that affect them. Democratic countries employ this crucial aspect in ensuring that the right definition of democracy is not compromised (Anderson 1999). Voting is a sure way of giving mandate to leaders who have been found capable and competent to proving desired lead build on justice and fairness to all. The citizens are constitutionally anticipated to exercise this civil right through choosing leaders that best suit their political perspectives. It must be known that each individual casts one vote that has equal strength in determining the results of the elections. There is no discrimination of votes in terms of race, colour, and socioeconomic status; all votes from different people are seen to bear the same value in determining the winner. Peaceful and orderly elections must be conducted to give opportunity to each citizen to vote. Governments that associate themselves with democracy must ensure that independent electoral bodies are formed .These special institutions must have the autonomy of making decisions and laws for presiding over the elections. Human errors are a natural phenomenon. Even in the most established and democratic governments fault is found on how certain policies and laws are effected. In as much as this might be viewed as mere opinions from the opposition side, the government must give room for the concerns to be addressed. Positive government criticism by the citizens ensures that the government keeps track of its terms of service and fairness. This is considered as a form of equality as the latent and yet pressing issues within society are tabled for an appropriate course of action. The government has a chance of ensuring quality. Nothing is compromised by allowing citizens to present their varied opinions about governmental actions and decisions. Democracy exists and is justified by the willingness of a government to house positive criticism and corrective response as required. Knowledge about politics cannot be ignored by the fact that its impact and involvements are far reaching. Acquisition of this valued information requires that the citizens gain access to the rich sources of written and documented materials. The right to be informed and knowledgeable about the form of political governance is termed essential in promoting active participation. Political equality is viewed as an enabling factor whereby censorship on media and any other means of divulging political information is rendered irrelevant. Getting most of the subjects educated on politics during any governmental regime is the desired wave required to propel democracy. Averting tyrannical rule in future generation is achieved by ensuring the young generation is equipped with knowledge and skills to uphold safe politics. Economic development is surrounded by many factors that are intertwined to bring a series of changes in individual lives of the citizens and at national scale. The world economic powers had the change begin at the grass root level before achieving the worldwide recognition. This means that the citizens were empowered first and poverty decimated. Resource allocation and distribution is a governmental docket. When closely analyzed, politics influence the plan and system of resource distribution (Verba 2001). The criteria used to allocate resources should not be clouded by the existing political differences among the citizens of a country. This will ensure that all regions within a country are on the same course of development their political inclination notwithstanding. Essential institutions that qualify democratic forms of government Governing people calls for an amalgamation of various parties towards proving services that are legally binding and to their satisfaction. It is out of this that the need to create socially acceptable institutions that promotes healthy political competition, full implementation of laws and legitimacy of leaders arises. Many institutions influence the peaceful coexistence of citizens ranging from those under the lead of the government to those that are nongovernmental. In all these institutions transparency and adequate representation in terms of views and position of power is required. The methods used to acquire new leaders and decision-making must encourage fairness and justice under the democratic constitution. The legislature It remains one of the arms of the government responsible for making laws and constitutional amendments. The fundamental laws that provide direction to other government sectors are also the product of legislation. Issues presented are debated separating the good from bad using the critic of the opposition and the support of the government. The gravity of issues discussed in this highly esteemed branch governance is of national interest. The rights of citizens are discussed and made here; any changes on the preexisting rights must call for consulted efforts and representation of the parties affect. Change whether urgent or gradual must follow all proceedings required. This will ensure that the rights of citizens are not compromised. The essence of having democracy in this institution is to see to it that the rule of majority applies. Where bicameral legislation exist routine national debated and law process must still be maintained by having the unity of national direction (Berger 2002). During the deliberation of certain Bills, the simple majority should be granted victory. Owing to the interest of many people surfacing through legislation, democracy must be accorded to the whole process involved to realize fairness. Judicial branches This in a special institution that is responsible for ensuring justice is observed and maintained. With the different tiers of judicial system, justice must prevail all through. The appointment of the judges and magistrates must be a transparent and fair process based on merit and qualifications. Vetting must be done to ascertain the quality of professionals hired. Access and utilization of judicial services ensures that justice easy to find. This will require absence of restrictions on who to seek for the intervention of law in any matter compromising the rights. Different levels of judiciary handle cases of varied origin, it is important that appropriate attention is given to each case treating it as a separate entity (Coleman & Norris 2005). In the event of a subject not being satisfied by the final ruling in a court of law, he or she must be allowed to appeal for further legal actions about the case presented. The relevance of democracy is to ensure that not all legal actions taken at any judicial level undermine the rights of both the plaintiff and the one sued. Beginning from how the court proceedings are conducted to the appointment of the judges and magistrates must be a fair process. Executive branches Different countries in the world use their ministries to carry out their development planned programs. The level effectiveness and efficiency of fulfilling these programs relies on the intrinsic factors of each ministry. It must not be forgotten that need to be accountable of resources channeled towards the programs is entirely the responsibility of the concerned minister. The process used to allocate resources to each ministry must receive the approval of the legislature. Each ministry is required to submit a comprehensive and well-justified report on the expenditures it incurred for accountability. Through this, the taxpayers get to understand how their money is used. The power vested in the cabinet ministers must not in any way undermine the law. The openness in discussing the budget and unused finances is the act advocated by democracy. Misappropriation of government funds must attract a punitive course of action to any person involved. In the event in which the action taken will affect many people, fairness must be observed through applying the rule of democracy. Government ministries that make up the executive branches are not an exception to this golden rule (Findley & Young 2011). National electoral bodies The process of ushering in a new form of governance is not only complex but also require unbiased decisions and complete autonomy. It should be run purely uninfluenced by the powerful political parties or individuals in the country. The political candidates are verified and registered to run for electoral positions after meeting the basic constitutional requirements. Law must apply in each step for equality purpose. Effective leadership of the electoral institutions must be provided through a democratic process. The criteria used to hire the electoral officials must not be influenced by political inclinations and governmental preferences (McLachlin 2000). The people’s choice of leaders through voting is greatly influenced by the organization and transparency of electoral bodies. The whole process of voting and provision of final vote results is officiated by the electoral institution. The need to have a just and turmoil free electoral process is the absolute responsibility of the electoral body leadership. In the case of dissatisfaction in the electoral results by the voters, electoral body must follow the lawful procedure by allowing arbitration and proving evidence in form of vote lists. Democracy is highly needed in fulfilling the requirements of a peaceful election. Trade unions Collective bargaining of workers requires strong leadership and a great sense of unity. Conflicts within a trade union are seen as a major threat to its existence. This implies that the leaders must have the support from the majority of workers. Voting is required to choose the leader with the ability to unify workers and mitigating existing differences. Democracy will ensure that all workers participate in voting and the final results are not interfered with in any way. The process of lobbying for governmental support to proving good salaries and working condition requires a systematic representation that is based on relevant and factual information. The success of the trade unions will mostly depend on the representative power, the autonomy in decision making and the influence of leaders (Kono 2008). The role of the constitution in Democracy The question to whether a democratic country will require a constitution has continued to elicit different reactions. A constitution whether written or unwritten is vital in defining the rules on how a country is governed. Countries such as Britain and Israel do not have a written constitution yet they are considered democratic. However, it does not mean that the two countries lack a solid ground on to which governance is anchored. The Great Britain for instance has statutes such as the Magna Carta, the petition of Rights and the English Bill of Rights that provide governance. The basic laws that exist on the other hand rule Israel. Therefore, we cannot conclusively say in democracy the constitution is irrelevant. We still need it for the benefit of referential governance and protection of basic human rights within a country. Many countries are making drafting of written constitutions a priority .This can still help us understand why a constitution is essential through examining the factors fueling the drafting (Samuels 2005). Human rights are very diverse and universal and this requires that they be fully protected. Having a written down document in which these rights are enshrined is of utmost importance. We need to have a reference point of these rights. Evidence is also required in a court of law in the case of any violation of human rights. The constitution becomes relevant in protecting human rights for as long as the right proves valid. Without documentation, most rights can be violated and be lost as new forms of leadership come in one after the other. In democracy, human rights are the focus and are protected by all means possible. The constitution can be one of the milestones used to ensure that every right is legally binding and protected from ill motived alterations and favourism. The constitution is greater than even those who make. This implies that once a right is written in it, even the most influential states persons such as the president lack the power to alter it. The leaders of their choice run the democratic government based on equal representation of all people. The special rules and procedures observe in the whole process of democracy must be protected for future use and to act as a reference point. Like the need to have most laws and decisions accredited by the majority will need protection from those leaders whom given a chance can phase out this rule. The constitution is the place of choice to provide a safe haven for the democratic laws. The supremacy held by the constitutional does not allow unjustified alteration of any law written in it. The desired amendments can only be achieved if the rightful process is followed, more so when no law is compromised. The media freedom and multiparty system emancipate subjects from the tyrannical kind of leadership. The oppressions and injustices are addressed through the uncensored media. On the other hand, many political parties will provide a variety of leadership styles and representation of all citizens. The length of time the country enjoys this type of freedom solely relies on how the long the practice is legally binding. The media freedom and multiparty system can be put to an undesired end by means of legislation if they are not constitutionally protected. We can therefore assert that a written constitution is indispensible where democracy has to prevail for a long time (Keohane et al. 2009). New laws and changes in governance can be included in the constitution through a referendum process. This is also another platform whereby citizens are directly involved in the law making process. The approval of the referendum by the citizens automatically qualifies the changed in the laws to take effect.it must be noted that by allowing citizens to take part in this process strengthens democracy. The citizens’ vote for the referendum basing on how they understand it and the effects it is meant to bring. Their rights and are first considered and approval is achieved when no adverse effects are anticipated. Cases of leaders taking advantage of the democratic freedom to perpetrate injustices and oppressive actions on the pretext of representing the majority must be controlled. It must be remembered that any form of violation of human rights renders democracy vestigial (Lijphart 2008). Representing the simple majority does not guarantee the leader to act unlawfully by constricting the rights of the minority in the country. When the laws are written it is easier to measure the limit and sphere of influence granted by a position of power. We need a constitution to clearly document responsibilities and the rules governing leadership. The tendency to act irrationally is entertained by existing gaps and loops in the rules governing leadership. A country is obliged to protect the laws concerning leadership. To do so, it must have a well-written constitution otherwise; democracy will be proven futile to the citizens. The number of ways in which a constitution is important makes it a symbolic document of justice fairness and humanity (Dietrich 2001). The process of amendments will ensure protection of not only human rights but also the need to adhere to the democratic system of leadership. The important branches of the government such as the judiciary and the legislature are also protected by the constitution. Generally, we can say democracy will require a strong an effective constitution to thrive. The documentation of newly formed laws is needed for reference and evidence based system of governance. References list Anderson, E.S., 1999. What Is the Point of Equality? Ethics, 109, pp.287–337. Berger, S., 2002. Democracy and Social Democracy. European History Quarterly, 32, pp.13–37. Coleman, S. & Norris, D.F., 2005. A new agenda for e-democracy. In A New Agenda for E- democracy: lessons from initiatives round the world. pp. 1–36. Dietrich, F., 2001. Liberalism, Constitutionalism and Democracy. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 42, pp.137–138. Findley, M.G. & Young, J.K., 2011. Terrorism, Democracy, and Credible Commitments. International Studies Quarterly, 55, pp.357–378. Keohane, R.O., Macedo, S. & Moravcsik, A., 2009. Democracy-Enhancing Multilateralism. International Organization, 63, p.1. Kono, D.Y., 2008. Democracy and Trade Discrimination. The Journal of Politics, 70, p.942. Kropf, M., 2003. Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy. Journal of Politics, 65, pp.940–942. Lijphart, A., 2008. Thinking about democracy, McLachlin, B., 2000. Judicial Power and Democracy. Singapore Academy of Law Annual, 12, pp.311–331. Samuels, K., 2005. Post-Conflict Peace-Building and Constitution-Making. Chicago Journal of International Law, pp.1–20. Verba, S., 2001. POLITICAL EQUALITY. WHAT IS IT? WHY DO WE WANT IT?, Read More