Introduction
Democracy is the common form of leadership that is embraced by the largest percentage of countries in the contemporary world. The United States is a good example of a democratic state. Democratic states follow the majority rule in making decisions like the election of leaders. Nevertheless, to some extent, democratic form governance is retrogressive to nations’ progress. In order to achieve an effective yet limited government, democratic flaws in the leadership should be curtailed. Therefore, there is a need for the combination of a powerful executive and an administoctratic government. This paper will highlight the importance of combining administocracy and a powerful executive in a democracy.
Why combining both aristocratic and democratic systems leads to effective and limited government
Promotes proper governed and democratic government
In a democracy, the rule of the majority and equality applies. Democracy required all citizens to be treated equally in all situations. The system gives citizens equal rights to decide and make laws for themselves. It ensures a smooth running of government and avoids chaotic decision-making processes (Ebbinghausen, 2013).
For instance, in the US, the law of same-sex marriage was determined by the rule of the majority. In addition, the current president, President Obama, was elected under the democratic regime by gathering the majority votes. Therefore, the current government represents the majority who wanted to be led by President Obama. However, in an Aristocratic political regime like in China, leaders rule whether elected or not (Leeds Metropolitan University, 2009). The president will remain in power with or without being elected. In Canada, the monarchical system curtails democracy. The king rules by his own wishes and self-interests. Therefore, integrating democratic into aristocratic regimes will balance and bring equity to the civilians. In Africa, Rwanda has adopted a democratic regime, and it is doing great.
Initiates a strong financial and economic stability
China is thriving partly due to its aristocratic governance. In a non-democratic government, discipline and order are controlled. Through the implementation of strict policies, personal evaluation is done with respect to personal performance. The evidence of this assertion is the Confucianism in Taiwan. The ideology focuses more on interpersonal relations with the performance of individual contributions to society. This personal relationship with the outward community’s growth contributes to the country’s economic growth. In China, a 2013 study showed that 85% of the Chinese are very satisfied with their system of governance than the 31% of Americans (The Economist, 2014).
Moreover, a survey showed that while the American economy was growing fast, the Chinese economy doubled over the past 3 decades. In China, the political system changes every decade due to the constant supply of new talented recruits to the upper ranks. This system ensures a continued supply of fresh talent to meet the set targets and goals.
The democratic governance interferes with sound decision-making, coupled with electing second-rated leaders who cannot deliver on the promise of guiding a nation to prosperity. China has opted for a non-democratic political regime in order to maintain financial stability. China is a living example of a successfully reformed country from a democratic to an undemocratic government. In addition, Canada is a good example of a well-governed country with the best medical facilities. Governance is non-democratic with limited democracy (Genius, 2013). Its economy has steadily grown with new inventions and innovations in the country. Evidently, combining aristocratic leadership can eradicate all the unnecessary spending in the democratic regime through monitoring and management of resources.
Accountability and competence in leadership
Democracy averts and prevents the monopoly of leadership through elections. The reigning party must perform in a bid to be re-elected by the citizens. In democratic governments, the reigning party must serve the citizens in accordance with the campaign promises in a bid to stay in leadership. If the party is not re-elected, replacement is done with another party through election by the majority rule. Leaders are thereby accountable to the people. In Egypt, the people overthrew the president out of office through peaceful demonstrations. This aspect depicts how powerful the people are in control of a government in democratic states. The democratic governments indulge in big financial deficits due to the money borrowed to woo voters.
This irregular borrowing leads to huge debt-equity and the effects of this debt are borne by the taxpayers’ money. A good example is the Chinese government in 2007-08 financial and psychological crises. China suffered a huge blow in debt recovery, which it had borrowed during the campaigns. Democracy tends to neglect and forget the long-term investments in the country. France and Italy have never balanced their national budgets for more than thirty years now. This financial crisis exposes how the unstable debt-financed democracy can be in the long-term.
Pathway to development
According to Yuda (2010), the resources that are required to maintain and run democratic bodies and the regularly planned elections costs of electoral campaigns, political patronage, and the electoral process are unnecessary expenses that leave a huge burden to countries. For instance, in the most recent US presidential elections, over 3 billion on dollars were spent in elections and campaigns. This spendthrift behavior is replicated even in developing economies where such money could be used to improve the citizens’ livelihoods. The resources that are heavily invested in elections could be used to make NGO projects and fund more important development projects. China has proven to be among the best countries with amazing infrastructure. The Chinese regimes invest in roads and other infrastructural developments.
The non-democratic governments are flexible to build strong incentives to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Non-democratic governments can easily define and lay legal investment framework like low taxes, subsidies, and low tariffs, thus ensuring the thriving of economic trade domestically and globally. China, under the command of its non-democratic political regime, has continually implemented reforms towards promoting foreign investment.
This move has improved the living standards of the Chinese citizens from poverty. Recently, a survey conducted reviewed that China has had a 10% growth rate every year. This increment is the highest growth rate to be recorded in the world (Mints, Close & Croxi, 2014). From this report, it is evident that a non-democratic government promotes development at large. However, non-democratic governments are faced with few drawbacks. Fortunately, the drawbacks can be efficiently handled with proper non-democratic governance.
In democratic political regimes, the power and authority to choose the nations’ legislature, governance, and authorities is in the hands of the citizens, and thus the rule of the incompetent is inevitable. Citizens make wrong choices by electing bad leaders and the leading party since they are not knowledgeable in political matters (Tomlinson, 2014). Therefore, the leadership is bound to be ineffective and unfavorable to the nation at large. Moreover, the influence of the democratic political system dominates the politics and leadership. Some civilians may be forced to vote or elect leaders due to pressure of the majority. The influenced citizens by the people’s ideas around them may not make a right and sound judgment in choosing leaders.
It is evident that most politicians in democratic countries tell lies to be elected. In the US, money in politics plays a very important role in elections for an individual to be elected. This aspect leaves out the competent and intelligent, but poor leaders. This aspect explains why democratic leadership goes to the highest bidder and the rich dominate government offices albeit incompetent. In democratic political regimes, competent, skilled, and talented leaders should be appointed to high ranks rather than being elected via unfair and unjust practice (Yuda, 2010). The absorbed new talented leaders in high government ranks should be knowledgeable and aware of political and financial matters. By so doing, economic and financial stability will prevail and standards of living improve for the well-being of everyone in society.
Promotes equity and quality leadership
The anti-democratic regimes believe that democracy emphasizes more on quantity than quality governance. Through democracy, selfish and corrupt leaders are elected. These leaders are incompetent persons with no character, intelligence, or vision to lead the citizens to their aspired destinations. Leaders that have no basic leadership skills are elected since the system is guided by the majority rule policy.
Apparently, many countries with western values and political systems are experiencing a disorder. The countries are economically depressed and living standards are low. Due to its democratic rule, it is evident that politicians use it for self-interests as opposed to serving the public. In a 2000 survey, over 60% of American respondents cited that the government was not working for them and they complained of the unending self-interests by government leaders who are focused on enriching themselves as opposed to serving the citizens (The Economist, 2014).
Democratic nations and states should incorporate qualifications in politics to curb poor governance. Moreover, money politics in states like the US should be eliminated and a very low campaign budget fixed for that effect. However, in aristocratic leaders are not elected by the masses. In some cases like Libya, the leaders cling to power by all possible means, and thus they can only be dethroned through death or a coup d’Ă©tat.
Such leaders always win whether voted for or not, and this aspect demonstrates how elections via the majority rule do not matter to such regimes. The citizens are neglected in such governments. Therefore, including the democracy rule to the aristocracy will streamline the dictatorship leadership and balance the opinions of both the majority and minority. Money politics too should be banned because it is used to lie to the citizens to vote for the wrong individual.
Institutes morals and peaceful amendments
In democratic political system, for an individual to lead the nation, s/he should be elected. Both the parties and individuals participating in the elections use all means to be elected. Some of the practices used to be elected are unethical, immoral, corrupt, and unjust. Democracy promotes assassinations whereby a candidate goes to the extent of killing the opponent. Furthermore, corruption dominates the world of democratic governance (The Economist, 2014).
Evidently, in general elections, many people lose their lives when chaos erupts if the results are disputable. The 2007/2008 Kenyan chaotic elections show how democracy can be tumultuous. After the chaos erupted, over 3,000 people lost lives and millions became internal refugees in their own country. Such form of chaos can be checked via aristocracy. The democratic political systems abuse the power of the majority and end up in frequent meaningless strikes and demonstrations. Non-democratic political systems can be used to correct such abusive issues by making decisions for the country or state through selected panel of the people’s representatives (Mints et al., 2014).
Discussion
Democracy is of the people for people by the people and a rule for the majority. People should not accept anything just because everyone is supporting it. As clearly stated, democracy has adverse effects on the general country’s performance. The noted negative impacts on the governance are financial and political instability, political influence, incompetence, low moral standards, and quantity for opinions instead of quality. On the other side, aristocracy can balance democratic powers especially in developing countries if incorporated in the governance. Even though the non-democratic political system is faced with numerous challenges, China has proved that the system can work.
The country has grown economically competitive due to its non-democratic political regime. Countries like Dubai and Rwanda are growing economically, politically, and financially as they have embraced the non-democratic leadership with limited democracy. This aspect contributes to the countries’ economic and financial stability at large.
Conclusion
A fully democratic government is faced with numerous challenges due to negligence and ignorance of the minority rule. Democratic rule gives the majority an opportunity to make laws that only benefit them. However, a constitutional and non-democratic government is the best government in the contemporary times. Therefore, nations should embrace the non-democratic governance system for effective and limited government. The flaws of democracy can be compensated by the strengths of aristocracy for effective, yet limited government.
References
Ebbinghausen, R. (2013).Thai Monarchy-A hindrance to Democracy? DW Top Stories. Web.
Genius, S. (2013). Diaspora of clinical medicine exploring the risk between conventional and alternative care. Canadian Family Physician, 59(6), 628-632. Web.
Leeds Metropolitan University. (2009). Changing the World – Why Politics Matters. Web.
Mints, E., Close, D., & Croci, O. (2014).Politics, Power, and the Common Good: An Introduction to Political Science. Don Mills, ON: Pearson Education Canada. Web.
The Economist: What’s gone wrong with democracy. (2014). Web.
Tomlinson, C. (2014). Foreign Workers call it Slavery: Belizian Temporary Foreign Workers Docked Pay for Rent Corporate Apartments. CBC News. Web.
Yuda, H. (2010). The Problem of Presidential-Multiparty system. The Jakarta Post. Web.