DEMOCRACY IS A MYTH

I don't believe in democracy. As lame as it may seem, I don't just believe in that word. It gives so much power for insults and condemnation which is not so good for the world that we live in. I believe God did not create a man to condemn a fellow man.

The word itself (democracy) is a myth that was and will never ever be achieved. Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is exactly what a highly regarded president of the United States (Abraham Lincoln) define democracy. Now, let's start the analysis:

Of the people: this in simple terms means that the people are the most important when dealing with matters of democracy. This is not practical in the real world. Politicians take major decision that affects the life of the masses in closed doors. In parliament house, they will argue over everything except the issues that affect them directly.

By the people: this needs no explanation. Democracy is supposed to be initiated by the people. In real life, it is money that talks during an election and not the people. The votes of the suffering masses are bought by the rich.

For the people: the situation here is that, one person (a rich one) for that matter is elected into office but the real power lies in the caste of the wealthy who get nominated to be ambassadors, generals, district chief executives et al.

The United States of America is considered as the world's power house when it comes to issues of democracy. This was highlighted when for the first time a black man (Barrack Hussein Obama) with a Muslim name was elected into the oval office. For me, it is not a great deal because it only goes to prove the point that Americans will never allow a woman to govern them. Let me now elaborate why the American democracy as perfect as it may seem, is just a white elephant.

According to Jean Jacques Rousseau, “there never was a true democracy and never will be”. He went on to give the conditions for a true democracy:

The state: the bigger the country, the less democratic it can be. A country must be small for everyone to take part in the democratic process. The United States as we know prevented segregation some years ago.

Simplicity in customs and behavioral patterns: a true democracy allows the people to share their lives with their neighbors. In America, people may be next door neighbors but will not know a thing about one another.

Equality in status and wealth: in the USA, 5% of the population owns 60% of the national wealth, making it the most unequal and unbalanced society in the world.

There can be no luxury: luxuries corrupt the rich and the poor, the former through possession and the latter through envy.

An American sociologist (Wright Nulls) once said, “American democracy is a dictatorship of the elite”. In fact, democracy has become a slogan used by people who can shout louder than others. “if every four years you go to the polling station and you put a piece of paper in a ballot box and you are not generating sufficient wealth and you are not distributing the wealth generated equitably and people still suffer poverty, ignorance and disease, then DEMOCRACY IS ABSOLUTELY MEANINGLESS”, Kwasi Pratt.

I end with Rousseau's wisdom,”malo periculosam libertatem quam servitium” meaning: if gods were people, they will govern themselves democratically.

God bless our homeland Ghana and God grant the president Solomonic wisdom.

GOOKYI DENNIS
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