Our different Points of View

Social Studies Dialogue – Democracy creates stability in society.

Benjamin Chiam: Democracy does create stability in society.

1. Voicing of Opinions: When equal rights are given for all member of a society to vote, this gives them a chance to let their views be heard. This ensures that everybody gets and equal say in the election of the society’s leader. Thus with democracy the will be little chance of problems like dictatorship, because the peoples rights are herd and the people have a right to nominate their leaders it will be hard for dictators to come to power. Adding to this people can decide what they want improved in their community and society because they are ultimately in control of the political power of the society. An example of this would be the United States Of America (USA). The Americans live in a democratic society and thus the citizens have voting rights to nominate their presidents. As we can see from the USA there has been no dictatorship in the country before thus proving the point that it is hard for dictatorship to come about with democracy.

2. Greater protection of human rights: When there is democracy the people in the society enjoys liberties and freedoms. Some examples of these freedoms are freedom of speech and freedom of political expression. This will allow the people in the society to voice out their opinions whenever they are unhappy about something. These freedoms and liberties will ultimately bring about change which will benefit the society.

3. Common set of ideas and views: With a democratic society the people in it will have a common set of ideas and views, when they elect their leader. As the people have a common set of ideas and views the society will be able to advance more quickly and will ultimately help in the development of the community. Adding to this the freedom and liberties in a democratic society allows the people to express their views this will allow the society to improve on current issues and prevent future problems. This will ultimately allow the society to develop very quickly. An example of a country which has developed so rapidly due to democracy would again be the USA. Because of it democratic society it has allowed the society to develop and improve so rapidly. While countries without democracy for example, North Korea and Vietnam do not progress so rapidly.

Edene Chan: Democracy does not always create stability in society

1. Democracy is able to create stability in a society. But sometimes, it is used in the incorrect way, and tweaked to benefit a certain group of people and put others at a disadvantage.

2. No track record: Not all countries that implement democracy into their system of government have generated results in this policy change. India, for example, is a democratic country but has suffered economically.

3. Possibility of failure: Even though democracy has shown major changes in the world today, there are still some cases where it has shown otherwise eg. India as stated. In India, for example, even though it is a a democratic country, it has seen to be lagging behind other democratic countries or even those countries with other political systems, such as China. Hence, this is an example that democracy might not necessarily create stability for a society.

4. Unfair bias: Democracy is said to give all equal opportunities, but there might be this biasness within the society itself that the government might not be able to control or put under control. Hence, democracy only works if the government is aware of its presence, which it the case of the private sector is not totally possible to take note of.

Michael Ng: Democracy is merely a system and is not a factor in stability – it is the many aspects of democracy that have to be developed in order to have a stable society.

1. Requirements of Ballot Box: Firstly, the ballot box is a very important and crucial part of the democratic system. The people must have certain liberties and authority in making decisions for the society they live in, and their views must be represented accurately and fairly. This obviously includeses the elections of their political leaders(in representative democracy). After, the word democracy came from the Greek term for “people power”. The ballot box has to be effective such that the people’s opinions can be expressed.

2. Requirements of Political Representatives: Secondly, the representatives have to stick to their promises to the electorate. They also have to make decisions solely for the benefit of the people. If his benevolence is questionable, he may very well be kicked out of his position as a member of parliament. A benevolent democratic government is entirely achievable as after all, the majority hardly makes mistakes with regards to their choices and even if they did, they have the power against those they misguidedly voted.

3. Requirements of Society/General Populace: Last but not least the people have to do their part, and be informed of current affairs, such that they would not make rash and unreasonable decisions during elections. This is of utmost importance as it decides where the government and the nation will be heading towards in the future.

4. Democracy as a Connecting body: Democracy, as a system, holds them together in order for them to create a stable nation. This system is favoured by the people, and ultimately they are the fundaments of society and thus democracy is a favourable and effective system.