Academic
questions seldom have a simple answer. They are often qualified. There have
always been doubts about democracy allowing the passage for all the voices and
dissent but there are no clear answers. A keen look into the definition of
democracy magnifies the understanding of the topic. Democracy stands for “Rule
by People”. Thus, the citizens govern through their elected representatives. However,
that’s very theoretical and utopian too. In the practical scenario, where we
are existing in cohesion and the resources are limited, we need to go with the
majority. Majority doesn’t refer to a religion or sex or creed or caste per se
but that set of people who are voting for a political party. This paves the way
for the discussion on freedom. The
power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants is the dictionary meaning
of freedom. However, this term has numerous connotations and this a
very subjective topic as what may be the freedom for one is just the opposite
for others. In a democracy, this is quite relevant as the challenge is to serve
all citizens having divergent views.
It
becomes pertinent to note that it is the democracy that gives the freedom to
elect our representatives. The democracies across the world provide for
fundamental rights and free speech. The right to express one's ideas and
opinions freely through speech, writing, and other forms of communication but
without deliberately causing harm to others' character and/or reputation by
false or misleading statements is ‘freedom of expression’. This leads us to the
fact that the freedom of expression may not be absolute and subject to
qualifications. There are legitimate reasons for not having absolute freedom of
expression as the definition of freedom is relative
By definition, there should be
freedom for the press in democracies which is a rarity. This is where a major
question arises about the independence of press in a democracy. However, it
must be appreciated that only democracy could provide a free press as other
forms would keep it regulated. China and the Middle East countries are
examples. Also, the press may be subjected to a reasonable amount of
restrictions which would be justified keeping in consideration some sensitive
information which may disturb the secular fabric of the society and also prove
vital for the hostile countries.
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It is often a daunting task to
maintain a balance in art and creative works without upsetting a section of
society. So, though literary freedom must be encouraged and ensured, one
remains unsure as freedom is subjective. There have been incidents wherein the
screening of movies was halted, books were torn and literary festivals were
disrupted. Though such acts must be condemned but the debate on individual
freedom remains. It would be interesting to note the controversy that surrounds
any literary art and then statistics could be discussed to gauge the frequency
at which the society gets offended.
Also, barring few regional specific
restrictions, no democracy questions one’s religious beliefs, puts restrictions
on the eating and clothing preferences of its citizens.
However, there are some complex
issues which certain countries are yet to address. In India, people do not have
a say in their marriages. Though this is more of a cultural issue but there are
laws concerning this. So, Article 21 of the Indian Constitution does provide
for ‘Right to Marry’ as a fundamental right which is hardly observed in India,
though dynamics are changing. Similarly, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender) community is fighting for its rights. The Indian Supreme Court did
scrap the colonial-era ban on gay sex. The
Muslim women face a lot of discrimination due to the age-old custom of Triple Talaq. The Indian government did
do away with Triple Talaq but was
heavily criticised. These are some issues, among others, which remain to
addressed by certain democracies.
The
inference which could be drawn from the above discussion states that the
democracy does promote freedom but faces certain challenges. These could be
cultural, disciplinary or simply administrative. Democracy, if strictly
adopted, does provide for freedom and dissent. There are some issues which have
more to do with administration and culture. Some countries have to mature
themselves as democracy to reap its benefits. The above discussion does open
doors for many other deliberations but confirms that democracy and freedom
remain very much compatible. At the end, it is imperative to quote the Late
Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all
those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Those who don’t have
democracy, need democracy and those who have democracy, need maturity.
