ALL PAKISTAN ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION

TOPIC : Democracy that is accountable is democracy that delivers.

WORD COUNT : 624 WORDS (six hundred and twenty four words)

In the words of Rousseau; The voice of the people is the voice of God. In a democracy, opinion is an active, propelling factor. In fact, public opinion works as the watchdog of democracy. The people regard the government as an agency to which they have delegated power , without releasing it from the obligation to respect the general will of the people. Therefore, Democracy is real only when there is a strong effective public opinion and the elected government, respects the opinion of the common man. A government, which after coming to power, neglects public interests, must be subjected to strong criticism by the masses. A famous writer, Alan Moore says that; People shouldnt be afraid of their government, governments should be afraid of their people. If we have chosen someone to rule over us by the power of our vote, it doesnt mean that he or she is above the law. The

elected government is answerable to public for its every undesirable action. If the rulers are corrupt, prevailing nepotism, ignoring public opinion or denying the provision of basic human rights, the democracy must be criticized through writings by intellectuals. Unbiased newspapers present the enlightened public opinion. Unbiased media is a tool for expression of the public opinion. The discussion in the legislative assemblies is the representation of the peoples voice. Franklin. D. Roosevelt has rightly said that ; Let us not forget that government is ourselves, and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a president and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. In a true democracy, it is desirable that there should be provision for representatives of people in law making and law enforcing bodies for the accountability of governments actions and policies. James Bavort said; Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. All the wealth and resources under a capitalistic democracy are concentrated in the hands of a few capitalists. They, through their money power, turn the state into the servant of their own interests, as against the interests of the general masses. This is against the spirit of Islam. In an Islamic society, no man is the lord of others merely on the strength of a swollen purse . Islam cuts the very root of the possibility of economic exploitation by

prohibiting interest, hoarding, by imposing zakat, and by declaring that all is in the heaven and the earth belongs to God alone. Social and economic justice for all can be ensured by a comprehensive system of check and balance on the sources of income, means of living, and the avenues of expenditure of the elected individuals. For the accountability of democracy, Islamic laws are there, judiciary, social media and all other tools are there, so why not take advantage of them? People generally have the feeling that democracy grants absolute liberty. But it is quite wrong, because liberty in democracy doesnt mean a license to do anything. This is a very wrong interpretation of democracy. Under this wrong impression, the elected individuals start misusing their rights and liberties which have been granted to them under a democratic type of regime. For such individuals, the masses should seek judiciary and law enforcing agencies because no nobility has any discriminating privileges, and the masses are the ones who have to pay taxes to run the government. But all of these measures must be taken in a disciplined manner. A healthy democracy requires a decent society, it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant, and respectful. If in a democracy, discipline is lacking, it is sure to be doomed. In disciplined people can never make a success of democracy. (THE END)