Democracy vs Autocracy

It has become common today to dismiss autocracy on the basis on the basis of it having a single minded perspective. A single charismatic leader, making decisions for an entire nation or community might seem lucrative, but todays post modernist society, questions its viability. Today’s rational minded individuals look upto political structures for answers beyond poverty, inflation and basic public goods. They want answers to issues like climate change, sustainability and globalization. In such opinionative and sensitive topics, a wide array of representatives need to represent the vast motive-centric citizens of nations. The UN Report on the Gross National Happiness Index, holds 78% democratically run countries in its top 50 countries, The question which then arises is. ‘Can a single leader solely represent the needs of a modern state?’. Democracy is an efficient podium for fair representation of opinions in a modern state.

Democracy is a form of government that is not attached to any pre-given political or ideological ends, but allows ends to be chosen by the majority vote of free citizens. Although today, the theoretical to realistic translation of democracy is questionable, it at least firmly opinionated leaders, have to place their proposals in front of a forum, where unlike autocracy, opposition does exist and have a say. Rational minded individuals look upto political structures for answers beyond poverty, inflation and basic public goods. They want answers to issues like climate change, sustainability and globalization. Ghana is on the verge of accomplishing a nearly-unprecedented feat for West Africa -- a reflected growth of income and happiness in a transitioning democracy. Neighbouring Mali, has not been successful in doing so in its contrasting regime structure. Ghana has been producing oil since the early 1990s but the sector truly began to develop under democratic insights. However the largest oil reserves discovered in the country have only recently been discovered and the political consequences of oil revenue have yet to be seen. Ghana does have some ethnic variation, as well as a north-south, Christian-Muslim boundary like Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, but it has managed a representative approach which is through a stable democracy.

With growing education and public access to resources, citizens want a greater representation of needs and opinion at the upper most decision making level in the political arena. Although autocracy, can allow a system where opinions can reach decision makers, it might not be necessary that the decision is taken considering the representations of opposition and minority. Democracy, in its forms closest to theoretical, allows voice and space for opposition and minority. If not offered the same, democracy also allows freedom of rebellion, like that which Scotland recently went through in its independence referendum, due to lack of representation in Great Britain’s parliamentary structure. Reflecting from this event, democracy emerges as an efficient podium for fair representation of opinions in a modern states.

Sources
Fish, Stanley. "Why Democracy?" Opinionator Why Democracy Comments. New York Times, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

Madison, J. "DEMOCRACY." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

Tovrov, Daniel. "Ghana: West Africa's Shining Example Of Democracy."International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

Keneally, Meghan. "5 Things That May Happen If Scotland Votes for Independence." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.