DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

DEFINITION:

Democracy: This is a system of government in which power belongs to the people. In principle, the people may rule directly, but in many cases, they rule indirectly through (freely) elected representatives who act according to the will of the people. In a democracy the following principles must prevail: Recognise the fact that power belongs to the citizens, There is rule of law, The processes is inclusive and consultative, proper distribution of powers, separation of powers between State and institutions, Checks and balances, Accountability, Liberties, Human rights and protections, Equality, freedom (political, Economical and Social), social justice and responsible for the welfare of the people. This system promotes freedom, equality, equity, justice, and rule of law. There are many types of Democracies including the following: Direct, Participatory, Indirect, Representative, Liberal, Social democracies.

Democratic Indicators: There are many indicators of democratic space prevailing in any given country. They include the following: Actualization and protection of Freedoms and liberties, Rights of citizens are respected, level of citizen participation in governance, Regular Free and Fair elections, Checks and balances, Informed citizens and transparency, Fair and justice systems, Rule of law, Equality and equity etc. Democracy manifests itself in the rule of the majority, respect and protection of the minority. Good governments are always informed by citizens and respond to the dynamism of society.

Democracy can only be safeguarded by constitutional institutions that enhance checks and balance, respect of rule of law and the General Will of the people, involvement and participation of the people in the decision-making process, Free and Fair elections and equality before the law.

Fundamental Principles of democracy include citizen participation, equality, checks and balance, control of abuse of power, accountability, political tolerance, transparency and embracing of pluralism. The test of democracy lies on the role played by the people in decision-making.

Types of Democracies: There are many types of democracies including parliamentary (where voters elect representatives and those representatives elect one among them to head executive), presidential (where both the representatives and head executive are elected by voters directly), a combination of the two. However, that free societies take shape at different speeds in different places. One virtue of democracy is that it reflects local history and traditions of the people in every nation. Yet there are fundamental elements that all democracies share -- freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly; rule of law enforced by independent courts; private property rights; and political parties that compete in Free and Fair elections for political power. These rights and institutions are the FOUNDATION of human dignity, and as countries find their own path to freedom and eventually democracy, civic education remains the FOUNDATION on which all the above shall stand. Within these categories liberal and social democracy, emerge depending on the niche their policies are inclined to.

Liberal democracy: It stresses liberty, freedom of the individual and social pluralism as most important to the success of the democracy. They call for less government in citizens' lives. Representatives who are accountable to the people make binding rules and policies. In this regard, free, fair, regular and competitive elections are very important. Virtually all adult men and women have the right to vote and stand for an elective office. Citizens may express themselves without the danger of pCELAK ishment on political matters, including criticism of government officials and the government itself. As a system, it focuses on the protection of individual rights and freedoms, a free market and promotion of many (different) Political, Economic and Social groups. There is very minimal interference of the State on individual lives.

Social democracy: It promotes the well-being and social security of the individual citizen by minimising inequalities of wealth and privilege. It stresses the need both for a welfare State and social reforms in order to ensure that every one has access to basic services and social security without discrimination on any basis. Social democracy has grown on the understanding that social inequalities reduce people's capacity to participate fully in public affairs. Secondly, some needs in the society are unlikely to be met by all people because of the imperfect Nature of the free market. One principle of social democracy is that the State has the responsibility to address inequality in the society. Social democratic states do this by responding to problems in the economy and carrying out relevant social reforms. Social democratic states, therefore, seek to develop different ways of protecting people from social and economic hardship. As a system, social democracy focuses on minimum quality of life for all people and safeguarding the dignity of human beings. All people are equal and have social rights such as the right to work and the right to welfare services. The welfare State provides social security to all people.

Governance: The exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority in the management of a country's affairs at all levels. The process, the style or way in which authority and control are exercised in a given society, on behalf of a group, community, country for the common good. In a broad sense, refers to the management of public affairs; it is about managing relations between and among people, and their organisations. It refers to how individuals, communities, organisations such as the State, manage their affairs. At the level of the State, governance is the work of the government:

(a) which the people have agreed to set up; and

(b) to which people have delegated power and responsibility to do this work.

This means that government is the tool of State governance but has to govern on the basis of the "will of the people." Government is one of the institutions that exercise authority within the State. It manages public affairs. It is for this reason that the words government and governance are often used together. Governance is institutionalised while leadership is individual effort. Good governance brings together the diverse interests of the citizens or stakeholders to benefit them. However, government is not the only institution that is relevant in the governance of the society. There are other actors that play an important role in the management of public affairs. Governance can be seen at different levels within the society including households and families, communities, and organisations. Good Governance involves principles of inclusiveness, sustainability, subsidiarity, equity, efficiency, transparency, accountability, participation and security.

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES

Governmental policies can only be sustained if their is a well established institutional framework to support a democratic society, coupled with an inclusive, transparent and accountable government machinery; an efficient decision-making legislature and an proficient implementation system which can optimise the limited resources to achieve social and economic justice.