In the 21st century, the world is heading into the field of technological innovation. People are still deprived of their actual sense of liberty. However, their rights are very limited, which restrains them from raising their voices.
Many countries are democratic just by their names, and provide no freedom of speech to the public. The idea of liberal democracy is failing there and pushing people back to the age of slavery.
Before moving ahead, let us explain the proper idea of liberal democracy to the readers.
What is a Liberal Democracy?
The term liberal democracy holds a wide meaning in its own context. So, the meaning can be divided into two parts. Firstly, it is liberal, which means having a complete sense of freedom and independence for people.
Second is democracy, which gives them the right to choose their representatives in the government. They can select their choice of people and vote for them through free and fair elections. These elected members of a parliament must be responsible for returning their favor to the ordinary citizens. They can return the favor by supporting the rights of the public in society. However, readers can find the best example from Tim McCormick’s Liberal Democracy, Battling for Survival: A Plan for Action.
The following are the key features of a liberal democracy:
- Rule of Law
- Equality of Justice
- Freedom of Speech
- Transparent Mode of Elections
- Protection of Human Rights
- Restoration of Civil Societies
How is the Liberal Democracy Failing?
The global decline of liberal democracy can have multiple reasons behind it. So, in this blog, we will look into each and every aspect and discuss them in great detail. Readers must go through the content very thoroughly to understand the core reasons behind the diminishing idea of a failing democracy.
Every global nation wants to become a republic, where there is a strong mutual connection between the public and the government. Nevertheless, things start to get worse when the wrong people take hold of the system. They are selfish who only see their own benefits and do not care about others.
Key Signs of a Collapsing Liberal Democracy
1. Rise of Corruption
The rise of corruption is the foremost indication of a collapse of liberal democracy in the global world. It works like a termite, which makes the system hollow from the inside. Therefore, corruption is the worst form of a democratic setup, where leaders are corrupt and dishonest in their personal character. They can never see the country flourish and destroy the economic development of a country.
Consequently, the presence of these corrupt leaders causes a constant decline in the democracy. However, they are a threat to the progress and success of the nation. It erodes the system from within and leaves no chance for growth.
2. Abuse of Power
When leaders are in power, they abuse their authority, citing the ” might is right ” principle. Therefore, they do not have a fear of accountability and cause an indescribable damage to society. In their rule, lawlessness prevails, which suppresses the rights of the public. Hence, they support their like-minded people to gain their interest.
People find themselves helpless to deal with economic failures. They build the hate and frustration against these politicians and never fall into the trap of their fake promises. Many countries of the world face these abusive situations, but never raise their voices.
3. Violates the Rule of Law
One of the main reasons for the failure of liberal democracy is the lack of practice of the rule of law. However, it puts strong emphasis on the equality of law. This means that everyone must be treated the same by law. It must be regardless of the wealth or status of a person.
Hence, the misuse of law is always disastrous, creating chaos in the country. So, the law becomes applicable to the poor citizens. At the same time, the elite class exempts itself from the punishment. It weakens the foundation of a society and creates a disparity among people.
4. Restricts the Human Rights
Human rights are essential to every citizen. However, the government does not pay attention to or value a civil society. Nevertheless, the public feels insecure in the protection of their rights and shows their protest. Therefore, they find difficulty in promoting their freedom of speech. It is only when the government uses its core surveillance to monitor the media communication.
5. Manipulates the Fair Elections
The manipulation of public voting is a serious crime. But it is a common sign of a decline in a liberal democracy. People hold the right to choose their elected members to raise their voice in the cabinet. Hence, the government uses its influence in the mishandling of ballot boxes to increase its votes. It shatters the public trust and disappoints them so much.
6. Controls the Legal Institution
The formation of an independent judiciary gives it the power to make all the lawful decisions on its own will. Therefore, it helps promote justice in the country. Hence, the interference of the government in court matters makes it dependent on the orders.
So, it has a bad impact on its performance and disturbs the whole legal system. It diminishes the respect of an institution and spoils its credibility and reputation. The public keeps its blind faith in the court and truly believes in the equality of justice. Thus, they lose their trust in the judicial system when they see no punishment for influential people.
7. Ban on the Press
Some ruling governments always have conflicts with the freedom of the press. It is because of their truthful statements about the performance of their leaders. So, they use their power to put a ban on the publication of newspapers and broadcasting by the media. It increases the strict checks and balances on the print and electronic news bulletins. These are the right sources for sharing the information with the public.
The government attacks the Protestants and arrests them. However, these leaders show their power and authority to journalists and threaten them with negative consequences. But media reporters do not step back from sacrificing their lives for the sake of truth.
Battling for Survival: A Plan for Action
In his book, Tim McCormick has presented his useful plan for action. It is ideal for the battle for survival and reviving the liberal democracy. The following are some valuable points for the readers to know.
Strengthen the Democratic Institutions
This book explains the failure of democracies in a bit of detail. So, readers must go through these points deeply for a better understanding. However, it strongly emphasizes restoring the public trust and building a robust mutual connection. All these public offices must respect the citizens and have good intentions to serve them. Thus, they must maintain their friendly behavior with people and fix their matters with effective results.
Reinforce the Accountability
The relation between the public and the government cannot get better without the prevalence of accountability. Hence, the leaders find themselves accountable before the citizens for all their actions. They must show their sense of responsibility to the public. Leaders must deliver their promises to the nation. So, they are answerable to the people for everything.
Fortifies the Judiciary Power
It is present in the constitution of a country to support the independence of the judiciary. However, the government must allow the freedom of justice. Politicians empower the judges to make the right decisions. So, they can sentence the guilty for their crime accordingly. Their decisions must be on pure merit without any force or coercion.
Protection of Individuals Rights
All citizens must find the protection of their individual rights. Thus, it becomes the government’s responsibility to fulfill the basic requirements of the public. So, they must provide the safety of lives for everyone with other amenities for health and education. However, people should also educate themselves about their civic rights.
It allows them to maintain a peaceful atmosphere. Hence, they should never be a part of religious or sectarian-based violence. They must respect the minorities’ rights and give them equal social status.
Enforce Strict Penalties for Corruption
A plan for action describes the best ways to end the corruption in the country. However, it states the implementation of strict rules of penalties to correct the corrupt system. Therefore, the government must make its contribution to the enforcement of laws. These laws must keep the pressure on leaders to resign from their position if found guilty.
Promote the Value of Civic Society
Those nations that grow and flourish well understand the role of civic society in the country. So, they must teach good moral and ethical values to citizens. It allows them to honor and respect each other’s rights. Hence, they can promote media literacy and develop critical thinking in the public. Thus, they can know better about their voting power through transparent elections.
Improve Education and Healthcare
Education is a primary need for everyone. So, the government must support the public in finding quality learning from reputable institutions. They must make it affordable to all without discriminating against anyone because of their gender or wealth status.
Furthermore, another responsibility of the rulers is to make standard healthcare facilities accessible to the massive population of the country. People can afford their treatment within their accessible means.
Build Alliance with Democratic Nations
It is a crucial step for the government to establish a real sense of liberal democracy in its countries. However, they must ask for the active cooperation of democratic nations to help support the progress and development of the country. It develops friendly connections between nations to seek their growth and success. So, they must learn from other countries and apply their tactics in their own ruling regime.
Bottom Line
Overall, the above-mentioned points are worthwhile to discuss for the signs and reasons for the steady decline of liberal democracy in the world. However, it needs a solid plan for action to implement it immediately. Readers need to battle for survival, as explained by the author Tim McCormick in his book. So, they must buy this guide for the knowledge and understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The definition of a liberal democracy is plain and simple. However, it defines the true sense of liberty to the public in choosing their democratic representatives. So, they can select them through their votes in the election. But the election must be fair and free to be conducted on pure merit.
The concept of liberal democracy is in decline nowadays. It is because the governments promote it verbally, but do not practice this idea in real terms. So, they abuse their power and increase the level of corruption in their own countries. They consider themselves to be exempt from the constitutional law and create an economic disaster.
Nowadays, there are several threats to liberal democracy in the form of inequality of justice, lack of rule of law, weak judicial institutions, and violation of human rights. All these are damaging to the growth and development of a nation. Counties cannot flourish well in these kinds of circumstances and fall into decline.
They can easily recover with the help of the reformation of institutions. These public offices must be honest and transparent to the citizens. They must eliminate the negative aspect of corruption from their systems to achieve success.
Tim McCormick has provided valuable preventative measures to protect from the decline of liberal democracy. So, he has designed the plan for action to execute it in this situation. His plans suggest the restoration of the rule of law. He discussed the implementation of transparent and accountable laws in the country. Readers must buy the book to understand better.