Disadvantages Of Democracy Essay

Introduction

Referring to “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Abraham Lincoln 1861), democracy has long been upheld as the cornerstone of the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. This may well explain why a recently conducted survey reveals that an overwhelming majority (83%) of the Hong Kong people recognize democracy as one of the important core values . Despite a well-embraced core value, democracy is not necessarily conducive to the development of a country. In the eyes of some renowned scholars such as John T. Wenders and Milton Friedman, democracy also has its own drawbacks on different aspects. Therefore, it is the high time for us to examine the both sides of democracy thoroughly.

Benefits of democracy

First

Under democracy, people tend to resolve disputes using peaceful and mild and ways such as referendums. This encourages people to express their views rationally. In other words, the nationals need not resort to violence to voice out their opinions. More importantly, people under democracy will usually respect for the outcome of the referendum since the outcome reflects the true will of the people but not the ruler. Consequently, those dissenting voters will not vent their anger, avoiding protests or even riots in street. However, authoritative regimes often suppress the freedom of speech of the people. Consequently, people cannot vent their dissatisfaction on the authority and thus they may harbor a grievance against the government. If such a grudge accumulates and then breaks out later, then this will properly trigger a serious political crisis, undermining social stability. For example, China has been suppressing any dissenting opinions about the building of chemical plants in different provinces. Consequently, people nurse dissatisfaction against the authority, leading to the several outbreaks of mass disturbances . Therefore, given the peaceful nature of democracy, a democratic state is more stable than an authoritarian