The business of politics, the necessity of values | The Indian Express

The business of politics, the necessity of values | The Indian Express

Written by Mukulika Banerjee |Updated: August 24, 2019 1:45:28 am

Banerjee is author of 'Why India Votes and is based at the London School of Economics and Political Science

The business of politics, the necessity of values

Elections are short term contests, but the political project of democracy is a long game.

Elections are a key indicator of the health of a democracy and are a complicated mechanism involving ratios of population size to the number of representatives, calendars, machines and processes. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

Democracy is not just a set of institutions but also a set of values. The institutions are, minimally speaking, free and fair elections, an elected Parliament containing an executive and an Opposition to hold it accountable, an independent judiciary, a nonpartisan bureaucracy, a free media, and security of existence for all citizens. Democratic values include the ability to accommodate a diverse range of viewpoints that requires civility of conduct, a commitment to egalitarian ideals, the idea of universal citizenship — encompassing rights but also duties, allowing all sections of the populace to be heard despite the louder voice of the majority, and, a general commitment to the common good over individual desires. The relationship between democratic institutions and democratic values is symbiotic: The former are there to safeguard the latter and to exemplify them in their own conduct. In turn, the foremost democratic value is respect for institutions. Thus, both institutions and values are essential for any country to be democratic.