It does not come as a surprise to know that India is rated as a 'flawed democracy'
by a global research organization.
The world's biggest democracy is 'flawed' due to the ills of political culture, the kind of political participation, the electoral process and a score of other issues.
The division of the electorate into convenient constituencies on the basis of castes, self-interest outfits etc have played havoc with the way India can function as a robust economy catering to its over-all development.
While some stringent changes in the election process such as introducing a two-party system and non recognition of caste, religious and self-interest outfits will go a long way in changing the quality of our democracy, it is worth recalling here PC Alexander's thought provoking article on the un-holy alliances that are now taking shape purely for grabbing power and not for any ideology.
"One of the major weaknesses of the party system in India has been the lack of any ideological identity for most political parties….
Already the cash-for-votes scam has become a tolerated feature of India's political scene.
When different political formations try after the election to form the government at the Centre, politics will become commerce and the parliamentary system will come into greater disrepute and decline.
Since the time for pre-election alliances and seat adjustments is practically over, the only thing left is to create strong awareness among the people about the dim prospects which our young democracy now faces."
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The news report on rating India as the 'flawed democracy"
http://dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2009/04/08/ArticleHtmls/08_04_2009_009_003.shtml?Mode=0
India may rank well above many other emerging economies in terms of its democratic climate, but it still remains a "flawed democracy", according to global research organisation Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
In the latest edition of its annual Democracy Index, published on Tuesday, EIU placed India among the 50 countries found to be "flawed democracies".
This dubious distinction for the country comes amidst India's democracy being highlighted by preparations for the forthcoming general election, which EIU has also termed as "the world's largest democratic exercise".
The index, in which Indian democracy has been ranked at 35th position out of the total 167 countries under review, is based on a collective score of electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture. The report has named 30 countries as full democracies, 50 of them as "flawed" democracies, 36 as hybrid regimes and another 51 as authoritarian regimes.
The full democracies list is topped by Sweden, followed by Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Germany, among others.
Other full democracies include Japan, the US, the United Kingdom, Greece, France, Portugal, Mauritius, South Korea and Italy.
Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, Bhutan, Turkey, Nepal and Iraq have been named hybrid regimes.
The authoritarian regimes include Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Oman, China, Qatar, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and North Korea.
