Question

Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:

• Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich.

• Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens.

• Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health, education and spend more on industries and infrastructure.

• In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence of any domination and conflict.

Answer 1

Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich. This statement is incorrect as can be seen from the examples of India and Zimbabwe. In 1947, India was included in the Third World nations, but now, it is one of the fast-growing economies in the world. On the other hand, Zimbabwe, which was a fairly prosperous nation, has run into huge international debt with the progression of Robert Mugabe’s regime.

Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens. This statement is incorrect. The Minimum Wages Act enacted by the government and other policies which regulate the basic price at which agricultural producers and small industries sell their goods, have helped increase the per capita income of the country, thereby making its citizens more prosperous.

Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health, education and spend more on industries and infrastructure. This is not a wise option as in poor countries, the people cannot afford health and education services.

In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence of any domination and conflict. This is not true as conflict can be eliminated only in an ideal situation. In real democracies, though every person has one vote, there are divisions among the people. These divisions lead to conflict.