Democracy in theory and practice

In the basic idea of democracy, lies the understanding that state and society are inextricably connected, and that the people, in one way or another control society. Through the use of democracy, society attempts to create practicable solutions in order to reach agreement about collective decisions.

The fundamental concept behind democracy is self- government, the word itself is derived from the greek word demokratia, which means; control (kratos) by the people (demos). In this way, democracy refers to the fact that, all attempts to separate state and society should be rejected, and that democracy is a form of government in which the people, in some fashion, control society.    

Because democracy is ’control by the people’, it applies to all in society, therefore the concept of democracy must rely upon several basic principles in order to succeed. The first principal of democracy is based upon an inherent equality between citizens, which means that everyone should be treated with absolute uniformity and with a complete absence of all forms of discrimination. The second principal is built upon the individual’s right to self determination, which as a negative notion of freedom encourages the absence of force and the misuse of power. Finally, democracy builds upon the principal of equal opportunity, which, as a positive notion of freedom, ensures that all citizens are furnished with enough resources for them to be able to function in society. If there is too big a gap between the various social strata of a society it will have a negative effect on the entire democracy.    

In this way, we can make either a broad or narrow definition of democracy. The narrow definition focuses on the means that ensure election results are achieved in a fair and genuine fashion. Here, we concentrate on the fact that people have the right to choose their leaders by way of free and equal process, and that all adults have the right to vote. In addition to this all adults should also have the right to stand for parliament or any other type of legislative body. There should be the right of free speech and the right to organise. All non-governmental information should also be freely available and accessible to all.  

The broad definition doesn’t just concentrate on whether or not formal rules and conditions are observed, the goals of democracy are also of interest. It is also important to observe whether or not the democratic effort has been successful. Equal opportunity and social rights are of particular interest, as are; political amenability, security for citizens and the fight against corruption. MS concentrates on how democracy includes and relates to; the poor, minorities and the underprivileged. By doing this MS works, to a larger extent, in accordance with the broad definition of democracy.

For MS, democracy is not just limited to a representative democracy. For us it means everyday democracy in practice. Democracy cannot be dictated from above. Democracy is the common man’s participation and influence in the process on daily basis. Democracy is giving people the opportunity to act, to refuse to work or live in unacceptable conditions, to say yes to life’s many opportunities. Only the poor and the marginalised themselves can ensure their own genuine influence. For these reasons, we support them in making their own case, organising themselves and making the effort to influence their own lives – no matter whether it is in the making of decisions at a local level or in the sphere of global economy and trade agreements.