Democracy without dissent is disastrous

THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: Democracy without dissent is disastrous. Comment.

In a democracy, it is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country to choose his/her representative/s on the basis of the services they can provide while being their leader. If citizens think that someone is not capable of that office, they needn’t support him/her, or they can always ask them as to what services and facilities will they provide for the common man and when they do not do what they have promised they have every right to express their displeasure and even to recall them. Without such a possibility of dissent, democracy can never be the “government of the people, by the people and for the people!” Hence, a democracy without dissent is disastrous. And makes no sense!
Senjuti Saibal Bhattacharya (19)
A C Patil College of Engineering, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

Dissent is a powerful source of developing public reasoning, and is necessary for determining the legitimacy of a given State as well as the customs and practices of a given society. In law-making, it is necessary to speculate how the said law would affect the different sections of society and how it would serve the purpose it is designed for. Dissent, therefore, can prove to be a useful tool in successful and efficient law-making.
Gitali Dhir (12)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

I think that democracy without dissent is disastrous as we are independent citizens of India and if our representatives make some decisions which do not satisfy the aspirations of the citizens, they will express their protest in different forms. It is through these that the government gets to know that the people of the country are not under them, and their decisions are subject to public opinion. So, dissent in one form or the other, symbolizes the power of the people and is an integral part of the democratic system.
Anahit Sandhu (15)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

The absence of dissent in a democracy will prove disastrous and will give a fatal blow to the country. John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, once said, “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” After all, democracy is alive today because of the varied opinions, views, arguments and constructive criticism of the citizens of a democratic nation. Therefore, I think that democracy without dissent is disastrous.
Sargun Saini (16)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

I reiterate that there is no democracy without dissent. Our country is built on the bedrock of co-existence of diverse and often diverging views and ideologies. Those who criticize or have views opposed to those who govern the country are not to be deemed as enemies or anti-nationals. Citizens of the country should not be branded anti-nationals or “urban naxals” and incarcerated because of their dissent to the views of the government. Tolerance of dissent in a democracy is an important sign of political maturity. The right of an elected lawmaker to disagree with the party views flows from the people’s right to hold independent opinions, expressed through their representatives.
Guneev Kaur (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Democracy is the government of, by and for the people. Often, ordinary people are dominated by wealthy and high class people. Dissent means raising your voice against the wrong done to you or disagreeing with the opinions you feel wrong. Dissent is an essential aspect of democracy. When a person does something wrong to others, often people don’t dissent fearing that their reputation will go low, as the one who tortures them have power to do anything to them. This is not good for our democracy.
Charanpreet Kaur (13)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Right to dissent is the most important right granted to the citizens by our Constitution. If a country has to grow in a healthy manner, the civil rights of every citizen should be protected and dissent should be encouraged. Only through discussion and dissent can we arrive at better ways to govern the country.
Bhavika (11)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Democracy without dissent is not real! There is no freedom without dissent. In 1919, at the time of World War I, Holmes said that it’s now time to stand up. He also wrote: “When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct.” Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, wrote to Prime Minister Modi that there is no democracy without dissent. He urged the PM to assure the nation of his commitment to upholding the freedom of expression even when it involves disagreement with him or his government. The right to dissent is the most important right granted by our Constitution.
Saanvi Bhalla (12)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

There is no real democracy without dissent. Those who criticize or have opposing views to the government should not be termed as enemies of the country, because everyone has the right to present his/her views for or against. It is possible that a person who is opposing a certain decision made by the government may have better ideas to solve a particular problem. So he/she must be given the right and opportunity to express his/her ideas.
Palakshi Kalra (12)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar