Democracy and Political Corruption
Table of Contents
The democratic system has a lot going for it, but it isn’t perfect, because no system is. For an overview on democracy and political corruption, it’s important to know about the finer details of what democracy stands for.
What is Democracy?
Democracy is a system of government in which all citizens of that country have an equal say and vote in decisions that will affect their lives. It promotes freedoms, rights and the ability to decide for one’s self political determination. Although democracy relies on having a single person or small group of people in charge of everything, it differs from the traditional sense of monarchy or dictatorship in that the people control their leader, not the other way around, and there are acceptable ways to have a leader put out of government without revolution or by force.
Ever since the very beginning of democracy, freedom and equality have been the main principles it is built upon. Other basic ideals and values include reaching a decision by majority rule. This ensures that most of the country (because not everyone can be happy with every decision) is speaking up for what they want. Also, freedom of speech, of religion, and of political decisions is at the core of the government, because citizens are adequately educated about their choices, and they are free to vote as they see fits best.
What is Political Corruption?
This occurs when political officials misuse their governmental power for personal gain. Anything that is done by an official that directly relates to their duties in office. Other illegal activities such as police brutality or repression of other political enemies are not under this name.
When a country’s leaders become corrupt, they not only bring harm to themselves and their people but to neighboring countries and allies as well. Depending on the democracy and political corruption and the scale of the deceit, this can have large ramifications on other countries and people that are affected by this country. When leaders in politics become corrupt, they are selfishly pursuing their own gain and thus should not be in parliament. Eventually they will be found out and hopefully eradicated from their place of power, otherwise the corruption will spread to include more and more players and could possibly contaminate the entire country’s future and faith in its leadership.
Effects of Corrupted Government
- In the business realm, leadership corruption will increase the costs of doing business, because of unauthorized payments and transactions that are likely going on.
- For countries that have smaller income per capita, corruption is more common because these people have to rely on other countries for their aid and materials.
- Even with environmental protection laws in place, they won’t do what they were intended to do if the officials in charge are easily accepting bribes from factories and companies.
- Improper use or “trading of influence” is often used by leaders who want to get what they want by using their power, social standing, or reputation to influence a third party.
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