MONARCHY OR DEMOCRACY..... IS THERE A ROLE FOR MONARCHY IN THE MODERN WORLD?

Monarchy: Monarchy is a political system in which supreme authority is vested in the monarch, an individual ruler who functions as the Head of state. There are two types of monarchy :
1. Constitutional Monarchy: The Monarch divides power with a constitutionally founded government.
2. Absolute Monarchy: The Monarch has full and absolute political power.

Countries that practice monarchy includes: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Denmark, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and many more.

Facts about monarchy
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- Both Kings and Queens have two birthdays
- Most Kings and Queens don't have political power
- It started in places like Sumer and Egypt in 3000BCE
- It is the oldest form of government

Advantages of monarchy
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1. Balance is still provided in government
2. It can be cheaper to run a monarchy
3. The transfer of power tends to be smoother
4. A monarchy simply maintains a stronger defense
5. It can be a more efficient form of government

Disadvantages of Monarchy
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1. It is difficult to change the direction of a country
2. Monarchies are supported by local tax policies
3. Tyranny is easier to form in the structure of a monarchy
4. Secession within a monarchy does not guarantee competency
Independent justice is not present unless or is specifically built into the government.

Democracy: Democracy is a system of government whereby the whole population or all the eligible members of a state typically choose their leader or representatives. There are two types of democracy:
1. Direct Democracy: This is a type of democracy whereby everyone is involved in governing the state as far as he/she is a citizen of that particular state.
2. Indirect Democracy: This is a type of democracy whereby the people choose a particular person to lead as their elected candidate or representative.
Countries that practices democracy includes: Switzerland, Ireland, Iceland, Nigeria, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Australia, Ghana, USA and many more.

Facts about democracy
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- Power is held by the people
- It is characterised by free and fair elections
- The rule of law and protection of human rights are key principles
- It can take different forms
- Majority rule and minority rights are balanced
- It has a long history dating back to ancient Greece (Athens)
- USA is considered as a model of modern democratic systems
- It requires voting and civic engagement.
- It can be challenged by factors such as corruption

Advantages of Democracy
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- In a democracy people expect the government to work for their welfare. This could be through development of electricity, roads, through the provision of housing, employment, health, education, etc.
- Democracy gives room to correct the mistakes.
- If there are conflicts, Democracy gives room to resolve the conflicts.
- Democracy helps in improving the quality of decision making.
- The dignity of all individuals gets enhanced due to Democracy.
- Very importantly, Democracy helps in promoting equality among all the citizens of the country.
-In a Democracy, the Governments are accountable, legitimate, and responsive to the expectations and needs of the citizens.
- All the citizens have equal weight in electing their Government representatives.

Disadvantages of Democracy
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- As Democracy is based on electoral competition, it leads to corruption.
- As any ordinary citizen can contest elections and win elections, and any citizen can elect its Government representatives, it is argued that, ordinary citizens who do not know what is good for them should not be involved in decision making.
- Elected Government representatives end up making bad decisions as they do not understand what decision taken is in the best interest of the people.
- The decision making in a Democracy gets delayed as many people have to be consulted.
- There is no scope for morality in Democracy as Democracy is all about power play and political competition.
There is constant instability in Democracy as the leaders keep changing in the democracy as the elections are held regularly

Why democracy should be practiced

Monarchy is the oldest form of government which has been existing for over 500 centuries which started in Egypt and I believe that there is no role for monarchy in the modern world.

My reasons for saying is because:
- The world is vast changing and systems need to change with it.
- Monarchy still believes in power and colonialism which goes against people's fundamental rights.
- Hereditary monarchy causes corruption: The monarch may make important decisions in favour of the Royal family.
- It puts children over men.
- There will be disagreement in the Royal family about the next successor which can actually lead to death.
- One person being on the throne for his entire life and bad decisions could be made because the monarch is the only the one in power. (Elective Monarchy).
- It negotiates principles of democracy.
- It is possible for the monarch to turn to a dictator.
- It does not accepts principles of popular sovereignty.
- Most officials in the monarchy are not elected.
- The divine rights of the monarch makes their subjects positive participants in the political system.

So with all this, I believe that there is no role for monarchy in the modern world.......

Democracy where people make decisions for the country is the only known form of governance in the world that promises to inculcate principles of equality, liberty and justice. The deliberations and negotiations to form policies and make decisions for the country is the basis on which the government works, with supreme power to people to choose their representatives, delegate the country’s matters and express their dissent. The democratic system is usually of two types, the presidential system, and the parliamentary system. In India, the three pillars of democracy, namely legislature, executive and judiciary, working independently and still interconnected, along with a free press and media provide a structure for a truly functional democracy. Despite the longest-written constitution incorporating values of sovereignty, socialism, secularism etc. India, like other countries, still faces challenges like corruption, bigotry, and oppression of certain communities and thus, struggles to stay true to its democratic ideals

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” There is undeniably no doubt that the core of democracies lies in making people the ultimate decision-makers. With time, the simple definition of democracy has evolved to include other principles like equality, political accountability, rights of the citizens and to an extent, values of liberty and justice. Across the globe, representative democracies are widely prevalent, however, there is a major variation in how democracies are practised. The major two types of representative democracy are presidential and parliamentary forms democracy. Moreover, not all those who present themselves as a democratic republic follow its values.

Many countries have legally deprived some communities to live with dignity and protect their liberty, or are practising authoritarian rule through majoritarianism or populist leaders. Despite this, one of the things that are central and basic to all is the practice of elections and voting. However, even in such a case, the principles of universal adult franchise and the practice of free and fair elections are theoretically essential but very limited in practice, for a democracy. Unlike several other nations, India is still, at least constitutionally and principally, a practitioner of an ideal democracy.