EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
A party of order or stability, and a party of progress or reform, are both necessary elements of a healthy state of political life. Comment(250 words)
A political party is an association of people having a common perspective, principles and aims, concerning the political system. The party members work together to win elections and form the ruling government, by getting their candidates elected in the assembly. In order to do so, they nominate candidates before the election and campaign for them to win the election. India has a multi-party system, where there are three or more parties which have the capacity to form government separately or in a coalition.
Role
- The motive of political parties is to add people who hold similar points of view about the government. Even though many people are associated with the same party, they don’t exactly share the same beliefs but the core beliefs about how the government should run remain the same.
- The parties hold true to a core set of beliefs which enables the voters to understand the basic beliefs of one of the nominated candidates.
- Opposition parties are responsible for keeping an eye on the activities of the government. They spend much of their time investigating the ruling party’s policies and activities which help us, citizens, to be informed of both sides of an issue. Although voters tend to get tired of the debates and arguments, it helps to present balanced information.
- People in the same political party remain connected with each other through their party. A party can link its members at different levels of government- local, state or national. This plays a uniting role for all the members.
- Parties even offer access to government machinery and welfare schemes. Local party leaders act as a string between the citizens and government officials.
- Political parties shape public opinion. With the help of the government, they get to understand the ongoing issues in the nation.
Advantages
- An average person can make a change-
It might be difficult for a single person to create change. By having political parties, individuals get to work together with people who share the same opinion about specific issues. This gives rise to a collective voice rather than an individual one, which makes it easier to convey to people what is being offered.
- Growth of personal and professional networks-
People are subconsciously attracted to others who have similar values, beliefs and perspectives. When someone joins a political party, they may discover many people who share the same perspective. This process can form many new friendships and hence form a meaningful and potentially profitable network of people who can make the world a better place.
- Makes the process faster-
Political parties help to shape the conversations around governing because they group the conversations into various categories that are appropriate. If you ask 100 different people their opinion, there is a possibility that they come up with the same answer if their political views are the same.
When this group process is simplified, the governing process can operate quickly and efficiently.
- Encourages political participation-
As a democratic nation, India allows its citizens to freely express their opinions and to support the political party that shares their interest and opinion. Unlike China, India supports the public to participate and cast their votes at the polls. Hence, citizens can contribute toward making important changes that will benefit everyone.
- Ensures distribution of information-
The presence of political parties ensures that the necessary information about governance is available to those who want it.
- Encourages people to become politically active-
Everyone has the capability of casting a vote. It takes no special skill to cast a vote but a political party works hard to ensure that people are informed about the ongoing issues and can make empowered decisions about the future of their society and government.
- Helps decisions be made quicker-
When people can come together in a party and debate over the ideas and policies, they can create legislation faster than if they were to do it alone. This seems to be an advantage if the party is managed properly.
- Creates checks and balances-
In India, with multiple parties, the parliamentary system is designed so as to bring politicians from major political parties to negotiate over legislation and policies. The goal of multiple party systems is to create a balance of power.
Disadvantages
- Might have selfish propaganda-
Political parties might carry vested interests and self-centred propagandas that benefit only a few and are not in the interest of the whole nation. This damages the country’s political, social and economic infrastructure. When a certain group pays heed to its members rather than the entire country, it disturbs the nation’s peace and order.
- Could create factionalism-
A country with multiple party systems could create a difference of ideologies. It could create animosity between parties, encourage jealousy and develop occasional riots which would lead the public to form factions as it would be hard for all of them to agree on certain levels.
- Could ruin individuality-
Parties may expect its members to support and share their views blindly without questioning the decision-makers. They might not allow them to criticize their opinions or decisions. So, this would prohibit the members from forming individual opinions on certain issues because they are expected to follow what their party is telling them.
- Could encourage corruption-
It is often seen that parties distribute money to the electorate to secure votes for their candidates during elections. Aside from that, their candidate may be making abundant promises about delivering food, electricity, shelter and all the necessities only to persuade the voting population into electing them. But once they are elected into office, they might never deliver to their promises. They might also place those who supported them during the election, in higher positions in exchange for their votes.
Every country may not be a democracy. Communism and dictatorships also have political parties. The purpose of these parties is usually only about enforcement of laws and expectations without taking the public’s consent into consideration or being politically active from an individualized perspective. If a political party has too much strength or leverage, they can become abusive.
- May prioritize themselves-
Indian political parties and candidates spent nearly $8.65 billion in India’s 2019 general election according to a report by the Centre for Media Studies, making it the most expensive election ever, anywhere. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party was the biggest spender, accounting for 45-50% of the total expenditure. This figure is almost twice the amount estimated by the Centre for Media Studies for the last general polls in 2014. Just one election in India at those figures is enough to solve its hunger issues for an entire year. This depicts that the goal of most political parties is to prioritize themselves so that they can be in power. For them, these costs are investments.
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