The Varieties of
Democracy
André Béteille
Is there a standard model of democracy to which all nations, I should conform if they are to regard themselves and be regarded by others as democracies? In the modern world many, if not most, nations claim or aspire to be democracies. These claims and aspirations cannot be ignored in deciding whether or not a nation is a democracy even where the regime acts repeatedly against the principles of democracy.
Such is the appeal of the idea of democracy that few governments would venture to repudiate it in principle, although some might say that the rules of democracy have to be held in abeyance in the interest of some other objective such as economic growth, or social harmony or national security. But people become disenchanted with mere words that do not get translated into action. Public opposition to the abuse of authority gathers strength. At the same time, those who spearhead the opposition do not themselves always act in conformity with democratic or constitutional principles. If democracy is to succeed, its rules must be respected and observed by government and opposition alike.
This is the full text of
the Mahesh Chandra Lecture 2012 delivered by André Béteille on 7 November,
2012, at The Shanker Hotel, Kathmandu.
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Author(s)
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André Béteille
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Place of Publication
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Nepal
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Publisher
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Social Science Baha
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Publication year
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2012
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Series
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The Mahesh Chandra
Regmi Lecture, 2012
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Total pages
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26
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Language
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English
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