MINI DEMOCRACY

Some may wonder why I have chosen to write my blog today under the above title of Mini Democracy. Indeed it is in our English language that everytime the word Mini is used will stand for something distinctively small of its kind or something distinctively smaller than other members of its type or class.
In this article I would like to explore whether those so called democratic countries do offer full and meanigful democracy or they are just a mini democracy of a type.
I would expect that in a democratic and open society, people should have all the freedom guaranteed by their Constitutions whether written or Unwritten. The availability of a constitution in the country manifest conducive environment of a meaningful democracy where people have a right to decide their destiny and feel incorporated in the affairs of the country. Besides, leaders having expected to reasonably uphold the rule of law and being aware that noone is above the law.
Having said this every democratic country ensures that human rights are respected and that people are given wider choices to choose  and say whatever they want.
Beginning with Aristotle the great ,the following words summarises the above:
"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost."
It depends on how one would enterpret and take the above quote as to whether it is enough that people should decide who is to govern them and how or whether the governement should ensure that every citizen has a share in the affairs of the country. This could easily lead us to argue that Aristotle was also pointing out practices and the dangers of Nepotism and keeping ones tribe on the feet as long as you remain in that position of control.
If the above quote really give us the real meaning of democracy then I may not wrong to think that anything falls short of that falls in the category of mini democracy. And Liberty and freedom are very important in any democracy.
Charles Evan Hughes also reported to have said that "While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty." The usurpation of individual liberty is the essence of mini democracy to my view, people living in fear of reprisal from the government they chose at the end of day will only damage the relationship that people enjoy in a full democracy with their own governement.
In the United Kingdom of recent as an example, the citizens were asked in a referendum to decide the way they want leaders and members of the government be elected. The initial stage of doing so is an element of democracy and having them to decide in a poll is constitutional at best. The majority as a result decided to keep the old system of voting and also premonished the leaders that there will be repercussions if they do not live up to their promises. Leaders who do not live up to their promises are just proponents of mini democracy. Other examples are where the government supports and enacts laws that restrict the media and freedom of speech, providing a situation where people are seem not even to trust one another. Indeed it is arguably, a fact that media is the main source of information in this century and their freedom of speech in an open society is vital.
It is true that information is the currency of democracy and without information or censored information is always dangerous in an open soiciety.People deserve to know the truth that is why they elect people who they can trust and to be trusted is having nothing to hide and ensuring that people are rewarded for their allegiance. Not only that there is nothing important in ones life than having to have freedom of saying whatever and whenever they want.
 Therefore every person should at least look around in any country they may be as to whether they get full package of democracy or just a Mini type of it. I will finish this blog with the words said by Lyndon Baines Johnson as follows;
"It is the common failing of totalitarian regimes that they cannot really understand the nature of our democracy. They mistake dissent for disloyalty. They mistake restlessness for a rejection of policy. They mistake a few committees for a country. They misjudge individual speeches for public policy"
Remember freedom of specch is the birthright of all.