In a democracy, people vote for political leaders so that they can take decisions which reflect the will of the people who voted for them. But recent events across the world show that those countries which are considered the ‘flag bearers’ of democracy do not follow democratic principles in essence. There is a wide gap between the will of voters and the actions of their elected governments on the issue of a ceasefire in Gaza. Across the world, people have taken to the streets and are arranging protest rallies every other day. Their demand is clear – stop the war. But their governments and leaders, however, are standing on the other side of the fence and doing exactly the opposite by either keeping quiet or supporting Israel’s atrocities which clearly show the state’s lust for ‘revenge’. This raises an important question: are democracies capable of delivering people’s will? My answer is a big no.
Anas A Khan
Edmonton
Canada