Prototype for a Fair and Efficient Democratic Government

In a short and concise form this book describes a generic system for a fair and efficient democratic government. While we present a theoretical bird's eye model in a fictional country, it is of particular relevance to Canada with its current debate about the first-past-the-post electoral system and the usefulness of an appointed Senate. Democratic governments offer the best guarantee against human rights violations but they are not free of shortcomings. Excessive partisan politics, pop and celebrity fixations that may lead to emotional and irrational ballots or the undue influence of financial means to gain political power are just a few examples. The purpose of this book is to suggest safeguards against such weakness. Our prime tenets are (i) administrative efficiency, (ii) a government that is transparent and accountable with sufficient checks and balances, (iii) broad popular participation in the political process, (iv) regional self-determination and (v) the protection of minority rights. While grass-root democracies are often accused of suffering under slowness and indecisiveness we demonstrate how modern internet technology would make it possible to adhere to strict democratic fundamentals and still maintain a high degree of proficiency. We present a concept of a web-based infrastructure and syntax to accommodate voter registration and electronic voting. In democracies, the building blocks of the government are political parties. We examine how parties are being formed, followed by a discussion about the election of members to the parliament. Much space is allocated to the distinction between professional and non-professional parliamentarians. Our next attention is directed to various forms of the legislative assembly. We scrutinize (i) the Parliamentary versus Presidential System of Government, followed by (ii) a study of Unicameral and Bicameral Legislatures and finally (iii) Multiple-Party and Dual-Party Parliaments. We also ask the critical question about the need for an Opposition. Similarly, we discuss the Executive Branch of the Government and how it is being chosen. We try to resolve the conflict between partisanship and pragmatism on the one hand, and the aspiration to govern by technical decision making on the other hand. After a review of the legislative and executive branches of the government, a discussion about the law making-process is in order. The very essence of democracy is the power that is bestowed to the people. We address topics such as: (i) The Right to Know, (ii) Petitions, (iii) Public Consultations, (iv) Referendums and (v) Recalls. An important feature of modern multi-faceted democracies is a federalist structure of the country. We explain how the idea of federalism can also be applied to the configuration of multi-candidate electoral districts. The final chapter is dedicated to minority protection. We define the term of "Visible Minority", followed by a narrative of the privileges that should be granted to them.