In this article you will learn about the Merits and Demerits of Political Parties.
Merits of Political Parties
1. Means of Harmonising relations : Political Parties harmonise the organs of government. They give coherence to the very complicated mechanism of government established under the federal as well as the state constitutions. To some extent they alleviate the disadvantages of the federal system, harmonising the policy of state and nation.
2. Source of National Unity : The parties are instrumental in developing and maintaining a sense of national unity. People in some of the political systems do not form a homogeneous unit. These are diversities of religion, of nationalistic origin and of economic interests. Political parties give order, coherence and some unity to the diversities.
3. Transformation of the mass of the electorate into a National force : Bryce says that “the parties keep a nation’s mind active, as the rise and fall of the sweeping tide freshens the water of long ocean inlets. Discussions within each party culminating before election in the adoption of a platform, bring certain issues to the front, define them, express the ways which fix men’s minds on certain points, concentrating attention and inviting criticism. So few people think seriously and steadily upon any subject outside the range of their own business interests that public opinion might be vague and ineffective if the party searchlights were not constantly turned on it. This brings the people into the national mainstream and makes them active and well functioning members of the political system”.
4. Very useful and essential role in Formulation of Public Opinion and Public Policies : Parties prevent popular prejudices from getting incorporated in the legal code for all proposals and measures are fully discussed before they are finally passed as laws for the community. Thus, it saves the state from some of the possible risks of direct legislature by the people.
5. Parties keep the government under check : The party system also acts as a great check against domination. The parties hold the wheels of the state in balance.
6. Vital links between the people and their government : Political parties are the links and the vital channels of communication between the people and the government. They act as two way agencies - taking the demands of people to the government and policies of the government to the people. In countries like the USA where the theory of separation of powers is followed, political parties have supplied the missing link among the various branches of government.
In fact, all the functions of Political Parties in a democracy can be legitimately described as their merits.
Demerits of Political Parties
1. Local Biases
2. Source of Divisions in Society
3. The parties cannot reflect and clarify public opinion
4. The parties are always dominated by extremists and demagogues
5. The parties are not fully and really representative in nature and functioning
6. The foreign ‘Connections’ in Political Parties
7. Unnatural divisions in society
8. Source of Disharmony
9. Increases money/budget in politics
10. Not fully Responsible
11. Agencies of Corruption
12. Source of Undesirable Opposition and Criticism
13. Political Parties act as a source of Delay and Inefficiency
Thus, several disadvantages can, usually do result from the operation of parties in the political system. However, most of these demerits, rather all these demerits are there because of the universally recognised frailties of human nature. By conscious efforts and through institutional and other structural devices we can certainly minimise, if not totally eliminate, these demerits. Parties are indeed indispensable.
This article on Merits and Demerits of Political Parties is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.