Dear Editor

THE father of modern political science, Machiavelli’s proposition of ‘political science is progress towards human good’ has influenced many modern political leaders. Machiavelli’s call to human good is the true sense of political organisation.

For Machiavelli, politics was for the good of the people. Progress is measured by how good people are. In other words, every political institution has partisan aspects, even though it is democracy. Humans have not been able to find a best way forward to organise politically. Democracy is the best we have so far. The Latin word ‘Demokratia’, ‘Demos’ means people and ‘kratia’ means power or rule. It is people’s rule or rule by the people and for the people. Democracy, in parallel with Machiavelli, suggests that people are the priority. But unfortunately this is not the case in any democracy. For someone to win, someone has to lose. In which case, the latter will be hostile towards the former.

It is the responsibility of elected leaders in any democracy to uphold the unity and good of the people. Although majority wins, it is crucial for the winner to care for the losers equally for two obvious reasons: firstly, every people have a right to be happy as the citizens of the country and secondly, every people contribute towards the government. In these above two reasons, there is no winner and loser, rather bother are equal. It has to be power of the people.
Jerri Dias
Georgetown