Ask a Teacher

It is absolutely correct to say that rights are necessary for the very sustenance of a democracy. Rights are the heart and soul of democracy. In a democracy, every citizen has the right to vote and the right to be elected to government. For democratic elections to take place, it is necessary that citizens should have the right to express their opinion, form political parties and take part in political activities.

Rights also perform a very special role in a democracy. They protect minorities from the oppression of the majority. They ensure that interests of the minorities are protected and majority does not act as per its whims and fancies. Rights are guarantees which can be used when things go wrong. Things may go wrong when some citizens may wish to take away the rights of others. Generally, the majority wants to dominate the minority. The government should protect the citizens’ rights in such a situation. Sometimes elected governments may not protect or even attack the rights of their own citizens (as happened in Yugoslavia under Milosevic). Therefore, some basic rights of the citizens are written down in the constitution of most democracies.