Letters: Importance of democracy
Dear Parrots magazine,
Importance of democracy
Formal organisation of Bureaucracies i.e. the Budgerigar Society (BS) inevitably leads to Oligarchy, under which organizations originally idealistic and democratic eventually come to be dominated by a small, self-serving group of people who achieved positions of power and responsibility. This can occur in large organisations because it is physically impossible for everyone to get together every time a decision has to be made. Consequently, a small group is given the responsibility of making decisions. People in this group would become enthralled with their elite positions and more and more inclined to make decisions that protect their own power rather than represent the will of the BS Membership they are supposed to serve. Bureaucracy and democracy do not mix, despite any protestations and promises that they would not become like all the rest, those placed in positions of responsibility and power often come to believe that they too are indispensable, and more knowledgeable than those they serve. As time goes on, they will become further removed from the rank and file of the BS Membership.