PUBLIC OPINION

“Some people believe that in order to be effective, political leaders must yield to public opinion and abandon principle for the sake of compromise. Others believe that the most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives.”

The present issue portrays two different aspects of a political leader. The first one is "Political leaders must yield to public opinion and abandon principle for the sake of compromise." and the second one claims " The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives." both the prospective are presenting opinion on an ideal leader. Leader is someone who leads people and takes society to a better level by understanding the present condition and problems and guiding a society to optimize its resource and power.

Democracy is selecting a political leader by the people on the basis of majority. People select a candidate who they relate to in aspects like political, social, moral and cultural grounds. In present times of democracy, any political leader should consider the opinion of majority while taking up any issue in hand. The basic idea of democracy is to make the member of any society more actively involved in social and political issues. As we encounter during election political parties present their opinion on certain issue, to make their party’s policies clearer. On the basis of their opinion we cast our votes, to make sure our involvement in the regime.

Since public opinion is considered by the opinion of the majority of people and majority of people, also moral and cultural principal of any particular region or societies generally the same amongst its people. In the first opinion, to be effective, political leaders must yield to public opinion and abandon principle for the sake of compromise, is putting up principle on the stalk and taking up public opinion as the up most priority of the leader. However the two (i.e. majority or public opinion and the principal of leading party) go hand in hand.  This opinion therefore, is self-contradicting. While considering any issue the opinion of the majority of people would be based on the principle that majority follows.

The second opinion, the most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives, is an autocratic way of leading up a society. In democratic society the leader has to be flexible. Contemporary time is the era of democracy and any political leader must have the ability to take public opinion into consideration while taking up any issue in hand. This way the principal of the society would not be ignored.

Thus any political leader in democratic world should consider public opinion as it is the source of his power. Political leaders are elected by the public to represent them in the social and political affairs.