You are a speaker in a debate on the topic. “Civilian rule is better than military rule” Write your contribution for or against the motion.

Civilian Rule Is Better Than Military Rule

Good morning, the chairman, the moderator the panel of judges, the time keeper, my co-debaters, and my attentive audience. The topic to be proposed this morning is “Civilian Rule is Better Than Military Rule”.

First, one has to give the meanings of key words in this topic – Civilian and military Rule. Civilian rule can be defined as a type of governance undertaken by the civil society. It can also be referred to as government by the people’s representatives. Military rule on the other hand is governance by members of the armed forces. They usually force themselves on the people. Civilian rule is referred to as democratic while military rule is tagged autocratic. The process of choosing the representatives of the people is most often done through voting while the military come to power through another process called coup d’etat.

At this juncture, I have to come out boldly by supporting the proposal, having these points to buttress my stance. One of the most important reasons why civilian rule is better is what we are doing today-debate. The freedom guaranteed all citizens to air their views. My opponents cannot deny the fact that you dare not publicly criticize a military regime. You will be rounded up by the state security agents if such happens.

The process of becoming the peoples’ representative is another reason for my preference of civilian rule to military rule. All intending participants will come out to campaign. They will give highlights of what they wish to accomplish if they are voted for. Nigerians. The most important of all these is the choice. The opportunity given to the electorate to vote for the best candidate.

In addition, civilian rulers tend to govern better than military rulers. This is simply  because of the fear of reprimand by the people who elected them. The civilian rulers know clearly that should they fail to perform, re-election will be difficult. It may even spell doom for their political party if they are elected through the platform of a political party. Above all, they live amongst us, they begged us to vote for them and they are our people. It seems logical that they are easily accessible to us than any group of people who forced themselves on us.

Moreover, there care checks and balances embedded in civilian rule to ensure smooth running of government. The legislative houses and the press oftentimes cry out to check the excesses of civilian rulers. My opponents can testify to the fact that there are no legislative houses during military regime. Again, the press is viewed by the military as their enemy, thus leading to the closure of medical houses and detention of journalists.

In conclusion, I wish to state categorically that the armed forces are established to defend the territorial integrity of the nation against internal and external aggression. They should face their job rather than rule.