Some people believe that government officials must carry out the will of the people they serve. Others believe that officials should base their decision on their own judgment.

Some people believe that government officials must carry out the will of the people they serve. Others believe that officials should base their decisions on their own judgment.

Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.

Since the establishment of modern society, the relationship between government and citizens is always a contentious topic. When considering about the responsibility of the government, there are always two opposite standpoints presented: one is that government should listen to the people they serve and take actions based on people’s will, while the other is that the officials should make decisions based on their own mind. Actually, these two arguments are not mutually exclusive and the best decision would be made when considering both factors.

Indeed, the government is the representative selected from people and by people, thus they should make decisions which can represent most people’s will. If a leader continued to disregard people’s thought and be tenacious to his/her own mind on important decisions, the people would not be willing to follow his/her leadership anymore. Take an example of France revolution: the revolution occurred mainly because people were unsatisfied with their dictatorial king, whose decisions had made people’s live misery and made society unstable. If the king learned to consider suggestions from the common public, the situation would not be so uncontrollable and such an upheaval revolution might not occur. Thus, to carry out the citizens’ demands is necessary for any leader of a country.

Some people would point out that the government officials are more familiar to politics and they can make a better decision than people in general. Indeed, government officials specialise in studying how to regulate and know how to develop a country with far-reaching decision-making. Sometimes the situation is not as simple as what people supposed. When the decision is related to the future of a country, the conclusion needs to be made after considering carefully both benefits and drawbacks, and something needs to be given up for sure. For instance, tax-raising is a decision that no one would prefer but it’s necessary if the country needs such a large amount of money to support other industries or the development of technology. If the government yielded to the critical voices from the public, a satisfactory result might only be available for short-term but not in the long-term future.

While for most of the circumstances, we have to admit the coexistence of both factors during decision-making. As I argued above, politicians may be able to make better decisions if they stick on their own judgment. However, it is better if the decision-maker can consider from the point of view of the public. It would make the process of implementing the decisions face less resistance and more efficient. Take the same example of raising the tax, the governor could make this action milder and in a step-by-step process, such as raising tax gradually in the following five years. People would definitely accept such decision easier and they would get used to it in the end. As a result, all the governments should not only have their own mind in making some crucial decisions but also consider the feeling of the people they serve.