Democracy anyone?

Palestine chose a militant government, Hamas, over Fatah. They chose a group whose goal is the destruction of Israel. The Palestinians voted for Hamas because they could not stand to have the corrupt and bureaucratic Fatah in power. They asked Fatah to form a coalition, which was turned down. Hamas is thrown into governance and is grappling with it. Sure, the people were free and independent and voted for their own government, moving closer to Bush's goal of democracy in the Middle East. Democratic countries vote for one party to escape the evils of the other. Essentially they are voting out what they know they do not want, without knowing what they do want. But is that what is best? A militant group who has very little experience in governance?

I am not sitting in judgement of what is the best government for Palestine or for that matter any democracy. But if our options are between bad and worse, people settle for the bad. I have felt on many occasions that India needs an autocracy, a government with an iron hand. Any changes that are being made today are drops in an ocean. Drastic change requires drastic measures. When people have no option but to buckle down and do the right thing, they will. Until then, there will be ways and means (read corruption, bureaucracy) to be lackadaisical and callous and squander the country.