Thomas Paine's statement "government is a necessary evil" means that while government is necessary for maintaining order and providing essential services, it also carries with it the potential for abuse of power and the infringement of individual liberties. Paine believed that a well-functioning democracy with checks and balances in place was necessary to prevent government from becoming a greater evil than the disorder that it was meant to prevent.
Paine's perspective was rooted in his concern for the corruption and inefficiency of the government of his native England, and his conviction that individual liberty was fundamental to the well-being of society. In his famous pamphlet "Common Sense," published in 1776, Paine argued that the American colonists should break away from England's corrupt and authoritarian rule and establish a democratic system based on the principle of self-government.
Overall, Paine's statement that government is a necessary evil reflects his recognition that while a government is necessary to maintain order and provide essential services, it must also be limited in its powers in order to prevent it from becoming a greater evil that the disorder that it was meant to prevent.