Ch-2 (IX) What is democracy and why democracy

Chapter-2

What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

A simple definition of Democracy

Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

Summary definition of Democracy

1. In a democracy the final decision making power must be given to those rulers who are elected by the people.

2. A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing.

3. In a democracy, each adult citizen ( people) must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

4. A democratic government rules within the limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights

Why Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy?.

1. In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf  led a military coup and overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country.

2. Later he conducted a referendum which was based on malpractices and fraud. He changed his designation as President in 2002.

3. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the constitution of Pakistan. According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national or provincial assemblies.

4. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers.

5. After passing this law, elected representatives have some powers but the final power rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself. Because of these reasons Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy.

Should we consider the election held in China is democratic? Give reasons

1.    In China, single party system is practiced.

2.    Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.

3.    Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections.

4.   The government is always formed by the Communist Party of China.

5.   Some of the members of Chinese parliament are nominated by the army

Should we consider the election held in Mexico is democratic? Give reasons

1.   Since its independence in 1930, every election was won by a PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but the PRI uses many dirty tricks to win elections.

2.  All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.

3.  Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.

4. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticize them.

5. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes.

6. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.

Which are the countries deny equal right to vote? How?

1.  In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.

2.  Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.

3.  In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fijian has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

How is Zimbabwe government undemocratic  and autocratic? Give reasons.

1.  Zimbabwe has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe, is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections.

2.   Over the years his government has changed the constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable.

3.   Opposition party workers are harassed and their meeting disrupted.

4.  Public protests and demonstrations against the government are declared illegal. There is a law that limits the right to criticize the President.

5.  Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s version.

6. The government has ignored some court judgments that went against it and has pressurized judges to take back the judgements.

What are the arguments put forward against democracy?

1.  Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.

2.  Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.

3.  So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays.

4.  Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions.

5.  Democracy leads to corruption because it is based on electoral competition.

6.  Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.

What are the arguments put forward for democracy?

1.   A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.

2.   Democracy improves the quality of decision making by consulting various people and institutions.

3.   Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts. (In any society where people belong to different regions, speak different languages, practice different religions and have different castes, democracy provides permanent and suitable solution to overcome all the differences  and conflicts.)

4.   Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens by providing equality, fundamental rights and freedoms.

5.   Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistakes.

BROADER MEANINGS OF DEMOCRACY

Two types of Democracy

1.   Direct democracy- In which all the adult citizens of the country assemble in a place and directly take part in decision making.

2.   Indirect democracy or Representative Democracy-In which people elect their representatives and those elected representatives make major decision. The majority of people rule through their elected representatives.

Why is Representative Democracy become necessary in the present world?

1.  Modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision.

2.  Even if they could, the citizens do not have the time, the desire or the skills to take part in all the decisions.

What is an ideal standard of democracy?

1.  True democracy will come to a country only when no one goes hungry to bed.

2.   In a true democracy every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision making with equal right to vote, equal information, basic education, equal resources and a lot of commitment.

Assignment  on chapter : What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

1.   Explain Summary definition of Democracy

2.   Why Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy?

3.   Should we consider the election held in China is democratic? Give reasons.

4.  Should we consider the election held in Mexico is democratic? Give reasons

5.  Which are the countries deny equal right to vote? How?

6.   How is Zimbabwe government undemocratic and autocratic? Give reasons.

7.   What are the arguments put forward against democracy?

8.   What are the arguments put forward for democracy?

9.   Explain the two types of democracy?

10. Why is Representative Democracy become necessary in the present world?

11. What are the two ideal standards of democracy?

ch 1 power sharing

Civics chapter -1 Power sharing

The Ethnic composition of Belgium 

1.       59 per cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language.

2.      40 per cent people lives in the Wallonia region and speaks French.

3.      1% of the Belgians speak German.

4.      In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent people speaks French while 20 per cent are Dutch speaking.

5.      The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful. But the majority Dutch-speaking community was poor and weak.

The Ethnic composition of Sri Lanka

1.      Sri Lanka is an island nation, and it has about two crore people.

2.      The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 per cent) and 8% of others.

3.    Among Tamils there are two sub groups. Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’. The rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period, are called ‘Indian Tamils’.

4.   Most of the Sinhala speaking people are Buddhist, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.

5.    There are about 7 per cent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.

What is Majoritarianism? How was it practiced in Sri Lanka?

1.      Majoritarianism is a belief in which the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.

2.      In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language.

3.      The government followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.

4.     A new constitution recognised Buddhism as the national religion.

5.     Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language and culture. They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights and freedoms.

What is Accommodation? What were the Accommodation arrangements done in Belgium?

Accommodation is an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together with equal rights and opportunities within the same country.

1.    Belgium amended its constitution four times to work out an accommodation arrangement.

2.    Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government.

3.   Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group.

4.   Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. The state governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.

5.   Brussels has a separate government( capital government) in which both the communities have equal representation.

6.   Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government called community government. This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.

What do we learn from these two stories of Belgium and Sri Lanka?

1.    In Belgium, the leaders have realized that the unity of the country is possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions.

2.    This realisation resulted in mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing power.

3.    In Sri Lanka the majority community wants to force its dominance over others and refuses to share power.

4.    This resulted in long civil war and heavy loss of men and material.

Why is power sharing desirable?

1.    Prudential Reason: Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.

2.     Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability. Power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.

3.    Moral Reason: Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those who live with its effects.

4.    In a democracy people have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens participate in the system.

Forms of power sharing

1.      Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. This is called horizontal distribution of power. It allows different organs of government to exercise different powers. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.

2.      Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a central government for the entire country and state governments at the regional level. Division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government is called vertical division of power.

3.      Power can also be shared among different social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups.

4.      Power can also be shared by different political parties such as national parties share power with regional parties in coalition government.

5.      Power can also be shared by different pressure groups and movements such as associations of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision-making process.

Explain horizontal distribution of power from the Indian context 

1.      Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. This is called horizontal distribution of power.

2.      It allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers and separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power.

3.      In India ministers and government officials exercise power and they are responsible to the Parliament or State Assemblies.

4.      Similarly the judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures.

5.      Each organ checks the other. This results in a balance of power among various institutions. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.

Explain Vertical Division of power OR Federal division of power from the Indian context.

1.      Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a central government for the entire country and state governments at the regional level. Such a central government for the entire country is usually called federal government.

2.       In India, we refer to it as the Central or Union Government. The governments at the regional level are called State Governments.

3.      In India the constitution clearly lays down the powers of different levels of government. This is called federal division of power.

4.      The same principle is extended to levels of government lower than the State government, such as the municipality and panchayat.

5.       This type of division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government is called vertical division of power.

Explain power sharing between different social groups from the Indian context

1.      Power can be shared among different social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups.

2.      In India there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections are represented in the legislatures and administration.

3.      The system of ‘reserved constituencies’ in assemblies and the parliament of our country is meant to give space in the government and administration to diverse social groups.

4.      This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in power and  a way of accommodating social diversities.

Explain power sharing between different Political parties from the Indian context 

1.      Power can also be shared by different political parties, 

2.      In India the citizens have freedom to choose among various contenders for power. 

3.    This takes the form of competition among different political parties. Such competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand.

4.    Power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups.

5. Sometimes this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or more parties form an alliance to contest elections and form a coalition government.

Explain power sharing between different pressure groups and movements from the Indian context 

1.      Pressure groups are nongovernmental and non political organizations with some objectives and by pressurizing the government they achieve their goals for the betterment of the society.

2.       In a democracy, Power can also be shared by different pressure groups and movements such as associations of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers etc.

3.      These pressure groups share power either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision-making process of the government.

Assignment for chapter Power sharing

1.      Explain the Ethnic composition of Belgium. 

2.      Explain the Ethnic composition of Sri Lanka

3.      What is Majoritarianism?

4.      How was Majoritarianism practiced in Sri Lanka?

5.      What is Accommodation?

6.       What were the Accommodation arrangements done in Belgium?

7.      What do we learn from these two stories Majoritarianism and Accommodation of Belgium and Sri Lanka?

8.      Why is power sharing desirable? Explain two Prudential and two Moral Reasons.

9.      What is power sharing? Explain the four Forms of power sharing

10.  Explain horizontal distribution of power from the Indian context. 

11.  Explain Vertical Division of power (OR) Federal division of power from the Indian context.

12.  Explain power sharing between different social groups from the Indian context

13.  Explain power sharing between different Political parties from the Indian context

14.  Explain power sharing between different pressure groups from the Indian context.