CIVICS

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?

Q1. What is a referendum?

A referendum is a direct vote in which the entire electorate is asked to either accept or
reject a particular proposal. It may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific
government policy.

Q2. ‘In a democracy the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the
people’. Elucidate.

ANSWER – A] In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999. He
overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’
of the country. Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum
in the country that granted him a five-year extension.

B] Pakistani media, human rights organisations and democracy activists said that the
referendum was based on malpractices and fraud. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal
Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan.

C]According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national and provincial assemblies.
The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is
dominated by military officers. After passing this law, elections were held to the national and
provincial assemblies. So, Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some
powers. But the final power rested with military officers and General Musharraf himself.
Clearly, Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy.

D]Elected representatives were not really the rulers. They cannot take the final decisions.
The power to take final decision rested with army officials and with General Musharraf, and
none of them were elected by the people.

Q3. A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power
have a fair chance of losing. Explain the statement.

ANSWER – A]. In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the
country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress).
The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country. It has
nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the army.
Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist
Party. Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties
allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002-03. The government is always
formed by the Communist Party.

B] Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its
President. The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. But until 2000
every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition
parties did contest elections, but never managed to win. The PRI was known to use many
dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to
attend its party meetings. Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for
the PRI. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise
them. 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. The PRI spent a large sum of
money in the campaign for its candidates. In the Mexican example, people seemed to really
have a choice but in practice they had no choice. There was no way the ruling party could be
defeated, even if people were against it. These are not fair elections. So, a democracy must
be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of
losing.

Q4. Mention three instances which are exceptions of the principle ‘one person, one vote,
one value’

ANSWER – Earlier, we read about how the struggle for democracy was linked to the demand
for universal adult franchise. This principle has now come to be accepted almost all over the
world. Yet there are many instances of denial of equal right to vote. A] Until 2015, in Saudi
Arabia women did not have the right to vote. B] 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.
C] In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than
that of an Indian-Fijian. Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of political equality.
That gives us the third feature of democracy: in a democracy, each adult citizen must have
one vote and each vote must have one value.

Q5. ZANU – PF wins the election every 5 years in Zimbabwe. Are the leaders of Zimbabwe
close to the values of Democracy?

ANSWER – A] Since its independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the
party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe, ruled the country since
independence. Elections were held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF. President Mugabe
was popular but also used unfair practices in elections.

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

C]Opposition party workers were harassed and their meeting disrupted. Public protests and
demonstrations against the government were declared illegal. There was a law that limited
the right to criticise the President.

D] Television and radio were controlled by the government and gave only the ruling party’s
version. There were independent newspapers but the government harassed those
journalists who went against it. The government ignored some court judgments that went
against it and pressurised judges. The example of Zimbabwe shows that popular approval of
the rulers is necessary in a democracy, but it is not sufficient.

[Extra points -There should be sufficient room for normal political activity, including political
opposition, in the period before elections. This requires that the state should respect some
basic rights of the citizen. They should be free to think, to have opinions, to express these in
public, to form associations, to protest and take other political actions. Everyone should be
equal in the eyes of law. These rights must be protected by an independent judiciary whose
orders are obeyed by everyone. It has to respect some basic rules. In particular it has to
respect some guarantees to the minorities. Every major decision has to go through a series
of consultations. Every office bearer has certain rights and responsibilities assigned by the
constitution and the law. Both these aspects give us the fourth and final feature of
democracy: a democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and
citizens.]

Q6. What are the arguments for democracy?

ANSWER – I. A] China’s famine of 1958-1961 was the worst recorded famine in world history.
Nearly three crore people died in this famine. During those days, India’s economic condition
was not much better than China. Yet India did not have a famine of the kind China had.

B] Economists think that: The existence of democracy in India made the Indian government
respond to food scarcity in a way that the Chinese government did not. They point out that
no large-scale famine has ever taken place in an independent and democratic country. If
China too had multiparty elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticise the
government, then so many people may not have died in the famine.

A nondemocratic government may and can respond to the people’s needs, but it all depends
on the wishes of the people who rule. If the rulers don’t want to, they don’t have to act
according to the wishes of the people. A democracy requires that the rulers have to attend
to the needs of the people. A democratic government is a better government because it is
a more accountable form of government

II. There is another reason why democracy should lead to better decisions than any non-
democratic government. Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. A democratic
decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings. When a number of people
put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision. This
takes time. But there is a big advantage in taking time over important decisions. This reduces
the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions. Thus, democracy improves the quality of
decision-making.

III. Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts.

In any society people are bound to have differences of opinions and interests. These
differences are particularly sharp in a country like ours which has an amazing social diversity.
People belong to different regions, speak different languages, practise different religions and
have different castes. They look at the world very differently and have different preferences.
The preferences of one group can clash with those of other groups.

Democracy provides the only peaceful solution to this problem. In democracy, no one is a
permanent winner. No one is a permanent loser. Different groups can live with one another
peacefully. In a diverse country like India, democracy keeps our country together.

IV. The strongest argument for democracy is not about what democracy does to the
government. It is about what democracy does to the citizens. Even if democracy does not
bring about better decisions and accountable government, it is still better than other forms
of government. Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens. As democracy is based on the
principle of political equality. It recognizes that the poorest and the least educated has the
same status as the rich and the educated. People are not subjects of a ruler; they are the
rulers themselves. Even when they make mistakes, they are responsible for their conduct.

V. Finally, democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to

Democracy cannot get us everything and is not the solution to all problems. But it is clearly
better than any other forms of government. It offers better chances of a good decision; it is
likely to respect people’s own wishes and allows different kinds of people to live together.
Even when it fails to do some of these things, it allows a way of correcting its mistakes and
offers more dignity to all citizens. That is why democracy is considered the best form of
government.

Q7. What do you understand by the ‘broader meaning of democracy’? Explain.

ANSWER – A] Democracy is a form of government in which people’s representatives sit

B] “True democracy will come to this country only when no one goes hungry to bed.” In a
democracy every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision making. For this we need
equal right to vote, every citizen needs to have equal information, basic education, equal
resources.

C]It enables us to judge an existing democracy and identify its weaknesses. It helps us to
distinguish between a minimal democracy and a good democracy. A democratic decision
involves consultation with and consent of all those who are affected by that decision.

D]The most common form of democracy in today’s world is rule through people’s elected
representatives. But if the community is small, there can be other ways of taking democratic
decisions. All the people can sit together and take decisions directly. This is how Gram Sabha
should work in a village.

E] Every democracy has to try to realise the ideals of a democratic decision-making. This
cannot be achieved once and for all. This requires a constant effort to save and strengthen
democratic forms of decision-making. What we do as citizens can make a difference to
making our country more or less democratic. This is the strength and the weakness of
democracy: the fate of the country depends not just on what the rulers do, but mainly on
what we, as citizens, do. This is what distinguished democracy from other governments.
Other forms of government like monarchy, dictatorship or one-party rule do not require all
citizens to take part in politics. In fact, most non-democratic governments would like citizens
not to take part in politics. But democracy depends on active political participation by all the
citizens.