What is Democracy and why? Q&A

 

Q.What were the steps taken by Musharraf in Pakistan to empower  himself?

Ans. 1) In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999.
2) He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country. 
3) Later he changed his designation to President 
4) In 2002 he held a referendum in the country that granted him a five year extension. This referendum was based on fraud and malpractices. 
5) In 2002, he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan. According to this order, the President could dismiss the national or provincial assemblies.

Q. In which way is the right to vote denied in Saudi Arabia and Fiji?
Ans. 1) In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote till 2015.
2) In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian Fijian. 
3) In both countries, the right to vote is denied as there is no political equality. In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

Q. Is China a democratic country or not? Give arguments in favor of your answer.
Ans. No, China is not a democratic country. 
Because-
(i) Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it are allowed to contest elections; 
(ii) Before contesting elections a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.
(iii) Every time only Communist Party becomes the ruler of China. Citizens have no choice.

Q. Why was every election won by the party called PRI in Mexico? Explain any three reasons.
Answer:
Every election was won by the party called PRI in Mexico because the PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.
1. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.

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

3. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them.

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

5. The PRI spent a large sum of money on the campaign for its candidates.



Q. Explain the major features of democracy.
Answer:
• Final Authority with the People’s Representatives: In a democracy, the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the people.
• Free and Fair Elections: A democracy must be based on free and fair elections where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing.
• One Person, One Vote, One Value: In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.
• Rule of Law and Respect for Rights: A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizen’s rights.

Q. Why is Zimbabwe not considered a democratic country?
Answer:
(i) Same Party Ruling: Zimbabwe attained independence from white minority rule in 1980. Since then the country has been ruled by the party ZANU-PF. Its leader Robert Mugabe has been ruling the country since independence.
(ii) Unfair Elections: Elections have been held regularly and. always won by the ruling party. They have not been free and fair.
(iii) Change of Constitution to Favour the Government: President Mugabe appears to be popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. His government has changed the Constitution several times to increase the power of the President and make him less accountable.
(iv) Suppression of Opposition: Opposition party workers are often harassed and their meetings disrupted by the ruling party.
(v) Right to Freedom Missing: Public protests and demonstrations against the government are declared illegal. There is a law that limits the right to criticise the President. Television and radio are controlled by the government.
(vi) Absence of Independent Judiciary: The government has ignored some court judgments that went against it and has pressurised judges.

Q. How does democracy in a country enhance the dignity of an individual? State three points.


Answer:
• Democracy is based on the principle of political equality. So all the citizens whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated have the same status.
• People are not subjects of a ruler, they are the rulers themselves.
• The ruler has to rule or work according to the wishes and the needs of the people. If the people do not like the ruler they can change him through the election.

Q. Democracy improves the quality of decision-making.’ Explain. 
Answer:
• Democracy is based on consultation and discussion.
• A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings. When many people put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision.
• As most of the decisions are taken by discussions, this reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions.
• If the decision is not according to the wishes of the people, they have the right to protest, and even can force the government to withdraw it.

Q. Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistakes.” Explain.
Answer:
• There is no guarantee that mistakes cannot be made in a democracy. No form of government can guarantee that. 
• The advantage of a democracy is that such mistakes cannot be hidden for long. There is a space for public discussion on these mistakes. And there is room for correction. 
• Either the rulers have to change their decisions, or the rulers can be changed. This cannot happen in a non-democratic government.
Q. “A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.” Explain with example.
Answer:
• Democratic government is an accountable government i.e., it is responsible for its actions, decisions and policies including the administration. 
• The government is answerable to the Parliament or we can say to the people. 
• If the government is not working according to the needs and expectations of the citizens the Parliament can protest against the government.
Example
• More than three crore people lost their lives in 1958-61 famine in China but India, whose economic condition was poorer as compared to China, did not have a famine of the kind China had.
• The existence of democracy in India made the Indian government respond to food security in a way that the Chinese government did not.

Q. Why is democracy considered to be the best option among all other political systems available in the world? Explain.
Answer:
• Accountable Government: Democracy is better than any other form of government because it represents the needs of the people. It does not depend on the whims of the ruler or the dictator. In simple words, we can say that democracy is for the people. It is an accountable form of government.
• Based on Consultation Discussion: Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. As such many mistakes are corrected in time. Thus, democracy improves the quality of decision-making.
• Deals with Differences: Democracy provides a peaceful solution to every problem. It provides the best method of dealing with differences and conflicts. It suits the needs of many countries like India with a diversity of languages, religions, castes and creeds. Discussions lead to the solution of every problem, so it keeps our country united.
• Political Equality: Democracy is based on political equality which ensures equal rights, both for the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated. Thus, in a way, democracy enhances the dignity of every citizen.

• Room for Correction: It is only in a democracy that mistakes are admitted, and all attempts are made to correct these mistakes. If mistakes are made, it is only in a democracy that they are admitted and then corrected. In a democracy, thus, there is room for correction.
• Democracy provides the opportunity to the citizens to flourish according to their ability.

Q. Write any five arguments in favour and five against democracy as a form of government.
Answer:
Arguments in Favour of Democracy:
• Democratic form of government is accountable.
• It improves the quality of decision-making.
• It provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts.
• It enhances the dignity of citizens.
• It allows us to correct our mistakes.
Arguments Against Democracy:
• Change of leaders leads to instability.
• It involves only political competition with no scope for morality.
• Consulting more people leads to delays.
• It leads to corruption.
• Ordinary people don’t know that what is good for them.

Q. Write some common features of the non-democratic countries.
Answer:
Some common features of the non-democratic countries are:
(i) In non-democratic countries, the people are not allowed to criticise the government. Doing so means imprisonment, harassment and trouble one after the other.
(ii) In non-democratic countries, the rule of the king or the so-called military rule prevails and the question of elections does not arise.
(iii) In non-democratic countries, no opposition is tolerated. So the question of political parties, especially of the opposition parties does not arise. Only those political parties can survive which toe to the line of the government.
(iv) In non-democratic countries, the workers are not allowed to form their independent trade unions. Only such trade unions can survive, who rightly or wrongly, support the policies of the government.
(v) In non-democratic countries, all the people are at the mercy of the dictator or the military rulers. Anybody can be detained, arrested or even put to death without any trial.
(vi) In non-democratic countries, nobody can even aspire for any big post. If he is ready to be a tool in the hands of the ruler/ dictator/military leaders, he can hope to get some good post. But he will have to kill his conscience and become dumb and deaf.

Q. Explain the representative democracy. Why is representative democracy the most common form of government in modem times? 
Answer:
(i) When the majority of people rule through their elected representatives, this is called representative democracy.

(ii) The most common form that democracy takes in our times is that of representative democracy. In a democracy, all the people do not rule. Direct rule by people is not possible.

So, in a democracy, the majority is allowed to take decisions on
behalf of all the people. Even the majority does not rule directly. It rules through its elected representatives.

A representative democracy becomes necessary. Modem democracies comprise a large number of people. It is physically impossible for them to sit or collect together at a place and take a collective decision.

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

Q. Though democracy is considered to be the best form of government, it is not an ideal form of government.” Give five arguments to prove the above statement.
Answer:
• It is not an ideal form of government because every citizen does not play equal role m decision-making. Even the majority does not rule directly. But, it rules through their elected representatives.

• Democracy provides only political equality but people also need social and economic equality.

• An ideal government is a government that is not run by few powerful people.

• An ideal government is free of corruption.

• An ideal government is a government where there is gender equality.

 

Q. Compare the features of Democratic and non-democratic governments.
Answer:
Democratic Government
(a) Only these elected by the people, rule the country. The electorate choose their representatives at the time of election
(b) Citizens enjoy various freedoms like freedom of expression or freedom to form associations.
(c) Major decisions are taken by the elected leaders.
(d) A democratic government is based on free and fair elections where those in power have a fair chance of losing.
(e) In a democracy, each adult has one vote and each vote has one value. There is political equality.
(f) A democratic government functions within the limits set by the constitutional laws and citizens’ rights.

Non-Democratic government:
(a) People cannot choose their rulers or change them. They are either military dictators or hereditary rulers e.g. in Myanmar and in Saudi Arabia.
(b) People do not have any freedom. They cannot criticise the government. They cannot form associations.
(c) People may not have any elected representatives e.g. in Pakistan. Even if they elect they cannot take final decisions. The decisions are taken by their leaders (dictators and monarchs).
(d) There are no free and fair elections e.g. In China, only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party are allowed to contest elections and form the government.
(e) There are many instances of denial of political equality e.g. Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia women are denied the right to vote.
(f) A non-democratic government can do whatever it likes, e.g. Robert Mugabe, a popular leader became an autocratic ruler. He also changed the constitution to because more powerful and less accountable.