WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?

Learning Notes
What is Democracy ?
• Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
Features of democracy :
• Rulers are elected by the people to make major decisions. (Major decisions by elected leaders)
• Through elections, a fair choice of opportunity is given to people to change their current ruler.
(Free and Fair electoral competition)
• This choice and opportunity are available to all the people on an equal basis. (One person,one
vote,one value.)
• This exercise of this choice leads to the formation of a government, limited by basic rules of the
Constitution and citizen’s rights. (Rule of law and respect for rights)

➢ In a democracy, the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the people.
• In 1999, military General Pervez Musharraf took over the government of Pakistan, after
overthrowing the democratically elected government. He then declared himself as the
‘Chief Executive’.
• Later in 2002, he changed his designation to President and held a referendum in the
country, which granted him an extension of 5 years.
• He also issued a Legal Framework order in the same year, which amended the Constitution.
The Order gave the President the right to dismiss or dissolve the national and provincial
assemblies.
• The work of the civilian cabinet (the democratically elected cabinet) was supervised by the
National Security Council ,which was dominated by military officers.
• After this, an election was held to the national and provincial assemblies. Pakistan has had
elections, and their elected representatives have some powers.
• The people may have elected for their representatives in the national/provincial elections,
but these representatives were not really the rulers.
• The final decision making power rested with General Musharraf and his officers, who were
not elected by the people.
• This neither can be called peoples rule nor a democracy.

➢ A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair
chance of losing.
(There are two examples in this feature :Mexico and China)
China:
• In China , elections are held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament
called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress).
 • Before contesting in the elections, a candidate needed the approval of the Chinese
Communist Party.
• Only those who were the members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller
parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections.
• “The government was anyways form by the Chinese Communist Party; hence it is neither
democratic election nor a democracy”
Mexico :
• Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds an election every six years to elect their
President.
• But until 2000, every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party).
• The PRI was known to have used many dirty tricks to win election.
• It was mandatory for all government workers to attend their party meetings.
• Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for PRI.
• Media was bought and hence they largely ignored the activities of the opposition except
criticise them.
• Polling booths were shifted last minute ,making it difficult for the people to cast their vote.
• Here ,again the elections cannot be called democratic as there was use of malpractices to
manipulate and gain voters.
• In China, elections did not offer the people any serious choice ; and in Mexico, the people
seemed to have a choice, but they did not have a choice in reality.

➢ In a democracy , each adult citizen must have one vote, and each vote must have one value.
• In Saudi Arabia, women did not have right to vote till 2015.
• In Estonia, citizenship rules are such that the Russian minority find it difficult to get the
right to vote.
• In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of indigenous Fiji has more value than the
vote of an Indian-Fiji.

➢ A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizen’s rights.
• Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, and ZANU-PF was the party which led the
freedom struggle under the leadership of Robert Mugabe.
• Since then, elections have been held at a regular pace and always won by ZANU-PF.
• President Mugabe was popular but also used unfair means to win the elections.
• Over the years his constitution changed the government several times, to increase the
powers of the President and hold him less accountable.
• There was a law that limited the right to criticize the President. Public demonstrations
against government were declared illegal.
• Opposition party workers were harassed, and their meetings were disrupted.
• Digital media was controlled by government and gave only the ruling party’s vision. There
were independent newspapers, but the government harassed the journalists who went
against them.
Why Democracy ?
Arguments against Democracy :

• Leaders keep changing in a democracy, which leads to political instability.

• Democracy is all about political competition and power play, leaving no room for morality.
• So many people have to be consulted in a democracy, that it often leads to delays.
• Elected leaders do not know the best interests of the people and it leads to bad decisions.
• Democracy leads to corruption as it is based on electoral competition.
• Ordinary people do not know what is good for them and hence are not qualified to make or take
decisions.

Arguments for Democracy :

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

government.
• During the 1950s, both India and China suffered a famine.
• India did not suffer as much as China did. Economists believe that it is because of the
difference in government policies in both countries.
• India being a democracy, tried their best to minimize the impact of the famine on the
affected citizens. China’s non-democratic government lacked these pressures and
accountability mechanisms, which contributed to the inadequate response to the famine.
• If China too, had multiparty elections , an opposition party and a free press to criticize the
government, then the effect of the famine may not have been that large.
• A democracy requires that the rulers tend to the need of the people.

➢ Democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

• Democracy is based on consultation and discussion.
• A democratic decision involves multiple persons, discussions and meetings ; allowing
them to identify potential mistakes and make informed decisions.

➢ Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and confidence.

• In a country with immense social diversity, people’s opinion and interests are sharply
influenced by their region, caste and perspective of the world ; potentially leading to
clashes.
• These conflicts could be resolved through brutal power, with the stronger group imposing
its terms on others. However, this grows resentment and unhappiness, making long term
co-existence difficult.
• Democracy provides the only peaceful solution to the problem : In a democracy, no one is
a permanent winner, and no one is a permanent loser.
 ➢ Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.
• Democracy is based on the principle of political equality ; on recognising that the poorest
and least educated have the same social status as the rich and educated.
• People are not subjects of a ruler; they are the ruler themselves.

➢ Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own
mistakes.
• No form of government can guarantee that there will be no mistakes , and democracy is no
exception.
• The advantage in a democracy is that such mistakes cannot be hidden for long.
• There is space for public discussion and room for correction.
• Either the rulers have to change their decisions, or the rulers themselves have to be
changed.

Broader Meaning of Democracy :-

➢ Representative democracy ; modern democracies typically involve elected representatives making
decisions on behalf of the people because :
• Populations are far too large for direct participation of people.
• Citizens may lack time, desire or expertise for continuous decision making.

➢ Minimal vs Good Democracy :

• The basic definition of democracy focuses on minimal features such as elected
representatives and majority rule.
• The minimal view helps distinguish between democracies from non-democracies, but do
not evaluate the quality of the democracy.

➢ Democracy beyond Government :

• The principles of democracy, consultation and equality, may also be applied in families,
classrooms and other organisations.
• A democratic decision involves the participation and consultation of all affected parties,
regardless of their power.

➢ Democracy as an Ideal :
• Democracy is also viewed as a standard or a goal, such as ensuring no one goes hungry or
providing all citizens with equal resources and opportunities.
• No country is a perfect democracy but striving for these ideals highlight the area for
improvement.

➢ Active participation :
• Democracies rely on active participation from citizens. Citizen engagement is crucial for
strengthening and preserving democracy.