QUESTIONS RAISED
We have started with a simple definition that democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. This raises many questions:
* Who are the rulers in this definition? Which officials must be elected for any government to be called a democracy? Which decisions may be taken by non-elected officials in a democracy?
* What kind of election constitutes a democratic election? What conditions must be fulfilled for an election to be considered democratic?
* Who are the people who can elect the rulers or get elected as rulers? Should this include every citizen on an equal basis? Can a democracy deny some citizens this right?
* Finally, what kind of a form of government is democracy? Can elected rulers do whatever they want in a democracy? Or must a democratic government function with some limits? Is it necessary for a democracy to respect some rights of the citizens?
Let us consider each of these questions with the help of some examples.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
MAJOR DECISIONS BY ELECTED LEADERS
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. Pakistani media, human rights organizations, 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. 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, there are many reasons why Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy. But let us focus on one of these. Can we say that the rulers are elected by the people in Pakistan? Not quite. People may have elected their representatives to the national and provincial assemblies but those 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. This happens in many dictatorships and monarchies. They formally have an elected parliament and government but the real power is with those who are not elected. In a few countries, the real power was with some external powers and not with locally elected representatives. This cannot be called the people’s rule.
This gives us the first feature. In a democracy, the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the people.
This cartoon was drawn in the context of Latin America.
Activity:
* Do you think it applies to the Pakistani situation as well? Think of other countries where this could apply?
* Does this happen sometimes in our country as well?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
FREE AND FAIR ELECTORAL COMPETITION
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.
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.
Should we consider the elections described above as examples of people electing their rulers? Reading these examples we get a sense that we cannot. There are many problems here. In China, the elections do not offer people any serious choice. They have to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it. Can we call this a choice? 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.
We can thus add a second feature to our understanding of democracy. Holding elections of any kind is not sufficient. The elections must offer a real choice between political alternatives. And it should be possible for people to use this choice to remove the existing rulers if they wish so. So, democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing. We shall find out more about a democratic election in Chapter 3.
Syria is a small west Asian country. The ruling Ba’ath Party and some of its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country.
Activity:
* Do you think this cartoon could apply to China or Mexico? What does the crown of leaves on democracy signify?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE, ONE VALUE
Earlier, we read about how the struggle for democracy was linked to the demand for a 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.
* Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia women did not have the right to vote.
* Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to the Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.
* In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.
This cartoon is about the Iraqi election held after Saddam Hussein’s regime was overthrown. He is shown behind the bars.
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. We shall read more about it in Chapter 3.
This cartoon was titled ‘Building Democracy’ and was first published in a Latin American publication.
Activity:
* What do moneybags signify here? Could this cartoon be applied to India?
* What is the cartoonist saying here?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
RULE OF LAW AND RESPECT FOR RIGHTS
Zimbabwe attained independence from White minority rule in 1980. Since then the country 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. Over the years his government changed the constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable. Opposition party workers were harassed and their meeting was disrupted. Public protests and demonstrations against the government were declared illegal. There was a law that limited the right to criticize the President. 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. He was forced out of office in 2017.
The example of Zimbabwe shows that popular approval of the rulers is necessary for a democracy, but it is not sufficient. Popular governments can be undemocratic. Popular leaders can be autocratic. If we wish to assess a democracy, it is important to look at the elections. But it is equally important to look before and after the elections. 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. We shall read more about these rights in Chapter 5.
Chinese government blocked the free flow of information on the internet by placing restrictions on popular websites like ‘Google’ and ‘Yahoo’. The image of tanks and an unarmed student reminds the reader of another major event in recent Chinese history.
Similarly, there are some conditions that apply to the way a government is run after the elections. A democratic government cannot do whatever it likes, simply because it has won an election. 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. Each of these is accountable not only to the people but also to other independent officials. We shall read more about this in Chapter 4.
Both these aspects give us the fourth and final feature of democracy: democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.
Summary definition
Let us sum up the discussion so far. We started with a simple definition that democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. We found that this definition was not adequate unless we explained some of the key words used in it. Through a series of examples, we worked out four features of democracy as a form of government. Accordingly, democracy is a form of government in which:
* Rulers elected by the people take all the major decisions;
* Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers;
* This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis; and
* The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’ rights.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK