BROADER MEANING OF DEMOCRACY

BROADER MEANING OF DEMOCRACY

In this chapter, we have considered the meaning of democracy in a limited and descriptive sense. We have understood democracy as a form of government. This way of defining democracy helps us to identify a clear set of minimal features that democracy must-have. The most common form that democracy takes in our times is that of representative democracy. You have already read about this in the previous classes. In the countries we call democracy, all the people do not rule. A majority is allowed to take decisions on behalf of all the people. Even the majority does not rule directly. The majority of people rule through their elected representatives.

This becomes necessary because:

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

*  Even if they could, the citizen does not have the time, the desire, or the skills to take part in all the decisions.

This gives us a clear but minimal understanding of democracy. This clarity helps us to distinguish democracies from non-democracies. But it does not allow us to distinguish between a democracy and a good democracy. It does not allow us to see the operation of democracy beyond government. For this, we need to turn to broader meanings of democracy.

This famous cartoon by R K Laxman comments on the celebrations of the fifty years of independence.

Sometimes we use democracy for organizations other than the government. Just read these statements:

*  “We are a very democratic family. Whenever a decision has to be taken, we all sit down and arrive at a consensus. My opinion matters as much as my father’s.”

*  “I don’t like teachers who do not allow students to speak and ask questions in the class. I would like to have teachers with democratic temperament.”​​​​​​​

*  “One leader and his family members decide everything in this party. How can they talk of democracy?”

These ways of using the word democracy go back to its basic sense of a method of making decisions. A democratic decision involves consultation with and consent of all those who are affected by that decision. Those who are not powerful have the same say in taking the decision as those who are powerful. This can apply to a government or a family or any other organization. Thus democracy is also a principle that can be applied to any sphere of life.

Sometimes we use the word democracy not to describe any existing government but to set up an ideal standard that all democracies must aim to become:​​​​​​​

*  “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 an equal role in decision making. For this, you don’t need just an equal right to vote. Every citizen needs to have equal information, basic education, equal resources, and a lot of commitment.”

If we take these ideas seriously, then no country in the world is a democracy. Yet an understanding of democracy as an ideal reminds us of why we value democracy. 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.

In this book, we do not deal much with this expanded notion of democracy. Our focus here is on some core institutional features of democracy as a form of government. Next year you will read more about a democratic society and ways of evaluating our democracy. At this stage, we just need to note that democracy can apply to many spheres of life and that democracy can take many forms. There can be various ways of taking decisions in a democratic manner, as long as the basic principle of consultation on an equal basis is accepted. The most common form of democracy in today’s world is ruled by people’s elected representatives. We shall read more about that in Chapter 3. But if the community is small, there can be other ways of making democratic decisions. All the people can sit together and take decisions directly. This is how Gram Sabha should work in a village. Can you think of some other democratic ways of decision-making?

This also means that no country is a perfect democracy. The features of democracy that we discussed in this chapter provide only the minimum conditions of democracy. That does not make it an ideal democracy. Every democracy has to try to realize the ideals of 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. That is why a study of democracy must focus on democratic politics.

*   How many images on the wall do you recognize? Do many common people feel the way the common man in this cartoon does?

*   Find out the total number of eligible voters in your assembly constituency and your parliamentary constituency. Find out how many people can fit into the largest stadium in your area. Is it possible for all the voters in your parliamentary or assembly constituency to sit together and have a meaningful discussion?

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK