WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?WHY DEMOCRACY?

Presented by Jahnvi Tanwar

Democracy in the contemporary world (Recapitulation)

•  In the previous chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last hundred years to more and more countries in the world.

• The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight. It has seen several ups and downs in different countries.

• It still remains an unstable and uncertain achievement.

• We have studied the stories on the making and unmaking of democracy from different parts of the world.

In This Chapter• What is Democracy?- Meaning and

Definition. • Features of Democracy.• Merits and Demerits of Democracy.• Difference between Democratic and

Non Democratic form government.

Case Studies about different countries

Pakistan - Military Rule(Parvez Musharraf) China- Communist party (One party) Mexico - PRI(Insti- Revo-party) Zimbabwe - Mugabe (president)

What is Democracy?

• Who are the rulers?• What kind of election?• Who are the people?• What kind of form of government?Let us consider each of these questions with an example.

In the previous chapter we identified one simple factor common to all democracies : the government is chosen by the people. We could start with the simple definition that democracy is the form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. But this simple definition is not adequate . This raises many questions like:

First featureCase study of Pakistan under General Musharraf:

• General Parvez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999.• He overthrew the democratically elected govt.• He declared the chief executive of the country.• In 2002 he changed his position to president• Then held a referendum- five years extension• Media, Human right organizations and democratic activist said- referendum

was based on malpractices and fraud.• In Aug 2002- he issued Legal Frame Work order- amended the constitution of

Pakistan.• According to this order- president can dismiss the national or provisional

assemblies.• After passing this law Pakistan had elections, elected representatives had some

power but the final power rest with the military officers and general Musharraf himself.

First Feature

Clearly there are many reasons why Pakistan under general Musharraf cannot be called d can not be called a democracy But let’s we focus on one of these. Can we say that the rulers are elected by people in Pakistan? Not quite. People may have elected their representatives to the national and provincial assemblies but those elected representatives are not really the rulers. They cannot take the final decisions. The power to take the final decisions rest with army officials and with General Musharraf, and none of them are elected by the people. This cannot be called people’s rule.This gives us our first feature: In a democracy the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the people.

Second FeatureCase study of China:

• In China elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the Country’s parliament- Quanguo Renmin Diabiao Dahui (National peoples congress)

• They have the power to appoint the president.• It have nearly 3ooo peoples elected from all parts. • Some members are elected by the army.• Before contesting the elections the candidates needs the approval of

Chinese Communist party.• Only those who member in communist party or eight smaller

parties allied to it were allowed to contest election held in 2002-2003.

• The government is always formed by the communist party.

Second Feature(contd.)Case study of Mexico:• Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds elections after every six

tears to elect its president.• The country has never been under military rule or dictator rule.• But until 2000 all election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional

Revolutionary Party)• Opposition parties did contest the elections but never win the election• The PRI use many dirty tricks to win the election• All those who employed in govt offices had to attend its party meetings.• Teachers of govt school forced parents to vote PRI• Media ignored the activities of opposition parties except to criticise them.• Some times the polling booths were shifted from one place to another

place in the last minutes, which made difficult to the people cast their votes.

• The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates (Check this incidents along with the features of Democracy and find out which aspects violated)

Second Feature(contd.)Should we consider the elections prescribed 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 any serious choice. They have to choose the ruling party and the people approved by it. Can we call this a choice? In the Mexican example, people seemed to really have a choice but in practice they have no choice. There was no way the ruling party would defeated, even if people were against it. These are not fair elections.We can thus add a second feature to our understanding of democracy. That feature is: Democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of loosing.

Third Feature• Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.• Estonia made its citizenship rules in such a way that people

belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.

• In Fiji, the electoral system such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian Fijian.In the above cases all the citizens are not granted the right of vote. Can this be called democracy? No, this cannot be called democracy as 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 must have one value.

Fourth FeatureCase study of Zimbabwe• Attained independence from white minority- 1980• Since then the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party led the freedom

struggle.• Leader- Robert Mugabe, has been ruling the country since independence.• Elections have been held regularly- always won- ZANU• President is popular- but uses unfair practices in election• Changed the constitution and increased the power of president and makes

him less accountable.• Opposition party workers harassed and disrupted.• There is a law that limits the right to criticise the president• T V and radio were controlled by govt and give only ruling party version.• There are independent news papers but the govt harasses those journalists

who go against this.• The govt has ignored some court judgments and went against it and has

pressurized judges.

Fourth Feature(Contd.)The example of Zimbabwe shows that popular approval of the rulers is necessary in a democracy, but it is not sufficient. Popular governments can be undemocratic. If we wish to assess a democracy, it is important to look at the elections. But it is important to look 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 it in public, to form associations, to protest and to 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. This aspect gives us the fourth and final feature of democracy: a democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.

Merits of Democracy• A democratic government is a better government because

it is a more accountable form of government.• Democracy improves the quality of decision making.• Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and

conflicts. It is suitable the countries like India, which have diversity of language, religion and cultures. Democracy in India made it possible to keep unity in diversity.

• In a democracy no one is a permanent winner or loser.•  Democracy is better than other forms of government

because it allows us to correct its own mistakes.• Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens, because it is

based on the principle of political equality, on recognizing that the poorest and least educated have the same status as the rich and the educated.

Demerits of Democracy• Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.• Democracy is all about political competition and power play.

There is no scope for morality.• Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It

leads to bad decisions.• Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral

competition.• Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should

not decide anything.• Distinguish between Democratic and Non Democratic

government Democratic Govt Non Democratic Govt• Democracy is the best .• The rulers are not form of government as accountable to the

rulers are people and their needs. accountable to the people and have to fulfill their needs.

Comparison

Democratic

• In democratic government people elect their rulers.

• In a democracy final decision making power must rest with those who are elected by people.

Non-Democratic

• In a non-democratic government people do not elect their rulers.

• In a non-democratic government the final power rest with dictator or monarch.

Comparison

• All the rights are given to people.

• Universal adult franchise is practiced.

• No or some rights are given to people.

• Generally, Universal adult franchise is not practiced.

Democratic Non-Democratic

Broader Meanings Of Democracy

In this chapter we understood the meaning of Democracy in a limited and descriptive sense. We have understood Democracy is a form of govt. The most common form that democracy takes in our times is that of a representative democracy. 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 majority does not rule directly rule through their elected representatives.

Even if they could, the citizen does not have the time, the desire or the skills to take part in all the decisions. Modern democracies involves such a large number of people that it is physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision. In Democracy majority of people rule through their elected representatives.In a democracy every citizen must be able to play 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.

Cartoons in the chapter and their explanation

 Ans. Again the cartoon suggests that there is no true democracy in Syria. Yes, it would suit China and Mexico also where no opposition parties are allowed to contest election.  It is a symbol of victory. In Greece the reward to the winner was this crown. Here the crown suggests that ‘democracy’ has won and demands justice, but the one party rule is denying this right to the people of Syria. 

Syria is a small west Asian country. The ruling Baath Party and some of its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country. Do you think this cartoon could apply to China or Mexico?

This cartoon was drawn when elections were held in Iraq with the presence of US and foreign powers. What do you think this cartoon is saying? Why is ‘democracy’ written in the way it is?

Democracy — where fear and fair elections must be held — is being forced on Iraq by the US and its allies. There are no “free” and “fair” elections. The capital M suggests mockery.

This cartoon was titled ‘Building democracy’ and was first published in a Latin American publication. What do moneybags signify here? Could this cartoon be applied to India?

This cartoon suggests that ‘democracy’ is in the hand of the rich. They control the country. No, there are laws which see to it that the rich do not get the upper hand. 

 This cartoon is about the Iraqi election held after Saddam Husain's regime was overthrown. He is shown behind the bars. What is the cartoonist saying here? Compare the message of this cartoon with the first cartoon in this chapter. 

The cartoon shows the end of dictatorship in Iraq where Saddam ruled unchecked. People rejoice at elections being held. But the first cartoon shows that people do not have a real choice. They are forced to vote, by the powerful US and its allies. 

Chinese government blocked free flow of information on the internet by placing restrictions on popular sites ‘Google’ and ‘Yahoo’. The image of tanks and an unarmed student reminds the reader of another major event in recent Chinese history.

The cartoon reminds us about the Massacre in Liananmen square in 1989.In April 1989, triggered by the death of Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformer mass gathering and protests took place in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It was largely a student run demonstration which called for economic reform and press freedom. The Chinese Government brutally suppressed the movement for which it was internationally condemnd.

This cartoon is from Brazil, a country that has long experience of dictatorship. It is entitled “The Hidden Side of Dictatorship.” Which hidden sides does this cartoon depict?

Hidden side of dictatorship is massacre or opposes the policies of a dictator is killed. Since the dictators control the media, the public never comes to know the number of people killed.

This cartoon shows the booth capturing with the gun.This ca be applicable in Pakistan, Iraq and Myanmar where people are forced to vote. Booth capturing by the people standing in elections happens sometimes in our country also.

 This cartoon was drawn in the context of Latin America. 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? 

This cartoon was published in Canada just before its parliamentary elections of 2005. Everyone, including the cartoonist, expected the Liberal Party to win once again. When the results came, the Liberal Party lost the elections. Is this cartoon an argument against democracy or for democracy?

This cartoon is definitely in favor of democracy. In an indirect way it is telling the public not to be fooled and exercise their voting rights wisely, which they did by ousting the Liberals in the elections. 

This cartoon by R.K. Laxman comments on the celebrations of the fifty years of independence. The cartoon reflect the opinion of the general public. Still after 50 years•basic facilities are denied to the common man • poverty is not eradicated, there is shortage of water, power, shelter, schools, the basic necessities of life. The common man is bored by promises which are never fulfilled, actions do not match the promises.

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