What Is Democracy? Why Democracy?

Q1) How did Pakistani media describe the referendum held in Pakistan in 2002?

A1) Pakistani media, human rights organizations and democracy activists said that the
referendum was based on malpractices and fraud.

Q2) Pakistan during Perez Musharraf’s tenure had a Parliament. Can we then say that Pakistan
was a democratic country under his rule? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

i) 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.

ii)The power to take final decision rests with army officials and with General Musharraf, and none
of them are elected by the people. This happens in many dictatorships and monarchies.

iii)They formally have an elected parliament and government but the real power is with those
who are not elected.

Q3) What is the significance of the legal framework order issued in Pakistan in August 2002?

Answer:

i) In August 2002 Perez Musharraf issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the
Constitution of Pakistan.

ii)The President can dismiss the national and provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian
cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council dominated by military officers.

iii) So, Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives do have some powers. But the final
power rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself.

Q4) China has elections and an elected parliament. Can we call China a democratic country?

Answer:

i)Some members of the Chinese parliament 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. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

Q5) Can Mexico under PRI be called a democracy?

i)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.

ii)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 criticize them.

iii)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.

Q6) Which feature of democracy is violated in China and Mexico?

Answer: A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power
have a fair chance of losing.

Q7) Give instances of denial of the right to vote:

Answer:

i) Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia women did not have the right to vote.
ii) Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to Russian
minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.
iii) In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than
that of an Indian-Fijian.

Q8) Which feature of democracy was violated in Saudi Arabia, Fiji and Estonia?

Answer: In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one
value.

Q9) “A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.”
How is this feature violated?

OR

“Popular governments can be undemocratic. Popular leaders can be autocratic.” Give an

i)Elections were held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF.

ii)President Mugabe was popular but also used unfair practices in elections.

iii)Over the years his government changed the constitution several times to increase the powers
of the President and make him less accountable.

iv)Opposition party workers were harassed and their meeting disrupted. Public protests and
demonstrations against the government were declared illegal.

v)There was a law that limits the right to criticize the President. Television and radio were
controlled by the government and gave only the ruling party’s version. Government ignored
some court judgments that went against it and pressurised judges.

Q10) Which feature of democracy is violated in Zimbabwe?

Answer: A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’
rights.

Q11) Which feature of democracy is violated in Pakistan?

Answer: In a democracy the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the
people.

Q12) “In a democracy the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the
people.” Explain.

Answer:

i)In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan.

ii)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.

iii)After passing this law, elections were held to the national and provincial assemblies.

iv)So Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final power
rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself.

Q13) What happened in Pakistan in October 2002?

Answer: In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999.
ii)He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’
of the country.

iii)Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country
that granted him a five-year extension.

iv)Pakistani media, human rights organisations and democracy activists said that the referendum
was based on malpractices and fraud.

Q14) State the key features of a democratic government.

Answer:

i)Rulers elected by the people take all the major decisions.

ii)Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers.

iii)This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis.

iv)The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and
citizens’ rights.

Q15) State the arguments against democracy?

Answer:

i)Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.

ii)Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.

iii)So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays.

iv)Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions.

v)Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.

vi)Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.

Q16) What are the arguments in favour of democracy?

Answer: (i) A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable

a)No large-scale famine has ever taken place in an independent and democratic country.
b) If China too had multiparty elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticise the
government, then so many people may not have died in the famine of 1958-61.

c)Democracy is better than any other form of government in responding to the needs of the
people.

(ii) Thus, democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

a) Democracy is based on consultation and discussion.

b) Democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings.

c) This takes time. But there is a big advantage in taking time over important decisions. This
reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions.

(iii)Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts.

a) In any society people are bound to have differences.

b) The conflict can be solved by brutal power. Whichever group is more powerful will dictate its
terms and others will have to accept that. But that would lead to resentment and unhappiness.

c) Democracy provides the only peaceful solution to this problem. In democracy, no one is a
permanent winner. No one is a permanent loser. Different groups can live together peacefully.

(iv)Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.

a) Democracy is based on the principle of political equality

b) The poorest and the least educated has the same status as the rich and the educated.

c)People are not subjects of a ruler, they are the rulers themselves.

(v)Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own
mistakes.

a) The advantage in a democracy is that such mistakes cannot be hidden for long.

b) Either the rulers have to change their decisions, or the rulers can be changed.

Q17) What do we learn from China’s terrible famine of 1958-61?

Answer: China’s famine of 1958-1961 was the worst recorded famine in world history. Nearly
three crore people died in this famine. During those days, India’s economic condition was not
much better than China. Yet India did not have a famine of the kind China had. Economists think
that this was a result of different government policies in the two countries. The existence of
democracy in India made the Indian government respond to food scarcity in a way that the
Chinese government did not.

Q18) Why are representative democracies popular?

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

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

Q19) What is a democratic decision?

Answer: A democratic decision involves consultation with and consent of all those who are
affected by that decision.

Q20) “A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’
rights.” Explain.

Answer: (i) A democratic government cannot do whatever it likes, simply because it has won an
election. It has to respect some basic rules.

ii)It has to respect some guarantees to the minorities.

iii)Every major decision has to go through a series of consultations.

iv)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.