DEMOCRACY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
Identify democratic practices;
Explain the importance of participation in democracy;
Differentiate participatory from representative
democracy.
Assess democratic interventions prevailing in political
and social institutions; and
Formulate a viable alternative to undemocratic
practices
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
 DEMOCRACY
GREEK

DEMOS KRATOS
PEOPLE RULE
Demoskratos or Demokratia
RULE OF THE PEOPLE
 Democracy is actually a
system of government
where citizens choose their
representatives to form a
DEMOCRACY
governing body. It is
therefore a "government of
the people, for the people,
and by the people."
 A democratic government
focuses on freedom and
opportunities for people to
DEMOCRACY improve on their abilities
as well as express
themselves for greater
self-determination.
ELEMENTS OF DEMOCRACY?
SEPARATION AND BALANCE POWER
It means that a democratic government is a
political authority that is divided into three,
namely the legislative, executive, and
judicial powers.
These branches act independently of each
other to prevent the concentration of power
as well as to maintain checks and balances.
The legislative branch enacts the laws of
the state according to the desires of the
constituents. It is mainly comprised of
the House of Representatives and the
Senate.
The executive branch implements the
policies of the land. The President of the
land with the Cabinet members carries
out this function making sure that the
approved laws are executed in every
aspect of the citizenry’s lives.
The judicial branch is responsible for
giving meaning to the established laws
and brings to justice those who violate
the fundamental laws of the land. This
branch makes sure that the fundamental
rights and privileges of the citizenry are
met by the government.
A PLURALISTIC SYSTEM OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
It is expected that a democratic system
allows the rule of the majority.
Representation is very necessary in every
sector of the society. Hence, groups,
organizations and collective efforts are
recognized.
 RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW
The Rule of Law is the principle that reiterates no
one is above the law. It safeguards citizens
against governance by a totalitarian leader. The
rule of law is against the rule of a dictator or of an
absolute ruler. This fundamental principle also
reiterates that every citizen is subject to the law,
even the highest leader and the lawmakers as all
the procedures equally apply to all.
 ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY
Democracy adheres to the principle that the
citizens should be provided with all their basic
rights and freedom. This is an expression of
democracy. However it is a common
knowledge that "with great powers come great
responsibilities.”
 ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY
Accountability is the degree to which the
government needs to explain or justify what they
have accomplished in relation to what was
expected of them.

Transparency means that a government is open

and honest with its citizens about how it spends
money and makes decisions.
 FREE AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA

Freedom of expression is a necessary element

in a democratic society. It is through the media
that the citizenry is informed about the events
that transpire in the society. A crucial role is
being played by this agency as it allows
transparency in the society and government.
 RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Democracy requires respect and the promotion
of human rights. The right to vote, to form
political parties, to own property or to marry are
necessary for democracy. The sheer fact that the
government provides freedom to its constituents
then is a fact that there is really democracy. It is
the people who have to be served and no abuse
can be perpetrated by the government.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
DEMOCRACY
THERE IS EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW

Equality under the law is equality in the eyes of

the law. Sometimes termed as legal equality is
the principle that reiterates that the citizens
must be equally treated by the law and proven
innocent until there is due process. Democracy
means equality, fairness, and justice. Indeed
‘All are equal before the law.’
THERE IS EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW

Equality under the law is equality in the eyes of

Everyone must be treated equally regardless of
race, gender, national origin, color, ethnicity,
religion, disability. The constitution as the
supreme of the land should safeguard every
freedom of every member of the society.
 POLITICAL FREEDOM
Political freedom is one of most important features of
democratic societies. It is freedom from oppression
and compulsion. It may also be considered as the
positive exercise of rights, and possibilities for action,
as well as the exercise of social rights, freedom from
"internal” constraints, freedom of speech. The concept
of political freedom connotes civil liberties and human
rights, which should be protected by the state.
 RULE OF LAW
Every law is a product of the people represented
by their congressmen or congresswoman. The
law is the supreme factor that runs the
government and nobody is above the law. The
laws protect and promotes the citizenry and so
nobody can be over the law. The rule of law states
that every citizen should participate in the
elections as a basic feature of democracy.
 RULE OF LAW

This is also known as the right to suffrage

where all voters can participate freely and
fully in the life of their society. Everybody has
a say in the fate of their society which
happens during the time of elections whether
on a local or national level.
These basic human rights are:
Universal. They belong to all of us –
everybody in the world.
Inalienable. They cannot be taken away
from us.
Indivisible and Interdependent.
Governments should not be able to pick and
choose which/who are respected.
TYPES OF RIGHTS
 NATURAL RIGHTS
Faith in natural rights is strongly expressed by
several scholars. They hold that people inherit
several rights from nature. Before they came to
live in society and state, they used to live in a
state of nature. In it, they enjoyed certain natural
rights, like the right to life, right to liberty and
right to property. Natural rights are parts of
human nature and reason.
 MORAL RIGHTS

Moral Rights are those rights which are based

on human consciousness. They are backed by
moral force of human mind. These are based on
human sense of goodness and justice. These
are not backed by the force of law. Sense of
goodness and public opinion are the sanctions
behind moral rights.
 LEGAL RIGHTS
Legal rights are those rights which are
recognized and enforced by the state. Any
violation of any legal right is punished by law.
Law courts of the state enforce legal rights.
These rights can be enforced against
individuals and also against the government.
TYPES OF LEGAL RIGHTS
 CIVIL RIGHTS
Civil rights are those rights which provide
opportunity to each person to lead a
civilized social life. These fulfill basic needs
of human life in society. Right to life, liberty
and equality are civil rights. Civil rights are
protected by the state.
 POLITICAL RIGHTS
Political rights are those rights by virtue of which
citizens get a share in the political process. These
enable them to take an active part in the political
process. These rights include right to vote, right to
get elected, right to hold public office and right to
criticize and oppose the government. Political
rights are really available to the people in a
democratic state.
 ECONOMIC RIGHTS
Political rights are those rights by virtue of which
citizens get a share in the political process. These
enable them to take an active part in the political
process. These rights include right to vote, right
to get elected, right to hold public office and right
to criticize and oppose the government. Political
rights are really available to the people in a
democratic state.
IMPORTANTANCE OF
DEMOCRATIC
PARTICIPATION
 DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Democratic participation is the

involvement or engagement with
something which is freely done,
without coercion, and without threat
or fear.
 IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRATIC
PARTICIPATION
Democracy provides equality and
admission to opportunities for all its
citizen the government;
Checks and balances the government to
prevent possible abuse of political power
from the officials;
Allows citizens to influence and suggest
policies and laws throughbplebiscite in
selecting delegates or representatives
Allows the popular majority to oust a
representative or a politician who hold too
much power and abuses it,
Promotes freedom where citizen enjoy
human rights, allows people to engage the
business and innovations;
Becomes competent, firm, and stable
when the state is ruled with leaders who
have dedication and transparency,
provides political education to the people
telling them of the state affairs, and
upholds change since the citizens have
the opportunity to participate in the
involvement in the government
PARTICIPATORY
DEMOCRACY
REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY
 PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

It is also known as direct democracy.

Puts policy responsibilities directly in
the hands of the citizenry.
 REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
This process involves an electorate selecting and voting
on political candidates and/or political parties, who in turn
make policy.
Citizens entrust their elected leaders to act in accordance
to how they wish to be represented. Candidates who
behave irrationally or unethical will likely not return to
office after losing favor with the voting public.
In practice, this system of governance is also referred to as
a republic.
 DEMOCRATIC
INTERVENTIONS
 POLITICAL CORRUPTION
There is an increase disenchantment of the
state of society in our globalized world. In a
study about democratic participation in
different countries in the globe, 44 out of 47
countries that took part in the study asserted
that the conditions of a good society were not
met.
 POLITICAL CORRUPTION
Undemocratic practices breed social ills that
haunt societies in the planet. Dissatisfaction of
citizens with their governments include: a. failure
to meet their basic needs that create profound
insecurities,b. failure to protect them from the
sweeping winds of economic change where they
lose their customs and traditions, andc. failure to
involve its citizens in its policies and programs.
 BASIC NEEDS
Failure to meet basic needs is a common
complaint among many societies in the
world today. There was a growing gulf
between rich and poor droving the
former to extra-legal activities such as
theft and prostitution.
 ASSOCIATION
Undemocratic practices undermine the
traditional bonds of family and kinship
threatened by the pressures of work,
urbanization and migration. The distancing of
government concerns from the lives of ordinary
people weakened customary forms of
accountability and led to a highly corrupt, self-
seeking, inefficient, and partisan state.
 PARTICIPATION
Citizens play they part by (1) engaging in
collective action to perform voluntary work
with others in order to tackle problems and (2)
participating in political processes to play an
active role in relation to the state in order to
ensure that the state opened itself up to the
influence of citizens.