What is Democracy? Why Democracy? Democratic politics (Question Answer)

Class 9  Political Science Chapter 1  What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

Questions and Answers 

Question 1.
Describe why Pakistan under Pervez Musharraf should not be called a democracy.
Answer:
(i) In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999. He overthrew the government elected by the people and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country.
After some time he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a five-year extension. It is said that the referendum was based on malpractices and fraud.

(ii) In August 2002 Musharraf amended the Constitution by issuing a ‘Legal Frame work Order’. This order empowered him who could now dismiss the national and provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet now began to be supervised by a National Security Council which was dominated by military officers. After passing this law, elections were held to the National and Provincial assemblies. The elected representatives enjoyed some powers also but the final power rested with military officers and General Musharraf himself.

(iii) Thus, Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy because the actual rulers were not elected by the people. 

Question 2.

How can you say that elections in China do not follow democratic methods.

Answer:
(i) Elections are held regularly in China after every five years for electing the country’s parliament known as the National People’s Congress.

(ii) The parliament has the power to appoint the president of the country.

(iii) Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. Only those who are members of this party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections that took place in 2002-2003. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

Question 3.
“ Since its independence in 1930, Mexico has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. But the way elections were held there till 2000, cannot be said to be democratic” Support the statement with valid points.

Answer:
The way elections were held in Mexico till 2000 was highly undemocratic. The following points /reasons can be given in this regard:
(i) Until 2000, every election was won by a single party called Institutional Revolution Party or PRI. Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win.

(ii) The PRI used many dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.

(iii) Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.

(iv) Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them.

(v) Sometime’s the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes.

(vi) The PRI spent a large sum of money in the election campaign for its candidates.

Question 4.
How can you say that. Saudi Arabia, Estonia and Fiji are not democratic countries in true sense?

Answer:

• In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.
• 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.
• In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

Question 5.
How is Zimbabwe an example of non-democratic country?
Answer:
(i) Zimbabwe became an independent country in 1980. Since then the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe, has been ruling the country since 1980.

(ii) Elections have been held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF. President Robert Mugabe is popular among his countrymen, but also uses unfair practices in elections. Over the years his government has changed the Constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable.

(iii) Opposition party workers are harassed and their meetings disrupted. Public protests and demonstrations are declared illegal. There is a law that limits the right to criticise the President.

(iv) Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s version. There are independent newspapers but the government harasses those journalists who go against it. The government has ignored some court judgements that went against it and has pressurised judges.

Question 6.
What arguments are given against democracy? Enlist any five.
Answer:

• Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.
• Democracy is all about political competition and power play. Politicians fight among themselves. There is no scope for morality.
• Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions.
• So many leaders have to be consulted in a democracy. This leads to delays.
• Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.
• Democracy leads to corruption for it is based in electoral competition.
• Democracy has not ended poverty in our country and in other parts of the world.

Question 7.
Enlist all the major features of democracy.

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

(ii) A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of loosing. 

(iii) In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value. 

(iv) A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ right. A democratic government cannot do whatever it likes, simply because it has won an election. It has to respect some basic rules.

Question 8.
What are the merits or arguments for democracy?
Answer:

(i) A democracy requires that the rulers have to attend to the needs of the people. Thus, a democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.

(ii) Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings. This reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions. Thus, democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

(iii) Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts. In a diverse country like India, democracy keeps our country together. Democracy provides the peaceful solution if there are clashes between two different groups. It creates an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and coordination.

(iv) Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens. Democracy is based on the principle of political equality, on recognising that the poorest and the least educated has the same status as the rich and the educated . People are not subject 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. In a democracy  mistakes cannot be hidden for long. There is a space for public discussion on these mistakes, and there is a room for correction. 

Question 9.
“A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.” Explain in the light of China’s famine that occurred during 1958-61.

Answer:
Nearly three crore people died in Chin’s famine of 1958-61. But no such famine took place in India in spite of the fact that the country’s economic condition was not satisfactory during those times. 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.

Economists point out that no large-scale famine has ever taken place in an independent and democratic country. If China too had multi-party elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticise the government, then so many people may not have died in the famine.

Question 10.
Why do we need a representative democracy in the present day world?
Answer:
 Representative democracy is important in today’s world because of the following reasons:

• 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.

Question 11.
Compare some of the major features of democratic and non-democratic governments.
Answer:
A democratic government is very much different from a non-democratic government:

Democratic government	Non-democratic government
(i) In a democratic government, people elect their rulers and have right in decision­making.	(i) In a non-democratic government, people do not elect their rulers and therefore, they have no right in decision-making.
(ii) Rulers accountable to the people and have to fulfil their needs.	(ii) A non-democratic government may and can respond to the people’s needs, but it all depends on the wishes of the people who rule.
(iii) There are free and fair elections in a democratic government. Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the rulers.	(iii) In a non-democratic government elections are either not held and if held they are not fair enough. They do not offer the people any serious choice.
(iv) People in a democratic government enjoy freedom of expression and fundamental rights.	(iv) People in a non-democratic government do not have freedom of expression and fundamental rights.
(v) Democracy is based on the fundamental principle of political equality.	(v) No principle of political equality is followed in a non-democratic government.