Democracy Notes

What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

Overview

• Chapter aims to define democracy and understand its features.
• Goal is to differentiate democratic governments from non-democratic ones.
• Explores why democracy is prevalent and better than other forms of government.

What is Democracy?

• Democracy defined as 'rule by the people,' originating from the Greek word 'Demokratia' where 'demos' means people and 'kratia' means rule.
• Words evolve, and their meanings change over time.
• Need to think and evolve a definition of democracy by ourselves.
• Definitions are needed when there is a difficulty in the use of a word; when people use it for different purposes.
• Abraham Lincoln's definition: “Democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
• Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor.
• Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they’ve told you what you think it is you want to hear.
• Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.
• Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
• All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.
• Common feature of democracies: the government is chosen by the people.
• Simple definition: democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
• This definition helps separate democracy from non-democratic governments.
• Army rulers of Myanmar were not elected by the people.
• Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not elected by the people.
• Kings of Saudi Arabia rule not because the people have chosen them to do so but because they happen to be born into the royal family.
• Every government wants to be called a democracy, even if it is not so.

Features of Democracy

• Key questions to define democracy:
  • Who are the rulers?
  • What constitutes a democratic election?
  • Who can elect rulers?
  • What limits exist on elected rulers?

Major Decisions by Elected Leaders

• Pakistan under General Pervez Musharraf: Overthrew a democratically elected government in 1999.
• Musharraf declared himself ‘Chief Executive’ and later President.
• Referendum in 2002 granted him a five-year extension; referendum was based on malpractices and fraud.
• ‘Legal Framework Order’ amended the Constitution, allowing the President to dismiss national and provincial assemblies.
• Civilian cabinet supervised by a National Security Council dominated by military officers.
• Elected representatives had some powers, final power rested with military officers and General Musharraf.
• Final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the people.

Free and Fair Electoral Competition

• China: Elections held every five years for the National People’s Congress (Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui).
• The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country.
• Candidate needs approval of the Chinese Communist Party to contest elections.
• Government is always formed by the Communist Party.
• Mexico: Elections held every six years to elect its President.
• Until 2000, every election was won by the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party).
• PRI used dirty tricks to win elections.
• Elections must offer a real choice between political alternatives.
• Democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing.

One Person, One Vote, One Value

• Democracy is based on political equality.
• In Saudi Arabia until 2015, women did not have the right to vote.
• Estonia: Citizenship rules make it difficult for Russian minorities to vote.
• Fiji: The vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.
• In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

Rule of Law and Respect for Rights

• Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe ruled since 1980; elections were held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF.
• Government changed the constitution to increase presidential powers and reduce accountability.
• Opposition party workers were harassed, and meetings disrupted.
• Public protests and demonstrations against the government were declared illegal.
• Law limited the right to criticise the President.
• Television and radio were controlled by the government.
• Government ignored court judgments against it and pressurised judges.
• A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.
• Popular approval of the rulers is necessary in a democracy, but it is not sufficient.
• Sufficient room for normal political activity, including political opposition, in the period before elections.
• State should respect some basic rights of the citizen.
  • Free to think
  • Have opinions
  • Express opinions in public
  • Form associations
  • Protest and take other political actions
• Everyone should be equal in the eyes of law.
• Rights must be protected by an independent judiciary.
• A democratic government cannot do whatever it likes, simply because it has won an election.
• It has to respect some basic rules.
• It has to respect some guarantees to the minorities.
• Every major decision has to go through a series of consultations.
• 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.

Summary Definition

Democracy is a form of government in which:

• Rulers elected by the people take all the major decisions;
• Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers;
• Choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis; and
• The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’ rights.

Why Democracy?

Arguments Against Democracy

• Leaders keep changing in a democracy, leading to instability.
• Democracy is all about political competition and power play; there is no scope for morality.
• Too many people must be consulted, leading to delays.
• Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people, leading to bad decisions.
• Democracy leads to corruption due to electoral competition.
• Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them and should not decide anything.

Arguments For Democracy

• Democracy is better than any other form of government in responding to the needs of the people.
• A democratic government is a more accountable form of government.
• Democracy is based on consultation and discussion, improving the quality of decision-making.
• Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts peacefully.
• Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.
• Democracy allows us to correct its own mistakes.

China's Famine (1958-1961)

• Nearly three crore people died in the famine ($1 \text{ crore} = 10 \text{ million}$, so $3 \text{ crore} = 30 \text{ million}$).
• India's economic condition was similar, but India did not have a famine.
• Due to the fact that China did not have multiparty elections, the government was not pressured by the people to provide food.

Broader Meanings of Democracy

• Democracy understood as a form of government with minimal features.
• Representative democracy: A majority takes decisions on behalf of all the people through elected representatives.
• Modern democracies involve a large number of people.
• Citizens may lack time, desire, or skills to participate in all decisions.
• Democracy also principle that can be applied to any sphere of life.
• 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.
• 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 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.”
• Democracy can take many forms, various ways of taking decisions in a democratic manner.
• The most common form of democracy in today’s world is rule through people’s elected representatives.
• If the community is small, there can be other ways of taking democratic decisions.
• All the people can sit together and take decisions directly (Gram Sabha in a village).
• Features of democracy we discussed provide only the minimum conditions of a democracy. That does not make it an ideal democracy.
• Democracy requires a constant effort to save and strengthen democratic forms of decision-making.
• The fate of the country depends not just on what the rulers do, but mainly on what we, as citizens, do.
• Democracy depends on active political participation by all the citizens.