Question

give a summery of ch of civics class 9 what is democracy?why democracy?

Answer 1

Democracy is a system in which people of a country elects his own leader. Its slogan is:----
For the people,by the people, to the people.

Answer 2

What is Democracy?

• A simple Definition: Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

Features of Democracy

• The rulers are elected by the people.

• Free and competitive elections are held.

• Each adult irrespective of religion, education, caste, colour, wealth have one vote, one value.

• The elected rulers take decisions within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.

• Rule of Law

• The rights of the citizens must be protected through Constitution.

• There must be an independent judiciary.

Major Decisions by Elected leaders

• In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999 and overthrew democratically elected government and became President of the country.
→ In 2002, he held a referendum in the country which was based on malpractices and fraud granted him a five-year extension.
→ After passing law, ‘Legal Framework Order’ which gave the president power to dismiss the national and provincial assemblies, elections were held to the national and provincial assemblies.

• In this case, Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final
power rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself. So,this should not be called a
democracy.

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

Free and fair electoral competition

• In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament called National People’s Congress.
→ Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.
→ The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

• Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President.
→ 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 as PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.

• Both the cases should not be called a democracy.

• A 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

• There are many instances of denial of equal right to vote.

→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.

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

Rule of Law and respect for rights

• Since independence, Zimbabwe ruled by ZANU-PF.
→ Its leader, Robert Mugabe has been ruling the country. He is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections.
→ Elections have been held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF.
→ Opposition party workers are harassed and their meeting disrupted.
→ Public protests and demonstrations against the government are declared illegal.
→ Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s version.
→ Independent newspapers are there but the government harasses those journalists who go against it.
→ The government has ignored some court judgments that went against it and has pressurised judges.

• In this case, government is not democratic as there is no there is no citzen' basic rights, no political opposition, no judiciary.

• A democratic government rule within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.

Why Democracy?

Arguments against 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.

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

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