L1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY WHY DEMOCRACY (9 )

 Chapter 1 - What is Democracy?Why Democracy?

Q1.How did General Pervez Musharraf become the President of Pakistan?

Answer:General Pervez Musharraf became the President of Pakistan by :

• In Pakistan, General Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999.

• He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the 'Chief Executive' of the country.

• Later he changed his designation to President, in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a five year extension.

Q2.Why was every election won by the party called PRI in Mexico? Explain any three reasons.

Answer:Every election was won by PRI because:

• Opposition did contest election but never managed to win.

• Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for PRI.

• Media did not support opposition.

• Polling booth were shifted in the last minute.

Q3.Differentiate between a democratic government and a non-democratic government.

Answer:Democratic government :

• In democratic government, there are regular elections through which people can change their government

• The citizens enjoy the freedom of speech.

• The opposition parties are allowed to function freely.

Non-democratic government:

• In non-democratic govt., elections are irregular and people do not have any right to change the government.

• There is no freedom of speech.

• The opposition parties are not allowed to function.

• There is a rule of one man or one party.

Q4.Why are elections in China not free and fair? Explain any three reasons.

Answer:Reasons are

• Elections are held after every five years for the Parliament called the National People’s Congress.

• It has the power to appoint the President. It has 3000 members but some are elected by the army.

• Only members of the Communist Party are allowed to contest elections.

• The government is always formed by Communist Party which makes it undemocratic.

Q5.Why Pakistan under General Musharraf cannot be called a democracy? State any five reasons.

Answer:Pakistan under General Musharaff cannot be called a democracy because:

• People in Pakistan have elected representatives to the National and Provincial Assemblies but those elected representatives are not the real leaders.

• The power to take final decisions rests with army officials and General Musharraf.

• They formally have an elected Parliament and A government. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by the National Security Council which is dominated by military officials.

• The real powers in Pakistan are with military officers and not with locally elected representatives.

• This cannot be called ‘people’s rule'. General Musharraf was responsible for coup.

Q6. ‘Some countries are not ready to give voting rights to their citizens’. Explain.

Answer:In Saudi Arabia, women do not have the right to vote.

Estonia had 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.

Q7.How is the dignity of citizens enhanced in democracy?

Answer:Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens in the following ways:

Democracy is based on the principle of political equality, on recognizing that the poorest and the least educated have the same status as the rich and the educated.

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

Even when they make mistakes, they are responsible for their conduct. All the citizens are equal before the law.

Q8.Why is democracy considered the best form of government?

Answer:Democracy is considered the best form of government because of the following reasons:

Democracy provides the method to deal with differences and conflict.

Democracy allows us to correct our own mistakes. It is a more accountable form of government.

Democracy improves the quality of decision making.

Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.

Q9.How does democracy improve the quality of decision making?

Answer:

Democracy improve the quality of decision making as it is based on consultation and discussion.

A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings.

When a number of people put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision.

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

Q10.Write any five arguments against democracy.

Answer:Five arguments against democracy are:

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.

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

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

Q11.Explain the representative democracy. Why is the representative democracy the most common form of government in modern times? Explain any four reasons.

Answer: The most common form of democracy in present time is that of a representative democracy. It is a type of democracy founded on the principle of elected representatives representing a group of people as opposed to direct democracy.

(i) India and most of the countries follow the representative democracy. In a democracy, all the people do not rule.

(ii) In a democracy, a majority is allowed to take decisions on behalf of all the people. Even the majority does not rule directly. It rules through its elected representatives.

(iii) Representative democracy becomes necessary in the contemporary world. Because modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision.

(iv) Even if they could, the citizens do not have the time, desire or skill to take part in all the decisions. 

Q12.State the main features of democracy.

Answer: The main features of democracy are:

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

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

(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 the constitutional law and citizens’ rights.