NCERT Textbook: What is Democracy? Why Democracy? | Indian Polity for UPSC CSE PDF Download

 Page 1


OVERVIEW
What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple
definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the
terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the
bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going
through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form
of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of
this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader
idea of democracy.
Democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today
and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it
better than other forms of government? That is the second big question
that we take up in this chapter.
CHAPTER 1
What is
Democracy?
Why
Democracy?
2024-25
Page 2


OVERVIEW
What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple
definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the
terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the
bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going
through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form
of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of
this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader
idea of democracy.
Democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today
and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it
better than other forms of government? That is the second big question
that we take up in this chapter.
CHAPTER 1
What is
Democracy?
Why
Democracy?
2024-25
2 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
I have heard a
different version.
Democracy is off
the people, far
(from) the people
and (where they)
buy the people.
Why don’t we
accept that?
1.1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
But we don’t know if this is the best way of
defining unless we think about it ourselves. We
must not accept something just because it is
famous, just because everyone accepts it.
Y olanda: Ma’am, can I suggest something? We don’t
need to look for any definition. I read somewhere
that the word democracy comes from a Greek
word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means
people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is
rule by the people. This is the correct meaning.
Where is the need to debate?
Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way
of thinking about this matter. I would just say
that this does not always work. A word does not
remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers.
Originally they were used for computing, that is to
say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums.
These were very powerful calculators. But nowa-
days very few people use computers for comput-
ing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for
listening to music and for watching films. Words
remain the same but their meaning can change
with time. In that case it is not very useful to look
at the origins of a word.
Merry: Ma’am, so basically what you are saying
is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about
the matter ourselves. We have to think about its
meaning and evolve a definition.
Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on
with it now.
ACTIVITY
Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to
write down the exact definition of some of the
simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain
and love. For example, is there a way of defining a
pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a
brush, a chalk or crayon.
< What have you learnt from this attempt?
< What does it teach us about understanding the
meaning of democracy?
A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition
Let us get back to our discussion on
similarities and differences among
governments that are called
You have already read about different
forms of government. On the basis of
your understanding of democracy
so far, mentioning a few examples
write down some common features of:
<Democratic governments
<Non-democratic governments
Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy?
Before we proceed further, let us
first take note of an objection by
Merry. She does not like this way
of defining democracy and wants
to ask some basic questions.
Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh
responds to her questions, as other
classmates join the discussion:
Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea. First we spend
time discussing democracy and then we want
to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean
logically shouldn’t we have approached it the
other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have
come first and then the example?
Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is
not how we reason in everyday life. We use
words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have
a definition of these words before we use them?
Come to think of it, do we have clear definition
of these words? It is only by using a word that
we understand its meaning.
Merry: But then why do we need definitions at all?
Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when
we come across a difficulty in the use of a word.
We need a definition of rain only when we wish to
distinguish it from, say , drizzle or cloudburst. The
same is true for democracy. We need a clear
definition only because people use it for different
purposes, because very different kinds of gov-
ernments call themselves democracy.
Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a defini-
tion? The other day you quoted Abraham
Lincoln to us: “Democracy is government of
the people, by the people and for the people”.
We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That
is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to
change that?
Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to
change it. I too find this definition very beautiful.
2024-25
Page 3


OVERVIEW
What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple
definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the
terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the
bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going
through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form
of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of
this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader
idea of democracy.
Democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today
and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it
better than other forms of government? That is the second big question
that we take up in this chapter.
CHAPTER 1
What is
Democracy?
Why
Democracy?
2024-25
2 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
I have heard a
different version.
Democracy is off
the people, far
(from) the people
and (where they)
buy the people.
Why don’t we
accept that?
1.1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
But we don’t know if this is the best way of
defining unless we think about it ourselves. We
must not accept something just because it is
famous, just because everyone accepts it.
Y olanda: Ma’am, can I suggest something? We don’t
need to look for any definition. I read somewhere
that the word democracy comes from a Greek
word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means
people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is
rule by the people. This is the correct meaning.
Where is the need to debate?
Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way
of thinking about this matter. I would just say
that this does not always work. A word does not
remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers.
Originally they were used for computing, that is to
say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums.
These were very powerful calculators. But nowa-
days very few people use computers for comput-
ing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for
listening to music and for watching films. Words
remain the same but their meaning can change
with time. In that case it is not very useful to look
at the origins of a word.
Merry: Ma’am, so basically what you are saying
is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about
the matter ourselves. We have to think about its
meaning and evolve a definition.
Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on
with it now.
ACTIVITY
Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to
write down the exact definition of some of the
simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain
and love. For example, is there a way of defining a
pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a
brush, a chalk or crayon.
< What have you learnt from this attempt?
< What does it teach us about understanding the
meaning of democracy?
A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition
Let us get back to our discussion on
similarities and differences among
governments that are called
You have already read about different
forms of government. On the basis of
your understanding of democracy
so far, mentioning a few examples
write down some common features of:
<Democratic governments
<Non-democratic governments
Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy?
Before we proceed further, let us
first take note of an objection by
Merry. She does not like this way
of defining democracy and wants
to ask some basic questions.
Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh
responds to her questions, as other
classmates join the discussion:
Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea. First we spend
time discussing democracy and then we want
to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean
logically shouldn’t we have approached it the
other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have
come first and then the example?
Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is
not how we reason in everyday life. We use
words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have
a definition of these words before we use them?
Come to think of it, do we have clear definition
of these words? It is only by using a word that
we understand its meaning.
Merry: But then why do we need definitions at all?
Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when
we come across a difficulty in the use of a word.
We need a definition of rain only when we wish to
distinguish it from, say , drizzle or cloudburst. The
same is true for democracy. We need a clear
definition only because people use it for different
purposes, because very different kinds of gov-
ernments call themselves democracy.
Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a defini-
tion? The other day you quoted Abraham
Lincoln to us: “Democracy is government of
the people, by the people and for the people”.
We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That
is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to
change that?
Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to
change it. I too find this definition very beautiful.
2024-25
3 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?
CHECK
YOUR
PROGRESS
Ribiang went back home and collected some more famous quotations on democracy . This time she
did not mention the names of the people who said or wrote these. She wants you to read these and
comment on how good or useful these thoughts are:
< 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.
democracies. One simple factor
common to all democracies is: the
government is chosen by the people.
We could thus start with a simple
definition: democracy is a form of
government in which the rulers are
elected by the people.
This is a useful starting point. This
definition allows us to separate
democracy from forms of government
that are clearly not democratic. The
army rulers of Myanmar were not
elected by the people. Those who
happened to be in control of the army
became the rulers of the country.
People had no say in this decision.
Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not
elected by the people. This also
applies to monarchies. The 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.
This simple definition is not
adequate. It reminds us that
democracy is people’s rule. But if we
use this definition in an unthinking
manner, we would end up calling
almost every government that holds
an election a democracy. That would
be very misleading. As we shall find
out in Chapter 3, every government
in contemporary world wants to be
called a democracy, even if it is not
so. That is why we need to carefully
distinguish between a government
that is a democracy and one that
pretends to be one. We can do so by
understanding each word in this
definition carefully and spelling out
the features of a democratic
government.
This cartoon was
drawn when elections
were held in Iraq with
the presence of US
and other foreign
powers. What do you
think this cartoon is
saying? Why is
‘democracy’ written
the way it is?
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc.
2024-25
Page 4


OVERVIEW
What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple
definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the
terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the
bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going
through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form
of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of
this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader
idea of democracy.
Democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today
and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it
better than other forms of government? That is the second big question
that we take up in this chapter.
CHAPTER 1
What is
Democracy?
Why
Democracy?
2024-25
2 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
I have heard a
different version.
Democracy is off
the people, far
(from) the people
and (where they)
buy the people.
Why don’t we
accept that?
1.1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
But we don’t know if this is the best way of
defining unless we think about it ourselves. We
must not accept something just because it is
famous, just because everyone accepts it.
Y olanda: Ma’am, can I suggest something? We don’t
need to look for any definition. I read somewhere
that the word democracy comes from a Greek
word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means
people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is
rule by the people. This is the correct meaning.
Where is the need to debate?
Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way
of thinking about this matter. I would just say
that this does not always work. A word does not
remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers.
Originally they were used for computing, that is to
say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums.
These were very powerful calculators. But nowa-
days very few people use computers for comput-
ing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for
listening to music and for watching films. Words
remain the same but their meaning can change
with time. In that case it is not very useful to look
at the origins of a word.
Merry: Ma’am, so basically what you are saying
is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about
the matter ourselves. We have to think about its
meaning and evolve a definition.
Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on
with it now.
ACTIVITY
Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to
write down the exact definition of some of the
simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain
and love. For example, is there a way of defining a
pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a
brush, a chalk or crayon.
< What have you learnt from this attempt?
< What does it teach us about understanding the
meaning of democracy?
A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition
Let us get back to our discussion on
similarities and differences among
governments that are called
You have already read about different
forms of government. On the basis of
your understanding of democracy
so far, mentioning a few examples
write down some common features of:
<Democratic governments
<Non-democratic governments
Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy?
Before we proceed further, let us
first take note of an objection by
Merry. She does not like this way
of defining democracy and wants
to ask some basic questions.
Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh
responds to her questions, as other
classmates join the discussion:
Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea. First we spend
time discussing democracy and then we want
to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean
logically shouldn’t we have approached it the
other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have
come first and then the example?
Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is
not how we reason in everyday life. We use
words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have
a definition of these words before we use them?
Come to think of it, do we have clear definition
of these words? It is only by using a word that
we understand its meaning.
Merry: But then why do we need definitions at all?
Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when
we come across a difficulty in the use of a word.
We need a definition of rain only when we wish to
distinguish it from, say , drizzle or cloudburst. The
same is true for democracy. We need a clear
definition only because people use it for different
purposes, because very different kinds of gov-
ernments call themselves democracy.
Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a defini-
tion? The other day you quoted Abraham
Lincoln to us: “Democracy is government of
the people, by the people and for the people”.
We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That
is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to
change that?
Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to
change it. I too find this definition very beautiful.
2024-25
3 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?
CHECK
YOUR
PROGRESS
Ribiang went back home and collected some more famous quotations on democracy . This time she
did not mention the names of the people who said or wrote these. She wants you to read these and
comment on how good or useful these thoughts are:
< 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.
democracies. One simple factor
common to all democracies is: the
government is chosen by the people.
We could thus start with a simple
definition: democracy is a form of
government in which the rulers are
elected by the people.
This is a useful starting point. This
definition allows us to separate
democracy from forms of government
that are clearly not democratic. The
army rulers of Myanmar were not
elected by the people. Those who
happened to be in control of the army
became the rulers of the country.
People had no say in this decision.
Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not
elected by the people. This also
applies to monarchies. The 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.
This simple definition is not
adequate. It reminds us that
democracy is people’s rule. But if we
use this definition in an unthinking
manner, we would end up calling
almost every government that holds
an election a democracy. That would
be very misleading. As we shall find
out in Chapter 3, every government
in contemporary world wants to be
called a democracy, even if it is not
so. That is why we need to carefully
distinguish between a government
that is a democracy and one that
pretends to be one. We can do so by
understanding each word in this
definition carefully and spelling out
the features of a democratic
government.
This cartoon was
drawn when elections
were held in Iraq with
the presence of US
and other foreign
powers. What do you
think this cartoon is
saying? Why is
‘democracy’ written
the way it is?
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc.
2024-25
4 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
want in a democracy? Or must a
democratic government function
with some limits? Is it necessary
for a democracy to respect some
rights of the citizens?
Let us consider each of these
questions with the help of some
examples.
Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected
leaders leaders leaders leaders leaders
In Pakistan, General Pervez
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
and in 2002 held a referendum in
the country that granted him a five-
year extension. Pakistani media,
human rights organisations and
democracy activists said that the
referendum was based on
1.2 FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
Syria is a small west
Asian country. The
ruling Ba’ath Party
and some of its small
allies are the only
parties allowed in that
country. Do you think
this cartoon could
apply to China or
Mexico? What does
the crown of leaves
on democracy
signify?
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
©Emad Hajjaj, Jordan, Cagle Cartoons Inc. 7 June 2005
We have started with a simple
definition that democracy is a form
of government in which the rulers
are elected by the people. This
raises many questions:
<Who are the rulers in this
definition? Which officials must
be elected for any government to
be called a democracy? Which
decisions may be taken by non-
elected officials in a democracy?
< What kind of election constitutes
a democratic election? What
conditions must be fulfilled for an
election to be considered
democratic?
< Who are the people who can elect
the rulers or get elected as rulers?
Should this include every citizen on
an equal basis? Can a democracy
deny some citizens this right?
<Finally, what kind of a form of
government is democracy? Can
elected rulers do whatever they
2024-25
Page 5


OVERVIEW
What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple
definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the
terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the
bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going
through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form
of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of
this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader
idea of democracy.
Democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today
and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it
better than other forms of government? That is the second big question
that we take up in this chapter.
CHAPTER 1
What is
Democracy?
Why
Democracy?
2024-25
2 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
I have heard a
different version.
Democracy is off
the people, far
(from) the people
and (where they)
buy the people.
Why don’t we
accept that?
1.1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
But we don’t know if this is the best way of
defining unless we think about it ourselves. We
must not accept something just because it is
famous, just because everyone accepts it.
Y olanda: Ma’am, can I suggest something? We don’t
need to look for any definition. I read somewhere
that the word democracy comes from a Greek
word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means
people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is
rule by the people. This is the correct meaning.
Where is the need to debate?
Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way
of thinking about this matter. I would just say
that this does not always work. A word does not
remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers.
Originally they were used for computing, that is to
say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums.
These were very powerful calculators. But nowa-
days very few people use computers for comput-
ing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for
listening to music and for watching films. Words
remain the same but their meaning can change
with time. In that case it is not very useful to look
at the origins of a word.
Merry: Ma’am, so basically what you are saying
is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about
the matter ourselves. We have to think about its
meaning and evolve a definition.
Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on
with it now.
ACTIVITY
Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to
write down the exact definition of some of the
simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain
and love. For example, is there a way of defining a
pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a
brush, a chalk or crayon.
< What have you learnt from this attempt?
< What does it teach us about understanding the
meaning of democracy?
A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition A simple definition
Let us get back to our discussion on
similarities and differences among
governments that are called
You have already read about different
forms of government. On the basis of
your understanding of democracy
so far, mentioning a few examples
write down some common features of:
<Democratic governments
<Non-democratic governments
Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy? Why define democracy?
Before we proceed further, let us
first take note of an objection by
Merry. She does not like this way
of defining democracy and wants
to ask some basic questions.
Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh
responds to her questions, as other
classmates join the discussion:
Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea. First we spend
time discussing democracy and then we want
to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean
logically shouldn’t we have approached it the
other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have
come first and then the example?
Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is
not how we reason in everyday life. We use
words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have
a definition of these words before we use them?
Come to think of it, do we have clear definition
of these words? It is only by using a word that
we understand its meaning.
Merry: But then why do we need definitions at all?
Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when
we come across a difficulty in the use of a word.
We need a definition of rain only when we wish to
distinguish it from, say , drizzle or cloudburst. The
same is true for democracy. We need a clear
definition only because people use it for different
purposes, because very different kinds of gov-
ernments call themselves democracy.
Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a defini-
tion? The other day you quoted Abraham
Lincoln to us: “Democracy is government of
the people, by the people and for the people”.
We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That
is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to
change that?
Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to
change it. I too find this definition very beautiful.
2024-25
3 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?
CHECK
YOUR
PROGRESS
Ribiang went back home and collected some more famous quotations on democracy . This time she
did not mention the names of the people who said or wrote these. She wants you to read these and
comment on how good or useful these thoughts are:
< 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.
democracies. One simple factor
common to all democracies is: the
government is chosen by the people.
We could thus start with a simple
definition: democracy is a form of
government in which the rulers are
elected by the people.
This is a useful starting point. This
definition allows us to separate
democracy from forms of government
that are clearly not democratic. The
army rulers of Myanmar were not
elected by the people. Those who
happened to be in control of the army
became the rulers of the country.
People had no say in this decision.
Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not
elected by the people. This also
applies to monarchies. The 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.
This simple definition is not
adequate. It reminds us that
democracy is people’s rule. But if we
use this definition in an unthinking
manner, we would end up calling
almost every government that holds
an election a democracy. That would
be very misleading. As we shall find
out in Chapter 3, every government
in contemporary world wants to be
called a democracy, even if it is not
so. That is why we need to carefully
distinguish between a government
that is a democracy and one that
pretends to be one. We can do so by
understanding each word in this
definition carefully and spelling out
the features of a democratic
government.
This cartoon was
drawn when elections
were held in Iraq with
the presence of US
and other foreign
powers. What do you
think this cartoon is
saying? Why is
‘democracy’ written
the way it is?
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc.
2024-25
4 DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
want in a democracy? Or must a
democratic government function
with some limits? Is it necessary
for a democracy to respect some
rights of the citizens?
Let us consider each of these
questions with the help of some
examples.
Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected Major decisions by elected
leaders leaders leaders leaders leaders
In Pakistan, General Pervez
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
and in 2002 held a referendum in
the country that granted him a five-
year extension. Pakistani media,
human rights organisations and
democracy activists said that the
referendum was based on
1.2 FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
Syria is a small west
Asian country. The
ruling Ba’ath Party
and some of its small
allies are the only
parties allowed in that
country. Do you think
this cartoon could
apply to China or
Mexico? What does
the crown of leaves
on democracy
signify?
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
©Emad Hajjaj, Jordan, Cagle Cartoons Inc. 7 June 2005
We have started with a simple
definition that democracy is a form
of government in which the rulers
are elected by the people. This
raises many questions:
<Who are the rulers in this
definition? Which officials must
be elected for any government to
be called a democracy? Which
decisions may be taken by non-
elected officials in a democracy?
< What kind of election constitutes
a democratic election? What
conditions must be fulfilled for an
election to be considered
democratic?
< Who are the people who can elect
the rulers or get elected as rulers?
Should this include every citizen on
an equal basis? Can a democracy
deny some citizens this right?
<Finally, what kind of a form of
government is democracy? Can
elected rulers do whatever they
2024-25
5
r r r r re e e e ea a a a ad d d d d
t t t t the he he he he
c c c c ca a a a ar r r r rt t t t toon oon oon oon oon
malpractices and fraud. In August
2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework
Order’ that amended the
Constitution of Pakistan. According
to this Order, the President can
dismiss the national and provincial
assemblies. The work of the civilian
cabinet is supervised by a National
Security Council which is
dominated by military officers. After
passing this law, elections were
held to the national and provincial
assemblies. So Pakistan has had
elections, elected representatives
have some powers. But the final
power rested with military officers
and General Musharraf himself.
Clearly, there are many reasons
why Pakistan under General
Musharraf should not be called a
democracy. But let us focus on one
of these. Can we say that the rulers
are elected by the people in
Pakistan? Not quite. People may
have elected their representatives to
the national and provincial
assemblies but those elected
representatives were not really the
rulers. They cannot take the final
decisions. The power to take final
decision rested with army officials
and with General Musharraf, and
none of them were elected by the
people. This happens in many
dictatorships and monarchies. They
formally have an elected parliament
and government but the real power
is with those who are not elected.
In a few countries, the real power
was with some external powers and
not with locally elected
representatives. This cannot be
called people’s rule.
This gives us the first feature. In a
democracy the final decision-
making power must rest with those
elected by the people.
Free and fair electoral Free and fair electoral Free and fair electoral Free and fair electoral Free and fair electoral
competition competition competition competition competition
In China, elections are regularly
held after every five years for
electing the country’s parliament,
called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dahui (National People’s Congress).
The National People’s Congress has
the power to appoint the President
of the country. It has nearly 3,000
members elected from all over
China. Some members are elected
by the army. Before contesting
elections, a candidate needs the
approval of the Chinese Communist
Party. Only those who are members
of the Chinese Communist Party or
eight smaller parties allied to it were
allowed to contest elections held in
2002-03. The government is always
formed by the Communist Party.
Since its independence in 1930,
Mexico holds elections after every
six years to elect its President. The
country has never been under a
military or dictator’s rule. But until
2000 every election was won by a
This cartoon was
drawn in the context
of Latin America. Do
you think it applies to
the Pakistani situation
as well? Think of
other countries where
this could apply?
Does this happen
sometimes in our
country as well?
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?
©Ares, Caglecartoon.com, Cagle Cartoons Inc. 22 January 2005
All this is so remote
for me. Is
democracy all
about rulers and
governments? Can
we talk about a
democratic
classroom? Or a
democratic family?
2024-25