Question 1:
Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classify each of these countries? Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not sure’ against each of these.
(a) Country A: People who do not accept the country’s official religion do not
have a right to vote
Answer: Undemocratic
(b) Country B: The same party has been winning
elections for the last twenty years Answer: Not
sure
(c) Country C: Ruling party has lost in the last three
elections
Answer: Democratic
(d) Country D: There is no independent election commission
Answer: Undemocratic
Question 2:
Here is some information about four countries.
Based on this information, how would you classify each of these countries? Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’
or ‘not sure’ against each of
these.
(a) Country P: The parliament cannot pass a law
about the army without the consent of the Chief of Army
Answer: Undemocratic
(b) Country Q: The parliament cannot pass a law
reducing the powers of the judiciary Answer: Democratic
(c) Country R: The country’s leaders cannot sign any
treaty with another country without taking permission from its neighboring country.
Answer: Undemocratic
(d) Country S: All the major economic decisions
about the country are taken by officials of the central bank which the
ministers cannot change.
Answer: Undemocratic
Question 3:
Which of these is not a good argument in favour
of democracy? Why?
(a) People feel free and equal in a
democracy
(b) Democracies resolve conflict in a better way
than others
(c) Democratic government is more accountable to
the people
(d) Democracies are more prosperous than
others
Answer: Economic prosperity depends on many factors;
like availability of natural resources, quality of human resources,
finance, geopolitical scenario, etc. A particular form of government has
some role to play, so it cannot be seen as a good argument in favour of
democracy.
Question 4:
Each of these statements contains a democratic
and an undemocratic element. Write out the two separately for each
statement.
(a) A minister said that some laws have to be passed
by the parliament in order to conform to the regulations decided by the
World Trade Organisation.
Answer: The fact that the laws need to be passed by the
parliament is democratic, while conformation to the WTO regulations is
undemocratic.
(b) The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a
constituency where large scale rigging was reported.
Answer: Re-polling is democratic, while rigging is
undemocratic.
(c) Women’s representation in the parliament has
never reached 10 per cent. This led women’s organizations to demand one-third seats for
women.
Answer: Poor level of women’s representation is
undemocratic, while the demand for one third seats is democratic.
Question 5:
Which of these is not a valid reason for arguing
that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic
country?
(a) Opposition parties can draw attention to
hunger and starvation.
(b) Free press can report suffering from famine
in different parts of the country.
(c) Government fears its defeat in the next
elections.
(d) People are free to believe in and practice
any religion.
Answer: (d) People are free to
believe in and practice any religion.
Question 6:
There are 40 villages in a district where the government has made
no provision for drinking water. These villagers met and considered many
methods of forcing the government to respond to their needs. Which of
these is not a democratic method?
(a) Filing a case in the courts
claiming that water is part of the right to life.
(b) Boycotting the next
elections to give a message to all parties.
(c) Organizing public meetings against the government's policies.
(d) Paying money to government
officials to get water.
Answer: (d) Paying money to government officials to get water.
Question 7:
Write a response to the
following arguments against democracy:
(a) Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organization in
the country. Therefore the army should rule the country.
Answer: Army officers are not elected by people and hence an army rule
would be undemocratic.
(b) Rule of the majority means the rule of ignorant people. What we
need is the rule of the wise, even if they are in small numbers.
Answer: Democracy is based on the idea
of universal adult franchise. Restricting the rulers from a small section comprising of ‘wise’ people would defeat the
purpose of representational democracy.
(c) If we want religious leaders to guide us in spiritual matters, why
not invite them to guide us in politics as well. The country should be
ruled by religious leaders.
Answer: Religious leaders are not elected by people and hence a country
should not be ruled by religious leaders.
Question 8:
Are the following statements in keeping with
democracy as a value? Why?
(a) Father to daughter: I don’t want to hear your
opinion about your marriage. In our
family children marry where the parents tell them to.
Answer: In this case, the daughter does not have the freedom of choice,
hence this is undemocratic.
(b) Teacher to student: Don’t disturb my
concentration by asking me questions in the classroom.
Answer: The students are not allowed to ask questions which is their
right, hence this is undemocratic.
(c) Employee to the officer: Our working hours must
be reduced according to the law. Answer: The
employee is asking for a fundamental right and hence it is
democratic.
Question 9:
Consider the following facts about a country and
decide if you would call it a democracy. Give reasons to support your
decision.
(a) All the citizens of the country have right to vote. Elections are
held regularly.
Answer: Regular elections and universal adult franchise
are two important features of a democracy and hence this is a democratic
situation.
(b) The country took loan from international
agencies. One of the conditions for giving loan was that the government
would reduce its expenses on education and health.
Answer: An international agency should not interfere in
the internal matters of a country. Hence this is
undemocratic.
(c) People speak more than seven languages but
education is available only in one language, the language spoken by 52
percent people of that country.
Answer: This is an example where majority view is being
imposed and hence is undemocratic.
(d) Several organisations have given a call for
peaceful demonstrations and nationwide strikes in the country to oppose
these policies. Government has arrested these leaders.
Answer: Democratic government should provide the right
to protest. The government is denying such right to its citizens and
hence is undemocratic.
(e) The government owns the radio and television in
the country. All the newspapers have to get permission from the government to publish any news about
government’s policies and protests.
Answer: Freedom of media is very
important for a democracy. This is an undemocratic example.
10. Write an essay on ‘Democracy and
Poverty’ using the information given in this
report but using examples from India.
Answer:
Democracy and poverty have been inextricably linked in India ever since her birth. Political independence of our country had been achieved through mass participation of the rural poor in the national movement. However, and unfortunately, since then this rural poor mass of the Indian population has seen its influence shrink in national politics. As decade by decade India has cultivated its resources and added to its national financial wealth, the rich have grown richer, and the poor have grown abysmally poorer. We have the distinction of being the largest democracy in the world, but we are also one of the world’s poorest countries, with gaping economic cleavages within our society.
The inequality of income is a concern that gets reflected directly in the operation of the democratic process of our republic. Research has firmly established the fact that though the majority of Indian voters come from the rural Indian hinterland, their influence on their elected representatives and on the whole, on the process of national policy making is shrinking with each passing year. On the other hand, the richer sections of our society, though they do not necessarily vote or have any discernible concern for their civic responsibilities, exercise leverage on the policymaking in this country grossly disproportionate to their actual size in the population.
Moreover, the culture of corporate funding of political parties has fast spawned its offspring in the realms of the government establishment. It has made political parties and their leaders less dependent on their actual electorate and has allowed them to ignore the real concerns of the public like agrarian reforms, fine tuning of the Public Distribution System, agricultural subsidies and educational reforms.
To encapsulate, as we take pride in us being the largest democracy in the world, it is also necessary to recognise and act on the fact that the phenomenon of gross economic inequalities is putting a major limitation on its workability.