What Is Democracy? Why Democracy?

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• Summary

Government is elected by the people and it is accountable to the people. The workers can form their trade unions.

1. There are free and fair elections conducted by the Election Commission, an autonomous body.
2. A democratic government rules within its jurisdictions set by constitutional laws and citizen's rights.
3. People can change the government if they feel it is not working according to their hopes.
4. Decision-making process takes place in an open manner, after debating in parliament, criticism by the media and the general opinion of the masses.
5. Citizens are free to criticize and oppose the anti-people's policies of the government. Safety of people's life and property is government's responsibility.
6. Opposition plays a crucial role in democracy.
7. Any citizen can aspire to fight elections. Even an ordinary man can become Prime Minister or President.

Take the example of China:

1. In China, elections are regularly held after every 5 years for electing the country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibaio Dahui (National People’s Congress).
2. The national people’s congress has the power to appoint the president of the country.
3. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected from the army.
4. Before contesting the election, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese communist party. Only those who are the members of the communist party or eight smaller parties are allowed to contest the elections held in 2002-03.
5. The government in China is always formed by the communist party.

Take the case of Pakistan:

1. 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.
2. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan.
3. 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 rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself.
4. Clearly, people may have elected their representatives but they cannot take the final decisions.
5. The power to take final decision rests with army officials and with General Musharraf, and none of them is elected by the people.
6. This happens in many dictatorships and monarchies.

In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value. This principle has now come to be accepted almost all over the world.

Yet there are many instances of denial of equal right to vote.

1. In Saudi Arabia, women do not have the right to vote.
2. 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.
3. In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

The basis of a Democratic Government is that it should rule within limits set by constitutional law and citizen's rights.

Let's take the example of  Myanmar:

1. In Myanmar, there is no freedom of speech and expression.
2. The press is not free.
3. No one can open one’s mouth against the military rulers. One who dares to do so is imprisoned up to 2 years.
4. Political activists were put in prison for 7 to 15 years on flimsy charges and trivial grounds.

Accordingly, democracy is a form of government in which:

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