Political parties, Outcomes of democracy and Challenges faced by Democracy

R.Ayyappan

Std :10                    Democratic Politics Study material

6.Political Parties

1.What is a political party?

Ø A group of people who came together to contest elections.

Ø They agree on some policies and programs

Ø Ex: All India National Congress

2.Functions of the political party?

Ø Contesting elections and choosing candidates for the elections.

Ø Framing the policies and programs from the vast multitude of opinions on various issues.

Ø Making laws and amending the law for a country after a good debate with not only opposition party but also with their own party members.

Ø Running the government and train the leaders to run the government.

Ø If unable to win the majority in the assemble, need to play a role of opposition - voicing different view and be a good critic of the government.

Ø Creating good public opinion.

Ø Connecting the people with government ‘s well fare programmes.

3.Why do we need political parties?

Ø Without political parties, in an election all the candidates will be an independent candidates.

Ø No one can form a government in the assemble because independents find difficult to show majority in the assemble.

Ø Even though they form government it won’t be stable.

Ø No one will be able to make promises for the entire country.

4.How many parties we need for a good democracy?

Ø One Party System: Any democratic system we need more than one, at least two parties. China has one party system and lack of democratic values.

Ø Two Party System:U.S.A, U.K both has two party system. Both parties have a serious chances of winning the majority.

Ø Multi party system:India has multi party system. When country like India has multi cultural and ethnic and linguistic people, by the time emergence of more number of political  are unavoidable. Local difference will be expressed in the politics.

Ø Democracy is possible with any number but at least two.

5. classification of political parties (or) How political parties gets its recognition from the election commission?

Regional Party / State Party

Ø The political party exist in one state or part of the country.

Ø The party gives importance to the issues of the particular state.

Ø A party has to get 6% votes and 2 seats in the assembly election of the state to get the recognition from the election commission as the regional party.

Ø The party which got recognition they can contest in common symbol in all over the state.Ex:DMK

National parties

Ø The political parties exist entire nation.

Ø The parties has national goals

Ø A party needs to get 6% votes in a loksabha elections (or) assembly election of any four states and to secure 4 seats in  loksabha to get recognition status from the election commission as a National party.

Ø Ex:All India National Congress

6. What are the challenges faced by the political parties?

Ø Lack of internal democracy: one or few leaders at the top controls the entire party. Political parties do not maintain proper membership register. Dynastic Succession: Family members of the party leader get the most important post in the party.

Ø Money and muscle power: Rich and members with criminal background  easily come up  in the party. They get seats. Ordinary members remain as an ordinary member for long.

Ø Showing difference: Political parties finds very difficult to differentiate their parties from other parties. They unable to put forth different policies and programs to the people.

7.How can political parties be reformed?

Present laws:

Ø Anti Defection Law: According to this act any MLA,MP moving from one party to another he/she will lose their post.

Ø Affidavit: According to the order issued by the Supreme Court of India, a candidate contesting in an election has to file the affidavit giving the details of property, criminal cases and the personal information to the election commission.

Ø Election commission has passed an order that political parties should hold their organizational elections and file tax returns.

Suggestion:

Ø An officer can be appointed in political parties to regulate the internal affairs.

Ø 1/3 seats to be given to the women’s and women should be present the important positions of the party.

Ø To control the flow of money government can fund the election expanses of the political parties.

7.Outcomes of Democracy

1.Why democracy is better than other forms of government?

Ø Promotes equality among the citizens

Ø Enhances  the dignity of the individual

Ø Improves the quality of decision making

Ø Provides a method to restore conflicts

Ø Allows room to correct mistakes

2.When people blame democracy?

Ø If some of our expectations are not met, we start blaming the idea of democracy.

Ø Democracy is just form of government. It can only create conditions for achieving something, the citizens have to take advantage of those conditions and achieve the goal.

3.Efficiency (or) Decision making

Ø Non democratic rulers do have to not bother about the consultation, people opinion and also majority in assembly where as in democratic system each decision will be taken only after the consultation and judicial reviews.

Ø  Non democratic governments takes quick decision but democratic countries taking good decision. So people in the democratic system accept the decision majorly.

4.Transparency (or) Accountable

Ø Democratic governments are accountable to the people but we cannot expect this from non democratic systems.

Ø Democratic system believes that people have the right to know what is happening inside the government or in other words people have the rights to know how decision taking process takes place in the government. Ex: Right to information Act 

5.Elections

Ø In non democratic countries holding regular election nearly impossible even though elections conducted the fairness will not be there.

Ø Ex: Military rule of Myanmer denied the victory of Aung Sun Su Ki in the elections.

Ø  Whereas if you take country like India we do not have any problem in conducting the regular election but political parties and people try to violate the code of conduct in the elections.

6.Debate

Ø Public expression of dissatisfaction is not possible in the nondemocratic countries. Debates never encourages in that system, authoritative rulers try to implement their decisions, where as in democratic system the public issues will be debated in the media and all social platforms, may be all issues are not properly debated in India but the debate is exist in democratic system.

7.Economic growth and Development

Ø Democracy is not a economic policy. Democracy is not guaranty for economic growth. Democratic system stands behind the non democratic system. But democratic governments are not very much behind the non democratic governments.

Ø Little bit of difference exist, it can be acceptable because the people in democratic systems enjoy more privileges then others.

Ø All democratic regimes achieved the growth of 3.95 %

Ø All non - democratic regimes achieved the growth of 4.45%

8.Accomodation of social diversity

Ø The democratic systems are best suited to produce this outcome. Non democratic systems try to suppress the minorities.

Ø The democratic systems not only accommodate the social differences but appreciate the social differences.

Ø Democratic systems has the ability to handle the social differences in a better manner than the non democratic governments.

Ø But there two condition to achieve the accommodation in democratic systems (a).The majority need to work with minority. The government should work in a general view and majority and minority views should not be permanent.

Ø (b) The majority rule means not a rule of majority community or religion or linguistic group rule, majority rule means  rule majority opinion each and every decision or election there should be possibility for all the group to attain power.  Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen has the chance of being in majority at some point of time.

9.Dignity and freedom of the citizens

Ø Democracies stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting the dignity and freedom of the citizens. In democracies every individual has the rights to get respect from the fellow citizens.

Ø There the guaranty through the constitution for the weaker section of the society. The violations will be considered as the crime.

Ø Dignity of women, protect of minority religions and SC/ST people in India are now protected through the constitution.

Ø There  is legal base for them to protect their rights if they think that their rights are denied.

Ø We made many laws to protect the dignity of every citizen. Ex: Eve Teasing Act, Domestic violence Act, SC/ST act etc.,

10.Examination never gets over in democracies

Ø Yes examination never gets over in democracies. The government or a society cannot be satisfied with democratic approach one issue. Each and every issue and each and every step the government need to  prove that they are democratic in policies.  If the government passes in one issue democratically other issues are waiting the queue to be resolved democratically. Democracy should become habit in the system.

11. The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success of democracy (or) A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the democratic project.

Ø One of the fundamental aims of democracy is allowing the struggle against the injustice and giving the opportunity to the people to raise their voice against the mighty in the society.

Ø When people are in ignorance even though rights are there in democratic system they don’t live as democratic people but when democracy creates the belief that they can bring their desired change, we could able to see people fight for their justice.

Ø So we can conclude where ever we see the struggle of people against the decision of the government we can understand that democracy progressing towards the betterment.

8.Challanges to democracy

1.What are the challenges in front of democracy?

Ø Foundational challenge: The countries which are having the non democratic regimes facing this challenge. This involves keeping down the existing military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign state.

Ø Challenge of expansion: This involves spreading the  democratic principles each and every region of the country and different social groups. Giving  more powers to the regional governments. Empowerment of women and weaker section of the society. Country like India and U.S facing this challenge.

Ø Challenge of deepening of democracy: This involves the strengthening of the institutions of democracy. Making an attempt to bring down the control and influence of rich and powerful people in making government decisions.

2.What are the aspects we need to keep in mind while thinking towards the political reforms?

Ø Law alone cannot bring the desired change in the political. All the issues in politics cannot be solved through the laws.

Ø No doubt that law is needed, carefully designed law can help to discourage the wrong politics but believing that only making law itself bring all the best in the politics is very foolish.

Ø Some time laws are counterproductive. They can give the undesired results. Ex: the law that banned the persons who has more than two children contesting the punchayet election denied the rights of many people

Ø The good laws are those which empower the people. Ex: RTI

Ø More and more participation of ordinary people can improve the quality of politics.

Ø Political reforms should think not only about what is a good decision but also about who will implement it and how.

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