SUPPORT DE COURS |UVS| 2018 SJ

Licence 1
SCIENCE JURIDIQUE

Cours : ANGLAIS
Séquence 1 : Democracy in India
 République du Sénégal
Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche
Université virtuelle du Sénégal
Direction de la Formation et de l’Ingénierie pédagogique (DFIP)
Filière SJ
Promotion 5_Licence_1 / Semestre_1 / 2018

UE Cours Transversal : EC Anglais

Chapter_1: Democracy in India

Democracy is the rule of the people. It is ‘government of the people for the people, by the people’. It recognizes
the paramountcy of the people’s will. Vox populi vox dei: ’the voice of the people is the voice of god’. This will is
expressed through the accredited and elected representatives of the people sitting in parliament. In a true
democracy even the powers and jurisdiction of these representatives are strictly limited and defined by a
constitution, which again cannot be altered or amended except through rigid procedural process. In other words,
every effort is made to prevent the accumulation of power in the hands of any particular individual or group.
It follows that the proper functioning of democracy depends upon its electoral system, through which the people
can make its will operative. Elections must be brad-based on adult franchises, so that every man and woman
having attained majority is entitled to a vote. Any limitation on the nature of the electorate such as is fixed by
considerations of education, property, tax -paying capacity, etc., has the effect of depositing power in a
particular class and community, and to that extent is a denial of democracy. At the same time, democracy can
function properly only if the electorate is educated, and is able to understand the mystic significance of the vote.
It is true that the working-class has a shrewd appreciation of their rights and privileges. But modern society is so
complicated by various economic and other factors that without proper education, the ordinary voter is liable to
get confused and bewildered. Further, elections must be free. Every vote should have unhindered access to the
ballot box and he must be assured the secrecy of his vote. He must feel that there is no chance of victimization
for him if he votes one way or the other.
No electoral system can be fool-proof, and perfect democracy, like all perfections, can be found only in the
utopias of poets and dreamers. We must be satisfied with the nearest approximation to it. Hence democracy is
an evolutionary process dependent on constant modification and change in the light of experience. It must
always be ready to broaden the foundation, remove impediments of the free expression of people’s will, and
minimize the risk of any one class becoming preponderant. Hence democracy depends on freedom of speech
and writing. The people must have complete freedom to ventilate their opinions in the press and on the platform.
The proceedings of parliaments must be open to the public and must be duly published and circulated. There
must also be periodic elections in order to reflect the changes in the people’s views and opinions. Power must
be kept perpetually fluid. Every election is in effect a plebiscite for measuring popular opinion. Finally, in a true
democracy, the people must have the right of recalling their re-preventatives should they cease to represent
them. This would be one of the best safeguards against the people who flout popular opinion.
India is perhaps making the boldest bid to attain true democracy. The franchise is based on adult suffrage and
every effort is made to ensure that the will of the people is properly and freely exercised. Yet, certain drawbacks
should be attended to. At present the electorate is so large and far-flung, that only a rich individual or a rich
political party can set up candidates to win the constituency. The result is that the wealthy classes and parties
dependent on their wealth, enjoy an undue advantage. So unless all the voters become sufficiently alert, it might
be necessary to go back to the Gandhian formula of having a pyramidal constitution with the village panchayet
at the bottom and the national parliament at the top. Another drawback that India is experiencing is that in a vast
country, the procedure is bound to be complicated, and the dread of power being abused by individuals has led
to constitutional checks and counter-checks with involve delay and wastage. In other words, democracy needs a
simplification of the administrative machinery, so that the executive can function smoothly. For this, perhaps, the
soviet system of working through specific units is the best. In India much good work is spoilt by cumbersome
procedural methods.
Adapted from: http://www.preservearticles.com/201103284788/873-words-essay-on-democracy-in-india.html

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Enseignant : M. A. NDIAYE Tuteur relais : M. Racine DIA /Abdou DIOUF