Question

Why should all the powers of the government not be in the hands of one person?

Answer 1

Concept:

• The source sets the older belief about undivided power against the democratic answer to it.
• The reason for rejecting concentration of power is that it contradicts the basic principle on which democracy rests.

Step 1: Recall the older belief the source describes.
For a long time it was believed that all power of a government must reside in one person or group of persons located at one place, because dispersed power would slow down decisions.

Step 2: State the democratic principle that replaced it.
One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power. If the people are the source, power cannot belong to one person alone.

Step 3: Draw out the consequence.
In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views in society, and everyone has a voice in shaping public policies. Concentrating power in one pair of hands would silence those voices.

Final Answer: All power should not rest with one person because in a democracy the people are the source of all political power, every group and view deserves respect, and everyone must have a voice in shaping public policies.

Answer 2

Concept:

• Power sharing is defended on two grounds, one practical and one based on principle.
• The practical ground is that it prevents conflict, and the ground of principle is that it is the very spirit of democracy.

Step 1: It reduces conflict between social groups.
Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, sharing power is a good way to ensure the stability of the political order.

Step 2: It prevents the tyranny of the majority.
Imposing the will of the majority community over others may look attractive for a short while, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation. Tyranny of the majority is not just oppressive for the minority, it often brings ruin to the majority as well.

Step 3: It is the spirit of democracy.
A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

Final Answer: Power sharing is necessary because it reduces conflict between social groups and keeps the political order stable, it prevents the tyranny of the majority, and it upholds the very spirit of democracy, under which those affected by a decision have a right to be consulted.

Answer 3

Concept:

• Institutions of self-government are the bodies through which people govern themselves, from the panchayat in a village up to the Parliament of the country.
• Because these bodies are elected by the people and answerable to them, they turn the idea that people are the source of power into a working arrangement.

Step 1: They make the people the real source of authority.
The source states that one basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power, and that in a democracy people rule themselves through institutions of self-government.
Elected bodies carry the authority of the voters, so power flows upward from the people rather than downward from a ruler.

Step 2: They give diverse groups a voice.
In a good democratic government due respect is given to the diverse groups and views that exist in a society. Elected councils and assemblies bring representatives of different regions, communities and opinions into the same room.
Everyone thus has a voice in the shaping of public policies.

Step 3: They keep those in power answerable.
Representatives have to face the voters again at the next election, so they must explain and defend what they have done. This regular accountability discourages the misuse of power.

Step 4: They spread power widely instead of concentrating it.
Self-government works at several levels, local, state and union, so political power is distributed among as many citizens as possible rather than resting in one place.
Participation gives citizens a stake in the system, which makes the government legitimate in their eyes.

Final Answer: Governing through institutions of self-government strengthens democracy because it makes the people the actual source of power, gives diverse groups a voice in public policy, keeps representatives answerable to the voters, and spreads political power widely instead of concentrating it in one place.