politik chap 9

• Democracy


  Rule by the people
• Democracy


  The government by the majority with the consent of the minority
• Democracy


  • The ultimate power to make political decisions is vested in all the people
  • Each adult citizen has the same opportunity as every other adult citizen to participate in the decision-making process
  • Public policies are made only after ascertaining the wishes of the people
  • All political decisions must be made according to the wishes of the majority
• Types of Democracy


  • Democratic polities - politics is competitive and free, government is responsible and participation widespread
  • Direct democracy of the Athenian model
  • Representative democracy of the Anglo-America type
• Direct Democracy


  A system where the people rule themselves directly without intermediaries
• Direct Democracy


  • Popular participation
  • Majority rule
  • Political equality
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau favoured direct democracy form of government
• Conditions essential to realising direct democracy


  • The number of citizens must be small
  • Property and wealth must be distributed equally (or almost equally)
  • The society must be culturally homogeneous
  • Administers of the laws must not be allowed to function independently of the popular will, that made the laws in the first place
• Direct democracy is hard to be realised in reality throughout history
• Other names for democracy


  • Western democracy - geographically from the West
  • Constitutional democracy - limiting government through legal means
  • Liberal democracy - concern with the liberty of the individual
• Representative (Indirect) Democracy


  A system of government in which citizens elect their representatives to run the government on their behalf
• Representative (Indirect) Democracy


  • Popular participation
  • Political equality
  • Majority rule
• Only a relatively few persons hold public positions, especially in the national government in representative democracy
• Representative democracy was first developed in Great Britain, Switzerland, and the US
• Things in common in representative democracies


  • Citizens are at least one place removed from actual decision-making
  • Elected representatives stand in place of, or act on behalf of, voters
  • Free competitive elections at all or most levels of government as a symbol of the sovereignty of the people and a away of holding leaders accountable
  • Elections as an efficient and effective way of organising political successions
• Political freedom


  The right to vote in a competitive election, which is the essential feature of representative democracy
• Referendum


  Elections in which voters are asked to decide directly on an issue
• Initiative


  Allows the citizens to propose legislative or constitutional changes by filing a formal petition containing a required number of signatures
• Recall


  A method that allows voters to compel, through a petition, a representative to resign or submit to re-election
• Conditions Favouring Democracy


  • Peaceful evolution
  • Socio-economic pluralism
  • High level of economic development and modernisation
  • Ethnic group cleavages
  • Leaders' commitment to Democracy
• Peaceful evolution


  Difficult to establish a stable, long-lived democracy after a violent overthrow of a government and other institutions
• Socio-economic pluralism


  Democracies have developed only in countries in which property is privately owned, the economy is mainly market-oriented, and people enjoy civil rights including the right to association
• High level of economic development & modernisation

  The higher the socio-economic level of a country, the more likely it is to have a competitive political regime
• Ethnic group cleavages


  Ethnic and cultural uniformity makes democratic procedures easier to maintain than in countries with significant group differences
• Leaders' commitment to Democracy

  Democracy depends very much upon the beliefs of the political leaders about the legitimacy and necessity of a democratic government
• Types of Democratic Systems

  • Parliamentary system of government
  • Presidential system of government
• Parliamentary System


  A representative system that features fusion rather than separation of executive and legislative institutions and powers
• Parliamentary System


  • The executive is divided into two part: dignified & efficient
  • The head of state (monarch or president) appoints the head of government
  • The head of government (PM or premier) appoints the cabinet (ministers)
  • The system is based upon the principle of fusion or powers (concentration of all powers in the parliament)
  • Ministers are usually members of parliament
  • The government is a collective body and is responsible to the parliament
  • The government as a whole is only indirectly responsible to the electorate
• Distinction between the "dignified" and "efficient" aspects of government in parliamentary system

  Dignified/ ceremonial leadership centres upon the head of state; "efficient" leadership rests with a team of ministers, headed by a PM and accountable to parliament
• Executive in parliamentary system


  The executive is drawn from the national assembly and is ultimately responsible to it
• Collective responsibility in parliamentary system


  The decisions taken in Cabinet are portrayed as collective decisions. All members support and agree with. All the ministers collectively share responsibility for the decisions agreed by the cabinet
• No clear separation of power exists in parliamentary system. The executive is located primarily within legislature
• Parliamentary Democracy in Malaysia


  Malaysia exercises parliamentary democracy with a nominal Paramount Ruler and a bicameral Parliament (dewan rakyat, dewan negara)
• The powers of state governments in Malaysia are limited by the federal constitution. Sabah & Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives

  
• Democracy


  A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through elected representatives
• Parliamentary System


  • No clear separation of power exists. The executive is located primarily within legislature
  • The PM is the head of govt, leader of his/her party, leader of the parliamentary majority
  • Cabinet ministers are likely to have substantial experience in party politics and parliamentary debate, and this they too are recognised party leaders
• Parliamentary System: Malaysia


  • 13 states and three federal territories
  • Headed by the nominal Paramount Ruler and a bicameral Parliament (dewan rakyat, dewan negara)
  • Nine states – hereditary rulers; Melaka, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak – governors appointed by the Malaysian Government
  • The powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution. Sabah & Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (eg: the right to maintain their own immigration controls)

  
• Malaysia


  • The head of state is the Paramount Ruler or King (YDPA); the head of government is the PM
  • The Members of Cabinet are appointed by the PM among the members of Parliament with consent of the Paramount Ruler
  • The King is elected by, and from, the hereditary rulers of the nine states for a five-year term
  • He appoints the PM designated from among the members of the House of Representatives
  • Following legislative elections, the leader of the party which wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes the PM
  • Malaysia has a bicameral legislature or Parliament: Non-elected Senate, Dewan Negara; An elected Dewan Rakyat
  • The Supreme Court is the highest court. Its judges are appointed by the Paramount Ruler on the advice of the PM
• Great Britain/ United Kingdom

  • Great Britain exercises parliamentary democracy. Its constitution is unwritten; it is based partly on statutes, partly common law and practice
  • The Head of State is the Monarch; Head of government is the PM
  • The Monarch is hereditary; PM is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons (assuming there is no majority party, a PM would have a majority coalition or at least a coalition that was not rejected by the majority)
  • PM appoints the Members of Cabinet. It is a bicameral Parliament – House of Lords, House of Commons
  • House of Commons – 659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier
  • House of Lord – highest Court of Appeal. They are appointed by the Monarch for life
• Parliamentary System: Japan


  • The Chief of State - Emperor; Head of government – PM
  • Members of the Cabinet are appointed by the PM
  • The monarch is hereditary
  • The Diet (Parliament) designates the PM; the constitution requires that the PM must command a parliamentary majority. ⁖ Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes PM
  • Bicameral parliament, Diet or Kokkai – consists of the: House of Councillors (sangiin), 242 seats; House of Representatives (shugiin), 480 seats
  • The Supreme Court is the highest court. Its chief justice is appointed by the Monarch after designation by the Cabinet. All other justices are appointed by the Cabinet