Question

How is a democratic government a better government? Explain in view of the governance in China and that in India.

Answer 1

(i) In China, there is one-party government. Hence, elections do not offer the people any serious choice. They are bound to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it.
(ii) This does not happen in India because here people are offered several choices. It depends on them whom to choose and whom to reject. Thus, people have a say in the government. At the same time, the government, because it is democratic in nature, responds to the needs of the people.
(iii) Here, we can give instance of China's famine that occurred there during 1958-1961. This famine was the worst recorded famine in world history. Nearly three crore people died in this famine.
(iv) During those days, India's economic condition was not much better than China. Yet India did not have a famine of the kind China had.
(v) Economists think that this was a result of different government policies in the two countries. They point out that no large scale famine has ever taken place in an independent and democratic country.
(vi) If China too had multi-party elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticize the government, then so many people may not have died in the famine.
(vii) Thus, democracy is better than other forms of government in responding to the people's needs. A non-democratic government may and can respond to the people's needs, but it all depends on the wishes of the people who rule.