Chapter 5 Solutions — Outcomes of Democracy

Democracies are best suited to produce a harmonious social life by developing procedures to conduct competition and to negotiate differences among social groups. But the example of Sri Lanka reminds us that a democracy must fulfil two conditions to achieve this outcome:

1. Democracy is not simply rule by majority opinion. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that the government functions to represent the general view, since majority and minority opinions are not permanent.

2. Rule by majority must not become rule by a majority community in terms of religion, race or linguistic group. Every citizen must have a chance of being in the majority at some point. If someone is barred from being in the majority on the basis of birth, democratic rule ceases to be accommodative for that person or group.

Democracy is founded on political equality — all individuals have equal weight in electing representatives. It has not eliminated social conflicts, economic inequalities or differences of opinion; these persist within democracies.

What democracy has done is establish the idea of political equality and thereby remove the acceptance of political inequality. Hence option D is correct.

Free and fair elections, dignity of the individual and equal treatment before law are values and outcomes democracies must ensure.

Majority rule alone is not a value democracies need to ensure — democracy is not simply rule by majority; the majority must work with the minority. Hence 'majority rule' is the odd one out.