living in democracy -...

©Nadia Zammit TRANSLATED BY LANA TURNER

Living in Democracy YEAR 8 UNIT 2

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Living in a Democracy 1st lesson

The word

‘democracy’ is

derived from two

Greek words;

‘demos’ which means

People and ‘kratos’ which means power or leadership, therefore democracy means the running

_________

Without discriminating on the basis of age, sex, religion or skin

colour.

A democratic country respects these four principles/ideas;

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RIGHTS DUTIES

What are the rights and duties of the following people?

A Driver

Right -

Duty -

A Student

Right -

Duty -

A Friend

Right -

Duty -

As a citizen I have duties towards my country and my fellow citizens. Doing our duty is

also very important because only through so doing can we make sure that

order reigns in our society, as well as development and progress

for all of us too.

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

In a democratic society, equal opportunities means

__

What differences do you see in these photos?

Immaterial of the differences everyone should be granted for example:

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A democratic society should give everyone a chance to express their

opinion as long as they do not offend anyone else and this is called

.

The offer

opportunities for pluralism.

A democratic society gives people a chance to vote in the

So that they choose their representatives. Citizens can

vote;

Exercise A – Mark True or False

True False

1. Every citizen in a democracy has rights and duties.

2. As a student I don’t have a duty to do my work on time.

3. A democratic system does not accept everyone’s opinion.

4. In a democracy every adult citizen has the right to vote.

5. Newspapers offer opportunities for pluralism.

6. The election is proof of a representative democracy.

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Living in a Democracy The 2nd lesson

Democracy is part of the governments system

whereby people are allowed for example to

participate and decide what happens in the

country.

Democracy takes place all the time: Where and How?

At home very often the family cannot

agree on the programme they would like

to see on television. How do they

decide on what to see?

____________________________

Amongst friends it is difficult to always be in agreement.

When you are going to watch a film at the

cinema you always end up frustrated as some

want to watch one film and others another.

How do you decide which fi lm to see in the

end?

Remember that such situations show us we are living in a democracy

on a day to day basis!

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THE VALUES PRACTICED IN A DEMOCRACY

Civic

Values

However, what do these really mean?

Equality

•that one is equal means that we are all treated

in the same way. You are not better or worse

than me because you have a lighter skin colour

to mine Equality means everyone is treated the

same without discrimination.

Liberty

•To be free does not mean that you do what you like

however it means for example that if you have a right to speak or do something you have a right to do this without offending anyone.

Respect

For democracy to work well in the country, people have to respect everyone’s opinion.

Duties

•A duty is that which we as citizens are expected to do in order to live in a democratic society.

Rights

•A right is based on liberty and it is

something fundamental so it is an essential

basic need.


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Values are principles or ideas which every individual and every society should

use as a guide for their personal and social behaviour and they are also the

measure one uses to differentiate between right and wrong.

So why do you think that values are important in every individual’s

life and in every society?

CHANGE IN VALUES

Maltese society, same as every other society, is changing at a very fast rate. As a result of this we have

also seen a change in values.

TRADITIONAL VALUES MODERN VALUES

Extended and Patriarchal Family

Masculine Dominance

Careful with money

Do you know how to name other values which have changed over time?

Apart from civic values, we as citizens also have civic responsibilities. These are those things

which are expected of me as a citizen amongst which is safeguarding the environment, that I go

to vote and that I pay my taxes. An exemplary citizen respects the laws, does their duty and

respects others.


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EXERCISE

R

Ħ

T

V

Mindudin

3. Bħala ċittadini rridu nibżgħu għall-

u ma nħallux ħmieġ

warajna meta mmorru xi barbikju.

Weqfin

1. Huwa ta' kull tifel

u tifla li jkollhom post fejn jgħixu.

2. Hija ta' kull

5. Meta naċċettaw l-opinjonijiet jew

reliġjonijiet differenti. 6. Sfortunatamnet nisimgħu b’diversi

atti ta' fejn isiru ħsarat

fuq wirt storiku Malti.

ċittadin li jipparteċipa f'attivitajiet

tal-komunità.

4. Il- tat-taxxi għandu jsir

minn kull persuna li qed taħdem.

7. Li tmur fl-

8. huwa bniedem elezzjoni huwa dmir ta' kull ċittadin.

imwieled f'pajjiż u b'hekk ikun intitolat

għad drittijiet mogħti minn dak il-pajjiż

stess.

9. Valuri huma l- valuri li

kull ċittadin irid ikollu. 10. Hija xi ħaġa sabiħa li ħafna

żagħżagħ Maltin jiddeċiedu li jagħmlu

xogħol ma nies fil-

bżonn. Dan ifisser li jwettqu xogħol

mingħajr ma jitħallsu tiegħu.


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Living in a Democracy The 3rd lesson

So far we have seen that a democratic country

such as Malta has to respect four

principles which are; the rights

and duties, equal opportunities for

everyone, pluralism and

representation.

A democratic society gives the chance to people to vote during elections and hence choose their own representatives .

Citizens have both the right as well as the duty to vote. As citizens we should make

our voices heard and give our opinions when required to vote. In this way we would be enjoying

our rights whilst at the same time doing our duty too.

Those people who are 18 years or over can vote in

the general elections, in the elections to elect

members for the European parliament and

in the referendum.

Those people who are 16 years or over, f r o m 2015 started

to also vote

.

HOW OFTEN ARE ELECTIONS HELD IN MALTA?

General Election

Local Council Election

Members for the European Parliament Election


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THE RIGHT TO

VOTE

In a democratic society, the right to vote is granted to every adult person. Every person is given

one vote only for every election so that they are able to vote only once. Whether male,

female, adult o r elderly, poor or rich, intelligent o r ignorant, in a democracy

everyone is considered equal.

MALTA

Due to the fact that the Maltese people choose who runs their country, Malta has

what we call a because the people choose

those they want to represent them in .

Exercise A – Which of the following pictures show; ballot box, centre for vote

counting, ballot paper, vot ing centre and Malta’s Parliament. Write the

phrase that matches the picture.


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PLURALISM

THE POLITICAL PARTIES IN MALTA

The three biggest political parties in Malta are;

We also find relatively small parties, amongst which;

PRESSURE GROUPS

These are three from the numerous pressure groups we have in Malta;


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THE MEDIA – ELECTRONIC SITES

THE MEDIA – RADIO AND TELEVISION

Write below the names of some Maltese radio and television stations.

THE MEDIA – NEWSPAPERS Below write the names of some local newspapers which are distributed during the week and at the end of the week .


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Living in a Democracy The 4th lesson Remember that democracy is the running of

the state by the people. This becomes

possible through elections when the

people are asked to go and vote for the

candidates so that these will represent

them in Parliament.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND A LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Prior to 1993, i n Malta we only had a National Government who used to look after everything

that happened in the country, f rom the economy to education, r o a d s t o c l e a n l i n e s s i n t h e

t o w n s a n d v i l l a g e s o f M a l t a .

In 1993, the Maltese Parliament passed a law regarding Local Government or as we know

them today, the Local Councils. This law introduced the local council to Malta and

explained their responsibilities, rights and duties which these enjoy.

In Malta we have _ _ Local

Councils _ _ in Malta and _ _ in

Gozo

The smallest locality in Malta is Imdina with a population of 294 persons, whilst the

largest locality is that of Birkirkara with a population of 22,319 persons.

One of the aims which Local Councils have is that they are close to the citizens in order to help

them better in their everyday lives. Thanks to the Local Councils , citizens have

more say in decision taking about things which directly impact their lives .

Apart from this , power would not remain in the hands of just a National Government

but would be distributed also at a local level.


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The 68 Local Councils around Malta and Gozo

Draw your locality in colour

Local Government

In order for democracy to remain effective, it is important for power to be divided and not

remain in the hands of just a National Government ie. The country’s Government. If

power is just in the hands of a few people, there is a bigger chance for abuse. When

power is spread out over a lot of people and the Government is no longer in charge of

everything we say that there is decentralisation of power.

In the Local Councils elections members of the council are chosen and these are called counsellors and the

candidate who gets the highest amount of votes is declared as Mayor. One of the jobs with

the greatest responsibility within the local council is the work of the executive secretary. This

post is not filled by being elected through the election but is employed by the local

council. This post is one of great responsibility because it is responsible for

contracts and the finances of the council amongst other things .

In the Local Council elections which took place in 2015, the

youngest mayor in the history of the councils was elected.

Terence Agius, 18 years old, acquired the greatest number

of votes in Ħal Kirkop.


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The Functions of the Local Councils

Central Government delegated many responsibilities into the hands of the Local Councils .

Can you name some of these responsibilities?

At the local council citizens can also pay their rent and the rent owed to government, and they

can pay the fines given to them by the local wardens or the police. Apart from

this local councils also receive complaints of the citizens and they create projects for the

benefit of the community.

The Citizens and the Local Councils

What can we do as responsible residents within the locality in which we live to help the local council in their work?

The local council are those who help citizens look after the heritage of each locality .


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The Local Council of your town or village

Draw the sign of your town or village and write where

you live underneath it.

2. What is the name of the mayor of your town or village?

3. Who are the members who form the local council?

4. Give a reason why you think that the local councils were created.

5. Name two functions of the local councils.

6. Do you think that the local councils are close to the residents? Yes or No? And why?

7. Mention some activities which are being organised by the local council of the town or

village you live in.

8. Had you been the mayor of your locality, what is the first thing

you would do to make the residents more content?


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Living in a Democracy

The 5th lesson

Politics is the way a country is run and through this

the country’s citizens work together to make sure

that in this way they are able to take the best

decisions. The participation of the citizens in every aspect of

society is taken very seriously in societies which have and maintain a

democratic system.

The Political Systems and the different

forms of Government

Not every country in the world is run in the same way.

We find diverse forms of governing and we

are going to see these in greater detail.

From the details below, which do you think are the main aims of

politics?

(colour in the boxes with the right answer)

Politics should pay

attention to the

interests of all its

citizens.

Those interested in

politics are just in this to

become rich.

Through politics many

citizens do a lot of good.

Politics is there so that the

political parties challenge one

another.

Politics brings about

order and a sense of security

in the country.

Citizens should

follow and support

one political party all

their life.


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THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM

In this system, the citizens have a very important part to play in the running of their

country. In a democratic system, the citizens have both the right as well as the duty to go and

vote and so choose in the most direct way those people they wish to represent them.

The elections in Malta t a k e p l a c e a p p r o x i m a t e l y e v e r y 5 y e a r s a n d f o r t h e s e

e l e c t i o n s , every person over 18 years of age is eligible to vote.

In the general elections, Malta is divided so to speak

into 13 electoral districts.

The people who are interested in being of service to their

country, become candidates of some political party or

they may choose to contest independently. In the election,

the candidates who acquire the greatest amount of votes, are elected and

hence become members of Parliament.

A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY CAN HAVE ONE OF THESE THREE

FORMS OF GOVERNING

Parliamentary Republic A system whereby the people choose the parliamentary members and in this case the Prime Minister holds the responsibility for the running of the country.

Presidential Republic

A system whereby the people choose the president who in

turn has responsibility for the running of the country.

America and France follow this

system.

Monarchy

A system where a king or queen are the Head of State

and an important figure in the country even though the

running of the country is in the hands of Parliament.


GOVERNMENT

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MALTA A PARLIAMENTARY REPUBLIC

Malta is a Parliamentary Republic wh i c h me a n s th a t i t

f o l l o ws a s ys t e m wh e r e t he pe o p le , through elections

choose the candidates they wish to represent them in the

Parliament of Malta.

When it is time for an election, the Political parties prepare a huge

electoral campaign so that they can inform the people about the

proposals they intend to put into practice if they are chosen and elected to form

the Government. The party which acquires more than 50% of votes in the

electoral result, is the one who forms the Government.

Cabinet

(Prime Minister +Ministers)

The Ministers a r e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r s o m e m i n i s t r i e s o r G o v e r n m e n t d e p a r t m e n t s . Can you name

some ministers we have in Malta at the moment?

Apart from this, the ministries run by Governmental administration of the time are the Office of

the Prime Minister, the Ministry for European Affairs, Ministry for Transport and

Infrastructure, the Finance Ministry, Ministry for Energy and Health and the Ministry

for Tourism.

Presently in Malta we find 14 Ministries as well as the office of

The Prime Minister which is run by Dr Joseph Muscat. The

Prime Minister is also the Leader of the Labour Party presently in

Government.

For more information about the Ministries you can to the site

www.gov.mt

The members of Government together with those of the opposition form the il-kamra tad-deputati. T h e

m e e t i n g s h e l d i n parliament are led by the speaker. The speaker has a neutral

role and should side with no party.


http://www.gov.mt/

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THE PRESIDENT OF MALTA

In the Maltese political system we also find the

Presidential figure as the Head of State of Malta.

The President of Malta is elected by the

Prime Minister of the country and holds the

position for five years.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT of MALTA?

The three branches of power

LEGISLATIVE

This is the place were new laws are proposed and implemented.

ADMINISTRATIVE

The administrative branch includes education and the police as these make sure that the laws

are being observed by the citizens.

JUDICIARY

The law court is the place where people who do not observe the

law are reprimanded and justice is served.


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MONARCHY

Monarchy is a word derived from the Greek monárkhēs

which means one. Therefore a country with a

monarchy is a country run by one person. In the past

the monarchy was more common as a political system

and it was more associated with people who abused their

power whilst nowadays many of the royalty enjoy only

the title of head of state. However there are still some

countries in the Arabian Gulf where the monarchies still retain

power and rule the state.

Today there are still 27 countries which are run by a monarchy, therefore are run by a leader who is

either a King or Queen. Very often these retain this position till their death so that in turn

their eldest child inherits the throne.

Amongst the number of monarchies we presently find those of Belgium, Cambodia, England,

Spain, Monaco, Holland, Qatar and that of Thailand.

Find a photo of one of the Royal Families and stick it

in the box below.


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THE TOTALITARIAN SYSTEM

This system is the opposite of the democratic system. In totalitarian countries power

is centralised which means that it is wielded by one party or one person

and that these run the country as they see fit. Every institution of the

country, from health to education, from finance to security are under the total

control of the party of one person.

TOTALITARIAN COUNTRIES

Totalitarian countries remain under the rule of the same person or party for a very long

time. In these countries cit izens enjoy very few rights . The right to freedom of

speech and the right to vote are just a dream . Many are the totalitarian countries who

use violence against the citizens who dare to criticise them.

What do you think are some of the differences between

DEMOCRATIC STATES AND TOTALITARIAN STATES?


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