Introduction
INTRODUCTION
In our case as a democratic country, it is important to understand or to be aware of the things regarding government systems, especially this kind of government we have. As a citizen, based on my observation most people were not aware of these things and maybe they were not interested when it comes to politics. It is important to be aware of not only because it is a required subjects or topics but because we have many current issues in our country about the kind of government that we have and we must be also critical thinkers about these issues because we have also a part for example the federalism. But we will not focus on federalism, we will focus on the system of democratic governance, these are presidential and parliament. We will also learn there differences, advantages and disadvantages.
NATURE OF THE LESSON
PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM- is a theoretical opposite of the parliamentary form of government government. Its basic frameworks are: Separation of Powers, No Nominal Head of State, Cabinet Secretaries are Not Members of Congress, and Checks and Balances.(Donato, J.1999)
1. Separation of Powers- each one of the three branches of the government, such as the legislature (the body that enacts the laws), the executive( the department that execute the laws), and the judiciary (the tribunal that interprets the laws) should exercise only the powers and functions delegated to it by the Constitution. In the discharge of their respective powers and functions each one is separate and independent from each other. Separation of powers, however, does not mean that each one of the three branches of the government is so completely independent that it can ignore the policies and actions of the others, and thereby disrupt the smooth functioning of the entire government machinery, but rather that, in the process of governing the three departments are separate and independent from each other but they must coordinate and cooperate with each other so that the welfare of the people will thus be properly promoted.
2. No Nominal Head of State- the absence of a nominal head of state, who is the head of state in the name only, because his powers of the government are ceremonial and not real. Under this system of government, the Chief Executive(President) is both the ceremonial and the real heat of state: and in the discharge of his powers and functions he is assisted by a small group of advisers called "Cabinet Secretaries" who are appointed by the President mainly on the basis of trust and confidence.
3. Cabinet Secretaries are not Members of Congress- Chief Executive and his Cabinet Secretaries are not members of the lawmaking body.
4. Checks and Balances- In order to ensure the workings of the theory of separation of powers, a system of checks and balances has been worked out as a corollary principle. The three branches should check one another in order to prevent any of them to become to strong so as to be able to usurp the others' powers and functions and thereby precipitating a return to absolutism.
ADVANTAGES
1. The president's authority more legitimate as he is elected directly by the people.
2. Their is stability it brings as presidents are usually elected to fixed terms.
3. their is the principle of checks and balances to be created, allowing one to monitor the other.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Flouting the public opinion- The president may flout public opinion with impunity due to the president has full of powers to the government.
2. Non-Democratic- As we know, in presidential system citizen can choose their own president through election. Then, though the president is elected by the people but members of his cabinet may not be elected.
3. Separation of power- Presidential system might create gridlock and stalemates within the government. One example of this could be if the president continues to veto bills that the legislature ratifies, impeding government from passing laws.
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM-is a system of democratic governance of a state where the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislative branch, typically a parliament and is also held accountable to that parliament.
1. The head of state appoints the prime minister as a head of government.
2. Legislature and executive are closely related and share powers with each other.
3. Cabinet is formed by the parliament and parliament is the superior organ.
FEATURES
Formation of Cabinet- When general election is over and prime minister is elected, then prime minister nominates his council of ministers or cabinet
Team Work Spirit- In parliamentary system all ministers work in a. team spirit. They must agree on an issue in cabinet meeting and because of different opinion, the minister concerned must resign or he is expelled from the cabinet.
Supremacy of Power- Prime Minister is very important and has too many powers. in legislature, he is leader of the house while in executive he is leader of the council of ministers. Prime Minister is to appoint, remove, allot portfolios and supervises the activities of his ministers.
Fusion of Powers- It is the basic principle of this system that two organs, legislature and executive share their powers
ADVANTAGES
1. It’s faster and easier to pass legislation because executive and legislative share their powers.
2. Power is more evenly diverged. Constitutionally, the prime minister rarely has such high importance of a president. An example of this is how parliamentary systems allow members of the parliament to directly question the prime minister and his government.
3. The government technically being able to dissolve at any time allows the government to be more accountable and viable. This allows parliament to replace a government or a prime minister if he or she has been lackluster or detrimental to the country.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Head of government is usually not directly elected.
2. There is no independent body to oppose and veto legislation approved by parliament, and thus a lack of a cohesive checks and balance system.
3. Elections in parliamentary systems usually result in a majority government, this could lead to the “tyranny of the majority" resulting in the minority parties to be marginalized as they would have little to no input in government legislation.
4. Can be seen as inherently unstable, if minority governments are elected and coalition governments are formed as the government can be brought down at any time.
Task
At the end of the lesson the students should be able:
a. to tell the differences between presidential and parliamentary system.
b. to restate the disadvantages of presidential and parliamentary system of government.
c. to formulate opinions and justify of what is better to adapt based on their opinions.
Process
1. First, click the link below, then read the examples and understand well the concept of presidential and parliamentary system.
b. http://www.academia.edu/9165588/Disadvantages_of_presidential_system
2. After reading, they will be group into 2.Based on what the students read, they will create a table of comparison between presidential and parliament system of government.
3. After answering the activity, they will have a draw lots, what system they will explain, adapt and justify why?
Evaluation
Rubrics:
content- 15 pts.
reasoning- 10 pts.
cooperation- 5 pts.
Total- 30 pts.
Conclusion
When you want to vote your own president, to maintain stability, you want the principle of checks and balances, to see to it that there is no abuse of power maybe presidential system is the best fit for you like in the Philippines but if you want easy passing of laws, executing laws quickly, and you are favor of vote of no confidence maybe parliamentary system of government is the best for you. There are always advantages and disadvantages of the two system but i would conclude that still the best government is that when leaders have the right reasons, interest and purpose to make the society better like what Plato said.