Subject: Social Studies Type of Lesson: Debate, Concept maps,

Discovery/cooperative learning

Grade: 10 CSEC OBJ: Describe the structure of Government

(Section A, # 22)

Term: 2 Unit Number # 1 Government

and Title:

Duration: 70 minutes Week Number: 7

Lesson Number # 25 - The Principle of Separation of

and Title: Powers and the Democratic Principle

Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1) explain the meaning of the terms democratic principle and
separation of powers.
2) identify the arms of government into which power is separated in
the Caribbean.
3) identify the requirements for the application of separation of
powers and the democratic principle.
4) explain how the two principles are related.
5) value the importance of both principles in facilitating good
government.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge

The student should be familiar with:
1) the definition and importance of government.
2) history of government in the Caribbean.
3) the various types of electoral systems used in the Caribbean.
4) the conduct of elections in the Caribbean.
5) the structure of government.

Important Points
1) Separation of powers is defined at dictionary.com as the practice of
placing or dividing the power of a government into three separate
arms; namely the legislature, executive and the judiciary. The
practice is premised on the doctrine that each arm has separate and
unique powers that no other arm can infringe upon.

Teacher Instructional Material 1

 2) The same applies for most Caribbean countries. Where democracy
is practiced, power is separated into a legislative arm, a judicial
arm and an executive arm. Each is responsible for separate though
related functions of government. Summarily, the legislative
branch makes and amends the laws; the executive makes and
executes policies and the judiciary interprets and enforces the laws.
3) The principle is considered as critical to good democratic
government. With each branch having checks and balances on each
other, no one arm is able to gain absolute power or abuse its
embedded authority. For example, the executives spending of
public funds is checked by the legislative body. Also, the
legislature is checked by the judiciary to ensure that its policies
and proposed laws do not violate the constitutional rights of
citizens.
4) The underlying principle of democracy is that those who rule
(exercise government) are chosen by those that are ruled in free
and confidential elections. This allows for popular sovereignty or
a situation where those who rule are given the right to do so by the
members of the society.
5) Separation of powers helps to facilitate democracy, that is; rule by
the people and for the people. This it does by preventing the
abuse of the power that the people vest in a government. At the
very least, it should allow for the detection of any threats to
democracy.

Key Terms

Authority Democracy Executive

Judiciary Legislature Power

Separation of Powers

Challenge Areas
Carefully examine the structure of a Caribbean country. With the aid
of stated evidence, evaluate the extent to which democracy and or
separation of powers is practiced in the country.

Make a proposal recommending structural changes that can be made to

ensure true separation of powers in the country. Complete your
presentation with a diagram displaying the proposed structure of the
country.

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Equipment/Materials Needed
Multimedia projector, computer with internet access

Note to Teacher
Be careful that the discussions in this lesson remain as objective as
possible. Students are already exposed to political socialization at
home and in their communities and might already have fixed notions
about how our government works. Also, ensure that discussions are
well monitored to prevent personal arguments from developing.

Teachers Lesson Notes

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Introduction
1) Introductory Activity
How is power usually distributed in a country?

a. Begin with a brainstorming activity using the questions

below:
i. What are the most powerful positions in your
country?
ii. What are the limitations on the power of your
countrys Head of Government?
iii. Who are the persons that can limit his/her power?
Expected responses:
Introduction 1a.
The purpose here is to get an idea of what the students already know,
remember and think.
i. The students should name the head of government the most
powerful position along with the head of state because he or
she represents the queen. This may cause debate as the latters
position is titular.
ii. They should note that the Head of government is limited at all
times by the constitution, who must command the confidence
of the majority as a no confidence vote can lead to removal
from position and the head is subject to the votes of the people
in elections or referenda.
iii. At this stage the students should be able to name the judiciary
as capable of checking the Prime Ministers activities. They
may be able to speak to the need to have approval for proposals
in the houses of the legislature (noting that having a majority in
these houses gives the head tremendous advantage). The
people also have the power of their votes to limit the exercise
of Prime Ministers power.

b. Now relate the following situation to the students.

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 Box 25.1: Cuba, Politics, Government and Taxation

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Cuba-
POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-AND-TAXATION.html

According to the Cuban constitution, Cuba is an independent socialist

republic that is controlled by 1 party: the Cuban Communist Party
(PCC), of which Fidel Castro is the head, with his brother, Raul Castro
as vice-president. The Communist Party is led by a group of 25
individuals chosen by its head. Molded by this elite group of communists
are organizations that encompass every facet of society, including youth,
women, workers, and small farmers, among others. Around 80 percent of
the population has membership in at least one of these organizations.
This network ensures that the agenda of the Communist Party is
disseminated (communicated) to the masses.

Fidel Castro, the commander-in-chief of the Cuban Republic, heads both

executive bodies of the nation's government, the Council of Ministers,
and a Council of State. His brother, Raul Castro, serves as first vice-
president of these 2 bodies. The members of the Council of Ministers are
proposed by the president of the Council of State and ratified by the
National Assembly. The members of the Council of State and its
president and vice-president are elected by the National Assembly. At
the last election in 1998, Fidel Castro and Raul Castro were elected
unanimously. The next elections have not been scheduled.

The National Assembly is the legislative body of the Cuban government.

The Assembly is composed of 601 members whose terms last 5 years.
For these positions, the Council of State nominates candidates, who are
then subject to a direct vote by the Cuban people. The National
Assembly also elects the Judicial Branch. On the local level, members of
Municipal Assemblies are chosen by direct local election. Local
government is closely over-seen by the Communist Party. As is
evidenced by Fidel Castro's almost complete control over decision-
making, most policies are the direct result of his personal desires.

Read more: Cuba Politics, government, and taxation, Information about Politics,
government, and taxation in
Cuba http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Cuba-
POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-AND-TAXATION.html#ixzz23Ex7BxiO

c. Ask the following questions based on the above:

i. Who has the most power in the Cuban power?

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 Expected answer: Currently Fidel Castro, head of
the Cuban Communist Party, and both executive
bodies of the republic.
ii. Who or what group is able to limit the power of the
head of government/head of state?
Expected answer: There is in practice no limit to
his power as he not only closely monitors all offices
in the government, but he influences the
appointment of all their members.
iii. What measures are in place to facilitate checks on
the presidents power in Cuba?
Expected answer: Some voting takes place in the
Cuban government; that is, in the Council of the
State. However, political grooming and the terms of
appointment limit opposition to the president and
vice president (Fidel Castro and his Brother)
iv. In what ways is the distribution of power in the
Cuban government different from that of your
countrys government?
Expected answer: Cuba evidences dynastic
leadership choices while Jamaica does not.

d. Bear the above discussion in mind as the lesson progresses.

Body of Lesson
1) What are the democratic principle and the separation of
powers?

a. Direct the students to the websites given below where they

will examine given explanations or illustrated uses of each
term. Instruct them to work in pairs where each person in
the pair can examine one concept.

Democracy
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/democracy
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy
Expected answer: Democracy is an approach to
government which allows the electorate to select its leaders
to govern on their behalf.
Separation of powers is the practice of placing or dividing
the power of a government into three separate arms;
namely the legislature, executive and the judiciary. See key
points in the lesson

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 Separation of powers
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/separation+of+pow
ers
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/separation?region=
us&q=separation+of+powers#separation__10

i. Instruct the students to discuss what they have read

in their pairs and then write (in their own words) the
definition for each term.
ii. After the students have settled on working
definitions for the terms, discuss them collectively.
Allow some students to share their definitions with
the class and collectively evaluate their accuracy.

b. Conduct a brief question and answer session using the

following questions:
i. What is meant by the term free and fair elections?
Expected answer: Elections in which the electorate
is presented with meaningful options and is able to
make its choice without force or undue pressure.
ii. What are the main arms into which power is
separated in a typical government system?
Expected answer: Power is separated into a
judiciary, executive and legislature.
iii. What are the functions of each of the arms
mentioned above?
Expected answer: Judiciary interprets and
enforces the law; legislature makes and amends the
law; executive plans and executes policies affecting
the day to day affairs of a country.
iv. In what ways do you think the two terms
democratic principle and separation of powers are
related?
Expected answer: Separation of powers is
necessitated by democracy. The former is used to
enforce the latter by preventing abuses of power
vested in a government by the people. Separation of
powers is irrelevant where there is dictatorship.

2) How are the democratic principle and separation of powers

possible in the government of Jamaica?

a. Ask the students to describe evidence of democracy in the

Jamaican government. Use the definitions refined above to
justify the evidence they have highlighted.

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 b. Next, ask them to use the information to complete the
following concept map. (See map in the accompanying
PowerPoint presentation, slide3.)

In order to demonstrate what is required complete a portion

of the map as a collective activity. Project the slide onto the
board and select a student to record the answers after they
have been discussed and agreed upon.

Figure 25.1: Democracy and the separation of

powers in Jamaica

c. Complete a similar activity for the separation of powers.

Instruct the students to:
i. First, highlight evidence of separation of powers
in the government of Jamaica.
1. Justify evidence based on the definition
agreed upon;
2. Record your answers
d. Also do only a portion of this map as a collective activity
with the aid of a multimedia projector, computer and a
student recorder.

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 Figure 25.2: Democracy and the separation of powers in Jamaica

Notes
Concept maps and
webs are useful tools
for summarizing
concepts as well as
relationships.
Students should be
encouraged to use
this tool for making
their own notes.

e. Having demonstrated how the maps should be completed,

place the students into manageable groups for the
completion of the concept maps. Direct the students to the
websites below. Instruct them to read the content and note
the following:
i. The methods used to achieve democracy in
Jamaica;
ii. The name of the document used to guarantee our
democratic government;
iii. The main functions of the various arms of the
government into which power is vested;
iv. Examples of how each arm can perform checks and
balances in the government;
v. Any limitations they note on the extent of the
separation of powers in our government.

f. Instruct the students to use the content to complete filling

out the concept maps attached.

http://www.jis.gov.jm/pdf/GovernmentOfJamaica.pdf

http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20100725/focus/focus5.html

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 http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20110130/focus/focus2.html

http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20101031/focus/focus3.html

i.Collectively review the maps and encourage

students to make corrections to their maps.
Expected responses:

Evidence of democracy is seen in the holding of elections, the House

of Representatives having members of parliament who represent the
will of their constituency members in government, referenda as
requirement for constitutional change, presentation of proposed bills
for public discussion and feedback as well as freedoms of speech and
expression. Also, having an opposition allows for most viewpoints to
be represented rather than just those represented by the governing
party. (Consider all answers that speak to the involvement of the
people in the use of power and decision making on matters that affect
them).

Separation of powers is achieved through separating the legislature,

executive and judiciary; allowing relative independence of the
judiciary, limiting the number of persons the Prime Minister can
appoint from the Lower House to form his cabinet; and the creation of
relatively independent commissions such as the ECJ and the office of
the contractor general.

Key to both processes is the constitution which is the main tool

regulating the governments activity. Note that it is the judiciary which
is given power to interpret and enforce it.

Of note, the Judiciary is considered to be and independent Judiciary as

is reflected in the appointment of its offices. Constitutionally, its
offices cannot be held by any member of the Executive or the
Legislature. It however, enforces and defends the constitution and has
the power to prevent abuses thereof by the legislature and executive.

The number of elected representatives that may be placed in the

Cabinet is limited. It is noted though that it is a weakness in the
separation of powers that it is possible for a minister to be a part of
both the executive and the legislature.
The Contractor General helps to regulate government spending and the
award of contracts. This helps democracy in protecting the public
purse.

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 Weaknesses
1. Parliament can influence the resources made available to
the judiciary;
2. The executive is able to dissolve the legislature and vice
versa;
3. Appointment processes for the various commissions (Too
much influence from the PM);

3) In what ways does our system of government limit the

application of the democratic principle and the separation of
powers?
a. Project the diagram copied below for the students to peruse.
Instruct them to look out for instances where either
democracy or the separation of powers may be limited or
not possible.
i. Allow them to discuss their observations in pairs
and record their answers in a table (similar to the
Notes one copied below). Instruct them to bear in mind the
Using tables is a content learned in the previous activity as well.
simple way for
students to both You may also project the table and allow a student
classify and
summarize to record the answer as they are discussed.
information.
Figure 25.3: Challenges to democracy and separation of powers in
Jamaica

Social Studies Essentials with SBA, Study Guide and Exercises

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 Expected answers are in colour:
Table 25.1:
Short Comings/Challenges
Democracy Separation of powers
1 Elected Selection of members of
representatives are legislature in the
assigned to other executive
responsibilities than
taking care of their
constituencies
2 Constituency Nomination or influence
representatives from of appointees to the
the opposition party judiciary by the
have less clout in executive
parliament
3 Local government Appointment of
lacks true members of various
independence commissions
4 The public is not The executive and
involved in the legislature can dissolve
appointment of each other
persons to various
commissions or of
persons such as the
governor general and
contractor general

4) Why are democratic principle and separation of powers

important in the government of Jamaica?

a. Revisit the case study in the introductory activity.

i. Consider the disadvantages that may result from the
lack of separation of powers.
Possible responses: Consider responses such as:
1. Inability to prevent harmful decisions from
being made or implemented;
2. Abuse of power
3. Despond among the people
4. Political instability

ii. Consider now the benefits that can be gained from

having a separation of powers.
Possible responses: Consider responses such as:

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 1. Multiple viewpoints and experts in decision
making;
2. Checks on the abuse of power;
3. Democracy is possible- power vested in the
government by the people can be checked
by the people
iii. In no more than two paragraphs describe the extent
to which those benefits are reflected in Jamaicas
government structure and practice.
b. The most recent commission of inquiry is a good example
that can be used in this discussion.

Closure
In Class Assignment
1) Use all the content covered in this lesson and the examples given
in the websites below to prepare at least four arguments in support
of and four arguments in opposition to the following statements:
a. Democracy is central to good governance in Jamaica
b. Separation of powers must be completely and
effectively enforced in order to preserve democracy in
the government of Jamaica.
Divide the class into four groups. However, encourage the students
to prepare both supporting and opposing arguments for the moot
they have been assigned. Instruct them to delegate appropriate
roles in their groups. Also, clarify the conditions and rules which
will apply to the debate.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20101031/focus/focus3.html

2) http://www.jamaicanjournal.com/index.php/2010/03/31/governme
nt-could-fall

Supplemental
Out-of-Class Assignment
1) Use one of the following websites to aid you in creating a comic
strip which highlights the nature and importance of the democratic
principle and separation of powers to Jamaica OR the relationship
between separation of powers and democracy. The strip must have
a minimum of THREE slides. Be creative.

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/
http://www.bitstrips.com/pageone/

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Glossary of Terms

Power Influence exercised over others; the ability to

enforce ones will despite opposition from those
affected.

Authority The legitimate possession of power; the right to

exercise power over a group or in a particular
context.

Separation of The practice of vesting power into different arms

powers or bodies within an organization in order to
regulate or check the use of power by anyone
body. It is dividing the power of a government
into different arms; namely the legislature, the
executive and the judiciary in a way that
prevents any one body from abusing its power or
rising to absolute power.

Democratic With this principle, legitimate power is assigned

principle to leaders based on peoples cote or popular
choice and government is exercised by and for
the people.

Executive The arm of government responsible for policy

making and execution; oversees the day to day
running of the country

Legislature This is the law making arm of the government.

Judiciary This arm of the government is responsible for

preserving/protecting the constitution and
interprets and enforces the law.

CSEC Questions
1) a. Explain the following concepts with the aid of
examples:
i. Democratic principle;

ii. Separation of powers 8 marks

b. For each concept explained above, explain why it is

important in a named Caribbean country.

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 i.

ii. 4 marks

c. With the aid of evidence, describe one way in which the

Jamaican government lacks true separation of powers.
4 marks

Recommended Materials
http://www.slideshare.net/deedee102692/the-constitution-of-jamaica

Bibliography
Brathwaite, S., Reynolds, P. (2004). Social Studies CSEC self study
and Distance Learning. Caribbean Examinations Council

Ruddock, L. C. and Robinson-Glanville, S. (1977). New Civics for

Young Jamaicans. Jamaica, Carlong Publishers.

Sandy, M. C., Grayson, S. C. (2004). Social Studies Essentials with

SBA, Study Guide and Exercises. Kingston: Carlong Publishers

Source:

Web sites used in this Lesson

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