2011 - JAMB Government Past Questions and Answers - page 1

The development of attitudes and beliefs about a political system is political orientation.

It should be realized that political culture has three main components, which are as follows:

1. Cognitive Orientation: This is the knowledge of and belief in the political system, the institutions, functionaries and the policies made by those functionaries.

2. Affective Orientation: This embraces the feelings of attachment, involvement and rejection of political objects.

3. Evaluative Orientation: This concerns people's judgement and opinion about political objects. The people judge according to their preferences and values.

Political behaviour is governed by political ideology.

Ideology means a set of ideas that an economic or political system is based on. For instance Marxist/Capitalist ideology.

It is also a set of beliefs especially one held by a particular group of people that influences the way such people behave.

In an nation, sovereignty is vested in the state.

Sovereignty means the supreme power and authority of the state over its citizens. It is the power of the state to make laws and then enforce them with all means of coercion without any external interference.

Popular consultation is a feature of democracy.

One should remember that the basic features of democracy include popular sovereignty, political equality, popular consultation, majority rule and the rule of law.

Popular consultation means that officials must be responsive and accountable to the people. Public policies must reflect popular wishes. The government must respond to popular will.

Private ownership of the means of production is central to capitalism.

It should be recalled that Capitalism is an economic/political system where private individuals control and own the means of production, exchange and distribution of goods and services. In this system, the profit controls production and free competition is allowed.

feudalism is a system based on hierarchies of land ownership.

Ownership of land was vested in the king or Monarch or Emperor who also controlled all the users of the land. The land owners sublet the land to their subjects who must in turn, render services such as work for certain days for the land owners, fight on his behalf, etc.

Feudalism was first practised in ancient Europe from A.D.476 to AD 1500. Examples could be found in ancient India, China and Japan. It was also practised in Asia and Africa.

The Executive performed quasi-legislative functions.

The Executive is the second main arm of Government. The term is used to refer to the totality of all the functionaries and agencies that are concerned with the execution of or implementation of the will of the State. In this sense, the Executive include people holding the offices of the President, Prime Minister who exercises supreme control over Government affairs, and their subordinate office such as Commissioners, Policemen, Clerks, etc who simply carry out orders.

Some of the functions of the Executive include the following:

1. Legislation: The Executive recommends bills to be considered as laws and defends such bills in parliament. In parliamentary system of government, members of the executive also take part in debating such bills up to their approval and adoption.

2. Delegated Legislation: This is the power to issue statutory orders and rules as vested in the executive by the legislature. Such a power is necessary in order to meet changing circumstances.

Tendency towards secession a major weakness of confederation.

This right to secede by members of the confederation makes the system a toothless bull dog.

Members of a parliament are required to report the proceedings of the house to their constituencies.

They could do this during Recess which is the break period within the parliamentary session when parliamentarians meet their constituencies for discussions.

Ghana is Unitary State. A Unitary state is one in which the central government is supreme and possesses a complete governmental power.

The central government is all powerful and there is only one central legislature that makes laws for the whole country. It then stands to reason that the central government is the only source from which power Emanets.

Examples of countries operating unitary system of government include: Britain, Italy, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Sweden, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia Togo, Cameroun, Kenya, Ghana under Nkurumah, etc.