Since the state is organized and the government is established for the welfare of the citizen, it becomes essential that we should know the meaning of the term “citizen”. The term ‘citizen’ can be understood in a narrow or in a broad sense. In a narrow sense, it means the resident of a city or one who enjoys the privilege of living m a city. While in a broad sense citizen means a person who resides within the territorial limits of the state.
Speaking in terms of Political Science, citizen means a person who is the member of the state and who enjoys social and political rights. In our country an adult of twenty-one years of age enjoys, regardless of the distinction of caste, colour and creed, education, property and residence, etc.
As a matter of fact, the concept of citizenship goes back to the ancient city- states where the population was divided into two classes —the citizens and the slaves. The citizens enjoyed both civil and political rights. They directly or indirectly participate in all the functions of the civil and political life of the state.
Whereas the slaves enjoyed none of such rights and suffered from all kinds o political and economic disabilities. In this way in ancient Greece the term ‘citizen’ was used in its narrow sense. Only those who enjoyed the civil and political rights and who participated in the functions of the civil and political life of people were regarded as citizens.
Since every individual of the total population privileged to enjoy these rights, the number of the slaves was far in excess of citizens. The number of the citizens comprised 20,000 of the total population and the rest were regarded as slaves who did not enjoy any such rights.
In short, we can say that in ancient Greek states this right to citizenship was enjoyed by only a selected few persons. Much similar process was followed in ancient Rome. People belonging to only rich class, known as Patricians, were privileged to enjoy the civil and political rights.
Only the Patricians participated in the functions of the civil and political life of the state. The rest of the population was not privileged to enjoy any of such rights. Much similar process was adopted in the medieval age. But in modern times, the dawn of democracy has turned the tables in most of the states. In such states every adult enjoys the right to vote. This process is being adopted in India. Canada, Sri Lanka, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, Lanka, Australia, United States of America, etc. Even in the communist countries almost all the adults are enjoying the right to vote.
The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc., are some of the states where the policy of adult suffrage has been adopted. In Switzerland, women are not privileged to enjoy the right to vote. In Pakistan and in many backward Afro-Asian countries citizens are not privileged to enjoy a number of civil and political rights. It is hoped that in due course of time people will enjoy all the rights in these countries also. The U.N. is trying its best in this respect.
Definition of the citizen:
According to Aristotle, citizen is he “who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial administration of any state is said by us to be a citizen of that state”. Vattal has defined citizens as, “the members of a civil society bound to this society by certain duties, subject to its authority and equal participants in its advantages”. “Citizenship”, according to Laski, “is the contribution of one’s instructed judgment to the public good”.
On the basis of definitions given above, we arrive at the conclusion that in order to become a citizen one must have the following:
(1) The membership of the state.
(2) The Social and Political rights.
(3) Sentiment of devotion to the state.
Distinction between an alien and a citizen:
There is a marked distinction between an alien and a citizen. A citizen enjoys civil and political rights in his own country. Whereas an alien is not privileged to enjoy the political rights of the country but sometimes he is privileged to enjoy a few of the social rights. It depends entirely on the government of the country, in which he lives, to permit him to enjoy the social rights or not.
Aliens are of three types:
(1) Resident aliens;
(2) Temporary aliens;
(3) Ambassadors.
The people who have left their native land and have settled in the foreign countries are known as resident aliens. For example, a number of Indians have permanently settled in Sri Lanka, Burma, Canada, South Africa, Australia, U.S.A., England, etc.
They are no more the citizens of India. But it depends on the government of the respective states to grant these residents the citizenship of their country or not. Temporary aliens are those people who visit foreign countries in order to serve their purposes and when their purposes are served, they go back to their native land.
For example every year a number of students go to foreign countries in order to receive higher education. Traders visit foreign countries for the purpose of trade. When their purposes are served, they come back to their home.
Ambassadors are those aliens who settle in foreign countries as the representatives of their governments. For example, the representatives of foreign countries live in India and the representatives of Indian government live in foreign countries.
Foreign friends and enemies:
Every country has some friends and some enemies. Friendly countries are called foreign friends and enemy countries, foreign enemies. For example, during the Second World War, France, U.S.S.R., America, Canada, Australia, etc., were foreign friends to England; and Germany, Japan and Italy were foreign enemies to England.
We do not have good relations with South Africa and China and they can be called foreign enemies of India. On the contrary, we have good relations with U.S.S.R., U.S.A., Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Egypt and so they can be called our foreign friends.
Previously, we did not have good relations with Pakistan and the result was Indo-Pak conflicts in 1965. But Tashkent Summit held in January, 1966 resulted in an agreement between Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister of India, and President Ayub Khan of Pakistan.
The agreement could remain effective only for a bit longer. The relations between the two countries were once again strained and the result was the second Indo-Pakistan conflict in December, 1971. But historic Simla Summit held in July, 1972 resulted in an agreement between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Bhutto. In spite of that Pakistan continued hostile attitude towards India.
How can the citizenship be acquired?
Citizens are of two types: natural born and naturalised. Natural born citizens are those who are the citizens of a state by virtue of their birth or blood relations. Naturalised citizens are those foreigners who are granted the citizenship of the country on the fulfillment of some conditions laid down by the respective country.
A person who desires to be the citizen of a foreign country has to give up the citizenship of his native country. No persons can be the citizen of more than one country at the same time. Any person can acquire the citizenship of a foreign country after having fulfilled the condition laid down by that country for this purpose.
How the Citizenship is lost?
A person loses his citizenship in the following manner:
(1) If a person willingly gives up the citizenship of his country and becomes a foreign citizen;
(2) A woman loses her citizenship if she marries a foreigner;
(3) A person loses his citizenship if he remains absent from his country for a longer period of time. But if he gets his citizenship renewed every year through the embassy of his country, he does not lose his citizenship
;
(4) A person can be deprived of his citizenship if he proves a traitor to the country or if he runs away from the army;
(5) A person loses his citizenship if he joins a foreign service or receives a foreign honour without the permission of his own government.
Qualities of a good citizen and hindrances in the way of good citizenship:
The following are the qualities of a good citizen:
(1) Social sentiment;
(2) Good health and sound physique;
(3) Sentiment of world citizenship;
(4) Moderate thinking and self-control;
(5) Unselfishness and helpful attitude to others;
(6) Patriotism and the elimination of untouchability:
(7) The proper use of adult suffrage.
The following are the hindrances in the way of good citizenship:
(1) Selfishness;
(2) Favouritism and Nepotism;
(3) Indifferences;
(4) Feeling of groupism;
(5) Idleness;
(6) Illiteracy;
(7) Poverty,
(8) Capitalism;
(9) Feeling of Untouchability;
(10) Provincialism, Communalism and aggressive nationalism.
A good citizenship can be established only after eliminating the hindrances mentioned above. So every state is adopting measures to eliminate these evils. Ideals citizenship can lead to the progress of the country and to the security of world-peace.