Power Sharing

Explain the ethnic composition in beligum

1. 59% of the population lives in the Flemish Region and spoke Dutch

2. 40% of the population lives in the Wallonia Region and spoke French.

3. The remaining 1% were spread across the country and spoke German

4. In the capital city of Brussels , 80% were French speaking and 20% were Dutch Speaking

Challenges caused due to this:-

1. The French speaking minority were richer and more powerful , this was disliked by the Dutch speaking community as they were in majority yet lacked behind in education and development causing them to feel suppressed by the French.

2. In the capital city of Brussels , the french were in overwhelming majority despite

How was accommodation done in Belgium?

1. There was a equal representation of both dutch speaking and french speaking minsters in the parliament and no party could take any decision unilaterally.

2. The state government were not subordinate to the central government

3. A local community government was created for the French , Dutch and German speaking separately that held power over topics such as education , language and culture

4. Brussels had a separate government with equal representation for both communities.

5. Belgium displayed a structure following federalism

Explain the composition of the Sri Lankan population.

1. 74% of the population spoke Sinhala and followed Buddhism

2. 18% of the population was Tamil speakers who were Hindus or Muslims

   1. Sri Lankan Tamils were 13% of the population and were concentrated in North and East of Sri Lanka

   2. Indian Tamils were rest of the tamils , whose foregathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial periods.

3. There was a christian population of about 7% who spoke both Tamil and Sinhala

How was majoritarianism implemented in Sri Lanka

1. In 1956 , an act was passed to recognise Sinhala as only official language , disregarding Tamil.

2. The government followed preferential policies that gave preference to the Sihala applicants for university positions and government jobs

3. A new Constitution specified that the state shall protect and promote Buddhism

What was the consequence of majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

1. The majoritarian government policies and constitutional provisions denied the equal rights and oppurtunities to the Tamils.

2. As a result they began to feel alienated from the union and the relation between the communities became tense.

3. Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language.

4. Several political organisation began demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state)

5. This resulted in the breaking out of a civil war between the communites that ended in 2009

6. The civil war lead to large amounts of destruction , lots of people lost their lives and livelihood and people were forced to leave the country as refugees. It caused a great impact on the social , cultural and economic life in the country.

What are the prudential reasons for power sharing?

1. Reduces conflict between the social groups

2. Ensures politcal stability

3. Avoiding conflict reduces violence , violence usually leads to political instability.

What are the moral reasons for power sharing?

1. Moral reasons show that the act of power sharing is valuable.

2. It is in the spirit of democratic rule that power is shared with those affected by it.

3. People have the right to be asked how they are governed.

4. A legitimate government is one where citizens become a part of the system through participation.

What are the different forms of power sharing?

Horizontal Distribution of Power

1. It is when power is shared among different levels of the government at the same level.

2. In India this is done between the Executive , Legislative and Judiciary.

3. This ensures that no single organ exercises unlimited power and the actions of the different organs are kept in check by the others. This is known as a system of checks and balances

Vertical Distribution of Power (Federalism)

1. Power is distributed between different levels of the government.

2. It helps make administration easier.

Power Sharing Among Social Groups

1. Power can be shared between different social , cultural or religious groups

2. Community Government in Belgium and caste based reservations are examples of this

Power Sharing among Political Parties , Pressure Groups and Movement

1. Political parties , pressure groups and movements do not have direct power but can influence those who are in power.

2. In a democracy citizens are free to choose among various contendors from different political parties , such compettion ensures that power does now remain with one party or individual,

3. Power sharing also is the power to represent different ideologies by parties and social groups

4. Forming an alliance is a direct method of power sharing between parties.