Class - X Power Sharing

Class –X Political Science
POWER SHARING
Q. 1 What were the demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka?

Ans. The demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka were:-
a.) to recognize Tamil as an official language
b.) regional autonomy
c.) equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs
They launched political parties and struggled for their demands. By 1980s, several political
organizations were formed demanding the independent Tamil Elam (state) in N.E. Sri Lanka.
Q. 2 What do you mean by Majoritarianism? Discuss briefly ’Majoritarianism’ in Sri Lanka?

Ans. Majoritarianism – It is a belief that a majority community should be able to rule a country in
which ever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of minority.
1.) The leaders of Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over govt. by virtue of their
majority.
2.) In 1956, an act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus
disregarding Tamil.
3.) The govt. followed policies that favoured Sinhala applications for university positions and
govt. jobs.
4.) Many people believed in Buddhism. A new constitution stipulated that state shall protect
and foster Buddhism.
5.) The Sri Lankan Tamils felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal
rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their
interest. As a result, the relations between Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over
time.
Q.3 Who is the source of all political power in a Democracy? How?

Ans. One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power in a
democratic government.
1.) In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self –governance.
2.) Due respect is given to diverse groups of views that exist in a society.
3.) Everyone has a voice in shaping the public policies.
Q. 4 “The Belgian model of sharing power is very complicated but it has worked well so far”.
Explain
Ans. The Belgian model of power sharing is indeed very complicated but has worked well to avoid
civil strife between two major communities i.e between the French and Dutch speaking people. A
possible division of the country on the linguistic lines was also avoided.
Q. 5 Why is power sharing necessary?

Ans. Power sharing is necessary because of the following reasons –
Power Sharing
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Prudential reason Moral reason

(to avoid conflict) (to keep spirit of Democracy)
(i) Prudential Reason
a) Helps in reducing the possibility of conflict between social groups:-
Social conflicts often lead to violence and political instability. The tyranny of the
majority is not just oppressive for the minority, it often ruins the majority. In the long
run, unity of the nation is undermined. Thus power sharing is a good way to ensure
stability of political order.
(ii) Moral Reasons

Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy – It involves sharing of power with the
ones who would be affected by the policies and rules made. In order to ensure peaceful
environment for everybody, it is necessary to give representation to all the groups.
Q. 6 In modern democracies, power is shared among the different organs of the government.
Discuss.
Ans. In modern democracies the power is shared among the different organs of the govt., such as
the legislature, executive and judiciary. This is called the horizontal distribution of power because
it allows different organs of the govt. placed at the same level to exercise different powers.
The aim of power sharing is

(i) No particular organ enjoys unlimited power in its area.
(ii) Each organ checks the other, ultimately—resulting in the balance of power among
them.
(iii) Even ministers and govt. officials exercising power, are responsible.
(iv) Similarly, the judges check the functioning of the executive or laws made by the
legislature.
This arrangement of power sharing is called system of checks and balances.
Q. 7 In modern democracies power is shared among governments at different levels. Comment.

Ans. Power is shared among governments at different levels.
(i) General Govt. for the entire country or the Federal Govt.
E.g.” India we refer to it as the Central or Union government.
(ii) The govt. at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries:
e.g. In India, we refer to it as the state government.
(iii) Levels lower than the state govt. like municipalities and panchayats.
This kind of division of power is called the Federal Division or Vertical Division of power.
Indian Govt.-> Union Govt.-> State Govt.-> Local Govt.
The powers and rights of various levels of the country and clearly specified to avoid clashes.
Q. 8 Explain the importance of the power sharing among different social groups.
Ans. Social groups
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Linguistic groups Religious groups

Power is shared among different social groups such as religious and linguistic groups e.g.
Community govt. in Belgium
There are constitutional and legal arrangements for socially weaker sections and women to give
them representation in the matters of administration and legislation. This method is used to give
minority communities a fair share in power.
Q. 9 Illustrate with example the mechanism of power sharing among various political parties,
pressure groups and movements.
Ans
(i) Power is shared among various political parties so that there is competition.
(ii) It ensures that power doesn’t remain in one hand only.
(iii) In the long run, power is shared among different political parties that represent different
ideologies and social groups.
(iv) Sometimes, this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or more parties form an alliance
to contest elections. If elected, form a coalition govt. and thus share power.
(v) Different interest groups, such as, Traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers, industrial
workers also have a share in governmental power either through participation in govt.
committees or influencing the decision making process.
Q. 10 How did Belgium and Sri Lanka dealt with the question of power sharing?
Ans. Both countries Belgium and Sri Lanka dealt with the question of power sharing in different
ways:-
I. Power sharing in Belgium
(i) The leaders realized the unity of the country was only possible by respecting the
feelings and interests of different communities and regions.
(ii) Such realization resulted n acceptance of mutual arrangements for power sharing.
II Power sharing in Sri Lanka

The majority community i.e. Sinhalese community exercised dominance over others
(Tamils) and refused to share power.
As a result, the unity of the country is undermined/ affected.
Q12. Describe the Belgium model of power- sharing?

Ans. The main elements of the power sharing model evolved in Belgium are as follows:
1. The number of Dutch- speaking and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the central
government.
2. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each language group.
This assures that no single community can take decision by itself.
3. The two states government is not subordinate to the central government. Many powers of
the central government have been delegated to this state government.
4. Brussels, the capital, has the separate government. Both the communities have equal
representation in this government.
5. There is third kind of government. This is called the ‘community government’. This
government has the power over culture, educational and language-related issues. It is
elected by the people belonging to one language community- Dutch, French, and German-
no matter where they live.
Q. 13 Which of the conclusions do you agree with and why? Give reasons.
Thomman – Power sharing is necessary only in societies which have religions, linguistic or
ethnic division.
Mathayi – Power sharing is suitable only for big countries that have regional divisions.
Ouseph – Every society needs some form of power sharing even if it is small or does not have
social divisions.
Ans. Ouseph’s conclusion is appropriate as per the situation that exist both in Sri Lanka as well as
Belgium” Every society needs some form of power sharing even if it is small or does not have
social divisions.
(i) People are the source of political power in a democracy, whether having a large or
small population. It is through the elections that the people choose their representatives
and have a say in their governance. Again society requires power sharing even if there
are no divisions on the basis of religion, language or caste.
(ii) In case of India, power sharing mechanism exists among the three organs of the govt.
namely legislature, executive and judiciary. Similarly constitution has kept in mind the
power of different levels of the govt. – central, state and local levels.
All these organ work independently and impartially.
Q. 14 The Mayor of Merchtem, a town near Brussels in Belgium, has defended a ban speaking
French in town’s schools. He said that the ban would help all non- Dutch speakers integrate in this
Flemish town. Do you think that this measure is in keeping with the spirit of Belgium’s power
sharing arrangements? Give your reasons in 50 words.
Ans. The decision or ban is not according to principles of true democracy. It is against the spirit of
power sharing as democracy is based on the principles of freedom and equality. The ban would
make ground for civic strife and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines.
In Belgium, where three linguistic groups exist namely the French, the Dutch and the Germans,
every linguistic group should be given right to protect its mother tongue because language forms
an important component of the culture.
Assignment
1. Describe the ethnic composition of Belgium and Sri Lanka.
2. Define the following terms:
1.) Civil Strife 2.) Ethnic Groups.
Describe the Belgium model of power – sharing.

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Class –X Political Science

Q. 1 What were the demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka?

Q. 2 What do you mean by Majoritarianism? Discuss briefly ’Majoritarianism’ in Sri Lanka?

Q.3 Who is the source of all political power in a Democracy? How?

Q. 5 Why is power sharing necessary?

Prudential reason Moral reason

a) Helps in reducing the possibility of conflict between social groups:-

(ii) Moral Reasons

The aim of power sharing is

Q. 7 In modern democracies power is shared among governments at different levels. Comment.

Linguistic groups Religious groups

II Power sharing in Sri Lanka

Q12. Describe the Belgium model of power- sharing?

All these organ work independently and impartially.

Describe the Belgium model of power – sharing.

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