POWER SHARING

POWER SHARING
1. What is the geographical location and ethnic composition of Belgium & Sri Lanka?
Ans. 1. Belgium
Geographical location:
Belgium is a small country, smaller in area than the state of Haryana. It has borders with
France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.
Ethnic composition:
● Of the country's total population, 59% lives in the Flemish region and speak Dutch
language.
● Another 40% people live in the Wallonia region and speak French. Remaining one
percent of Belgium speak German.
● In the capital city Brussels, 80% people speak french. While 20% are Dutch
speaking.
2. Sri Lanka
Geographical location
Sri Lanka is an island nation, just a few kilometers off the southern coast of Tamil Nadu. It
has about two crore people, about the same as in Haryana.
Ethnic composition
● The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74%) and the Tamil Speakers
(18%).
● Among Tamils there are two sub-groups. Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri
Lankan Tamils’ (13%). The rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation
workers during colonial period are called ‘Indian Tamils’.
● Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils are
Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7% christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.
2. What is majoritarianism?
Ans. A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way
it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.
3. What were the majoritarian measures adopted by the Sinhala government to

establish their dominance in the country?
Ans. 1. In 1956, an act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus
disregarding Tamil.
2. The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for
university positions and government jobs.
3. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
4. What was the impact of majoritarian measures on Sri Lanka?

Ans. 1. No sensitivity to Tamil Language and culture: All majoritarian measures increased
the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt that none of the major
political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders was sensitive to their language and
culture.
2. Government's preferential policies: They felt that the constitution and government policies
denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other
opportunities and ignored their interests. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and
Tamil communities strained over time.
3. Demands of Sri Lankan Tamils: The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for
the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for regional autonomy and equality of
opportunity in securing education and jobs. But their demands for more autonomy to
provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied. By 1980s several political
organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and
eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
4. Civil war :
● The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict. It soon
turned into a civil war.
● As a result thousands of people of both the communities have been killed. Many
families were forced to leave the country as refuges and many more lost their
Livelihoods.
● The civil war caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural and economic life of the
country.
5. What were the innovative arrangements made in the Belgian constitution to
accommodate social diversity?
or
What were the elements of the Belgian constitution worked out between 1970 and
1993?
Ans. 1. Equal representation in central government and no unilateral decisions in
special laws: Constitution prescribes that the numbers of Dutch and French-speaking
ministers shall be equal in the central government. Some special laws required the support
of the majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single community can make
decisions unilaterally.
2. Tranferring power from centre to state: Many powers of the central government have
been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. The state governments
are not subordinate to the central government.
3. Equal representation in Brussels : Brussels has a separate government in which both
the communities have equal representation. The French speaking people accepted equal
representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal
representation in the central government.
4. Community Government : Apart from the ventral and state governments, there is a third
kind of government. This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one
language community-Dutch, French and German-speaking no matter where they live.
This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
6. Why did the Belgian leaders amend the constitution four times between 1970 and
1993?
Ans. 1. The Belgian leaders recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural
diersities.
2. Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times so as to work out an
arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.
7. What was the result of accomodation of social diversity through constitutional

amendments in Belgium?
Ans. 1. The Belgian model indeed is very complicated, even for people living in Belgium. But
these arrangements have worked well so far.
2. They helped to avoid civic strife between the two
major communities and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines.
3. When many countries of Europe came together to form the European Union, Brussels
was chosen as its headquarters.
8. What do we learn from the different ways of power sharing in Belgium and Sri
Lanka?
Ans. 1. In Belgium, the leaders have realised that unity of the country is possible only by
respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions. Such a realisation
resulted in mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing power.
2. Sri Lanka shows us that if a majority community wants to force its dominance over others
and refuses to share power, it can undermine the unity of the country.
9. What is the significance of power sharing in a democracy?

OR
What are the two different sets of reasons in favour of power sharing?
Ans. 1. Prudential Reasons : It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social
groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is
a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
● Imposing the will of majority community over others may look like an attractive option
in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation.
● Tyranny of the majority is not just oppressive for the minority; it often brings ruin to
the majority as well.
2. Moral reasons : Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.

● A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and
Who have to live with its effects.
● People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
● A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake
in the system.
10. How did the ideas of power sharing emerge with the emergence of democracy?
Ans.1. The idea of power-sharing has emerged in opposition to the notions of undivided
political power. For a long time it was believed that all power of a government must reside in
one person or group of persons located at one place.
2. It was felt that if the power to decide is dispered, it would not be possible to take quick
decisions and to enforce them. But these nations have changed with the emergence Of
democracy.
11. What are the basic principles of democracy about power sharing?
Ans. 1. People are the source of all political power. In a democracy, people rule themselves
through institutions of self-government.
2. In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that
exist in a society.
3. Everyone has a voice role in the shopping of public policies. Therefore, it follows that in a
democracy political powers should be distributed among as many citizens as possible.
12. What is the horizontal distribution of power in modern democracies that ensure
power sharing among the organs of the government?
Ans. 1. Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature,
executive and judiciary. Let us call this horizontal distribution of power because it allows
different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.
2. Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each
organ checks the others. This results in a balance of power among various institutions.
3.In a democracy, even though ministers and government officials exercise power, they are
responsible to the Parliament or State Assemblies.
Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of
executive or laws made by the legislatures. This arrangement is called a system of checks
and balances.
13. What is the vertical division of powers in modern democracies?

Ans. 1. Power can be shared among governments at different levels-a general government
for the entire country and governments for the entire country is usually called federal
government. In India, we refer to it as the Central or Union Government.
2. The governments at the provincial or regional level in India, are called state governments.
3. In those countries like ours, where there are different levels of government, the
constitution clearly lays down the powers of different levels of government. This is called the
federal division of power.
4. The same principle can be extended to levels of government lower than the State
government, such as the municipality and panchayat. Let us call division of powers involving
higher and lower levels of government vertical division of power.
14. What are the common power sharing arrangements in modern democracies to
accommodate social diversity?
Ans. 1. Power may also be shared among different social groups such as the religious and
linguistic groups. ‘Community government’ in Belgium is a good example of this
arrangement.
2. In some countries there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially
weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration. E.g. the
system of ‘reserved constituencies’ in assemblies and the parliament of our country.
3. This type of arrangement is meant to give space
in the government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise would feel
alienated from the government. This method is used to give minority communities a fair
share in power.
15. How is power shared among political parties, Pressure groups and movements?
Ans. 1. In a democracy, the citizens must have freedom to choose among various
contenders for power. In contemporary democracies, this takes
the form of competition among different parties. Such competition ensures that power does
not remain in one hand.
2. In the long run, power is shared among different political parties that represent different
ideologies and social groups. Sometimes this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or
more parties form an alliance to contest elections. If their alliance is elected, they form a
coalition government and thus share power.
3. In a democracy, we find interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen,
industrialists, farmers and industrial workers. They also will have a share in governmental
power, either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the
decision-making process.

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POWER SHARING

3. What were the majoritarian measures adopted by the Sinhala government to

4. What was the impact of majoritarian measures on Sri Lanka?

7. What was the result of accomodation of social diversity through constitutional

9. What is the significance of power sharing in a democracy?

2. Moral reasons : Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.

13. What is the vertical division of powers in modern democracies?

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