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Chapter 1

The document discusses power sharing in the context of Belgium and Sri Lanka, highlighting the importance of recognizing ethnic diversity and the consequences of majoritarianism. Belgium's innovative power-sharing model contrasts with Sri Lanka's establishment of Sinhala supremacy, which led to civil conflict. It emphasizes the need for power sharing in democracies for stability and moral reasons, outlining various forms of power distribution among government organs, levels, and social groups.

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3 views

Chapter 1

The document discusses power sharing in the context of Belgium and Sri Lanka, highlighting the importance of recognizing ethnic diversity and the consequences of majoritarianism. Belgium's innovative power-sharing model contrasts with Sri Lanka's establishment of Sinhala supremacy, which led to civil conflict. It emphasizes the need for power sharing in democracies for stability and moral reasons, outlining various forms of power distribution among government organs, levels, and social groups.

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BHARAT NATIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL

POLITICAL SCIENCE

CHAPTER-1

POWER SHARING

‘Ethnic’:
Ethnic means a social division based on shared culture and common descent. People belonging to an
ethnic group need not have the same religion or nationality.

Majoritarianism:
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 is majoritarianism.

1.Ethnic composition of Belgium:


Belgium is a small country in Europe with a population of over 1 crore, about half the population of
Haryana. Of the country’s total population, 59% speaks Dutch language, 40% of people speak French
and the remaining 1% speak German. Look at the map below to know the language variation of
Belgium. The minority French-speaking community was rich and powerful, so they got the benefit of
economic development and education. This created tensions between the Dutch-speaking and
French-speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s.

a. Belgian power-sharing model:


The power-sharing arrangements made by the Belgian leaders were different and more
innovative than any other country. To recognize the existence of regional differences and
cultural diversities, they amended their Constitution four times between 1970 and 1993.

b. The major elements of the Belgian Model are:

1. The Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers
shall be equal in the Central Government. No single community can take decisions
unilaterally.
2. The State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
3. Brussels, the capital, has a separate government where both the communities have
equal representation.
4. A third kind of government, ‘Community Government’, is elected by people belonging
to one language community — Dutch, French and German speaking—no matter
where they live. This government can decide on cultural, educational and language
related issues.

2. Story of Sri Lanka-


It is an island nation having a population of 2 crores, about the same as in Haryana. Sri Lanka
has a diverse population. The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74%) and the
Tamil-speakers (18%). Among Tamils, there are two subgroups, “Sri Lankan Tamils” and
“Indian Tamils”. You can see the map below to know the population distribution of different
communities of Sri Lanka.

a. Establishment of Sinhala supremacy:


Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. The democratically elected government
adopted a series of measures to establish Sinhala supremacy:

1. In 1956, an Act was passed to make Sinhala the official language.


2. The government followed preferential policies favouring Sinhala applicants for
University positions and government jobs.
3. The Constitution provided for State protection and fostering of Buddhism.

b. Response of the Minority-

The Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders
were sensitive to their language and culture and the government policies denied them equal political
rights. The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil, for regional
autonomy and equality of opportunity in every field. Therefore, the measures adopted by the
government to establish Sinhala supremacy led to Civil War.

3. What have you learned from the Stories of Belgium and Sri Lanka?

● Both countries are democracies but they dealt differently with the concept of power sharing.
● In Belgium, the leaders have realised that the unity of the country is possible only by
respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions. This resulted in
mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing power.
● Sri Lanka shows 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.

4. NEED OF POWER SHARING IN DEMOCRACY-

Prudential reasons:
Prudential reasons stress that power-sharing would bring out better outcomes by helping to reduce
the possibility of any conflict between the social groups and power-sharing is a good way to ensure
the stability of political order through unity of the nation.

Moral reasons:
Moral reasons uphold power-sharing as the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves
sharing power with those affected by its exercise. People have the right to be consulted and have
equal participation in the government.

5. Form of Power Sharing

In modern democracies, power sharing can take many forms, as mentioned below:

1. Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive
and judiciary. This is called horizontal distribution of power because it allows different
organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers. Such separation
ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others.
This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.
2. Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a general government for
the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level which is called federal
government or Vertical distribution of power.
3. 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. This
method is used to give minority communities a fair share in power.
4. Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure groups
and movements control or influence those in power. When two or more parties form an
alliance to contest elections and if they get elected, they form a coalition government and
thus share power.

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