POLITICS

LS.1: POWER SHARING

SHORT ANSWERS

1) What measure was adopted by democratically elected govt. of Sri Lanka to establish
Sinhala supremacy?
Ans: Majoritarian measure

2) What is the prudential reason behind power sharing?

OR
Why power sharing is good for democracy?
Ans: It reduces the possibility of conflict between social groups.

3) What is the state religion of Sri Lanka?

Ans: Buddhism

4) Which language was recognized as the only language in Sri Lanka in 1956?
Ans: Sinhala

5) What is vertical division of powers?

Ans: Division of powers between higher and lower levels of govts. is called vertical
division.
Eg: Central, state & local govts.

6) In which country, principle of majoritarianism led to civil war?

Ans: Sri Lanka

7) Majority of the people in Belgium speak which language?

Ans: Dutch

8) Which language is not spoken by most of the people in Belgium?

Ans: German

9) Which ethnic group is related to Belgium?

Ans: Dutch, French & German.

10) Which city is the capital of Belgium?

Ans: Brussels
11) Sri Lankan Tamil refers to which social groups?
Ans: Tamil native of the country

12) Who elects the community govt. in Belgium?

Ans: People belonging to one language community only

13) Which system of power sharing is called checks and balances?

Ans: Horizontal distribution of power sharing

14) Name one country with which Belgium does not have borders?
Ans: Sweden

15) Which composition best explain the complex ethnic conversation of Belgium?
Ans: It has 59% of Dutch speaking, 40% of French & 1% of German speaking.

16) In which country, the participation of women in public life is very high?
Ans: Scandinavian countries

17) How many times the Belgian constitution was amended between 1970 & 1993?
Ans: 4 times

18) Which group of countries surrounds Belgium?

Ans: Germany, France, Netherlands & Luxembourg

19) Define Federal Govt.

Ans: A general govt. for the entire country is usually called Federal Govt.

20) Define Civil War.

Ans: A war like conflict between different groups of people residing in the same country.

21) Define refugee.

Ans: One who flees for shelter is called a refugee.

22) Define legitimate govt.

Ans: A legitimate givt. Is one where citizens through participation acquire a stake in the
system.

23) Define regional anatomy.

Ans: Decentralisation of govts. at different levels.
LONG ANSWERS

1) How can power be shared among govts. at different levels. Explain.

OR
Explain the vertical division of power giving examples from India.
Ans: Vertical division of power: It means sharing of power among the govts. at
different levels. In India, there are 3 levels of govt.
 Central/Union govt. for entire nation
 State Govt. at provincial level.
 Local Govt. at rural & urban level
 Local self govt. like Panchayat & Municipal Councils.

2) What arrangements are made by Belgium?

OR
Explain any 3 elements of the Belgium model of power sharing.
Ans: The main elements of Belgian model includes
 Constitution prescribes that number of Dutch & French speaking ministers
shall be equal in the central govt. Some special laws require the support of
majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single
community can make decisions unilaterally.
 Many parts of the central govt. have been given to state govts. of the two
regions of the country. The state govts. are not subordinates to the central
govt.
 Brussels has a separate govt. 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 central govt.
 There is a 3rd kind of govt. known as community govt. elected by people
belonging to one language community, that is, Dutch, French and German
speaking, no matter where they live. This govt. has the power regarding
cultural, educational & language related issues.

3) What is power sharing? Why power sharing is important in a democracy?

Ans: When power does not rest with any one organ of the state rather it is shared
among legislature, executive & judiciary, it is called power sharing.
Power sharing is important in a democracy because:
 It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
 It is the very spirit of democracy.
 It is a good way to ensure stability of political order.
4) What led to tensions between Dutch & French speaking communities in Belgium
during 1950s & 1960s? Where was this tension more acute & Why?
Ans:
 The minority French speaking community in Belgium was relatively rich
& powerful. This was resented by Dutch speaking community who got the
benefit of economic development & education much later.
 This led to tensions between Dutch & French speaking communities
between 1950s & 1960s.
 This tension between two communities was more acute in Brussels.
 It was because of Dutch speaking people constituted majority in the
country but minority in Brussels.

5) ‘Sharing of power makes a country more powerful and united’. Do you agree?
Why?
OR
‘Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy’. Justify with 3 suitable points.
OR
How far do you agree with the statement that ‘Power sharing is keeping with the
spirit of democracy’?
Ans: Power sharing keeps up the spirit of democracy as:
 It ensures that all people have stake in the govt.
 It ensures maximum participation. It upholds the concept of people’s rule.
It always brings better outcomes in democracy. It ensures the political
stability in democracy.
 It accommodates diverse groups. It helps to reduce possibility of conflict
between social groups.

6) Give reason why power sharing desirable?

OR
Why power sharing is necessary in democracy? Explain.
OR
Write one prudential & one moral reason for power sharing.
OR
Why is power sharing desirable? Explain one moral reasons in this regard.
OR
Explain power sharing by giving 3 prudential reasons.
Ans:
Prudential Reasons
  It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups since
social conflict often leads to violence and political instability.
 It 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
entity of the nation.

Moral Reasons

 Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power
with those affected by its exercise & who have to live with its effects.
 People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
 A legitimate govt. is one where citizens through participation acquires stake in the
system.

7) Describe horizontal & vertical power sharing in modern democracy.

Ans:
Horizontal Division of power:
 It is a power sharing arrangement in which power is shared among
different organs of govt. such as legislature, executive & judiciary.
 In this type, different organs of govt. exercise different powers. This is a
concept of separation of powers.
 It specifies the concept of checks & balances in order to check the exercise
& unlimited powers of organs.

Vertical Division of powers:

 In this type, power can be shared among govts. at different levels like union, state & local
levels of govt., that is, it involves higher & lower levels of govts.
 In this type, constitution clearly lays down the power of different levels of govt.
 There is no concept of checks & balances because powers are clearly mentioned in the
constitution from the higher level to lower level.

8) How majoritarianism has increased the feeling of alienation among Sri Lankan
Tamils? Explain.
  Ans: The govt. adopted the majoritarian measure of establishing Sinhala
supremacy. In 1965 an act to recognize Sinhala as the only official
language, thus disregarding Tamils.
 The govt. followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants
for university positions & Govt. jobs.
 A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect & foster
Buddhism.
 Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties by the
Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language & culture.
 The relations between Sinhala & Tamil communities strained over time &
turned into civil war.

9) Explain any 3 consequences of majoritarian policies adopted by Sri Lankan govt.

 Ans: Tamils felt the govt. was not sensitive about Tamil language &
culture because Sinhala was declared the official language.
 Tamils felt discriminated against securing jobs & education which were
given preferentially to Sinhala speakers.
 Tamils felt the govt. was practicing religious discrimination because the
state fostered Buddhism. Relations between Tamils & Sinhalese became
strained.

10) ‘Both Belgium & Sri Lanka are democracies, but they follow different systems of
power sharing’. Support the statement by giving 3 points of difference.
 Ans: In Belgium, the govt. does not follow preferential policies in matters
of jobs & education. In Sri Lanka, the govt. follows preferential policies in
matters of jobs & education
 In Belgium, there is a special govt. called community govt. to look after
the educational, cultural & language related issues. In Sri Lanka, the major
political parties were not sensitive to language & culture of Tamils.
 In Belgium, there is no discrimination between different religions. In Sri
Lanka, Buddhism is the official religion

11) ‘The outcome of politics of social divisions depends on how the political leaders
raise the demands of any community’. Explain the statement.
 Ans: It is easy to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional
framework & are not at the cost of another community.
 The demand for only the Sinhala community in Sri Lanka was at the cost
of interest & identity of Tamil community.
 In Yugoslavia, the leaders of the different ethnic communities presented
their demands in such a way that these could not be accommodated within
a single country.