Question and Answers of
Power Sharing
Belgium, a country smaller than Haryana with a population of a little more than 1 crore has
the following ethnic composition-
59% of the population speaks Dutch and lives in the Flemish region
40% of the population speaks French and lives in the Wallonia region
The remaining 1% of the population speaks French.
The capital city Brussels presents a unique situation with 80% of its population
speaking French and only 20% speaking Dutch.
Sri Lanka, an island nation with a population of about 2 crore people has a diverse
population with the following ethnic composition
74% of the population speaks Sinhala and are mostly Buddhists
18% of the population speaks Tamil and are mostly Hindus and Muslims
There are about 7% Christians who are both Tamil and Sinhala
The Tamil speakers are categorised into
Sri Lankan Tamils, the Tamils native of the country – 13%
Indian Tamils, the Tamils whose forefathers came from India (as plantation workers) –
5%
Majoritarianism is 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. In Sri Lanka,
the Sinhala community was the majority community which sought to secure dominance over
the Tamil community (minority).
The following majoritarianism measures were adopted by the democratically elected
government in Sri Lanka-
In 1956, an act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus
disregarding Tamil.
The government followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for
university positions and government jobs.
A new constitution stipulated that the state shall only protect and foster Buddhism
The consequences of these policies are as follows-
These policies increased the feeling of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils.
They felt that none of the major political parties led by Buddhist Sinhala leaders were
sensitive to their language and culture.
They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political
rights.
They felt discriminated against in getting jobs and other opportunities.
The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as
an official language, for regional autonomy and for equal opportunities.
As a result of these government measures, a Civil War broke out in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka had a Civil War because of the following reasons-
The Sri Lankan Tamils suffered a lot while the Sinhala community enjoyed a lot of
advantages which led the Tamil community developing a feeling of alienation.
The constitution and government policies denied the Sri Lankan Tamils equal political
rights.
The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as
an official language, for regional autonomy and for equal opportunities in security,
education and jobs.
As a result of these tensions between the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Sinhala community,
A gruesome Civil War broke out in which thousands of people died, many families
became refugees and the country faced a major setback in the social, cultural and
economic status of the country.
Power sharing is desirable because of the following reasons-
Prudential reasons-
It helps to reduce the possibility of a conflict between social groups.
It is a good way of maintaining political order as social conflicts often lead to political
instability and violence.
Imposing the will of the majority on the minority undermines the unity of the
country.
Tyranny of the majority not just affects the minority but it also brings ruin to the
majority.
Moral reasons-
Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing
power with those affected by its exercise and have to live with its effects.
People have the right to be consulted on how they want to be governed.
A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a
stake in the system
In modern democracy, power sharing can take many forms as mentioned below
Power is shared among different organs of the government such as the legislature,
executive and judiciary. This is known as horizontal distribution of power as it allows
different organs to be placed at the same level. It ensures that none of the organs
can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks each other resulting in a balance of
power among various institutions. This arrangement is called a system of checks and
balances.
Power can be shared among governments at different level. This is vertical
distribution of power. A general government for the entire country and governments
at the provincial and regional level is called the federal government.
Power may also be shared among different social groups, such as different religious
and linguistic groups. The community government in Belgium is a good example of
this arrangement. This gives minority communities a fair share of power.
Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure
groups and movements control or influence those in power. This ensures that power
does not remain in one hand and that power is shared with parties that represent
different ideologies in the long run. Examples of this arrangement include coalition
government and interest groups who also have a share of power through
participation in governmental committees or by bringing influence over the decision-
making process.
The Belgian leaders recognised the regional differences and cultural diversity. Between 1970
and 1993, they amended the constitution 4 times to work out an arrangement so that
everyone can live together within the same country. Some of the elements of the
accommodation model are-
The constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French speaking ministers
shall be equal in the central government
Many powers of the central government are given to the state government. The state
government is not subordinate to the central government.
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 people accepted equal representation in the
central government.
The third form of government, the community government was elected by people
belonging to one community- Dutch, French and German speaking- irrespective of
where the lived. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and
language related issues.
This model even though very complicated, worked well and managed to avoid civic strife
and a possible division the country on linguistic lines and was also chosen as the
headquarters for European union.
