Question

Compare Belgium and Sri Lanka on power sharing.

Hint:

Belgium → Power sharing and accommodation.
Sri Lanka → Majoritarian policies leading to ethnic conflict.

Answer 1

Concept: Power sharing is an important principle of democracy that ensures different social groups participate in governance. Belgium and Sri Lanka adopted different approaches to handle ethnic diversity and power distribution.
Step 1: sharing in Belgium.
Belgium adopted a policy of accommodation and cooperation among different linguistic groups such as the Dutch-speaking, French-speaking, and German-speaking communities.
• Equal number of ministers were chosen from both Dutch and French-speaking groups in the central government.
• State governments were given significant powers and were not subordinate to the central government.
• A separate government was created for Brussels where both communities had equal representation.

Step 2: sharing in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka adopted a majoritarian policy after independence which favored the Sinhala-speaking majority.
• The government declared Sinhala as the only official language.
• Policies favored the Sinhala community in education and government jobs.
• Tamil minorities were not given equal political participation.

Step 3: of the two approaches.
Belgium’s power-sharing model helped maintain peace and stability among communities, while Sri Lanka faced ethnic conflicts and tensions due to the lack of power sharing.

Final Answer:
Belgium adopted a power-sharing system that accommodated different linguistic communities, whereas Sri Lanka followed a majoritarian approach that favored the Sinhala majority, leading to ethnic conflicts.