DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

POWER SHARING
IN

SRI LANKA AND BELGIUM

CLASS: 10 F
ROLL NUMBER: 10625
DONE BY: SACHIN BHATIA

POWER SHARING IN BELGIUM AND SRI LANKA

What is power sharing?
It is the intelligent sharing of power among legislature, executive and
judiciary and is very important to the design of a democracy.
SUMMARY

COMPLEX POPULATION COMPOSITION

59 per cent Flemish region speak Dutch
40 per cent Wallonia region speak French
1 per cent
speak German
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
French
Dutch

German

- Dutch community unhappy with division of power.

- Tensions soared in the capital.
French
Dutch
German
SUMMARY

COMPLEX POPULATION COMPOSITION

74 per cent Sinhala speakers Buddhists
18 per cent Tamil speakers Hindu or Muslims
7 per cent Tamil and Sinhala Christians
- Sinhala community asserted power.
Sinhala
Tamil
Tamil and Sinhala

POWER SHARING IN BELGIUM AND SRI LANKA

1. In Belgium, the presence of

distinct social groups was
taken in stride. The power
yielding minority French
agreed to discuss the
grievances
of
other
communities

1. In Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese

community asserted power
by virtue of majority. The
power was now only yielded
by the Sinhalese. The causes
of other communities were
disregarded and alienated.

2. Amendments were made to

the constitution so as to
accommodate to the needs
of all communities on an
equal basis.

2.

3. Amendments led to peace

and quiet. The society now
formed one homogeneous
unit. Though the laws were
complicated, they worked.

3. After the constitution was

introduced, the Tamilans
began feeling unhappy
and helpless. Their ties with
the other communities
strained . Then, the
Tamilians
launched
political parties and put
forward a set of requests to
the
government.
The
government declined.

MODERN DAY BELGIUM

OF DIVISION OF

CONSEQUENCE POWER
HOMOGENEOUS SOCIETY

On the contrary, in Sri

Lanka, the constitution
was written in a manner
such that the majority
enjoyed privileges over the
minorities. Their languages
were banned, policies were
made against them and
religious practices curtailed.

CONSEQUENCE

OF CONENTRATION OF
POWER

CIVIL WAR WITH HIGH CASUALTIES