I

ntr
oduct
iont
oPowerShar
ing

 Div
isi
onofduti
es,
authori
ti
es,r
esponsi
bil
i
ti
esf
oreffi
ci
entwor
kingandsmoot
h
gover
nanceofacountr
yk nownaspowershar
ing.

 Powershari
ngmeanst hedist
ri
buti
onofpoweramongt
heor
gansoft
hegov
ernment
suchasthe 
legi
sl
atur
e,execut
ive,
and 
judi
ci
ary
.

 Powershar
inghel
psi
nachi
evi
ngt
he 
stabi
l
ityofpol
i
tical
order
.

 I
npower
-shar
ing,
powermi
ghtev
enbeshar
edatdi
sti
nctl
evel
ssuchas 
uni
on,
stat
eand
l
ocal
.

For
msofpower
-shar
ing

 Hori
z ontal
 
dist
ri
but
ionofpower
: I
nthi
s,thepoweri
ssharedamongdif
fer
entor
gansof
governmentsuchasthe 
legi
sl
atur
e,executi
ve,
andj
udici
ary.Thi
sty
peofpowershar
ingi
s
prevalenti
nIndi
a.

 Feder
algov
ernment(v
ert
icaldi
str
ibut
ionofpower
):
 I
nthi
s,thepowercanbeshared
amonggovernment
satdiff
erentl
evel
s.Thi
stypeofpowershari
ngi
spr ev
alenti
ntheUSA.

 Powershari
ngamongdifferentsoci
algroups:
 Powercanbeshar
edamongsocial
groups
suchasli
nguist
icandr
eli
giousgroups.Forinstance,
Communit
ygover
nment
’inBelgi
um.

 Ot
herty
pesofpower
-shar
ing:
 Powersharingi
salsoseeni
n pol
i
tical
par
ti
es,
pressur
e
gr
oupsandmovementscontr
olori
nfluencethosei
npower.

Ter
ms:

 Maj
ori
tari
an:
 I
tisabel
ieft
hatt
hemaj
ori
tycommuni
tyshoul
dbeabl
etor
uleacount
ryi
n
whi
cheverwayitwant
s.

 CommunityGover
nment
: 
AtypeofGover
nmentwhichisel
ect
edbypeopl
ebel
ongi
ngt
o
onel
anguagecommunit
yiscal
ledcommuni
tygov
er nment
.

 Prudenti
al:
 
Iti
nvol
vesdeci
si
onmaki
ngbasedonpr
udence,
oronacar
eful
cal
cul
ati
onof
gainsandlosses.

 ChecksandBalances: 
Inthi
ssyst
em,eachor
ganofthegovernmentcheckst
heot
her
s
whichresul
tsi
nabal anceofpoweramongvar
iousi
nsti
tut
ions

 Reserv
edConstit
uenci
es:
 I
nthis,
theconst
it
uenciesarereser
vedintheAssembl
i
esand
the 
Parl
iament
 f
orminori
ti
esinordert
ogivethem afai
rshareinpower.

 Coali
ti
ongov
ernment:
 
Whentheal
l
ianceoft
woormor epar
ti
esget
sel
ect
edandf
ormsa
gover
nmentiti
sknownast
heCoali
ti
onGovernment
.
Twodi
ff
erentset
sofr
easonscanbegi
veni
nfav
ourofpowershar
ing.
 1. Fi
rst
ly,
powershar
ingi
sgoodbecausei
thel
pst
oreducet
hepossi
bil
i
tyofconf
li
ct
bet
weensoci
algr
oups.Si
ncesoci
alconf
li
ctof
tenl
eadst
ovi
olenceandpol
i
tical
i
nst
abi
l
ity
,powershar
ingi
sagoodwayt
oensur
ethest
abi
l
ityofpol
i
tical
order
.Thi
sis
al
soknownas 
PRUDENTI
AL 
reasonf
orpowershar
ing.
2. Powershar
ingi
sthev
eryspi
ri
tofdemocr
acy
.Ademocr
ati
crul
einv
olv
esshar
ingpower
wi
tht
hoseaf
fect
edbyi
tsexer
cise,
andwhohav
etol
i
vewi
thi
tsef
fect
s.Thi
sisal
so
knownasmor
alr
easonf
orpowershar
ing.

Pr
udent
ial
:
 Basedonpr
udence,
oroncar
eful
cal
cul
ati
onofgai
nsandl
osses.Pr
udent
ial
deci
si
onsar
eusual
l
ycont
rast
edwi
thdeci
sionsbasedpur
elyonmor
alconsi
der
ati
ons.

CaseSt
udyofBel
gium

 Belgi
um i
saEuropeancount
rywit
ha popul
ati
on 
ofal
i
ttl
eov
eronecr
ore.
Int
hiscount
ry,
theethni
ccomposi
ti
oniscomplex.

 Ofthetot
alpopulat
ion,
59per centl
i
vesi
ntheFl
emi
shr
egionandspeakstheDutch
l
anguage.Another40percentpeopl
eli
vei
ntheWal
l
oni
aregionandspeak
 French.

 Remai
ni
ngoneper
centoft
heBel
giansspeakGer
man.

 Inthecapi
tal
cit
y,Br
ussel
s,80per
centpeopl
espeakFr
enchwhi
l
e20per
centar
eDut
ch
speaki
ng.
  TheFr
ench-
speak
ingmi
nor
it
ycommuni
tywasr
elat
ivel
yri
chandpower
ful
.

 Thi
smadet
heDut
ch-
speak
ingcommuni
tyangr
y.

 From t
he1950st o1960s,
ther
ewer
etensi
onsbet
weent
het
wocommuni
ti
esbecauseof
thesedi
ff
erences.

CaseSt
udyofSr
iLank
a

 Sr
iLank
aisl
ocat
edsout
hofI
ndi
a.

 Thi
sisl
andnat
ionhasadi
ver
sepopul
ati
onoft
wocr
orepeopl
e.

 InSri
Lanka,t
hemajorsoci
algr
oupsar
etheSi
nhal
a-speak
ers(
74per
cent
)andt
heTami
l
-
speaker
s(18per
cent)
.

 Tami
l
sinSr
iLank
awer
edi
vi
dedi
ntot
wogr
oups:

 Sr
iLankanTami
l
s(13per
cent
)– 
Tami
lnat
ivesoft
hecount
ry

 I
ndi
anTami
l
s(5per
cent
)–camef
rom I
ndi
adur
ingt
hecol
oni
alper
iodaspl
ant
ati
on
wor
ker
s

 Si
nhala-
speak
ingpeopl
ear
emai
nl
y 
Buddhi
sts 
whi
l
etheTami
lspeak
ingpeopl
ewer
e
ei
therHi
ndusor 
Musli
ms.

 Ther
ewasev
en7per
cent
 Chr
ist
ians,
whoar
ebot
hTami
landSi
nhal
a.

Maj
ori
tar
iani
sm i
nSr
iLank
a

 I
nSriLank
a,t
hedemocr at
ical
lyel
ectedgover
nmentopt
edforaser
iesofMaj
ori
tar
ian
pol
i
cymeasuresbecausetheydesi
redSinhal
asupr
emacy.

 Someoft
hemeasur
est
akenwer
e:
  Si
nhal
awast
heonl
yof
fi
ci
all
anguage.

 Thegov
ernment
sfol
l
owedpr
efer
ent
ial
pol
i
ciesand 
Sinhal
aappl
i
cant
s.
 Thi
smadet
he 
Sri
Lank
anTami
l
sfeel
ali
enat
ed.

 Asar esul
toft
his,
the 
Sri
LankanTamilsl
aunchedpar
ti
esandbeganst
ruggl
esf
ort
he
recogni
ti
onofTamilasanoff
ici
all
anguage.

 Bythe 
1980ssever
alpol
it
icalorgani
sat
ionswer
eformed.Theydemandedfor
 an
i
ndependentTamil
Eelam (
state)innor
ther
nandeaster
npart
sofSriLank
a.

 Al
lthi
ssoont
urnedi
ntoaCi
vi
lWar
,ther
eby
,causi
ngdi
str
essi
nthenat
ion.

Accommodat
ioni
nBel
gium

From 1970to1993,t
heconst
it
uti
onofBelgi
anwasamendedfourti
mes.Theideawastowork
outanarrangementt
hatwoul
d make 
ever
yonet
oli
vetoget
her
. Keyel
ementsoftheBel
gian
model ar
e:

 ThenumberofDut
chandFr
ench-
speaki
ngmi
nist
ersshal
lbeequal
int
hecent
ral
gover
nment.

 Cert
ainpowersofthecent
ral
gov
ernmentwer
egi
vent
ost
ategov
ernment
soft
het
wo
regi
onsofthecountr
y.

 Therewasasepar
ategov
ernmentf
orBr
ussel
sinwhi
chbot
hthecommuni
ti
eshadequal
repr
esent
ati
on.

 Ther
ewasapr ov
isi
onof‘
communi
tygov
ernment
’thatwasel
ect
edbypeopl
ebel
ongi
ngt
o
onel
anguage.

Compar
isi
onofBel
gium andsr
ilankanmodel
ofpowershar
ing–

 TheBel gi
um l eadersr ecogni sedtheexi st
enceofr egional andcult
ur al di
ver
sit
ies.
(a)Theyamendedt heirconst i
tut
ionf ourti
messoast owor koutani nnovati
ve
arrangementt hatwoul denabl eev eryonetol i
vetogetherinpeaceandhar mony ,i
.e.
,
therewasshar ingofpowerbet weent heDut chandt heFr enchbothi nt hecentral
gov er
nment ;st ategovernmentandcommuni tygovernment .Theyf oll
owedapol i
cyof
accommodat ion.
(b)Thishelpedt oav oi
dci vi
cst ri
feanddi visionofthecount ryonlingui st
icl
ines.
(c)Ont heotherhand, theSi nhalesewhower einmaj or
it
yi nSriLankaascompar edto
theTami l
sf ollowedapol icyofmaj ori
tari
anism andadopt edaser i
esofmeasur esto
establi
shSinhal asupremacybypassi nganActof1956.
Thesemeasur esalienatedt heTami l
sleadingt ociv
icstri
febet weent hetwo
communi ti
es.
 Wef i
ndthatbot hBelgium andSr iLankadeal twiththeissueofpowershar i
ng
di
ff
erent
ly.I
nBel
gium,
thel
eader
srespect
edt
hei
nter
est
sofbot
hli
ngui
sti
cgr
oupsand
avoi
dedanypossi
bil
it
iesofclashesamongtheDut ch-andFrench-
speaking
communit
ies.I
nSriLanka,however,
theasserti
vepoli
ciesofthemajor
itycommuni
ty
l
edtoacivi
lwarthr
eateningtheunit
yandintegri
tyofthecountr
y