Power Sharing

What is Power Sharing?

Power sharing is a political arrangement where there is distribution of
power/sharing responsibility among the different organs of the government,
between different levels of the government, between different social groups and
between different political parties, pressure groups and movements.
Power Sharing is the soul of democracy

Why do we need Power Sharing?

 Power sharing helps in achieving the stability of political order.
 It is a potential tool for solving disputes in the society divided by deep ethnic,
cultural or racial differences by giving the parties involved a wide range of
power to resolve the tensions through consensus oriented government
Two different set of reasons reflect the need of power sharing
1. Prudential Reasons - are based on careful calculation of losses and gains. The
point of view is defined by certain reason-making principles.
2. Moral Reasons - are the set of standards that dictate what is right and wrong in
terms of behaviour and beliefs. A moral reason has nothing to do with calculation of
losses and gains.
While prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes,
moral reasons emphasize the very act of power sharing as valuable.
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Prudential Reasons Moral Reasons

 Helps to reduce conflict between  Formation of legitimate
social groups government
 Ensure stability of political order  Strengthens the spirit of
 Consideration for minority democracy
interests

Forms of Power Sharing

In a democracy, people are the source of all political power. In a democracy, people
rule themselves through institutions of self-government. In modern democracies,
power sharing arrangements can take many forms.
 Power sharing among different organs of government - Different organs of
the government is the legislature, executive and judiciary.
Legislature - having the power to make laws
Executive - Relating to or having the power to put plans or actions into effect
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 Judiciary - System of courts that interprets & applies the laws in a country
This system of power sharing is also called as horizontal distribution of
power because it allows different organs of government placed at the same
level to exercise different powers. Such a separation ensures that none of the
organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others. This
results in a balance of power among various institutions. This arrangement is
called a system of checks and balances.
Example: The judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the
functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures.

 Power sharing among different levels of government - Power can be shared

among governments at different levels -
 a general government for the entire country (In India, it is referred as
the Central or Union Government), and
 governments at the provincial or regional level (state and local bodies -
such as the municipality and panchayat in case of India). The governments at
the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries.
Such a general government for the entire country is called federal
government.
Division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government can be
called as vertical division of power.
Note - This system is not followed in all countries. There are many countries where there are no
provincial or state governments. But in those countries like ours, where there are different levels of
government, the constitution clearly lays down the powers of different levels of government.

 Power sharing among different social groups such as religious and linguistic
groups. This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in
power. This type of arrangement is meant to give space in the government
and administration to diverse social groups, who otherwise, would feel
alienated from the government.
Example - ‘Community government’ in Belgium
The system of ‘reserved constituencies’ in assemblies and the
parliament in India

 Power sharing among political parties, pressure groups and movements

who control or influence those in power.
 In a democracy, the citizens have freedom to choose among various
contenders from different parties. Such competition ensures that power
does not remain in one hand. In the long run, power is shared among
different political parties that represent different ideologies and social
groups. Sometimes two or more parties form an alliance to contest
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 elections. If their alliance is elected, they form a coalition government
and thus share power.
 In a democracy, there are interest groups, such as those of traders,
businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers. They also
will have a share in governmental power, either through participation
in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision-
making process. These groups sometimes create a pressure on the
government’s decision making , hence called as pressure groups
 In a democracy different movements and protests also can influence the
decision making process of the government

Q. What is Ethnic? - A social division based on shared culture. People belonging

to the same ethnic group believe in their common descent because of
similarities of physical type or of culture or both. They need not always have
the same religion or nationality.
Q. What is Civil war? - A violent conflict between opposing groups within a
country that becomes so intense that it appears like a war.
Accommodation in Belgium
Q. Which continent does Belgium belong to? - Europe.
Q. With which countries does Belgium share its boundary? - with France, the
Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.

Q. What is the population of Belgium? - a little over one crore, about half the
population of Haryana.
Q. What is the percentage of Dutch speaking people in Belgium? - 59%

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Q. In which region do the Dutch live in Belgium? - In Flemish region.
Q. Where do the French speaking people live in Belgium? - In Wallonia region.
Q. What is the percentage of the French speaking people in Belgium? - 40%.
Q. What is the percentage of the Belgians who speak German? - 1%
Q. What is the capital of Belgium? - Brussels {it is also the head quarters of
European Union & NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)}.
Q. What is the percentage of French speaking people in Brussels? - 80%
Q. How much percentage of Dutch speaking people lives in Brussels? - 20%

Q. Which community of Belgium was rich and powerful - The French speaking
community (however minority)
Q. What was the root cause of tension between the Dutch speaking community
and the French speaking community? - Getting benefit of economic
development and education by the Dutch much later than the French.
Q. During which period did the tension start between the Dutch speaking and the
French speaking communities? - During 1950s and 1960s.
Q. Where in Belgium was the tension between the two communities more
severe? - In Brussels.
Q. How many times was the Belgian constitution amended to have the provision
for all sections to live together harmoniously?
Ans. 4 times (between 1970 to 1993).

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Q. How was the central government formed in Belgium?
Ans. There were the equal number of ministers of both the Dutch speaking and the
French speaking people in the government.
Q. Which city in Belgium has the separate government? - Brussels. Both the
communities have equal representation in the separate government
Q. Did state government have any power in Belgium?
Ans. Yes, many powers of the Central Government have been given to State
Governments of the two regions of the country (Flemish region & Wallonia
region).However the State Governments are not subordinate to the Central
Government.
Q. How is the government other than central and state government in Belgium
known as? - Community government.
Q. How is the community government elected?
Ans. Elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and
German-speaking – no matter where they live. This government has the
power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka
Q. In which continent does Sri Lanka lie?
Ans. In Asia. (it is an island country just a few kilometres off the southern coast of
Tamil Nadu(India).It is separated from India by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of
Mannar)
Q. When did Sri Lanka get its independence? - In 1948, from the British.
Q. What is the population of Sri Lanka? - Two crore people, about the same as in
Haryana.
Q. What is the percentage of Sinhala speakers in Sri Lanka? - 74%
Q. How much percentage of Sri Lankan are Tamil speakers? - 18%
Q. What are the two groups of Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Ans. A. Sri Lankan Tamil - 13% (Tamil natives)
B. Indian Tamils - 5% (came from India during the colonial period as
plantation workers)

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Q. In which region of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Tamil are concentrated?
Ans. In the northern and eastern part of the country.

Q. Which religion did the most of the Sinhala, speaking people practice? -
Buddhism.
Q. Which religion did the Tamils follow? - They follow either Hinduism or Islam.
Q. Which community constitutes 7% of the Sri Lankan population?
Ans. Christians (they are both Tamils and Sinhala’s)
Q. What is Majoritarianism? 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.
Q. When was the Act favouring only the Sinhala’s passed? - In 1956.
Q. What were the main provisions in the Act of 1956?
Ans. i. Sinhala will be the only official language.
ii. The state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
iii. The government follows the preferential policies that favoured Sinhala
applicants for university positions and government jobs.
Q. Why did the relation among the Sinhala and Tamil communities strain?
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Ans. The Tamils felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist
Sinhala leaders was sensitive to their language and culture. They felt that the
constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights,
discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and
ignored their interests.
Q. What were the main demands of Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Ans. i. recognition of Tamil as an official language.
ii. Regional autonomy
iii. equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.
iv. an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri
Lanka.
Q. What does the word ‘Eelam’ mean? - ‘State’
Q. When were many political organisations formed demanding an independent
Tamil Eelam in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka? - By 1980s.
Q. When did civil war end in Sri Lanka? - 2009.
Beginning in 1983, there was an active revolt against the government by the
Velupillai Prabhakaran led Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. (LTTE, also
known as the Tamil Tigers).
Lebanon’s Power Sharing
 Lebanon’s power sharing is explained through a story about a man called
Khalil who lived in Beirut - capital of Lebanon.
 His Parents came from different communities
Father - was an Orthodox Christian
Mother - was a Sunni Muslim
 People from various communities lived together in Lebanon intermingled, yet
fought a bitter civil war among themselves.
 At the end of this civil war, Lebanon’s leaders came together and agreed to
some basic rules for power sharing among different communities
 The country’s President must belong to the Maronite sect of Catholic
Christians.

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  The Prime Minister must be from the Sunni Muslim community.
 The Deputy Prime Minister must be from the Orthodox Christian sect
 The Speaker must be from the Shi’a Muslims.
 The Christians agreed not to seek French protection
 The Muslims agreed not to seek unification with the neighboring state
of Syria.
 When the Christians and Muslims came to this agreement, they were
nearly equal in population. Both sides have continued to respect this
agreement though now the Muslims are in clear majority.

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