Power Sharing

Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy: a democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise. This chapter tells two contrasting stories. In Belgium about 59% of the people live in the Flemish region and speak Dutch, about 40% live in Wallonia and speak French, and about 1% speak German, while in the capital Brussels about 80% speak French and 20% Dutch. Belgian leaders amended their constitution four times between 1970 and 1993 to work out an arrangement that shares power among the communities. In Sri Lanka, where the Sinhala-speaking people form about 74% and the Tamils about 18% of the population, the government adopted majoritarian measures such as the 1956 Act recognising Sinhala as the only official language, which led to alienation of Tamils and a long civil war. From these stories you will learn the prudential and moral reasons for power sharing, and its different forms: horizontal sharing among organs of government, vertical sharing among levels of government, sharing among social groups, and sharing among political parties, pressure groups and movements.

Detailed Worksheet: Power Sharing Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is meant by power sharing? (2 marks) 2. What is majoritarianism? Give one example from Sri Lanka. (2 marks) 3. What is a community government? In which country does it exist? (2 marks) 4. Distinguish between horizontal and vertical distribution of power. (2 marks) 5. What are the prudential and moral reasons for power sharing? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Belgium has a population of about 1.1 crore. About 59% speak Dutch, 40% French and 1% German. Calculate the approximate number of speakers of each language. Why did this lead to tensions in Brussels? (3 marks) 7. Sri Lanka has a population of about 2.2 crore. About 74% are Sinhala-speaking and 18% are Tamil-speaking. Calculate the approximate number in each group. Of the Tamils, 13% of the total population are Sri Lankan Tamils and 5% are Indian Tamils. Calculate their numbers. (3 marks) 8. Brussels has a population of about 12 lakh, of whom about 80% are French-speaking and 20% Dutch-speaking. Calculate the number in each group. Explain why both communities have equal representation in the government of Brussels despite unequal numbers. (3 marks) 9. Arrange in chronological order and give the years: Sri Lanka becomes independent; the Act recognising Sinhala as the only official language is passed; the Belgian constitution amendments to share power are completed; the civil war in Sri Lanka ends. (3 marks) 10. In the Belgian central government, the number of Dutch-speaking and French-speaking ministers must be equal. If the cabinet has 14 ministers excluding the Prime Minister, how many must be Dutch-speaking? What would happen in a majoritarian system based on population shares? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a flowchart showing the four forms of power sharing in modern democracies, with one example of each. (4 marks) 12. Draw an outline sketch of Belgium showing the Flemish region, Wallonia and Brussels, and label the languages spoken in each. (3 marks) 13. Draw a diagram showing the system of checks and balances among the legislature, executive and judiciary. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Compare the ways in which Belgium and Sri Lanka dealt with the question of power sharing. What were the results in each country? What lessons do these examples teach about democracy? (5 marks) 15. 'Power sharing is desirable because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.' Explain this prudential reason and the moral reason that power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. Give examples. (5 marks) 16. Explain the different forms of power sharing in India with examples of horizontal division, federal division, reserved constituencies and coalition governments. How do pressure groups and movements share power? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Answer with examples from Belgium, Sri Lanka and India. Draw sketches and flowcharts neatly with labels.