Power-Sharing: Belgium and Sri Lanka

Power-Sharing

• Power distribution among the legislature, executive, and judiciary is crucial for democracy.
• The chapter uses stories from Sri Lanka and Belgium to explore power-sharing.
• It examines how democracies manage power-sharing demands to form general conclusions about its necessity.
• Power-sharing forms are discussed for review in subsequent chapters.

Belgium and Sri Lanka

• Belgium is a small European country bordering France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg, and has a population of over one crore.
• Ethnicity in Belgium is complex: 59% live in the Flemish region and speak Dutch, 40% in Wallonia speak French, and 1% speak German.
• Brussels, the capital, has 80% French speakers and 20% Dutch speakers.
• The minority French speakers were rich and powerful, causing resentment from the Dutch speakers, leading to tensions in the 1950s and 1960s
• Tensions are acute in Brussels, where Dutch speakers are the majority in the country but a minority in the capital.
• Sri Lanka is an island nation off the coast of Tamil Nadu with a population of about two crore.
• Sri Lanka's population is diverse, with Sinhala speakers (74%) and Tamil speakers (18%) as major groups.
• Tamil speakers are divided into Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils.

Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka became independent in 1948 and Sinhala leaders sought dominance.
• The government adopted majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.
• In 1956, an Act recognized Sinhala as the official language, disregarding Tamil
• Preferential policies favored Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
• The new constitution mandated the state to protect and foster Buddhism.
• These measures increased alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils.
• Political parties led by Buddhist Sinhala leaders were insensitive to Tamil language and culture.
• Tamils felt the constitution and government policies denied equal rights, discriminated in jobs, and ignored interests.

Accommodation in Belgium

• Relations between Sinhala and Tamil communities were strained over time as a result.
• Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for Tamil to be recognized as an official language.
• The Tamils called for regional autonomy and equal opportunity in education and jobs, but their demands were repeatedly denied.
• By the 1980s, political organizations demanded an independent Tamil state (Tamil Eelam) in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
• The distrust between communities turned to conflict, leading to the civil war, which concluded in 2009.
• Belgian leaders recognized regional differences and cultural diversity.
• Between 1970 and 1993, the constitution was amended four times to enable all to live together.
• The constitution states that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers must be equal in the central government.
• Special laws require majority support from each linguistic group, so no single community makes decisions unilaterally.
• Powers of the Central Government were given to State Governments of the two regions, so State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
• Brussels has a separate government with equal representation for both communities.

Power Sharing

• Apart from the Central and State Government, there is a third government, the 'community government'.
• It is elected by people belonging to one language community, having power over cultural, educational, and language issues.
• The Belgian arrangements have worked well and helped avoid civic strife and possible division.
• Unity is achieved by respecting the feelings and interests of all communities.
• Sri Lanka showed what can happen when a majority community forces dominance and refuses to share power
• Power sharing is good because it reduces conflict between social groups and the possibility of violence and political instability.
• Imposing the will of the majority may seem attractive in the short run, but in the long run, it undermines the nation’s unity.
• Power-sharing is democratic because it involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise.
• Prudential reasons stress better outcomes, while moral reasons emphasize the value of power-sharing itself.

Forms of Power-Sharing

• Power-sharing opposes undivided political power, and should be distributed among as many citizens as possible.
• Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
• Horizontal distribution of power allows organs at the same level to exercise different powers, resulting in a balance of power.
• Power is shared among governments at different levels, such as a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level.
• The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries.
• In India, the levels are called State Governments and the Central or Union Government.
• This is called vertical division of power.
• Power can be shared among different social groups such as religious and linguistic groups.
• Community government in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement.
• Societies use arrangements that give space in the government and administration to diverse social groups, in order that they don't feel alienated.
• Power is also shared in the way political parties, pressure groups, and movements control or influence those in power.
• Competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand.
• Power is shared among parties representing different ideologies and social groups.
• Coalitions exist where two or more parties form an alliance and if elected, create a coalition government.
• Interest groups, such as traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers, and industrial workers also have a share in governmental power.