Civics · Ch.1

Power Sharing

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🌍 Ethnic Composition — Belgium & Sri Lanka
🇧🇪
Belgium
🇱🇰
Sri Lanka
Why These Two Countries?
Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are examples of ethnically diverse nations that responded to diversity in very different ways. Belgium chose accommodation — sharing power carefully through constitutional arrangements. Sri Lanka chose majoritarianism — letting the Sinhala majority impose its will. The outcomes were completely different: Belgium is today a peaceful federal democracy and HQ of the EU; Sri Lanka suffered 26 years of brutal civil war.
⚖️ Belgium vs Sri Lanka — Side-by-Side Comparison
Aspect 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Key majority group Dutch-speaking Flemish (59%) Sinhala Buddhists (74%)
Key minority group French-speaking Walloons (40%) Tamil Hindus (18%)
Majority's response to tension Accommodation — power sharing agreements Majoritarianism — Sinhala-only policies
Language policy Both Dutch & French equal; German recognised. Brussels bilingual. 1956: Sinhala declared only official language; Tamil excluded
Government type achieved Federal state with 3 tiers — central, regional, community governments Unitary state with Sinhala dominance in all institutions
Cabinet composition Equal Dutch & French ministers by constitution Dominated by Sinhala leaders
Outcome Peaceful coexistence; HQ of EU; economic prosperity Civil war 1983–2009; LTTE separatism; massive destruction
Key lesson Power sharing prevents conflict even when communities disagree Majoritarianism creates alienation, resentment, and armed conflict
🏛️ Four Forms of Power Sharing
FORM 1 · HORIZONTAL

Among Organs of Government

Power shared between the legislature, executive, and judiciary — the three organs of government at the same level. Each organ can check and balance the others.

⚖️ India: Supreme Court can strike down Parliament's laws (judicial review)
FORM 2 · VERTICAL

Among Different Levels

Power shared between central government, state governments, and local bodies. This is federalism — higher and lower levels each have their own jurisdiction.

🗺️ India: Centre (Union List), States (State List), Both (Concurrent List)
FORM 3 · SOCIAL GROUPS

Among Social Communities

Power shared with religious, linguistic, and other minority communities — through reservation, minority rights, and community representation.

🫂 India: Reserved SC/ST seats in Parliament; Belgium: Equal cabinet representation
FORM 4 · POLITICAL PARTIES

Among Parties & Movements

Multi-party competition prevents monopoly. Coalition governments share power between parties. Pressure groups and movements also influence decisions.

🗳️ India: Coalition governments since 1989; trade unions, student groups
All four forms serve the same purpose: preventing dangerous concentration of power.

Horizontal → checks and balances within government
Vertical → federalism / decentralisation
Social Groups → inclusive governance / minority rights
Political Parties → competition / coalition / civil society
📊 Power Sharing in India — Examples by Form
FormConstitutional ProvisionExample
HorizontalArts 50, 76, 124–147Separation of legislature, executive, judiciary; President cannot legislate; courts can strike down unconstitutional laws
Vertical7th Schedule; Arts 245–254Union List (97), State List (66), Concurrent List (47); states govern education, health, agriculture independently
SocialArts 330, 332, 243DReserved seats for SC/ST in Lok Sabha & State Assemblies; 1/3 reservation for women in Panchayats; Minority Commission
PoliticalArt 19(1)(c), 19(1)(a)Freedom to form parties and associations; free press; Right to Information Act; coalition governments
🕐 Sri Lanka — Majority to Majoritarianism to Civil War
1948
Independence from Britain
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) gains independence. Sinhala community forms the first government. Initial promises of equality for all ethnic groups.
1956
Sinhala Only Act
Parliament passes the Official Language Act — declares Sinhala the only official language, replacing English. Tamil-speaking people (11% + 7% Indian Tamil) effectively barred from government jobs and higher education that required Sinhala proficiency.
1960s–70s
Systematic Discrimination
University admission quotas favour Sinhala students. Government employment overwhelmingly Sinhala. State patronage to Buddhism — Hindu and Christian Tamil culture marginalised. Tamils demand a federal system first, then a separate state.
1976
LTTE Founded
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) founded. Demands independent Tamil homeland "Eelam" in the north and east. Moves from political protest to armed militancy.
1983
Civil War Begins
Anti-Tamil riots (Black July) — hundreds of Tamils killed by Sinhala mobs. Full-scale civil war erupts between LTTE and Sri Lankan armed forces. Thousands killed, millions displaced over the next 26 years.
1991
LTTE Assassinates Rajiv Gandhi
Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi killed by an LTTE suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. India had earlier intervened to broker peace. LTTE designated a terrorist organisation by India, US, and EU.
2009
Civil War Ends
Sri Lankan military defeats LTTE in a final offensive. LTTE leader Prabhakaran killed. Civil war ends after 26 years. Estimated 70,000–100,000 dead. Country now rebuilding but Tamil political rights still contested.
The Chain of Majoritarianism:
Majority wins election → uses power for own community → discriminatory laws → minority alienated → political demands ignored → armed conflict → civil war → destruction for ALL.

Key insight: Majoritarianism harms not just the minority — it ultimately destroys the majority's own prosperity too.
🇧🇪 Belgium — Power Sharing Structure

🏛️ Central (Federal) Government

Has equal numbers of Dutch and French-speaking ministers by constitutional law. Neither community can dominate the other at the central level. Handles national defence, foreign affairs, finance.

↕

🗺️ Regional Governments

Flanders (Dutch, north), Wallonia (French, south), Brussels (bilingual). Each region has its own elected assembly and government. Handle: economic development, agriculture, trade.

👥 Community Governments

Elected by people of each linguistic community regardless of region. Dutch, French, and German communities. Handle: cultural affairs, education, language issues — not geography-based.

🏙️ Brussels (Special)

Capital city, bilingual. Has own separate government with equal representation of Dutch and French-speaking people — even though it lies within Flanders region.

Why is Belgium's model unique?
Most countries share power geographically (like India's states). Belgium also shares power by community — based on language — regardless of where you live. A Dutch-speaker in Brussels participates in the Dutch community government; a French-speaker there participates in the French community government.

This is called consociationalism — power sharing among distinct communities to prevent majority dominance.

Result: Belgium avoided the kind of ethnic conflict that tore apart Yugoslavia (which had a similar multi-ethnic problem and did NOT share power).
📅 Timeline of Belgian Constitutional Amendments (1970–1993)
1970
First Amendment — Equal Cabinet Representation
Constitution amended to require equal numbers of French and Dutch-speaking ministers in the central (federal) cabinet. PM is the only exception — (s)he need not be bilingual.
1980
Second Amendment — Regional Councils
Regional governments established for Flanders and Wallonia with their own directly elected councils and executives. Power devolved from centre to regions for economic and local matters.
1989
Third Amendment — Brussels Region
Brussels given its own regional government — with equal representation of both communities — making it neither simply Flemish nor Walloon. Brussels officially becomes the third region.
1993
Fourth Amendment — Federal Constitution
Belgium formally declared a federal state. Three levels clearly defined: federal, regional, community governments each with own powers and budgets. The transformation from unitary to federal state complete.
💡 Key Concepts & Definitions
Power Sharing
A system of distributing political power among different organs, levels, and communities so that no single person or group can monopolise power.
→ The very spirit of democracy; takes many different forms.
Majoritarianism
The belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whatever way it wants, disregarding the wishes and interests of the minority.
→ Sri Lanka's Sinhala-only policy is the classic example. Leads to alienation and conflict.
Ethnic Group
A social group with a common cultural tradition, history, language, or religion. The term refers to cultural identity, not race.
→ Flemish & Walloons (Belgium), Sinhala & Tamils (Sri Lanka), Pashtun & Hazara (Afghanistan).
Civil War
An armed conflict between the government and a group of its own citizens, or between two groups within a country over political power.
→ Sri Lanka civil war (1983–2009). LTTE vs Sri Lankan state. 70,000+ dead.
Prudential Reasons
Arguments based on practical wisdom and desirable outcomes — not on moral principles. Power sharing is prudent because it prevents conflict and promotes stability, even if one doesn't believe in it morally.
→ "Even the majority benefits from power sharing — civil war is costly for everyone."
Moral Reasons
Arguments based on principles of right and wrong. Power sharing is morally right because democracy means all people have an equal right to participate in governance, regardless of numbers.
→ "It is intrinsically wrong to exclude any citizen from political participation."
Coalition Government
A government formed by two or more political parties that agree to cooperate and share power — usually when no single party wins a majority. This is power sharing among political parties.
→ Most Indian governments since 1989 have been coalitions (NDA, UPA).
Federalism
A political system in which powers and functions are divided between the central government and constituent unit governments (states/provinces), each with its own jurisdiction.
→ India (centre + 28 states + 8 UTs), Belgium (federal + regional + community governments).
Decentralisation
The transfer of power and resources from the central/state government to local bodies (Panchayats, Municipalities) to bring governance closer to ordinary citizens.
→ India's 73rd & 74th Amendments (1992): Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies.
Checks & Balances
A system of horizontal power sharing where each organ of government (legislature, executive, judiciary) has the power to limit the actions of the other two.
→ Indian judiciary's power of judicial review; President cannot make laws; Parliament cannot deliver verdicts.
📝 Why Power Sharing is Desirable — Summary
🧠 Prudential Reasons
  • Reduces possibility of conflict
  • Maintains social peace & stability
  • Enables economic development
  • Majority also benefits from minority goodwill
  • Civil war is devastating for everyone
⚖️ Moral Reasons
  • Democracy = rule by ALL the people
  • Every citizen has right to participate
  • Respects dignity of all communities
  • Majoritarianism = tyranny = anti-democratic
  • Power sharing is the spirit of democracy