Notes on Power Sharing | Q&A | Class 10

Question Answers of Power Sharing

Concepts of the lesson –
Power sharing is a strategy for resolving dispute over who should have the most powerful position in the social hierarchy, instead of fighting over who should have power over whom. Power sharing relies upon the joint exercise of power. Let us understand this through examples of two democracies- Belgium and Sri Lanka. It is Accommodation in Belgium and Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka.

Power sharing in Belgium and Sri Lanka-
Different and more than one community in both countries

Why power sharing is Desirable?
1. To reduce conflict.
2. Stability

Notes on Power Sharing

3. Unity of the nation
4. For success of democracy
5. Prudential and Moral reasons

Forms of Power sharing-
(1) Sharing of power between different organs of govt.
2. Sharing of power among govt at different levels.
3. Sharing of power among different social groups.
4. Sharing of power by political parties and pressure groups.

Short Answer questions of Power Sharing

Q.1: What was a community government?
Answer: It was elected by the people belonging to language community – Dutch French and German speaking no matter where they live. It deals with cultural, educational and language related issues.

Q.2: What were the political problems faced by Belgium?
Answer: Problems of ethnic composition-
1. 50% Dutch speaking, 40% French speaking, 1% German speaking
2. But in its capital- 80% French speaking, 20% Dutch speaking
3. French community was rich and powerful

Q.3: Explain the ethnic problem of Srilanka
Answer:
1) In Sri Lanka there are two main communities Sinhala and Tamil.
2) Among Tamils the Tamil natives who are called, Srilankan Tamils and the Indian Tamils whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during the colonial period.
3) Most of the Sinhalas are Buddhist and Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.
So in Sri Lanka the problem was who is going to hold power and enjoy the economic benefits.

Q.4: What are the accommodation for Central government and capital Brussels government in Belgian Model?
Answer:
A. Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-Speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government. Some special laws require members from each linguistic group.
Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally.
B. Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The French speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels as Dutch is accepted in the Central government.

Q.5: Explain in brief two reasons in favor of power sharing.
Or
“While prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes, moral reasons emphasize the very act of power sharing as valuable.” Explain.
Answer:
A. Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of social conflict between social groups. Since social groups often lead to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
B. Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

Long Answers questions of Power Sharing

Q.1: How Belgian government solved its ethnic Problem?
Answer: The Path of accommodation adopted in Belgium.
1) Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the central govt.
2) Many Powers of the central government have been given to state governments. The state governments are not subordinate to the central govt.
3) Brussels has a separate govt in which both the communities have equal representation.
4) There is a third kind of government called community government elected by the people belonging to Dutch, French and German, no matter where they live.

Q.2: What is majoritarianism? How it has led to alienation of majority community in Sri Lanka?
Answer: The dominance of majority community to rule the country in whichever way it wants totally disregarding the wishes and needs of minority community is known as majoritarianism.
1) In Sri Lanka mainly there are two communities- Sinhala and Tamils. The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over the government by virtue of their majority. Sinhala has been recognized as the official language of the country by disregarding Tamils.
2) Government followed a preferential policy favoring Sinhalas in university portions and government jobs.
3) The government encouraged and protected Buddhism.
The distrust has turned into a civil war that has caused a set back to social cultural and economic life of Sri Lanka.

Q.3: What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies? Give an example of each of these?
Answer:
1. Power is shared among different organs of the government as legislature, executive and judiciary.
Legislature: The legislature is concerned with passing the laws, controlling the finance of the state and deliberating on matters of public importance.
Executive: The executive machinery implements the policies of the government and executes the laws made by the legislative bodies.
Judiciary: The judiciary is concerned with the interpretation of the laws and has the power to punish those who commit crimes or break the laws. Since no particular organ enjoys unlimited power in its area, it acts in-built checks and balances in the system. Since all the organs are at the same level to exercise different powers, it is also called horizontal distribution of power.
Example: The constitution of India divides powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary.
2. Power is shared among governments at different levels such as between one federal or general government for the entire country and various regional or state governments at the sub-national level.
Its aim is to reconcile national unity, interests and power with states rights and interests. The powers and rights are various levels of the country are clearly specified to avoid clashes and conflicts. This is called federal division of power and the divisions relating to higher and lower levels of the government are called vertical division of power.
Example: Indian constitution establishes a dual polity in which the powers are divided between the union and the state governments.
3. Power is shared among various social groups which can be based on religious or linguistic lines.
Community government as followed in Belgium falls into the category where all the major communities get power relating to their social matters. Also in some countries legal laws are made to represent the socially weaker sections in the legislature to ensure broad-based decision making.
Example: Community government style as followed in Belgium.
4. Power is shared among various political parties so that there is competition among them to gain majority in the parliament. The multi-party system provides enough option for the voters to choose from and also keeps the ruling party under pressure to perform better and deliver to win majority in the future, sometimes several parties join together to prove their majority and thus, form a coalition government.
Example: The multi-party system as followed in India where there are national and regional parties.
Denmark also has about a dozen parties and the government is always by party coalitions.

Q.4: What is majoritarianism? What’s wrong with a majority rule?
Answer: Majoritarianism is a political philosophy which asserts the majority of the population (majority by language, religion or any other identifying factor) has. It often results in preferential Policies being followed, favoring the majority group in university positions and government jobs and other opportunities and interests, thus denying the minority equal rights and opportunities.
Advocates of majoritarianism argue that majority decision making is intrinsically democratic and that any restriction on majority decision making is intrinsically undemocratic. The only restriction acceptable in majoritarianism at present is that the present majority, denying the minority group equal representation in the governance and equal political rights. This results in tyranny of the majority which breeds the feeling of alienation among the minority group. Also the insensitivity to their language and culture and ignorance of their interests results in feeling of resentment and conflicts (often violent) among the groups which causes political instability and tensions in the country.