What is power sharing?
Power means the right to take decisions for others. Power sharing means this right is spread among many people and groups. No one person or group gets all of it.
A democracy is a rule of the people. So power has to be shared among the people and the bodies they choose.
The story of Belgium
Belgium is a small country in Europe. About 59% of people speak Dutch. About 40% speak French. About 1% speak German. In the capital, Brussels, French speakers are the majority.
The French-speaking group was richer and more powerful in the past. Dutch speakers got economic growth and education later and felt angry. There was tension in the 1950s and 1960s.
How Belgium shared power (accommodation)
- The central government has an equal number of Dutch- and French-speaking ministers. Some laws need the support of most members of each group.
- Many powers were given to the state governments of the two regions. They are not below the central government.
- Brussels has its own government where both groups have equal share.
- A community government is elected by people of one language group. It decides on culture, education and language, wherever those people live.
The arrangement is complicated, but it worked. Belgium avoided a civil war and stayed one country.
The story of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an island nation. About 74% of people speak Sinhala and about 18% speak Tamil. Most Sinhala speakers are Buddhist; most Tamils are Hindu or Muslim. There are also Christians in both groups.
Majoritarianism
Majoritarianism means the majority group thinks it can rule the country any way it likes, without caring about smaller groups.
- An Act of 1956 made Sinhala the only official language.
- Governments favoured Sinhala speakers for university places and government jobs.
- The Constitution said the state would protect and foster Buddhism.
Tamils felt their language and culture were ignored. They asked for Tamil as an official language, fair jobs and more power for their regions. When this was refused, distrust grew. By the 1980s it became a long civil war that ended in 2009, with thousands of lives lost.
Why is power sharing good?
There are two kinds of reasons.
- Prudential reason (prudent = wise about results): sharing power reduces conflict between social groups and keeps the country stable. Belgium shows this.
- Moral reason (about what is right): people have a right to be asked about how they are governed. Sharing power is the very spirit of democracy.
Forms of power sharing
1. Among organs of government (horizontal)
The legislature makes laws, the executive runs the government and the judiciary settles disputes. They are at the same level and keep a check on each other. This is called a system of checks and balances.
2. Among governments at different levels (vertical)
There is a government for the whole country (Union), for each state, and for villages and cities (local). India divides power among these levels.
3. Among social groups
Religious and language groups get a share. Belgium's community government is one example. In India, seats reserved for weaker sections also share power.
4. Among parties, pressure groups and movements
Parties compete in elections, so power keeps changing hands. Sometimes parties form an alliance and share power. Pressure groups of traders, farmers or workers also influence decisions.
Key formulas and definitions
- Power sharing: spreading the power to decide among many people, groups and bodies.
- Majoritarianism: the majority rules as it likes and ignores the needs of minorities.
- Accommodation: making room for every group's needs (Belgium's way).
- Horizontal sharing: among legislature, executive and judiciary at one level (checks and balances).
- Vertical sharing: among Union, State and Local governments.
- Prudential reason = sharing avoids conflict; Moral reason = sharing is the spirit of democracy.
- Civil war: violent conflict between groups inside one country.
Worked examples
1. Why did Belgium give equal seats to Dutch and French ministers even though Dutch speakers are more?
If seats followed numbers only, the French speakers would always lose and feel unsafe. Equal seats gave both groups trust. Trust kept the country together.
2. Name one law in Sri Lanka that showed majoritarianism.
The 1956 Act that made Sinhala the only official language. It ignored the Tamil language of about 18% of people.
3. A court cancels a law made by Parliament. Which form of power sharing is this?
Horizontal power sharing. The judiciary (one organ) checks the legislature (another organ) at the same level.
4. A village panchayat decides where to build a well. Which form is this?
Vertical power sharing. The local level of government uses its own share of power.
5. Give one prudential and one moral reason for power sharing.
Prudential: it reduces conflict between groups (Belgium avoided a civil war). Moral: people have a right to have a say in how they are ruled.
Common mistakes
- Thinking French speakers were the majority in Belgium. They are the majority only in Brussels; Dutch speakers are the majority in the country.
- Thinking the community government is a regional state government. It is elected by one language group and handles culture, education and language.
- Calling horizontal sharing 'Union-State-Local'. That is vertical sharing; horizontal is among legislature, executive and judiciary.
- Believing power sharing makes a country weak. Belgium and India show it makes a country more stable.