Power Sharing

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Belgium, unlike Sri Lanka, has taken a totally different stand. It amended the Constitution to accommodate every ethnic community, with the result that it did not suffer from a civil war, demands for autonomy or partition of the country.

Belgian Model:

1. Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government.
2. Many powers of the central government have been given to states government of the two of the regions of the country.
3. Brussels has separated government in which both the communities have equal representation.
4. Apart from the central and state government, there is a third kind of government. This is community government.

In Belgium, the leaders have realized that the unity of the country is possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions. Sri Lanka shows us a contrasting example. It shows us that if a majority community wants to force its dominance over others and refuses to share power, it can undermine the unity of the country.

Power sharing is a must in a democracy. There are two sets of reasons (Prudential + Moral) which make power-sharing desirable.

PRUDENTIAL:

1. Reduces the possibility of conflicts between different social groups. Social conflicts lead to violence, political instability.
2. Prevents groups from overstepping their rights to enhance their own power.
3. No single group can subvert the constitution, power-sharing unites the nation.
4. When power is not shared, it oppresses the minority and even the majority is ruined.

MORAL:

1. The spirit of democracy calls for power sharing.
2. People who are affected by the policies must have a hand in shaping those policies.
3. Citizen's participation is a must.
4. Moral reasons make power-sharing essential and valuable.