Power sharing – When the power does not rest with any one organ of the state rather it is shared among legislature, executive and judiciary.
Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.
People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
A legitimate government is one where citizens acquire a stake in the system; through participation.
Need of Power Sharing:
Power sharing helps in reducing the conflict between various social groups.
Hence, power sharing is necessary for maintaining social harmony and peace.
Power sharing helps in avoiding the tyranny of majority.
The tyranny of majority not only destroys the minority social groups but also the majority social group. People’s voice forms the basis of a democratic government.
Hence, power sharing is essential to respect the spirit of democracy.
Avoiding conflict in society and preventing majority tyranny are considered as prudential reasons for power sharing.
Maintaining the spirit of democracy is considered as the moral reason for power sharing.
Belgium:
Belgium is a small country in Europe, smaller in area than the state of Haryana.
It has borders with France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg.
In 1830, Belgium declared its independence from Netherlands.
It has a population of a little over one crore, about half the population of Haryana.
The Ethnic composition is very complex.
Of the country’s total population, 59 per cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language. Another 40 per cent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French.
Remaining one per cent of the Belgians speak German.
In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent people speak French while 20 per cent are Dutch-speaking.
Ethnic – A social division based on shared culture is called ethnic.
People belonging to the same ethnic group believe in their common descent because of similarities of physical type or of culture or both.
They need not always have the same religion or nationality.
Problems:
The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful.
This was resented by the Dutch-speaking community who got the benefit of economic development and education much later.
This led to tensions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s.
Brussels presented a special problem: the Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital.
Accommodation in Belgium:
The Belgian leaders recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities.
Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.
Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government.
Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group.
Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country.
The state governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation
Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government.
This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community.
Dutch, French and German-speaking no matter where they live.
This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues.
Community government – A government in which social groups are given the power to handle the affairs related to their communities is called community government.
Outcomes:
These arrangements have worked well so far.
They helped to avoid civic strife between the two major communities and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines.
When many countries of Europe came together to form the European Union, Brussels was chosen as its headquarters.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948.
Sri Lanka is an island nation, just a few kilometres off the southern coast of Tamil Nadu.
It has about two crore people, about the same as in Haryana.
Sri Lanka has a diverse population.
The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 per cent).
Among Tamils there are two subgroups.
Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 per cent).
The rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period, are called ‘Indian Tamils’.
Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the north and east of the country.
Most of the Sinhala speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.
There are about 7 per cent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.
The democratically elected government adopted a series of Majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.
Majoritarianism:
A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.
Majoritarian measures:
In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.
The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
What Sri Lankan Tamils felt:
They felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language and culture.
They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.
As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time.
Steps taken by Sri Lankan Tamils:
The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.
By 1980s several political organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka
Outcome:
The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict.
It soon turned into a Civil war.
As a result thousands of people of both the communities have been killed.
Many families were forced to leave the country as refugees and many more lost their livelihoods.
The civil war has caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural and economic life of the country. It ended in 2009
Civil war – A violent conflict between opposing groups within a country that becomes so intense that it appears like a war is called civil war.
Why power sharing is desirable?
Prudential reason:
Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
Power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
Imposing the will of majority community over others may look like an attractive option in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation.
Tyranny of the majority is not just oppressive for the minority, it often brings ruin to the majority as well.
Prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes.
Moral Reasons:
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.
Moral reasons emphasise the very act of power sharing as valuable.
Prudential:
Based on prudence, or on careful calculation of gains and losses.
Prudential decisions are usually contrasted with decisions based purely on moral considerations.
Why power sharing?
Power sharing is must in Democracy – For a long time it was believed that all power of a government must reside in one person or group of persons located at one place.
It was felt that if the power to decide is dispersed, it would not be possible to take quick decisions and to enforce them.
But these notions have changed with the emergence of democracy.
One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power.
In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self governance.
In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society.
Everyone has a voice in the shaping of public policies.
Therefore, it follows that in a democracy political power should be distributed among as many citizens as possible.
Forms of power sharing:
Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary:
It is also termed as horizontal distribution of power as it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.
Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power.
Each organ checks the others.
This results in a balance of power among various institutions.
This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.
Power can be shared among governments at different levels:
A general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level.
Such a general government for the entire country is usually called federal government.
The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries.
In India, we call them state governments.
Vertical power sharing in India
- Central government
- State government
- Local government
Federal government – A general government where power is shared by different levels of government is called Federal government.
Federal division of power – The constitution clearly lays down the powers of different levels of government. This is called federal division of power.
The same principle can be extended to levels of government lower than the State government, such as the municipality and panchayat.
This division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government is also termed as vertical division of power.
Power Sharing Among Social Groups:
Power may also be shared among different social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups.
In some countries, there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.
This type of arrangement is meant to give space in the government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise would feel alienated from the government.
This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in power.
Power Sharing Among Various Pressure Groups:
Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure groups and movements control or influence those in power.
Electoral competition among different parties ensures that power does not remain in one hand.
In the long run, power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups.
Sometimes this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or more parties form an alliance to contest elections.
If their alliance is elected, they form a coalition government and thus share power.
Interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers also have a share in governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision-making process.
