Question

Consider the following statements about the power sharing arrangement in Belgium and Sri lanka and choose the correct option

a. In Belgium, the Dutch-speaking majority people tried to impose their domination on the minority French-speaking community.
b. In Sri Lanka, the policies of the government sought to ensure the dominance of Sinhala- speaking majority.
c. The Tamils in Sri Lanka demand a federal arrangement of power – sharing to protect their culture language and equal opportunity in education and jobs.
d. The transformation of Belgium from the unitary government to a federal one prevented a possible division of the country on linguistic lines.

A. a, b, c, & d
B. a, b, and d
C. c and d
D. b, c, and d

Answer 1

Hint:
Sri Lanka has a population that is diverse. Sinhala speakers (74 per cent) and Tamil speakers (18 per cent) are the main social groups.
- "The country's Tamil natives are called "Sri Lankan Tamils" (13 percent).
- The rest, whose forefathers came from India during the colonial era as plantation workers, are called 'Indian Tamils'.

Belgium’s ethnic make-up as a small country is complex.
- Fifty-nine percent of the population lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch.
- Another 40 percent live in the area of Wallonia and speak French.
- One percent of Belgians also speak German.

Complete solution:
Case of Belgium:

The ethnic make-up of this small country is complex.
Fifty-nine percent of the population lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch.
Another 40 percent live in the area of Wallonia and speak French.
One percent of Belgians also speak German.
In Brussels, the capital city, 80 percent speak French, while 20 percent speak Dutch.
The minority group of French-speaking people was relatively rich and powerful.
The Dutch-Speaking culture, which much later earned the advantage of economic growth and education, resented this.
This led to conflicts during the 1950s and 1960s between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking populations.
In Brussels, the friction between the two communities was very acute.
A special problem was posed by Brussels:
The Dutch-speaking population was a majority in the region, but a capital minority.
Belgium may have been split on a linguistic basis, but it was stopped by a transition in the form of government from unitary to federal. And thus the sharing of power allowed Belgium to be intact.


 Case of Sri lanka:

In 1948, Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country.
The Sinhala community leaders sought to protect
By virtue of their majority, domination over government.
As a result, a number of MAJORITARY steps were introduced by the democratically elected government to create Sinhala supremacy. The government's policies in Srianka ensured the supremacy of the Sinhala-speaking majority.

The Tamils of Sri Lanka have launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language, regional autonomy and equal opportunities for education and employment.
But their appeal for greater autonomy for the Tamil-populated provinces has been repeatedly refused.
In the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka, several political organisations were formed in the 1980s to demand an independent Tamil Eelam (state).
Tamils in Srilanka requested a federal power-sharing agreement to preserve their community, language and equal opportunities in education and employment.

Hence, the correct answer is option .

Note:
Federalism is a mixed or compound government mode that in a single political structure combines a general government (the central or federal government) with regional governments (provincial, state, cantonal, territorial or other sub-unit governments).

Majoritarianism: a conviction that by disregarding the interests and desires of the minority, the dominant party should be able to govern a country in whatever way it likes.