[Music] power sharing this chapter talks about democracy and how power is shared among the government branches in this lesson we study the political situations of Belgium and Sri Lanka to understand why power sharing is important we also learn about different ways of power sharing first let let us see the situation in Belgium Belgium is a small country in Europe it is smaller than the state of harana in India it shares border with France the Netherlands Germany and Luxembourg Belgium's population is a little over 1 CR that is about half the population of harana 59% of people live in the flamish region and speak Dutch 40% live in the valonia regian and they speak French only 1% of belgians speak German in the capital city Brussels 80% of people speak French and only 20% speak Dutch the French speaking Community was wealthier and more powerful the Dutch speaking people were upset because they had to wait long longer to get good jobs and education While others got these benefits earlier so this made them feel left out or treated unfairly the 1950s and 1960s saw tensions between Dutch and french-speaking communities the problem was more serious in Brussels where Dutch speakers were a majority in the country but a minority in the capital this complex ethnic mix and imbalance of power led to conflicts in Belgium during that time now let us look at the case of Sri Lanka population and diversity Sri Lanka is an island nation near the southern coast of Tamil Nadu India its population is about 2 CR which is similar to harana there are two major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka sinhala speakers Tamil speakers sinhala speakers speakers are about 74% they are the majority and Tamil speakers are 18% which are minority again in the Tamil speakers Sri Lankan tamils are 133% which are native tamils living in the north and east and Indian tamils who came from India during colonial times as Plantation workers let us see the religious diversity in Sri Lanka most sinhala people are Buddhists most tamils are Hindus or Muslims about 7% are Christians from both sinhala and Tamil groups now what could be the potential conflicts in both countries in case of Belgium the Dutch speakers which are the majority they could dominate French and German speakers leading to conflict among communities possible partition of the country bruels becoming a disputed area whereas in Sri Lanka the sinhala majority had an even bigger share of the population and could impose its will on tamils and minorities create deeper conflicts in the country now let us see what actually happened Belgium and Sri Lanka handled their diversities and conflicts in different ways let us explore how these countries addressed their challenges majoritarianism in Sri Lanka let us see the steps that led to the conflict in Sri Lanka Independence Sri Lanka became independent in 1948 sinhala leaders being the majority wanted to dominate the government majoritarian measures in 1956 an Act was passed to make sinhala the only official language ignoring Tamil preferential policies were introduced to favor sinhala applicants for un University Admissions and government jobs the new constitution declared the state would protect and promote Buddhism let us see how it impacted the tamils the Sri Lankan tamils felt alienated because these policies disregard their language and culture denied them from equal political rights and fair opportunities in education and jobs and ignored their interests completely now see how did tamil's respond to these actions Tamil parties and groups demanded recognition of Tamil as an official language Regional autonomy for Tamil majority areas and equality of opportunity in education and jobs then what was the government reaction these demands were repeatedly denied leading to frustration among tamils by the 1980s Tamil political organizations began demanding an independent Tamil ilam means a separate state in the north and east of Sri Lanka what caused civil war in Sri Lanka and what were its effects distrust between the sinhala and Tamil communities turned into a civil war thousands of people from both sides were killed many families became refugees leaving the country many lost their livelihoods causing severe suffering this Civil War caused a setback to Sri Lanka's social and cultural life it also hampered Sri Lanka's Economic Development when was the Civil War ended in Sri Lanka the Civil War was finally ended in 2009 but the damages were long-lasting now let us see what happened in Belgium accommodation in Belgium let us see the steps taken by Belgium the first one acknowledging diversity Belgian leaders recognized Regional differences and cultural diversity they amended their constitution four times between 1970 and 1993 to ensure peaceful coexistence let us see the key features of the Belgian model equal representation in central government Dutch and French speaking ministers must be equal in number special the laws require approval from a majority in both language groups so no single Community can dominate state governments with power many powers of the central government were given to state governments these state governments are not subordinate to the central government brussel's special government Brussels the capital has a separate government with equal representation for both communities the french- speaking people agreed to this because the Dutch speaking people accepted equal representation at the national level Community government a third level of government represents language communities Dutch French and German the government manages cultural educational and language issues is Belgian model successful yes even though the model is complex it prevented conflicts and kept the country United bruels became the headquarters of the European Union symbolizing Belgium's success in unity what do we understand by the comparison of Belgium and Sri Lanka Belgium shows that respecting diversity and sharing power is key to Unity by making mutually acceptable Arrangements Belgium avoided conflict and division Sri Lanka highlights the dangers of majority Domin refusing to share power undermined Unity leading to Civil War and suffering by this we conclude that democracy works best when all communities feel respected and included power sharing strengthens Unity while Domination by one group creates division why power sharing is desirable two reasons for power sharing one Prudential reasons and two moral reasons Prudential reasons means practical benefits power sharing reduces conflict between social groups social conflicts often lead to violence and political instability sharing power ensures a more stable political system tyranny of the majority means when the majority forces its will on minorities is harmful not just for minorities but also for the majority moral reasons we which are also called Democratic principles power sharing reflects the spirit of democracy democracy means sharing power with those who are affected by its decisions people have a right to be consulted about how they are governed a legitimate government is one where citizens participate and feel they have a stake in the system forms of power sharing horizontal distribution of power power is shared among on different organs of government that is legislature executive Judiciary each organ checks the power of the others creating a system of checks and balances example judges can review laws made by the legislature and ministers are answerable to the parliament two vertical division of power power is shared across different levels of government central government for the whole country state governments for regions local governments like municipalities and pches for smaller areas this system is called Federal division of power power sharing among social groups power is shared with social groups like minorities religious groups and women to prevent alienation examples Community government in Belgium reserved seats for scheduled casts scheduled tribes and women in India sharing among political parties and pressure groups political parties share Power by competing in elections forming Coalition or alliances pressure groups example Farmers business groups influence decisions through participation or lobbying this ensures power is not concentrated in one party or group what are the three main benefits of power sharing one prevent domination no single person or group can dominate others two respects diversity gives a voice to different communities regions and social groups three strengthens democracy sharing power ensures fairness representation and stability so Belgium successfully divided power among regions communities and government levels whereas Sri Lanka refused power sharing leading to Civil War and instability so by this lesson we understand that power sharing is the backbone of a good democracy it creates balance avoids conflicts and strengthens National Unity thanks for watching please like the video please 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