Power Sharing

Rinkal Rudrawad

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Power sharing is a system under which all the major segments of the society are provided with a permanent share of power in the governance of the country. It involves a wide array of political arrangements – usually embodied in constitutional terms – in which the principal elements of society are guaranteed a place and influence, in governance. It relies on joint exercise of power where all principal groups are given a permanent share in the governance. It is a system for the governance of both democratic and federative states. This system was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the uncodified Constitution of the Roman Republic. The doctrine of separation of powers has emerged in several forms at different periods.

POWER SHARING

Its origin is traceable to Plato and Aristotle. In the 16th and 17th centuries, French philosopher John Bodin and British politician Locke expressed their views about the theory of separation of powers. But it was Montesquieu who for the first time formulated this doctrine systematically, scientifically and clearly in his book ‘Esprit des Lois’ (The Spirit of the Laws), published in the year 1748.

Ethnic: A social division based on shared culture. Mostly people belonging to the same ethnic group believe in their common descent because they have similarities of physical type or culture or both. They may not have the same religion or nationality, e.g., French speaking, Dutch speaking, Sinhala speaking, etc. Majoritarianism: A concept which signifies a belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants is known as Majoritarianism. In this type of rule they disregard the wishes and needs of the minority. Community Government: A type of Government which is elected by people belonging to one language community is called community government. Dutch, French and German speaking no matter where they live. This is a very specific type of government in Belgium.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Civil War: A violent conflict between opposing groups within a country is known as civil war. Sometimes it becomes so intense that it appears like a war. Reserved Constituencies: It is a system in which constituencies are reserved in the Assemblies and the Parliament for minorities in order to give them a fair share in power. Coalition government: when the alliance of two or more parties gets elected and forms a government it is known as the Coalition Government. This is another form of power sharing.

Prudential: It is a set of reason which favors power sharing. It is based on prudence, or on careful calculation of gains and losses. Prudential reasons stress beneficial consequences.

 

Checks and Balances: A system in which each organ of the government checks the others which results in a balance of power among various institutions. It ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Vertical Division of power: It is a type of distribution of power which involves the higher and lower levels of government such as central, provincial and regional levels. 

Power Sharing in India

The idea of power sharing has immersed in opposition to the notions of undivided power.It was believed from a long time 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 source of all political power. In a democracy all power does not rest with a particular person or institution. People rule themselves through the institutions of self governance.In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society

POWER SHARING IN INDIA

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. India is a democratic country. People of India elect their representative through direct franchise. After that, people’s representatives elect the government to make or amend rules & regulations and to carry out day to day functioning of governance.Thus India being a democracy presents a good example of power sharing.

•In modern democracies, power sharing arrangements can take many forms.

•Some of the most common arrangements are:1. Power sharing among different organs of government

2. Power sharing among governments at different levels

3. Power Sharing Among Social Groups

4. Power Sharing Among Various political parties, Pressure Groups and movement

Types of power sharing

POWER SHARING AMONG DIFFERENT ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT This is when the different departments of a government share the power equally.

The main three departments of Indian democratic government, that share the powers of a country are the executive department, the legislative department and the judiciary arm.

These three arms of government have equal say in the running of the country and they generally work hand in hand, to make certain that each is running correctly, and fairly.

This is known as horizontal distribution of power because it allows different organs of government placed at same level to exercise different powers.

POWER SHARING AMONG GOVERNMENTS AT DIFFERENT LEVELSPower 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. In India, we refer to it as the Central or Union Government. The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries. In India, we call them State Governments. Higher levels of government will have more say than the lower levels.

The President will take advice from those beneath him, but ultimately the final decision, on any subjects related to the government, is down to him.

The lower level organizations work under the higher level organizations and are instructed what to do, to achieve the fair and correct running of the countryThis system is not followed in all countries.There are many countries where there are no provincial or state governments.But in those countries like ours, where there are different levels of government, 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 governments lower than the State governments, such as the municipality and panchayat.This type of division of powers involving higher and lower levels of governments is called vertical division of power.

POWER SHARING AMONG VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES, PRESSURE GROUPS AND MOVEMENTS

Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure groups and movements control or influence those in power.In a democracy, the citizens must have freedom to choose among various contenders for power.In contemporary democracies, this takes the form of competition among different parties.Such competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand. In long run power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups.

With the emergence of coalition government many parties share power at the same time. Some political parties of India are Indian National congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP), Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M), Communist Party of India(CPI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).In a democracy we find interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers.

Pressure groups and movements have share in power by exerting pressure on the government.These organizations are formed when people with common occupation, interest, aspirations or opinions come to together in order to achieve a common objective. But unlike political parties, pressure groups do not aim to directly control or share political power. It attempts to influence politics rather than directly take part in electoral competition. Some of the popular people’s movements in India are: Narmada Bachao Andolan, movement for right to information, Anti-liquor movement, Women’s movement, Environmental movement.Major movements in India depend much more on spontaneous mass participationThey exert pressure by various means and get policies framed in their favor.

POWER SHARING AMONG SOCIAL GROUPSPower is also 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.

In our country arrangements such as ‘reserved constituencies’ in assemblies is meant 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 helps in reducing the conflict between various social groups. Hence, it 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.•Power sharing helps to keep a country united. •Power sharing is the very essence of democracy. In an ideal democracy as many people as possible should get a chance to enjoy power.•People are affected by all the policies of democratic politics and they have to live with the effects. Hence citizens need share in power.•Avoiding conflict in society and preventing tyranny are considered as prudential reasons for power sharing. Maintaining the spirit of democracy is considered as the moral reason for power sharing.

Need for Power Sharing

POWER SHARING IN BELGUIM AND

SRI LANKA

Belgium in Europe, is bordered by France, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. The population of Belgium is little over one crore.

This country has a very complex ethnic composition. •59 per cent of the total population lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language.•40 per cent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French language.•The remaining speaks German.

In the capital city, Brussels…•80 per cent people speak French.•20 per cent are Dutch-speaking.

SIZE AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION

BELGIUM

Brussels – Capital Region

Wallonia – (French

speaking 40%)

Flemish – (Dutch

speaking 59%)

German speaking

1%

REASONS FOR TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITIES

The minority French-speaking community were rich and powerful.

The majority Dutch-speaking community who got the benefit of economic development much later, resented it. Due to this a number of tensions arose between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s.Brussels being the capital faced the tensions more.There was a special problem there.The Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital.

Sri Lanka is an island nation, in the Indian ocean near the southern tip of India. It’s population is about 2 crore. The population of Sri Lanka is diverse.•74 per cent are Sinhala speakers•18 per cent are Tamil speakersAmong Tamils there are two sub-groups ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’Who constitute 13 per cent of the population are the Tamil natives of country. ‘Indian Tamils‘Are the rest whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period. Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the north and east of the country.While most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims, most of the Sinhala speaking people follow Buddhism. There are both Tamil and Sinhala who make 7 per cent, and they follow Christianity.

SIZE AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION

SRI LANKA

Sri Lankan Tamils –

Occupy North & East–

Hindus & Muslims

Sinhalese – 74% -

Buddhist –

Indian Tamils – Hindus & Muslims

Muslims – 1%

Tamils – 18%

7% - Christian

Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka became an independent nation in 1948. Because of their majority, the leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure the dominance over the government.

As a result, Sinhala supremacy was established by the democratically elected government by adopting a series of majoritarian measures.

Disregarding Tamil, an act was passed in 1956, to recognize Sinhala as the only official languageUniversity positions and government jobs favored Sinhala applicantsA new constitution was stipulated to protect and spread Buddhism

An increase in the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan developed as these government measures came gradually.

The Tamils felt that they were discriminated and were denied equal opportunities.

They thought that even the constitution was against them.

As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time.

EFFECT ON TAMILS

Many parties and struggles were launched by Sri Lankan Tamils for the recognition of Tamil as an official language and for regional autonomy and for the equality of the opportunity in securing education and jobs. But their demand was denied repeatedly.By 1980s many political organizations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.The distrust between the two communities turned into a widespread conflict and soon turned into civil war.As a result thousands of people of both the communities were 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 social, cultural and economic life of the country.

Situations in Belgian and Sri Lanka could create problems.

In Belgian, the Dutch community could take advantage of its numeric majority and force its will on the French and German speaking population. This would aggravate the conflict among the communities further and may lead to partition of the country with both sides claiming control over Brussels.

In Sri Lanka, the Sinhala community could impose its will on the entire country since it enjoyed an even bigger majority.

PROBLEMS IN CASES OF BOTH THE COUNTRIES

•Recognized the existence of regional differences & cultural diversities. •Amended their constitution four times to allow everyone to live together. Equal number of Ministers from Dutch and French speaking areas in the Central Government.•No single community can make decisions unilaterally •Transfer of power from the centre to the state. State govt. will not be a subordinate to the centre.•Separate government in Brussels with equal representation for the French and the Dutch.•Formation of Community Government elected by the people belonging to one language community Dutch, French and German wherever they live. This has power regarding Culture, education and language related issues.

ACCOMMODATION IN BELGIUM

ADVANTAGES OF THE BELGIAN MODEL

Though complex, the model has worked well so far.

It has avoided civic strife between the two communities.

The European Union chose to have its parliament at Brussels as Power Sharing was practiced successfully.

BELGIUM & SRI LANKA

Similarities: Both are democracies.Differences: Power sharing arrangement is

different.What is unique about Belgium?Leaders have realized that unity of the country

is possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions.

What was the drawback in the system followed by Sri Lanka?

Dominance of majority community - Sinhalese by refusing to share power with Tamils resulting in disunity.

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