Power Sharing Part-1 Q1 - Define Power sharing.

(1 Mark) (Ans) Power Sharing: It is a strategy for resolving disputes over powerful positions in social or political hierarchy. It relies on the joint power of various social groups & given a permanent share in the government or society. Q2 - What is 'Majoritarianism'? Name the country which has lost its peace due to this. (1 Mark) (Ans) Majoritarianism: A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by diregarding the wishes and need of the minority. For eg. In Sri Lanka 74% of the Sinhala speaking community enjoy the preferential policies over the Tamilians which are only 18%. Q3 - Describe the ethnic composition of Belgium. (3 Marks) (Ans) Belgium is a small country in Europe which shares its border with Netherlands, France & Germany. Its ethnic composition is very complex. Of the country's total population, 59 percent lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language. Another 40 percent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French. Remaning 1 percent of the Belgians speak German. Q4 - Explain the reasons why democracy is known as 'a government by discussion'? (3 Marks) (Ans) Democracy is known as 'a government by discussion' due to following reasons: (i) Policy matters are decided after thorough discussion and in the absence of consensus, the majority view prevails. (ii) Majority view is respected and are given due consideration during discussion. (iii) Minority view is heard & not shut down by force. (iv) Every aspect of a policy or law is discussed before passing and executing it. Q5 - Explain breifly the concept of "Horizontal distribution of power. (3 Marks) (Ans) Distribution of power among different organs of the government is known as horizontal distribution of power. It allows different organs of government i.e. Legisalture, Executive and Judiciary, which are placed at the same level to exercise different powers. Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. Q6 - What is the basic principle of democracy? (1 Mark)

(Ans) People are the source of all powers. They rule themselves through the institution of self governance. They are the ones who shape the public policies. Q7 - What is a reserved constituency? (1 Mark) (Ans) Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In a SC reserved constituency, someone who belongs to the Scheduled Castes can stand for election. Similarly, only those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes can contest an election from a constituency reserved for ST.

Q8 - Who is the head of the Sri Lankan government? (1 Mark) (Ans) The President of Sri Lanka is the head of state, the commander in chief of the armed forces, as well as the head of government and is popularly elected for a term of sixyears. Q9 - State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power sharing with an example from the Indian context. (4 Marks) (Ans)

Indian is a country of diverse population where the society has caste system. Each caste has its own interests. Some are dominant classes and some are backward. So to avoid any possible social conflict and political instability, power sharing is must. This is called prudential approach. Similarly, from time immemorial, backward classes have been deprived of their political rights. They, however, form the majority population but have minimal participation in political activities. So they should be given ample chance to participate in the political process. This is called moral approach.
Q10 - What is the main objective of federal system? (1 Mark) (Ans) The main objectives of the federal system are to promote the unity of the country and to accommodate regional diversity. Q11 - Which country formed a Grand Coalition after the elections of 2005? (1 Mark) (Ans) The two historically rival parties in Germany, namely, the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party joined hands to form the Grand Coalition government due to the absence of clear majority after 2005 elections.