What is the Proportion of Tamil in Sri Lanka’s total population?
Sri Lanka has a diverse population. The proportion of Tamil in Sri Lanka’s total population is 18 per cent. The proportion of people speaking Sinhala is 74 per cent. Among Tamils, there are 2 subgroups:
a) The Tamil natives of the country called the Sri Lankan Tamils.
b) The Indian Tamils whose ancestors came to Sri Lanka in search of work during the colonial period.
What do you mean by checks and balances?
● The horizontal power of distribution is called the system of checks and balances.
● It is a means to allow different organs operating at the same level to have different powers.
● Each organ ‘checks’ the other by ensuring none of the other organs exercises unlimited.
● It helps to maintain a ‘balance’ of power.
● The ministers are responsible to the Parliament or state assemblies.
● Judges are also appointed to check the functioning of the departments or laws made by the legislature.
Define a coalition government.
● A coalition government is a cabinet in the parliament in which more than one political parties merge together.
● It helps to reduce the dominance of any one party.
● It is usually formed so that no single party on its own can have a majority in the parliament.
What is the advantage enjoyed by the Sinhala community in Sri Lanka?
● Sri Lanka has a diverse population. The proportion of Tamil in Sri Lanka’s total population is 18 per cent. The proportion of people speaking Sinhala is 74 per cent.
● In 1948, the leaders of the Sinhala community had established certain rules and regulation to establish dominance over Sri Lanka.
● An act was passed in 1956, that recognized Sinhala as the official language. This completely disregarded the Tamil language.
● According to the new constitution, Buddhism was to be promoted.
● Sinhala community was given preference in colleges, universities and employment sectors.
Thus, the Sinhala community enjoyed many advantages in Sri Lanka.
Describe the ways in which power can be shared among different social groups.
● Power can be shared among different social groups such as linguistic groups and religious groups.
● Another famous example is the community government in Belgium.
● A few countries have a system which ensures adequate representation of the weaker sections, backward sections and women.
● It gives these groups space within the administration of the government so that they do not feel alienated.
● It gives the minority communities a fair share of power.
Explain the way in which power sharing between different organs of the government results in the maintenance of Balance of Power.
● The power is shared among different organs of the government through the horizontal distribution of power arrangement.
● These organs are - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
● The legislature is responsible for making laws.
● The executive is responsible for executing these laws.
● Judiciary has the responsibility to provide justice to the people and settle disputes.
● In this system, different organs of the government who are operating at the same level are given different powers.
● This is called the separation of power.
● It keeps a check on the working of the different organs so that none of them exercises unlimited powers.
● It also promotes a balance of power in the government.
● So, this system is also called checks and balances.
Why was it felt earlier that undivided political power was better? What changed this notion and why?
For a long time, it was felt that political power must be concentrated in one person or a group of people only. This was due to the following reasons:
a) The decision making would be easier and quicker.
b) In some countries, the monarchy system was prevalent. So, they were in complete favour of undivided power.
However, all these notions soon changed. This change was brought about due to the following reasons:
a) In a democracy, people are the key to success.
b) All the people must have a voice in the forming of the decision-making process.
c) This helps to hold people accountable for their actions.
d) The base of democracy is a division of power.
e) This was called the modern technique of governance.
After reading the lesson, do you think power sharing is desirable in a democracy or any other form of government? List the values drawn from the above statements.
Power sharing is desirable in a democracy or any other form of government due to the following reasons:
a) Power sharing helps to reduce the conflicts and clashes between different ethnic groups living together in a society.
b) It helps to reduce the violence that arises when different linguistic groups.
c) It helps to bring about political, cultural, economic and social stability in the country.
d) The essence of democracy is the maximum involvement of people in the decision making so that they can have a voice in Parliament.
e) It helps to hold people accountable for their action.
So, it can be concluded that power sharing has many positive effects and must be incorporated in the different forms of government.