how have belgium and sri lanka dealt with the question of power sharing differently
Answers
Belgium solved the problem peacefully but Sri Lanka suffered a civil war
In Belgium, existence of regional differences and cultural diversity is recognised by the leaders. The Belgian constitution was amended 4 times to accommodate a proper arrangement of power sharing. Equal representation was given to the Dutch and French speaking communities in the central government. Powers of the central government were shared with the state government. Community government was introduced to take decisions on culture, education and language-related issues.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka adopted majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala dominance. Sinhala was declared official language disregarding Tamil. Sinhalas were preferred for university positions and government jobs. Buddhism was made the state religion. Sri Lankan Tamils were denied and equal political rights, discriminated against in the matter of jobs. This led to stained relations between the Sinhala and Tamil community resulting in the civil war.