Question

Make a comparative study of Belgium and Sri Lanka including ethnic composition and types of government

Answer 1

Answer:

Belgium is a European country with a population of a little over one crore. In this country, the ethnic composition is complex. Of the total population, 59 percent lives in the Flemish region and speaks the Dutch language. Another 40 percent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French. Remaining one percent of the Belgians speak German.

In the capital city, Brussels, 80 percent people speak French while 20 percent are Dutch speaking. The French-speaking minority community was relatively rich and powerful. This made the Dutch-speaking community angry. From the 1950s to 1960s, there were tensions between the two communities because of these differences.

The Story of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is located south of India. This island nation has a diverse population of two crore people. In Sri Lanka, the major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 percent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 percent). Tamils in Sri Lanka were divided into two groups:

Sri Lankan Tamils (13 percent) – Tamil natives of the country

Indian Tamils (5 percent) – came from India during the colonial period as plantation workers

Sinhala-speaking people are mainly Buddhists while the Tamil speaking people were either Hindus or Muslims. There was even 7 percent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhal

Explanation:

n Sri Lanka, the democratically elected government opted for a series of Majoritarian policy measures because they desired Sinhala supremacy. Some of the measures taken were:

Sinhala was the only official language.

The governments followed preferential policies and Sinhala applicants.

This made the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated. As a result of this, the Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and began struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language. By the 1980s several political organisations were formed. They demanded for an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. All this soon turned into a Civil War, thereby, causing distress in the nation.

Accommodation in Belgium

From 1970 to 1993, the constitution of Belgian was amended four times. The idea was to work out an arrangement that would make everyone to live together. Key elements of the Belgian model are: