What lessons do we get from the experience of Belgium and Sri Lanka
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In Sri Lanka, the majority Sinhala speakers wanted to dominate the minority Tamil speakers. They recognized Sinhala as the only official language in the nation. Many policies favoured Sinhala speakers for getting government jobs and many advantages over tamil speakers. All these government measures increased the alienated feeling among the Sri Lankan Tamils. As the government denied them equal rights, the relations between Tamils and Sinhalas worsened. The demands of Tamils for equal rights and opportunities were repeatedly denied by the government. Many political leaders then started to demand for a independent area. Tamil Elam, for the Tamils. The tension between the two communities soon turned into a civil war and many people from both communities lost their lives. Here, Sri Lanka refuses to share power, and it eventually led to a disaster to the country. They wanted the majority community to dominate over the minority community.
The belgian leaders took another path. They recognized every community and gave them equal rights.
In Belgium the Dutch speaking community constituted a majority in the country and a minority in the capital. The minority French speaking community was very rich and held powers in the government. Later, when the Dutch became educated, they felt a need to hold equal power in the government. THis created tension between the two communities. Belgian government adopted a clever policy to accommodate both the communites in the country without any problems. The number of Dutch speaking people and French speaking people were equal in the central government, so that no group can take the decision unilaterally. They followed a federal system of government, ie, the state was not the sub ordinate of the central government. Brussels had a separate government. The French speaking community accepted equal representation because the dutch accepted it in the central government. The type of power sharing has led to a more stable and harmonious type of government in Belgium, unlike in Sri Lanka
The belgian leaders took another path. They recognized every community and gave them equal rights.
In Belgium the Dutch speaking community constituted a majority in the country and a minority in the capital. The minority French speaking community was very rich and held powers in the government. Later, when the Dutch became educated, they felt a need to hold equal power in the government. THis created tension between the two communities. Belgian government adopted a clever policy to accommodate both the communites in the country without any problems. The number of Dutch speaking people and French speaking people were equal in the central government, so that no group can take the decision unilaterally. They followed a federal system of government, ie, the state was not the sub ordinate of the central government. Brussels had a separate government. The French speaking community accepted equal representation because the dutch accepted it in the central government. The type of power sharing has led to a more stable and harmonious type of government in Belgium, unlike in Sri Lanka
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