Question

Read the given text and answer the following questions:

Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority. As a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of MAJORITARIAN measures to establish Sinhala supremacy. Over the years, it created feelings of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders was sensitive to their language and culture. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time. On the other hand, the Belgian leaders took a different path. They recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities. Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.

1. State any two demands of Tamils in Sri Lanka.  (1)
2. State the results of the Majoritarian Government in Sri Lanka.  (1)
3. Explain any two provisions of the Belgian model of power sharing.  (2)

Answer 1

1. 1. Recognition of Tamil as an official language.
   2. Equal rights and opportunities in education and jobs.
2. The majoritarian government in Sri Lanka created a distrust between Tamil and Sinhala communities, which resulted in civil war. As a result, thousands of people of both communities were killed, and many families were forced to leave the country as refugees.
3. 1. The Constitution prescribed that the number of Dutch and French ministers speaking any two languages shall be equal in the central government. A majority of members from each linguistic group are required to support certain special laws. Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally. 
   2. Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. The Central Government does not subordinate the state governments.