BELGIAN MODEL (accommodation of diversity): 1. The Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government; some special laws require the support of a majority of members from each linguistic group, so no single community can make decisions unilaterally. 2. Many powers of the Central Government have been given to the State Governments of the two regions of the country, and the State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government. 3. Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation, because the French-speaking people accepted equal representation there as the Dutch-speaking community had accepted equal representation at the Centre. 4. Apart from the Central and the State Governments, there is a third kind of government - the 'community government' - elected by people belonging to one language community (Dutch, French and German-speaking), no matter where they live; this government has power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues. 5. Result: Belgium avoided civic strife and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines, and Brussels was chosen as the headquarters of the European Union. SRI LANKAN MODEL (majoritarianism): 6. In 1956 an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil; the government followed preferential policies favouring Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. 7. A new Constitution stipulated that the State shall protect and foster Buddhism, and all governmental power was concentrated in the hands of the Sinhala community. 8. Result: The Sri Lankan Tamils felt alienated; their demands for recognition of Tamil as an official language, for regional autonomy and for equality of opportunity were repeatedly denied, leading to a violent civil war which continued till 2009 and caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural and economic life of the country. CONCLUSION: Belgium shows how power sharing among diverse groups keeps a country united, while Sri Lanka shows how the imposition of majority will destroys the unity of a nation.