Q1. What is meant by system of checks and balances?
Q2. What is federal division of power?
Q3. What were the demands of Sri Lankan Tamils?
Answer (2)
The system of checks and balances prevents any one government branch from becoming too powerful by allowing each to limit the others. The federal division of power delineates responsibilities between national and state governments, ensuring autonomy and local governance. The Sri Lankan Tamils' demands included autonomy, recognition of their language, and equal rights to address discrimination and promote representation.
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Q1. What is meant by the system of checks and balances?
The system of checks and balances is a fundamental principle in the United States Constitution designed to prevent any one branch of government from gaining too much power. It ensures that each branch (executive, legislative, and judicial) has the authority to limit the powers of the other branches.
Executive Branch: Can veto laws passed by Congress (legislative) and appoints judges to the federal courts (judicial).
Legislative Branch: Can override presidential vetoes with a two-thirds vote and has the power to impeach the president (executive) or federal judges (judicial).
Judicial Branch: Can declare laws passed by Congress or executive actions as unconstitutional, effectively nullifying them.
This system encourages cooperation and compromise while safeguarding against abuses of power.
Q2. What is the federal division of power?
The federal division of power refers to the separation of powers between different levels of government, typically the national (or federal) government and state or local governments. In the United States, this is outlined in the Constitution:
Federal Government: Handles national defense, foreign policy, and regulating interstate commerce.
State Governments: Manage issues like education, local law enforcement, and intrastate commerce.
Shared Powers: Some powers, such as taxation, are shared between the federal and state governments.
This division ensures that governing authority is both distributed across and responsive to various levels of government, providing balance and accommodating regional preferences.
Q3. What were the demands of Sri Lankan Tamils?
The demands of the Sri Lankan Tamils primarily revolved around achieving equality, autonomy, and recognition of their rights in the context of the long-standing ethnic conflict with the Sinhalese-majority government. Key demands included:
Equal Rights: Addressing discrimination and ensuring equal rights in government employment, education, and language.
Autonomy: Establishing a federal structure to allow more self-governance in Tamil-majority regions, particularly in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Recognition: Official recognition of Tamils as a distinct group with rights to their language and culture.
These demands emerged in response to perceived post-independence marginalization and fueled decades-long civil unrest leading to the Sri Lankan Civil War.
