Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are democracies, yet they have dealt with the problem of regional and linguistic diversity very differently.  In Belgium:  1. The leaders recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities.  2. Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.  3. Dutch and French communities have equal representation in the Central government; many of the powers of the central government have been given to the state governments. 4. In addition to these, both language communities have the third kind of Government called Community Government which has power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.  Whereas, in Sri Lanka:  1. The democratically elected government adopted a series of majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.  2. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.  3. The Governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.  4. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.