i just found out something.
ssshhhh.
there's a fake superman on the loose. =D
am losing touch with blogging already
been a busy busy little bee (copied and pasted from convo =p)
aiyaaa. school's the same.
everything's cool.
just that am seriously lacking sleep. ahhhh.
looking like panda already. horrors!
today bbq was fun! =D
roasting marshmellows. eating and eating.
tummy growing and growing.
eeew.
BUT. im a happy kid.
plus a sleepy kid who wants to sleep soon.
BUT. before that. am gonna attempt watching superman vid.
niteys.
psst! sheryl! i'll shave my head if you shave off your hair too. =D
-high level of respect and tolerance for the minority groups by the majority group and vice versa
-different groups able to retain their individuality as their language and religious differences are respected
Power-sharing
what is power-sharing?
-the power to govern is shared in the Federal council among the main language groups and between the majority and minority groups
-representation of the various language and religious groups in the Federal Council is based on their proportion in the country and is always a fairly balanced one
-power also shared within the Federal Assembly which is made up of the National Council and the Council of States
-National Council is made up of representatives from the cantons as well as from the various political parties and each canton elects representatives in proportion to its population
-power-sharing also practised in the Swiss army and postal service
the advantage is that...
-it gives importance to minority groups and they are given a say in matters which concern them
-their interests are looked after and this gives them sense of belonging which promotes harmony
Favouring the Minority Groups
-the majority German-speaking Swiss respect the feelings of the other minority groups by...
>giving up their rights to have more money spent on German schools so that the minority French-speaking Swiss can enjoy subsidised schooling
>giving up more jobs in the civil service to the indigenous minority language groups
-Federal government spends more money on broadcasting programmes in Italian and French than on German programmes
-All bank notes in Switzerland bear the name of the Swiss National Bank in all the four national languages
-Public signs also usually in the three official languages and English
Mutual Respect
-minority groups willing to compromise to avoid conflict
>official documents issued by the Federal government are usually drafted in German then subsequently translated into French and Italian. French-speaking and Italian-speaking Swiss willing to accomodate this procedure although the official languages are given equal status in the Constitution