If you think Canada has problems with two official languages. Belgium has three Flamenco (Flemish) , Français (French) and Deutsch (German). The official language varies according to the part of the country you live in. The Flemish have about 40% of the land and 55% of the population and are located in the north of the country. Flemish is a form of Dutch. The Walloons live in the south and speak French and make up 33% and control about 55% of the land. In the east of the country there is a small section of the country that adjoins Germany where the official language is German. Add to this mix a large number of North African immigrants in the largest cities who speak Arabic.
The Walloons are a minority of the population, but they have controlled the government and much of the wealth. Their philosophy is that anyone who does not have the intellectual capability to speak French should not be allowed to govern. This seems like a reasonable proposition. Just look at th 2004 presidential election. John Kerry speaks fluent French while George Bush can't speak English much less another language. We have seen the results of this unfortunate decision for the last four years!
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