MINORITY POLITICS WITH MAJORITY CITIZENS IN SRI LANKA
Posted on December 17th, 2018
BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS
Current political crisis in Sri Lanka clearly indicates that although Sinhala community is the majority citizens in Sri Lanka, minority groups are playing politics with them in the parliament. Although the Sinhala community is the majority of Population (Nearly 80%), they cannot discriminate the minority, who have equal human rights. The operation of politics in Sri Lanka through a democratic parliament has not made justice to minority through a strong anti-discrimination legislation with a view to ensuring human rights of them like in other countries. The purpose of Yahapalana government was to pass essential laws to eliminate discrimination to enable the minority to practice equal human rights, it was not happened during more than three and a half years of the yahapalana regime.
As soon as the Yahapalana government elected in 2015, they submitted a bill to the parliament to legislate anti-discrimination practice in the country, the bill was withdrawn by the government without explaining the reasons to public. Many academics told me that the withdrawal of anti-discrimination bill was happened as Tamil parties wanted to do it because they will have no opportunities to discriminate their own people using caste dictions with the operation of anti-discrimination legislation. Why UNP the majority in the Yahapalan regime agreed with minority parties in the country when the universal human rights were going to legalise for minority practice? Could UNP Justify their behaviour?
If this was openly happening in the country, so-called democratic advisors of the country as well as outside forces remained silent. The civil society activists were silent on this matter. It clearly seems that democratic advice and practice are cheating in the country than really respecting to the human rights. All religions practice in Sri Lanka recognize the equality of human and the requirement of human rights in the country. Playing politics using minority and respecting human rights are different matters. Lord Buddha clearly preached that nobody will be a noble person or lower caste person by birth, but actions of people would be the criterion determine to it.
The real experience in Sri Lanka clearly indicates that minority political parties in Sri Lanka want to play politics for individual survival, specially to obtain various benefits through parliament privileges, but not to ensure the hopes of elected people of them to the parliament.
The majority citizens or Sinhala community needs understanding that they cannot discriminate minority who have equal rights like them. If this matter openly works in Sri Lanka there wouldn’t be an opportunity to outsiders to put hands on the matters of Sri Lanka and then it will be honest politics in the country based on economic issues and matters such as corruptions to be eliminated.
One of the serious matters I observed in minority politics was that they never openly talk on major corruptions such as Central Bank Bond scam and others as minority people also involved in serious wrong doing. As human being majority as well, minority cannot do wrong things, it doesn’t mean that because of the wrong doer is a person belong to minority community, he or she should be free. As a human being a person belong to a majority community or minority community the wrong doer is equally responsible for the criminal works.
According to my experience in Sri Lanka, I worked in a major government bank in managerial level and conducted audit work with the World Banking consulting group and found that minority people involved in serious corruption work, which led to nearly insolvent the bank and the government had to recapitalize the bank making a serious pressure to the government budget process. The people involved in this corrupt practice were same people involved in Central Bank bond scam.
December 18th, 2018 at 1:12 am
There are no solutions for minority problems if at all the exist which are different to those of the rest of the population, without unity in the majority Sinhalese. Since 1951, SWRD Banadaranaike hijacked the Sinhala aspirations and expectations, climbed on their bandwagon and divided the Sinhala polity we have been at the beck and call of minorities. This is the truth and the ground reality.
EVEN AFTER 70 YEARS THE NATION CANNOT PROSPER BECAUSE OF MINORITY INTRANSGIENCE! IT HAS ALWAYS BEING A CASE OF ” ANGE INDAGENA KANA KANAWA WAGAI” CASE.
This is the reason that at least to begin with all those who wish well for Mother Lanka at least among the Sinhala Buddhist lot come together regardless of party affiliations to save her from dismemberment, balkanization and non ending war!
IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL THE SO CALLED INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL MAKE ANOTHER LIBYA OUT OF SRI LANKA. Their plans are always long term. They have monumental patience and time on their side. They know how to gradually destroy a country till it finally falls into their lap!
Already one of the acolytes of Yahapalanaya have told in essence the same thing that the President of the country will be dragged and killed on the roads like Gadaffi!
December 18th, 2018 at 8:07 am
POLITICAL PARTIES BASED ON COMMUNITY, RELIGION AND COMMUNAL BASIS HAS TO BE BANNED IN SRI LANKA BY THE MAJORITY SINHALESE COMMUNITY AND NATIONALIST SINHALA FORCES IMMEDIATELY UNDER ANY NEW CONSTITUTION TO BE PRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT. FOR THIS – ALL SINHALA FORCES, INCLUDING THE MAHA SANGHA, THE SLFP, UNP (those who love the maathruboomiya”), JVP AND OTHER PATRIOTIC POLITICAL PARTIES INCLUDING THE SLPP/JO SHOULD GIVE THEIR FULLEST SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SEVENTY TWO PERCENTAGE (72% ) SINHALA MP’s (voters) CAN EASILY DO THIS. MINORITY REPRESENTATION SHOULD ONLY BE IN THE NATIONAL PARTIES BY MEMBERSHIP AND BY BEING ELECTED FOR OFFICE IN THOSE PARTIES.
Noor Nizam, Peace and Political Activist, Political Communication Researcher, SLFP Stalwart and Convener – “The Muslim Voice”.
December 18th, 2018 at 8:55 am
Nizam is correct…
In every country it’s the majority who rules, except in SL where minority political parties with their hidden agendas are the king makers.
However, I don’t blame the minorities. I blame the main stream Sinhala political parties, and their power-hungry leaders for creating this situation. It’s them who run to minority parties and try to make a deal against the other parties, promising and agreeing to minority demands. All major political parties are guilty of this.
I wish we have genuine leaders like late Mr. Kadiragama who had the courage and conviction to say “We are all Sri Lankans first and foremost, regardless of our ethnicity or religion, and live under one nation as Sri Lankans.” Rather than pandering to minority demands, solely to garner their votes.