The Question Of Pluralism In The Post War Context Sri Lanka
May 20, 2012By Rameez Aboobacker -
Rameez Aboobacker
In May 2009, the present government successfully defeated the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Ealam( LTTE) militarily, and heralded a new era of inter-ethnic relations and pluralism in Sri Lanka. The historic victory speech made by the President on May 19, 2009postulated the status of minority communities in Sri Lanka. He averred “We have removed the word minorities from our vocabulary three years ago. No longer are the Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers, Malays and any other minorities. There are only two kinds of people in this country now. One is the people that love this country. The other comprises the small groups that have no love for the land of their birth. Those who do not love the country are now a lesser group”.[i]
While the speech was interpreted that all citizens were equal, whether they were majorities or minorities, before the law and to the president and his government, there was also concern raised by some that the statement would be constituted as a denial of the rights of the minority communities in Sri Lanka. Some critics went to the extent of articulating their concerns that the speech was a clear manifestation of the continued hegemony of the majority Sinhalese and a majoritarian mindset.[ii] Having said that, one could posit that this was an ample opportunity presented before the government to advocate pluralism or multiculturalism in the post war context, not because of steering the country towards socio-economic prosperity that was the need of the hour, but because of promoting the country as a unique model of pluralism in South Asia. As a matter of fact, no one can deny that the pluralism was the peculiar feature of the tiny island during the pre-colonial and the post-colonial era. Pathetically, it was, however, the reverse that happened thereafter and brought forth the issues of minorities into academic and public debates and discourses in the post war context. Read More
