By Redley Silva
In recent election rallies in the South, AKD (Anura Kumara Disanayaka) has taken a commendable stance, repeatedly telling his supporters that those working for his opponents or voting for them should not be harmed, as it’s their democratic right to vote for their political parties. This message of tolerance and respect for political freedom is crucial to a healthy democracy.
However, his tone took a stark turn during a rally in Jaffna. Speaking to the largely Tamil audience, Anura implied that not supporting the ‘change’ the people (largely Sinhala) were expecting may have negative consequences. A few days later, when questioned in a Neth FM interview he stood by his words uttered in Jaffna and repeated, ‘…I appeal and ask you to be part of this change, if you do not partake in this change what attitude will be created in society towards you?’ This raises important questions about consistency. Why is the right to political choice upheld for the Sinhala voters in the South, but not equally extended to Tamil voters in the North? His comments in Jaffna suggest chauvinistic and coercive undertones, implying that Tamil voters may face social alienation if they don’t align with the wishes of the people in the South. All citizens, regardless of ethnicity, can vote freely for the candidate of their choice.
It is Sinhala ethnocentric politics to coerce the minority Tamil community to conform while advocating for tolerance within the majority Sinhala community. Isn’t this kind of Sinhala ethnocentric politics risk deepening ethnic divisions?
What needs to be done: AKD should change his Sinhala ethnocentric attitude towards minority communities, respect their political autonomies and uphold them too in his campaigns in the South. This will, certainly, contribute to bringing real change to the polity of the country, thus paving the way for real democracy in Sri Lanka.
Redley Silva
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About Redley Silva : He was the Secretary of Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality in Sri Lanka (MIRJE) from 1985 to 1987.
