Question

What’s wrong if the majority community rules? If Sinhalas don’t rule in Sri Lanka where else will they rule?

Answer 1

Hint: The leaders of the Sinhala community had a majority in the government. As a result, the democratically elected government acquired a series of MAJORITARIAN ways to prove the supremacy of Sinhalas.

Complete answer:
In democracy, it is the accepted principle that the majority runs the government, but the majority does not signifies only the majority in numbers based on religion or community. Its true meaning is “majority of opinion”. Sometimes, majority community may also have a part in majority opinion. Hence, if based on opinion, rule by majority is not a taboo in democracy.

Of course, Sinhalas were in majority and had a bigger share in the government, but that does not mean that others will not get their due representation. If it is so, then it is not a true democracy. In 1948, Sri Lanka became an independent country. The leaders of the Sinhala community, by virtue of their majority, secured major share in the government. As a result, the democratically elected government acquired a series of MAJORITARIAN ways to prove the supremacy of Sinhalas.

In 1956, an Act was passed that accepted Sinhala as the only official Language, thus ignoring Tamil. Sinhala applicants were given preference for university positions and government jobs because of the government policies. A new constitution specified that the state shall protect and promote Buddhism. Gradually a feeling of alienation started to develop among the Sri Lankan Tamils. As a result, the relation between the Sinhala and Tamil communities tensed over time, and soon turned into a Civil War.

Note: The concept of providing a permanent share of power to different communities or regions in the government is termed as power sharing. For the unity and growth of democracy, the principle of power sharing is very essential.