Majoritariarism In Srilanka

Majoritariarism In Srilanka

Majoritariarism is a political philosophy which asserts that a majority of the population (majority by language, religion or any other identifying factor) has the right to take the decisions affecting the society. It means submission of the minority group to the majority group for all the decisions affecting their lives. It often results in preferential policies being followed, favoring the majority group in university positions and government jobs and other opportunities and interests, thus denying the minority equal rights and opportunities.

MAJORITARIAN MEASURES TO ESTABLISH SINHALA SUPREMACY:

In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil. The government followed preferential policies that favored Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

OUTCOMES/PROBLEMS THAT EMERGED:

Majoritarianism has increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests. The relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained overtime.