If Muslims and Tamils are Muslims are having their own parties and espousing their rights is slated as communalism the introductions of the Sinhala Only Act., Enforcing the ‘Sri’ on motor vehicles, making Buddhism the State religion, etc. all done using the power of the Sinhala majority, too are communalist acts. So the Sinhala politicians are the ones who sow the seed of communalism. Are they not?

“Exactly said” Anu!

To be united in diversity is not being opportunistic. Being one nation and following the laws of the land is not being opportunistic. It is what our religon teaches us.
Complaining about discrimination in specific instances is our human right. Being an agent of democratic change is our duty to the nation.

It is one thing to stand up for the community and another to exploit communal sentiments to further one’s own gains. The muslim-sinhala alliance cannot be described anything short of opportunism. How else could one describe their hypocritical backing of communal Sinhala regimes, harping on one nation and then complaining about religious freedom and minority rights? However, some would like to blame it on the LTTE (which is the easiest thing to do since they are no more) for all the things wrong and corrupt in the miracle of Asia.

Hopefully the SLMC would throw its lot behind the TNA to gain minority rights that seem to be fast eroding away due to the hegemony of the Sinhalese.
Having been with the government has proven disastrous to the Muslim people, maybe it is time to join hands with the other Tamil speaking group (us) to fight democratically for our human rights.

Yes, Muslim and Tamils are using communal slogans, unfortunately they have no other choice in a Country that has moved along religious and language lines since Independence.
Immediately after independence we had several left socialist, a right wing and two Tamil parties. Now we have proliferated the Political system and are saddled with nearly sixty Political parties.
In many Countries in the World, Political parties differ on National issues, and that’s how they get public support for their sustenance. In Sri Lanka, Dick, Tom, and Harry have started Political parties, for narrow personal gain, mainly because the citizens of this Country have no idea nor interest in examining the purpose of these parties.
Of course without criteria, we have created a vacuum, with no standards or yardstick in place, before registering these parties.
During the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections, several non-entities who would have never won any election, were promoted and propped up by candidates who were already in the fray. The story is that these “ghost” candidates also had certain privileges of keeping representatives in the counting booths etc. so that the serious candidates could send their nominees to scout around for whatever they had in mind.
Sri Lanka should immediately put in place serious non negotiable conditions to anyone wanting to form a Political party.
No Country can or should have Political parties to cure everybody’s cough, and cold. We have been lax, and now saddled with an incurable disease of creating more and more parties.
I believe that in our system, if Political parties get a percentage of the votes, they become automatically entitled for some benefits.
So coming back to this question of using Language or Religion in Politics must be totally banned.
Almost all Western Democracies have shed this narrow standpoint.
The exceptions are India with their B.J.P. and other Islamic Countries. Some of them are striving hard to come out of this configuration.