We hear so much hair-splitting about a Sinhala Buddhist State v. a Multi-ethnic state or whatever. I’d say let’s stop fighting about the bells and whistles on our Constitution and focus on what matters. What matters is that there is one law for all and all are equal under the law. The rest is commentary (with apologies to a certain Jewish sage).
The constitution says that the Republic shall give the foremost place to Buddhism, but does that mean a Buddhist priest can insult the Courts and get away with it? No, he can’t, A priest can be found guilty and he has to go to prison and wear the jumpers like anybody else.
Can a few madmen rain sorrow on a nation like they did in #EasterAttackLk. Yes, they can, but It is not because of our Constitution. It is because we don’t understand the first thing about Party democracy and let our Parties give us leaders who can’t lead or those who lead us towards evil.
Can a Sinhala mob destroy livelihoods of innocent people because they are Muslims and get away with it? Unfortunately, yes, but that is not because Buddhism is given a special place in the Constitution. It is because we allow our politicians to take the law into their hands to appease the majority.
This government has disappointed us in many ways, but it has given us the space to fix things if we put out minds to it. Let us make sure we use that space to clamor for the arrest and retribution for not only those terrorized us all on that fateful #EasterAttackLK of 2019 April 21st but for opportunists who terrorized innocent Muslims on May 13th. Going further, let us elect leaders who can unite us as Sri Lankans under one law for all with the assurance of equality under the law for all.
Yes, one law for all means that civil laws including marriage laws have to be the same for all, and your right to cover yourself should not impinge on my right to detect facial expressions in a public space. Electoral laws have to bring about a balance of Representation (for ethnic or ideological minorities) and Governability.
Before we talk about one law for all Sri Lankans let us clamor for applying existing laws equally. Equally to those who terrorized us across the country on April 21 and in Minuwangoda and other on May 13th, 2019.
Let us focus on the essentials and stop raising issues that lead to unproductive arguments.
(Disclosure: I am Sinhala Buddhist)