Muslim, Tamil politicians not bold enough to confront Buddhist cultural intrusions in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 November 2016, 21:51 GMT]
A Sinhala minister of genocidal Sri Lanka, Daya Gamage, who hails from Ampaa’rai district, has gone on record threatening his own regime stating that he would resign his ministerial portfolio in protest if the statue of Buddha, erected by intruding monks at the village hilltop of Maayak-kalli-malai in I’rakkaamam division of Ampaa’rai district, was to be removed from the locality. Observing a systematic acceleration of cultural intrusions by Buddhist monks into Muslim and Tamil dominated areas in East, veteran Muslim journalist Kalapooshanam A.L.M. Saleem, who is based in Kalmunai of Ampaa’rai district, asks why none of the politicians among the Muslims and Tamils are firm in opposing the controversial erection of Buddha statue with a similar resolve to the extent of risking their ministerial or parliamentary portfolios.



The current regime is brought to power with the votes of Muslims and Tamils as they wanted to get rid of the Rajapaksa rule. The present regime is dependent on continued backing from the collaborating Muslim and Tamil politicians.

But, the Muslim leaders are pre-occupied with safeguarding their positions. Their objections to the destructive cultural intrusions are only rhetorical. Likewise, the Tamil politicians only stop with making Tamils to stage demonstrations, Mr Saleem commented.

Recently, Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said in a meeting that East would be permanently lost [to the Sinhalese] if Muslims and Tamils failed to work together. This is yet to be realised by both Tamils and Muslims, the veteran journalist further said.

Commenting on the opposition expressed by some Muslim leaders to the merger of Northern and Eastern Provinces, Mr Saleem blamed Tamil and Muslim leaders for failing to address the grassroots of Muslims on the significance of merged North-East.

Chronology: