Question

What is ethnic composition of Sri Lanka? Mention any four steps taken by the government of that country to achieve majoritarianism.?​

Answer 1

Answer:

(i) In 1956, an Act was passed under which English was replaced as the country’s official language not by the Sinhala and Tamil but by the Sinhala only.

(ii) The governments followed preferential policies that favoured the Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.

(iii) A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

(iv) Denial of citizenship to estate Tamils.

With extra points....

i) The democratically elected government adopted a series of majoritariansim measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.

ii) In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.

iii) The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.

iv) A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

Answer 2

in the south Asia region, Sri Lanka has a diverse population.

11. The Sinhala speaks are 74% and Tamil speakers are 18%

12. Among Tamils, there are two sub groups, Tamil natives of the country are called “Sri Lankan Tamils”; the rest whose forefathers came from India as a population workers during the colonial period, is called ‘Indian Tamils’.

Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka:

1. Sri Lankan emerged as an independent country in 1948.

2. The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over the government by virtue of their majority.

3. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.

4. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

5. All these coming measures, coming one after the other, gradually increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils.

6. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time.

7. The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles.

8. But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied.

9. The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict. It soon turned into CIVIL WAR.

10. The civil war caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural and economic life of the country.