Leader of the House and Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday that a special Parliamentary Select Committee would be set up to address growing concerns on the rise in racial intolerance and religious fundamentalism in the country.
"This is a very important question. We cannot take party lines when we address these issues. We all have to get together to tackle problems that can arise and cost our country its hard won peace," Minister de Silva said in response to queries raised by DNA MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.
MP Dissanayaka, making a special statement warned that by ignoring various clashes that had taken place between some ethnic and religious groups, the government could
not make them go away.
not make them go away.
"It is only those with vested interests who will benefit from such situations. Those who ignited ethnic tensions that led to the 30-year-old war in the country did not suffer during the war but it was the ordinary people who did," he said.
"We should not forget our recent past and how all of us suffered owing to the conflict and violence which had been caused by politicians who spread Tamil, Sinhala racism to gain political mileage. It was not those who spread racial intolerance who paid the price, but the ordinary men and women of all communities. Thousands of lives were lost in the war and the cost of the damage and destruction has not been estimated as yet. This conflict was made use of by other countries, including India and western forces, to interfere in our internal affairs; India even sent its army to this country. Even now the international forces are capitalising on that conflict to meddle in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs."
-Resh3neg Lanka News

