GOSL must gag the Minister of National Integration or wind up his Ministry

Cabinet Ministers of Sri Lanka have no business to go off on a tangent expressing their rejected and defunct ideologies through Ministries they enjoy at the expense of the taxpaying public and based purely on compassionate grounds of the head of State, a sentiment that is not shared by any member of the common masses. Such Ministers have no business to go shooting their mouths off placing the country in an embarrassing situation. These Ministers entering from the back door tend to forget that they enjoy Ministerial portfolios and luxuries that come with it purely because of the personal handout that have established them in that position.

If such is the situation, who is the Minister of National Integration to say that the election of Narendra Modi will bring a dark era to South Asia when the Indian populace has given a mandate that our Minister can only dream of acquiring in another birth? It is time the GOSL remind them that as people who have entered from the backdoor they have no business to voice their opinions because they are not the voice of the public of Sri Lanka. We do not want backdoor entrants to ruin Sri Lanka from within and destroy Sri Lanka’s international relations because of their reckless statements.

There are several other defunct and rejected Ministers who enjoy similar empathetic Ministerial handouts but their statements too make the public wonder what mischief they are upto as well. Their allegiance to the 13th amendment and taking every opportunity to argue in favor of its continuance does no good for the integrity of the country whatsoever.

It is opportune to question portfolios given to people who have a questionable history that necessitates the GOSL to also be alert to the damage they are likely to do with strategic portfolios handed over to them. It is no different to us continuously asking on what logic a minority political party leader can be given the portfolio of the Minister of Justice. The clear conflict of interest has emerged in countless examples of violations and breaches that have taken place including the audacity to take internal issues before foreign forums and lodging complaints with the UNHRC while enjoying Ministerial perks.

We do not need a National Integration Ministry

A Minister whose political views have been repeatedly rejected by the public, who has never won a significant election and sits in Parliament solely on the goodwill of the leader of the nation has no right to be making policy decisions on behalf of the State according to his whims and fancies and according to expired Marxist ideologies which even he does not follow. A look back at the statements made and his version of politically correct stands taken by this Minister makes us to wonder exactly for whose interest he is working and leads us to wonder whether he is aligned to the same secular, federal and devolution ideologies of those he is intimately associated with or following the policies of the Government?

As far as the language factor is concerned why has no one questioned the fact that if Sinhalese is an official language, every citizen of Sri Lanka should be conversant in Sinhala first and if not the State is bound to ensure that first, being the language spoken by the majority in Sri Lanka. It is the same policy applicable in all parts of the world as well. Why should it be different ONLY in Sri Lanka? Is it not the Sinhalese language that must be given prominence of place and priority ensuring that all citizens know the Sinhalese language before the majority is asked to speak in Tamil? Why have these authorities not looked at the simple logic of this?

Next is the issue of hate speech, the Minister’s pet hate has over time been Sinhalese Buddhists and he has taken every opportunity to throw pot shots at the Sinhalese Buddhists finding fault only with their actions instead of analyzing the actions of other communities. These biased stands are visible and well documented and the GOSL of Sri Lanka is requested not to play footsie in allowing such defunct politicians to prevail for in the end it is the GOSL that will end up having to dance to the music. A good example is how the Minister ever ready to find fault with the Sinhalese spoke not a word when the Buddhism and Buddha was laughed and ridiculed.

The most recent damaging outburst has been by the Minister of National Integration on the election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. Despite being rejected by the public there are many ready to quote him as part of their own agenda that fits into the package of devolution. Thus, the Minister’s foolhardy statement has been quoted to showcase that Sri Lanka is not happy with Modi’s victory. That is far from so. Sri Lanka is happy that India’s balkanization efforts have been stalled as a result of Modi coming into power.

It is a sentiment that the majority of Sri Lankan’s are happy about realizing that the Christian and Islamic extremist factors spearheaded and funded by the West was likely to lead to India’s division had Sonia and Congress returned to power. It is on this basis that the Sri Lankan Government and India are urged to look at the 13th amendment in a different framework taking to consideration the ground realities that are different to what originally India had propagated when it introduced the PC system via the Indo-Lanka Accord. India has lost its control and therefore the next option is to secure the safety of India while Sri Lanka must secure its own safety.

It was secularism that denied Hindus their rightful place in India and Modi’win has been to undo the injustices. Our Minister of Integration has therefore no business to be giving his two cents for his associations with NGOs have been to create the very same scenario for the majority race in Sri Lanka. It is on this grounds of unsuitability that the entire Ministry must be shut down.

A single Modi and a handful of nationalist Indian MPs are insufficient to stop India’s balkanization as it has been taken to levels that will shock India. The same can be said of Sri Lanka which is why backdoor MPs have been solicited to play mischief with people’s minds.

Therefore, the GOSl has only a few choices before them – gag all backdoor Ministers or close down the Ministry all together. The public does not favor maintaining Ministers who have no public appeal and have a history of being rejected. Sri Lanka does not need a Ministry of National Integration and Sri Lanka certainly does not need the present Minister.

– by Shenali D Waduge