The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, please allow me briefly. Important matters were raised. I do not wish to debate, but wrong impressions are harmful. Personally, I too oppose political parties based on religion, ethnicity, caste or class. However, we must see whether mainstream parties provide fair, impartial solutions to issues of those communities. If an environment without racism or religious extremism is created, such parties will not be needed.

¶ 02 After the Easter attacks, communalism surged; how many mainstream leaders stood up for other communities? A major political current fueled that communalism. This is not novel. In India, a vibrant democracy, parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian Union Muslim League, AIMIM, Akali Dal and Dravidian parties emerged because mainstream parties did not solve those communities’ problems. So, in principle we agree that politics should not be based on race, religion, caste or class, but until just solutions are provided and fundamental rights of non-Sinhala communities are protected, we cannot curtail their rights.