Whole country is in turmoil – aftermath of 21 April 2019

Today, 13^th May, whole country is in turmoil. More than dozen cities where Muslim communities have their properties are burning. They are under Sri Lankan forces now. The material damages done to mosques and Muslim shops are innumerable. Today island wide curfew came into being on 9 PM until 6 AM tomorrow. This is almost daily occurrence now. Sri Lankan forces try to keep Muslim communities safe.

Sri Lankan coalition government is in turmoil too. Today’s ground realities are in fact their making. Avoidance of Islamic extremism because of dozens of Muslim politicians in coalition with UNP party and Ranil Wickremesinghe. Their President Maithripala Sirisena from UPFA is only in name. At least Ranil wanted him that way. Constitutional amendments made by this coalition government have already fired back on them too. Constraining Presidential power, Ranil has made Sirisena weak. Since Ranil tolerate Muslim and Tamil politicians, he has the parliament majority, which made Sirisena can not get rid of Ranil. Sirisena cannot even fire incompetent Inspector General of Police due to these amendments. Ambiguities in those provisions have made the Supreme Court is the place to be for everyone.

Meanwhile, cities are burned by angry Christian and Buddhist mobs in concert. Mangala Samaraweera who cosponsored a UN resolution against his own country and Army two years ago, said yesterday that this is not a Buddhist nation. This had been said by a JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake few month ago. This is a shock to majority 70%, where even constitution stipulates this is a Sinhalese Buddhist nation.

This government and these immature politicians are playing their final dance. Hope for a strong leader with majority Buddhist, Christian and Hindu votes where Muslim community can not bar the national security issues and interests of this island is paddling high.