Living according to one’s cultural identity should never be a source of fear– President emphasises
COLOMBO : President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that one of the Government’s foremost objectives is to create an environment in which no community feels insecure or fearful in society because of its cultural identity, while ensuring their psychological security.
The President also pointed out that it is the responsibility of everyone to properly understand the nature of politically driven ethnic currents and internal conflicts and to prevent the recurrence of ethnic conflict.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks when he met with representatives of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (10).
The President noted that no ethnic conflict had been allowed to arise in the country during the past two years. He also pointed out that, as the present Government has not been subject to any allegations relating to fraud and corruption or the rule of law, certain groups are now making allegations against the Government based on ethnic considerations.
The leaders of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama commended the programme being implemented by the Government, led by the President, for the advancement of the country and its people, and stated that they would extend their fullest support towards it. In particular, the national programme “A Nation United” (Ratama Ekata), which is being implemented to free the younger generation from the scourge of drugs, and the programme to combat corruption were commended at the meeting.
The representatives expressed their appreciation to the Government for ensuring that the past two years remained free of ethnic conflict. However, they also pointed out the need for action against hate speech disseminated through social media.
The President emphasised that the present Government recognises the people’s full right, in a democratic society, to question the actions and decisions of those in power. However, he stressed that no one has the right to make statements that create hatred among ethnic communities or to spread hatred within society.
The representatives also drew the President’s attention to propaganda targeting the Muslim community both before and after the Easter Sunday attacks. They stated that justice should be served to the victims of the Easter attacks, that they expected information concerning those involved to be revealed, and that they would extend their support towards these efforts.
Several issues that have arisen concerning Islamic religious texts and education were also brought to the President’s attention. Discussions were held on resolving these issues in cooperation with the security forces, as well as on facilitating access to such texts through the use of a technological mechanism.
The importance of ensuring proper representation of all communities, including the Muslim community, in national-level governing institutions such as the Constitutional Council was also discussed. Explaining the Government’s intervention in this regard, the President stated that it is the Government’s objective to ensure proper representation for all communities on every occasion.
Several issues faced by the Muslim community in recent times were also brought to the President’s attention. The President stated that the Government’s expectation is to resolve such issues by properly understanding situations in which ethnic or religious tensions could once again emerge in society over technical or administrative matters, such as issues relating to uniforms.
Representatives including the General Secretary of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, Ash-Sheikh Akram Nooramith; Acting President Ash-Sheikh M.J. Abdul Haliq; Treasurer Ash-Sheikh M.K. Abdur Rahman; and Vice Presidents Ash-Sheikh H. Omar Deen and Ash-Sheikh M.H.M. Burhan, as well as Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer and President’s Senior Additional Secretary Roshan Gamage, were among those present at the occasion.
