The rest of the world is becoming more global and we more local!

The tragedy that befell Sri Lanka at the Eastern Provincial Council Elections was that the voting pattern went more on ethnic lines than in prior periods. The only truly National Party left in Sri Lanka, the UNP lost its Provincial Council Seat in Batticaloa held by Shashidaran a Tamil origin person. They managed to get one seat in the Trincomalee District when young Mahroof was elected, thanks to the goodwill his father had created over the years past.

The only creditable result is that the Chief Minister Elect of the EPC is one who contested under the SLFP, Majeed also with a political pedigree within the SLFP. In the East the UPFA which had the largest percentage of votes could only muster one Tamil, and that was due to their coalition with TMVP which gave Pillayan the Council Seat. Even though the SLMC contested outside of the UPFA coalition and got Muslim votes and seats, even the UPFA Muslim votes came from the Coalition partners of All Ceylon Muslim Congress(ACMC), and Muslim National Congress.

If Sri Lanka is to truly drop ethnicity first tag and grow into the real world, people must learn to drop their ethnic bases in its democracy and elect people who stand for certain principals. If anyone asked an SLMC voter why they voted for them, it would simply elicit a reply that we are Muslim and we have always voted for a Muslim Party. Whatever happened to Ferial Ashraff who was seeking election from the SLFP? She was nowhere. I believe the same fate befell Fowzie another SLFPer. These are all indications of race or religion taking the spotlight of people.

I personally lay the blame squarely at the hand of this Government for inciting racial hatred, by permitting outrageous proclamations of race hate by the Hela Urumaya, one of their coalition partners and forgetting the Color blind nature of the Communist Party, another of the Coalition Partners.

It seems to me that fear and hate are the electoral tricks up the sleeve of this Government, and that incites racial animosity, and it garners a vote based on fear and insecurity. It is the responsibility of a civilized government to down play and break all the barriers of racial divisiveness in the interests of the UNITY of the nation and get people starting with those who are young to think of one country, and not as one people belonging to a religion or race. This administration despite protestations to the contrary have failed            miserably at this task. Let us hope the people can make the change despite it.