President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday said he would look after all citizens and not just “a particular community”, in his first Independence Day address to the nation, even as his government dropped the Tamil national anthem from the ceremony.
Weeks ahead of the celebration, the government announced that it would not play the Tamil version of the national anthem — Tamil is an official language in Sri Lanka — departing from a practice re-introduced in 2016 by former President Maithripala Sirisena, who Mr. Rajapaksa succeeded in November 2019. The move drew criticism from citizens who said the omission of the Tamil anthem would impair post-war reconciliation in the country.
Despite last minute calls from some Tamil politicians and local newspaper editorials, urging the government to reconsider its decision, authorities stuck to their position. By rejecting the Tamil national anthem at the Independence Day celebration, in front of local and international community, the government has justified discrimination, and has disappointed patriots, said Mano Ganesan, a former Minister of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs. “As a Sri Lankan, I am ashamed and worried,” he tweeted.
Addressing a big gathering at Colombo’s Independent Square that included senior politicians, military men and diplomats, President Rajapaksa said: “I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community. As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences,”
President Rajapaksa said a legitimately elected leader in a democracy is for all the people of the country. “During his term of office, he must serve the entire Sri Lankan people. He is not bound to serve only the interests of the people who voted for him.”
Further, Mr. Rajapaksa said maintaining the balance of power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary was very important to “balance equilibrium in democracy”. However, he added: “I do not envisage public officials, lawmakers or the judiciary to impede” his “commitment” to fulfilling the needs of the people. “A strong executive, a legislature and an independent judiciary is essential for the well-being and advancement of any democratic society,” he said.
Critics of the Rajapaksa administration that ruled the country from 2005 to 2015 – with current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa serving as President, and his younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a powerful Defence Secretary – accused it of an authoritarian slant, threatening democratic freedoms.
Promising enhanced national security, freedoms of thought, expression, religion and assembly, President Rajapaksa told citizens on Tuesday, “if your conscience tells you that the government is moving in the wrong direction, you always have a duty to point this out boldly.”