Question

What were the majoritarian measures taken in Sri Lanka to establish Sinhala supremacy?

Answer 1

The series of majoritarian measures adopted by the democratically elected government were as follows:
(i) In 1956, an act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the official language thus disregarding Tamil.
(ii) The government followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(iii) A new Constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

(iv) As a result, overtime was strained by relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, and it soon turned into a Civil War.

(v) The Sinhalese are mostly found in Sri Lanka in the north, central, south, and west.