Sectarianism, secularism and politics

Apparently, the spectre of sectarianism is haunting the ongoing electioneering in the Eastern Province and this is something which the right-thinking should find very unnerving. As disclosed by the National Polls Observation Centre (NPOC), some political actors in the 'fray' in the East are resorting to the highly damaging tactic of blaring forth slogans of a religious and communal nature with the aim of influencing public opinion in the run-up to the Eastern Provincial Council elections. The conscience-stricken of this country are bound to be pained by the continued use of this perverse ploy by vote-hungry politicians.

We hardly need say that the exploitation of religious and communal sentiments and sensitivities by politicians for the purpose of expanding and consolidating their vote banks has had the dire consequence of turning one community or cultural group against the other. This dangerous play on perceived divisions by parasitic politicians is a well tried tactic which has brought many a fire-breathing, foul-mouthed demagogue votes, but has undermined national unity very relentlessly.

In fact, Sri Lanka suffered very seriously and as pitiably over the decades as a result of it. The conflict which bled Sri Lanka white for 30 long years is the proof of this. We are compelled to conclude that the lessons of history are brushed aside with wanton disregard by the political forces concerned or are yet to be learnt.

Since 1948 Sri Lanka has prided itself over its democratic identity but very little, unfortunately, has been done about the lingering blight of sectarianism; that is, the opportunistic use of religious sensitivities by wily politicians to build and expand on their vote bases. However, ideally, this should not be the case if the tenets of democracy are being scrupulously preserved by our polity.

In flourishing democracies, religion and politics are rigidly kept apart. That is, religious issues cannot be used self-servingly and cynically by politicians in a system of government which claims to be democratic in nature.

Provisions to this effect are usually embodied in the constitutions of these countries and in the foremost of them there is no 'mixing' of religion and politics. This is secularism in its essentials and in the strongest of liberal democracies, secularism is seen as an inalienable principle of governance.

Thus, the need should be seen as great in polities such as Sri Lanka, to completely outlaw the divisive use of religious sensitivities and sentiments by politicians.

It is the cynical and destructive use of these emotions in politics which must be shunned and the problems currently surfacing in the East should draw the attention of the local polity to this urgent need.

Religions serve a very important purpose in society and their abuse by self-serving and opportunistic politicians, for instance, amounts to denigrating these belief systems and world views which, under normal circumstances, make human life beautiful and worth living. Thus, among other things, a society would be helping to protect the integrity of religions by making it an offence to use religious slogans and sentiments in a divisive and destructive way in politics.

Ideally, laws and prohibitions must be passed to prevent the destructive use of religion. Specifically, political campaigns must be free of incendiary slogans of a religious nature. Giving effect to these prohibitions is within the realms of the possible and we urge the state to give this matter deep thought.

We cannot have devious politicians undoing the good that has been achieved over the past three years in particular, in the form of a society which has the potential to be united under one banner.

'Sectarian strife' is relentlessly destroying many a polity in particularly Asia. The suffering borne by these societies should emphasize to the world the highly destructive nature of politicized religion. This is a path of destruction any right-thinking society would avoid.