Question 2 - Past Year Questions - 3 Marks - Chapter 1 Class 10 Political Science - Power Sharing - Political Science

Which three provisions of the Act passed in Sri  Lanka in 1956 established Sinhala supremacy? 

Answer:

Points to Remember

Majoritarian measures were adopted to assert the Sinhala supremacy through-

1. The Sinhala language was given official status by passing an Act in 1956.
2. Preferential policies for jobs and institutions.
3. Buddhism was fostered and recognized as the supreme religion as per the new constitution.
4. Insensitivity towards language and culture.
5. Relations between Sinhala and Tamils strained to the point of the Civil War.

*Write any 3 points.

Answer to be written in the exam

By virtue of their majority, the leaders of the Sinhala community aimed to control the government. In order to establish Sinhala dominance , the democratically elected government, therefore, took a number of majoritarian measures-

1.   In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language , thus disregarding Tamil.
2. The governments implemented preferential hiring practices that favored Sinhala candidates for academic positions and government employment.
3. A new constitution mandated that only Buddhism be protected and promoted by the state.