Did The Sinhala Buddhist Ethnocentrism Select Its Waterloo
Harsha Gunasena
Sinhala Buddhists in this country guided by the Buddhist way of life, had big hearts over the centuries in ethnic relationships. Although at present the ethnicity, religion and caste are considered as a prerequisite for national leadership, in the history we had kings with different ethnicities with the concurrence of the people in several instances. They were not invaders who grabbed the power by force although we had number of such kings. For example, Nissanka Malla who ruled the country for nine years (1187-1196) in Polonnaruwa era was not of Sri Lankan origin. This practice maintained by us over millennia was closer to that of current democracies. Examine the status of India in this respect. Practicing Buddhism was mixed with Hinduism from the Polonnaruwa era onwards. Even in today there is no difference. Muslims of Sri Lanka had very good relationship with the Kings and the people about a millennium