ASHRAAF ON NATIONAL FESTIVALS (99 Jul 21)
Mr. M. H. M. Ashraaf the minister of Port Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction has said that no festival should be called a national festival if there was no participation of people belonging to every community in the country. He has said this at a meeting held in Eheliyagoda in connection with the celebration of Prophet Mohamed's birthday.
This is an attempt to deprive the Sinhala people of their national festivals. The festivals, especially of the Sinhala Buddhists are not celebrated by the others and according to the definition of Ashraaf, the Sinhala New Year, Vesak, Poson, Esala Perahara etc., will not be considered as national festivals. But January 1st and even Prophet Mohamed's birthday could be named as national festivals. Mr. Ashraaf can easily get hold of few Sinhala Buddhists, Christians and Hindus for celebration in connection with Muslim religious festivals and he would be able to convince the power hungry Sinhala politicians that they should be declared as national festivals.
Over the years, the Tamil racists and the Muslim racists have been denying the Sinhala people their culture history and the language being given the rightful place and this is the latest attempt by the Muslim racist Ashraaf.