SJB accuses government of using Black July to revive ethnic divisions

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara on Thursday accused the government of attempting to revive ethnic tensions by invoking the anniversary of Black July.

Speaking in Parliament, Madduma Bandara said Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities had lived together for decades and questioned whether the government was using the events of July 1983 to inflame communal sentiment.

He rejected allegations that the United National Party (UNP) or the SJB had promoted racism, arguing that both parties had historically represented people from all ethnic and religious communities. The 1983 Black July took place under a UNP administration.

Madduma Bandara said previous UNP-led governments had appointed Tamil and Muslim ministers, while the present administration had failed to provide adequate Cabinet representation to minority communities.

He also accused the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the principal party in the governing National People’s Power alliance, of having a violent past during the southern insurrection.

Citing figures from that period, he alleged that Buddhist monks, Catholic priests, UNP supporters, public servants, police officers and military personnel had been killed between 1987 and 1992.

Madduma Bandara further claimed that intelligence reports had linked JVP members to looting and killings during the 1983 anti-Tamil violence. He said those reports had contributed to the decision by the then government to ban the party.

He defended the introduction of the provincial council system, saying it was intended to devolve power to all parts of the country, including the Northern and Eastern provinces. He accused the JVP of violently opposing the system when it was introduced.

Madduma Bandara also argued that the results of the most recent presidential election showed that Tamil and Muslim voters had not placed their confidence in the National People’s Power.

He cited voting figures from Jaffna and Batticaloa districts, claiming that opposition candidates Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe had secured substantially more votes than President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

He called on the government to hold provincial council elections and restore devolved political representation in the North and East.

Madduma Bandara said the government could not win minority support by making what he described as false claims about reconciliation while failing to provide senior political representation to Tamil, Muslim and up-country Tamil communities.

He urged the government not to use Black July or ethnic grievances for political gain.

“Do not once again sow racism in this country,” he said.