Sinhala Only Act 1956
Also called: Official Language Act 1956 (Sri Lanka) · Topic: Power-sharing: Majoritarianism versus Accommodation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Power-sharing"
Meaning
The Sinhala Only Act 1956, officially the Official Language Act, was passed under Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. It made Sinhala the only official language of Sri Lanka and ignored Tamil. It was a key majoritarian step, meaning one taken by the majority community to rule as it wished. It made Tamils feel that their language and culture did not count. Tamil became an official language only in 1987, through the 13th Amendment.
Example
Under this Act, Tamil speakers had to deal with the government in Sinhala. Policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university places and government jobs added to the damage. In contrast, India's Official Languages Act 1963 (amended 1967) let English continue alongside Hindi. India also recognises 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule.
Don't confuse with
- Official Languages Act 1963 (India): it kept English in use alongside Hindi, so that no language group was shut out. It is an example of accommodation, not majoritarianism.