What should be opposed is the decline of the two major national official languages, i.e. It is said that after declaring the Sinhala language as the national official language in 1956, late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike expressed confidence that the Sinhala language would become an international language and that even foreigners would have to learn the Sinhala language to deal with Sri Lankans. Today, Japan, for example, has very little need of the English language because its economy depends on other countries’ economies to a very minimal level. In the said case, Sri Lanka opted to prioritise the national official languages without understanding the role it plays in a country’s economy and development.

Source: The Nation June 07, 2021 18:45 UTC