Sri Lanka’s Government declined to sing the national anthem in Tamil, the country’s second national language, during the island’s Independence Day celebrations on February 4, a departure from the previous Government which sang the anthem in the country’s two primary languages to promote ethnic harmony in the aftermath of a decades-long civil war, reports Washington Post. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in his speech, “I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community. As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences.” Tamil politicians had requested Rajapaksa to continue the practice of singing the Tamil translation of the national anthem recognized by the constitution in order to give the Tamil community a sense of belonging to the country after decades of estrangement with the state.