A/HRC/34/53/Add.3 including the police, as well as the absence of enforcement powers to ensure that final determinations and recommendations are implemented are additional obstacles. 2 III. Overall challenges for minorities A. Governance and political participation 17. The current administration must be commended for taking progressive steps to include the voices of the general public in the ongoing reform processes. Both the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reform and the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms have reached out and listened to thousands across the country. 18. The unprecedented level of public participation in this exercise has created a great deal of hope. However, for this momentum to be maintained, the public should be kept regularly informed of developments at all stages of the process. The sense that minorities are generally excluded from most areas of decision-making and power structures was pervasive. Among the many challenges and issues raised, one underlying root cause of all grievances was the inadequate levels of minority participation and representation in major institutions and decision-making bodies and the resultant frustration with systemic social and political marginalization. The dominance of the Sinhalese and Sinhala as the de facto sole language in these bodies were cited as a major hindrance to minority participation. The Special Rapporteur also heard that civil society participation in governance matters is only possible for those who have personal connections. Additionally, it was evident that the ethnicization of politics, and the polarized environment that is prevalent at every level of governance are not conducive to the protection and promotion of minority rights. In such a polarized and adversarial political environment, political dialogue and negotiation become extremely difficult, as each (majority and minority) community may push for ethnically biased and manipulated political agendas and prioritize them at the expense of the ordinary citizens’ interests. 19. While the idea of community participation and inclusive governance seem to have gained currency in limited circles in Colombo, particularly among those that are driving the reform and reconciliation agenda, it is clear that the rest of the country has yet to overcome the various impediments that are the result of decades of non-participatory governance. To fulfil promises of good governance, it is crucial that all institutions are reflective of the society’s ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. B. Linguistic rights 20. The various language policy changes made by successive administrations historically contributed to the ethnic tensions that exist today. The introduction of the 1956 Official Language Act, which declared Sinhala as the only official language, is said to have been the most devastating of all, fortifying the existing grievances and the ethnic and linguistic divide that eventually triggered the civil war. 21. The Special Rapporteur was informed that previous and current administrations have begun taking important steps to promote multilingualism, including the Official Languages Law and the National Trilingual Policy (2012-2020), which aim at the equal promotion of Sinhala, Tamil and English. Learning of a second language (Sinhala or Tamil) has been made compulsory up to the ninth grade. Moreover, a State policy in the form of a circular 2 6 Ibid.