No government in recent memory has survived as many votes of no confidence as the present one. The last one that took place on Thursday was significant in more aspects than one for the simple reason that for the first time, parties were polarised on racial lines. It is unfortunate that a party that hopes to be in government some day is openly spewing racial hatred and rallying the majority community to isolate the minorities. Thursday’s vote in Parliament could therefore be construed as a reflection of what's in store with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led “Joint Opposition” (JO) teaming up with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to vote in favour of the No-confidence Motion (NCM) while the minority parties kept their distance and voted against it. What could be considered as a bigger win than the vote itself for the embattled Government is the fact that it won over minority support with the Tamil and Muslim parties extending their support. In the current context, it is significant that the minority parties placed their confidence in the Government, for it sends a message to the electorate that the wounds created on Easter Sunday are healing. There is no denying the fact that the JO, which has been hell bent on alienating minority support for the Government, saw the JVP-inspired NCM as an excellent instrument to exploit the cracks that appeared in the post-Easter Sunday scenario between the UNP and its minority alliance partners. However, the victory with a comfortable majority amidst many abstentions points to the fact that this strategy has backfired and only helped to cement the cracks. It was in this euphoric backdrop that the Muslim ministers and state ministers who earlier resigned their portfolios announced they were prepared to resume their previous positions. That announcement resulted in a predictable response from the JO which was not willing to budge from its hard-line stance with regard to Muslim MPs holding ministerial portfolios. This has resulted in a fresh threat of another NCM being brought against the Government if it goes ahead in re-appointing the Muslim ministers and state ministers. In the process, the JO has inadvertently let the cat out of the bag with regard to its real agenda. Another matter of confidence that is raising many an eyebrow is the manner in which Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital is being treated by the law. For all intents and purposes, it is now clear that the doctor has been a victim of professional jealousy. A close nexus between the Hospital Director, Police Superintendent, and Magistrate resulted in a monumental travesty of justice for the doctor who continues to be held in custody despite the Police informing the Magistrate that there is no longer any need for a detention order. In a scenario where the President is determined to re-introduce the death penalty, the case of Dr. Shafi is a classic example of how the law can be manipulated to frame individuals. This is certainly not the first instance such manipulation has taken place and certainly won't be the last either – which is why the private member's bill to abolish the death penalty seems like an extremely good idea at the moment. The Shafi case has more or less been a trial by media with the intended purpose being to arouse racial tension. The case became a sensational one when a particular newspaper ran banner headlines that the doctor had illegally sterilised over 4,000 unsuspecting women. Electronic media organisations ran breaking news alerts with regard to the number of complaints received against the doctor as if providing world cup cricket updates. Now two months later and after the frenzy of media accusations, the actual number of complaints that merit investigation has come down to 11 with nearly half of that number not being related to the fertility issue. Politicians such as Wimal Weerawansa too joined the media circus, threatening to expose evidence against the doctor but to date, no evidence has been presented, and the Police has not thought it fit to question the MP on this matter. It is also probably the first instance where an individual was arrested and then the Police made a public announcement calling for complaints. The issue at hand is the level of confidence that the people can place in a judicial system that can be manipulated so easily. It is a serious indictment on the powers that oversee the subject of justice in this country that no effort has yet been made to at least question those who have made a mockery of the law. What is clear from the manner in which threats are being made to bring in a fresh NCM and the manner in which the Dr. Shafi case is being played out is that a strong political force hell bent on arousing racial hatred is hard at work. It seems that for some, the only way to power is by turning this country in to a warzone yet again. Politicians with divisive agendas are allowed to have their way due to the silence of the majority. The people's confidence in the political governance structure is fast eroding. The time has come for our political leaders to show that they command the confidence of the people by doing what is right by the country.