Intrusion of Buddhist monks in national politics
September 16th, 2007
By Dr. S. Narapalasingam
Having seen the Al-Jazeera TV short documentaries about People & Power-Monks of War that drew attention to the conflicting stands within Sri Lankan society and the stalemate in the current move of the government to seek a political solution to the long-drawn-out conflict, this writer’s doubts about the motive and the efficacy of the approach taken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to secure lasting peace have intensified. The usefulness of the TV programme comes from the fact those interviewed were members or supporters of the Buddhist-monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), including the JHU parliamentarian and Environmental Minister Champika Ranawaka, and several Buddhist monks though not all supporting the government’s war effort, dubbed as humanitarian operations. Ironically, these have resulted in the displacement of thousands of Tamils from their habitats, as evident from the recent operations in the Mannar district.
The answers given by the Government Minister with the aid of Sri Lanka’s map reflect the mindset of those imagining to be living in the distant past of ancient kings and feudal lords. Who else can think of a great Tamil conspiracy of bringing all Tamils in the North, East, Upcountry and Colombo to trap the Sinhalese with the help of some 70 million Tamils in South India! A wonderful idea that did not occur to Velupillai Prabhakaran, who had been operating overconfidently on one narrow track with violence as the sole weapon! It is surprising the Minister left out the expatriate Tamils in this plot to trap the Sinhalese, as the support of many expatriates to the LTTE cause is well known. Distance was not a barrier and why should it be considered irrelevant to the conspiracy theory? Perhaps this was an inadvertent omission. Tragically, it is the single-minded militant leadership that has taken the Tamils in Sri Lanka into a desolate situation. A party like the JHU would have been considered an ally by the LTTE but after experiencing the costly consequences of their imposed boycott of the last Presidential election, contrary to their expectation, this can be ruled out.
Recently, the JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe expressed fear that “the entire Eastern Province will be taken over by the Muslims soon, resulting in the Sinhalese being thrown out of the province”. He charged that Muslims in large numbers were being resettled in the province, following the liberation of the East from the LTTE. He is reported to have said (’The Nation’ – September 9) that Muslims “in large numbers prove a threat to the Sinhalese who live in the province,” This too clearly shows the psychological fear of losing control over the acquired land, vital for the future of the Sinhala race! It is this misconception that is beneath the want of the ‘patriots’ to keep the present majority rule. There are al so some bigots who are anxious to keep their bearing as protectors of the Sinhala race and hence their objection to any non-unitary structure. The reasons advanced against structural change based on the claim that it would lead to the division of the country indicate their strong belief that separation can only be prevented by ‘Sinhala majority rule’.
Vindya Amaranayake has described in some detail the “changing facets of temple based politics” in ‘The Nation’ September 9. The article gives the nexus between political leaders in the two main rival parties (SLFP and UNP) and incumbents in Buddhist temples. Its role in party politics is seen from the following: “Party politics that has coloured the post independent political landscape of the country was aided and abetted by some of the main temples in the Colombo District. They have not only managed to bring to power their desired leaders but also, conspired to remove, even through assassination, those that fell out of favour with them”.
The Chief Incumbent of Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya – Mapitigama Buddharakkhitha Thera and Thalduwe Somarama Thera were found guilty by the court that heard the famous murder case where the victim was the then (1959) Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Buddhist monks have since demonstrated against moves to address Tamil grievances. For example, they objected when Dudley Senanayake brought forth the Tamil Language Special Provisions Bill in 1966. In one demonstration against the Bill at Kollupitiya, a protestor Dambarawe Ratanasara Thera was fatally shot by the police. Recently Buddhist monks forcefully tried to disrupt the anti-war demonstration. They wanted the war to continue until the ‘enemy’ is vanquished. Although some monks on their own volition join the political demonstrations against granting concessions to Tamils, it is a fact that the power thirsty Sinhalese politicians urge them to join for giving special strength to the protests. Such thoughtless moves are motivated mainly by the desire to undercut the rival political leadership ignoring the national interests
Those who have commented on the Al-Jazeera TV programme have praised, “the objectivity and clarity in presenting the opposing viewpoints” and “for bringing issues long swept under the carpet into the open”. (Dr. R. Narendran in TamilWeek 2-8 September 2007). Dushy Ranetunge in his comments on the same programme has also praised the producers for the balanced presentation “with JHU and anti-war monks and campaigners being interviewed”. He regretted, the point of view articulated by the JHU member, Minister Champika Ranawaka and other like-minded Buddhist monks and Sinhala nationalists that “did not do any favours for Sri Lanka”.
The fact that JHU is a partner in the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the patriot who warned of the great Tamil conspiracy to trap the Sinhalese is a Cabinet Minister has been overlooked. Comparisons have been made with racist political organizations in other countries. Can one imagine either the Labour or the Conservative party in Britain forming a government in alliance with the racist National Front or the British National Party? The power of the Buddhist monks to obstruct government decisions on national issues since the forced abrogation of the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact (1957) has blemished democracy in Sri Lanka. Even the Queen in the United Kingdom does not have such powers to influence state policies.
Any civic role of Buddhist monks should be in the vital area of promoting a righteous society. This also depends on the ethical conduct of political leaders. They were able to act irresponsibly disregarding the moral codes of modern society because there was no one to question them. The Buddhist clergy has been blind to the corruption and the abuse of power by the representatives of the people for narrow gains. The society, particularly the poor people had put up with such hurtful practices. Human rights violations are not sanctioned by any religion. The Buddhist monks did not protest against such deplorable acts, in the same way they did when political decisions helpful for alleviating the problems faced by the Tamils were made. Ironically, their role in national politics is also hindering peace and hurting the country’s image abroad.
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