The Saffron Googly – A Challenge To Yahapālanaya

By Granville Perera –JULY 10, 2017

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists

Gnanasara‘s spittoon filling Mahanayakes have come out to dabble in politics and governance. Now, there is no need for a government, cabinet, or a parliament. They can dictate terms to the President and H E Maithripala Sirisena would bend backwards, oblige and implement their dictates. They have become dictators overnight to the government on policy issues that they do not posses an iota of knowledge of. Is it the Avant Garde funds of Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that is doing the trick or a threat of a Sinhala military coup by Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa? The President turned chicken by this threat, rushed to Kandy and assured the head prelates that he will bow down and get their approval for any government action on constitutional reforms. Another of his January 8 hypocritical promises thrown in to the dustbin. It’s unprecedented in the history of Sri Lanka that the Mahanayakes have exerted such pressure and a government with 2/3 majority in Parliament has conceded. This may be the beginning of the dominance of the saffron robe in every aspect of our lives that needs to be censured by all citizens, the Buddhists included.  Should we regret that Mahinda Rajapaksa is not sitting in the Presidential chair to bomb them as he threatened to do when they wanted to convene a Sanga Sabha meeting and issue a proclamation against the arrest of Sarath Fonseka. Remember that, anyone?? Where is Gota? Yahapalanaya needs him as a consultant for twisting arms or hold the gun to the head. 

The Asgiriya Mahanayake, with his Sanga Sabha meeting on June 20, 2017, set the stage by censuring the Government’s efforts to rein in Galagoda Atte Gnanasara’s violent behaviour against the minorities. This gave Mahinda’s Joint Opposition another slogan to scream on arresting Buddhist priests and conspiring to change the unitary state of the country.  This was also another opportunity to launch a campaign to destabilize the Government claiming the constitution would be amended to favour the minorities. This is similar to the call made by the founder of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), S W R D Bandaranaike with the Sinhala only declaration. Ironically, a Sinhala Buddhist Bhikku took his life. Former President, Madam Chandrika Kumaratunga who now heads the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), I’m sure, must be ashamed when she is reminded of her father’s racism. If the current SLFP leader, President Maithripala Sirisena is to follow the saffron robed dictates, there is no need of a Legislature, Judiciary or any other governance mechanism. Earlier, the Asgiriya Mahanayake’s accolade of Gnanasara’s action against minorities is as good as killing the noble Buddhist precept of Maithri in Lord Buddha’s teachings. Today, some of the Saffron robed thugs are worse than the Sicilian Mafia. Even the Sicilian Mafiosos who are ardent followers of the Catholic faith and the Pope will not promote such hate and intimidation against Christians or other faiths. When there are hundreds of videos as evidence of rogue monks violently attacking Christian churches, the guardians of Buddhism are threatening human rights defender Lakshan Diasfor bringing such atrocities to the public forum. With the European Union and other like-minded ambassadors censuring the Government on the hate against the Muslims, the Buddhist extremist stand is exposed to the world. The evangelical Christians too have also met the EU ambassadors and briefed them on the continued harassment of the Christian faith. These will become the initial scrutiny for the UNHRC to decide whether the Government of Sri Lanka is abiding by its commitments. The Government’s two year grace is not to dance the devil. The Asgiriya declarations certainly are not going to be of help. The strong Tamil Diaspora will dance the devil during the next UNHRC sessions in September. The Christians and the Muslims will no doubt join them in Geneva.

These Prelates who are providing the manna for extremism don’t seem to have an iota of Buddhism in them. We also have a Cardinal who is using his cassock to create tension amongst the Christians, Tamils and the Sinhalese. He managed to get in to Sirisena’s inner circle by making public announcements that Buddhism should have primary status in the constitution. Has anyone challenged or denied this status? This is his cassock politics that has brought him immediate results with Sirisena and the extremist Buddhists towards the Catholic Church. This is an extension of his politics during the Rajapaksa era.

Read More