Bogus religiosity and political legerdemain

Wednesday 31st May, 2023

The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government is in overdrive purportedly to protect Buddhism and preserve religious harmony. A comedienne has been arrested and remanded for making some derogatory utterances about Prince Siddhartha, and an unruly Buddhist monk notorious for spewing out streams of profanities via social media has been similarly dealt with for propagating incendiary messages and promoting religious disharmony. A controversial pastor, who is currently overseas, is to be arrested upon his arrival here, for insulting religions including Buddhism.

Whether the police have remained within the confines of the law in arresting the suspects they consider a threat to religious amity, or the offences the latter are said to have committed are so serious as to warrant such stern action, is a matter for the learned judges to decide. It however needs to be stated that all those who try to stir up the people with inflammatory rhetoric and thereby jeopardise religious coexistence have to be severely dealt with according to the law. Mired in an economic crisis of epic proportions, the country needs ethno-religious trouble like a hole in the head.

Curiously, the police, who lost no time in arresting the aforesaid suspects, lack such high-octane performance when the transgressors they have to deal with happen to have political connections. They have baulked at arresting State Minister Diana Gamage, who has been charged with violating the immigration and emigration laws even though the judiciary has held that there is no barrier to her arrest, and the CID does not have to seek court permission to take her into custody. Is it that the government thinks that all people are equal before the law but the ruling party politicians are ‘more equal than others’? The police would have gone flat out to handcuff Diana and haul her up before court in full view of the media if she had not crossed over to the government, which has sent a clear message to its political rivals by protecting her: the Opposition MPs who fear or are facing legal action for their past misdeeds will be safe if they join the ruling coalition.

Former Minister Mervyn Silva has also bellowed some combustible rhetoric, vowing to risk even his life to protect Buddhism. That he is trying to gain some media attention and political mileage is obvious. He has to be kept in check, given his violent past. He is a demolition expert, as it were, and has a history of storming places of worship and media institutions. Will the police explain why they have not taken any action against him for rabble-rousing?

Interestingly, some members of the Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government, which has embarked on a much-advertised mission to protect Buddhism, are tilting at temples, so to speak. Hardly a day passes without Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera taking a swipe at Chief Incumbent of Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara, Ven. Walawahengunawewe Dhammarathana Thera, who has taken on the government for reneging on its promise to allocate funds for this year’s State Poson Festival at Mihintale. Wijesekera has gone to the extent of asking the Nayake Thera to manage temple funds frugally so that there will be enough money for future religious functions.

One cannot but agree with Minister Wijesekera that the practice of overtaxing the national grid for festive illuminations is no longer affordable and has to be stopped. But the government has to fulfil its pledge to allocate funds for the Poson Festival at Mihintale. It should make a policy decision thereafter to stop sponsoring such events.

Whenever a Sri Lankan government finds itself in trouble, its leaders make a public display of their religiosity to regain popular support. Stories of rays emanating miraculously from statues are circulated; relic expositions are held and the self-proclaimed patriots in power launch crusades to protect Buddhism. It is hoped that the public will not be distracted by their gimmicks.