Fake news over the grand snub

We are happy to join former President Chandrika Bandanaike Kumaratunga and Ven. Omalpe Sobitha in congratulating some graduands of the University of Colombo, for snubbing their university’s new Chancellor, Ven. Muruththetuwe Ananda Thero, who was chief guest at its recent convocation where he was to hand over their degree certificates to the class of 2019. Tens of thousands of social media and television viewers were treated to images of what seemed a gigantic snub which left the venerable monk clearly bewildered and obviously embarrassed. Several young graduands, both men and women, walked past the monk holding the scrolls in which their certificates were enclosed without accepting their degrees from him. This forced the Vice-Chancellor to take the scrolls from Ven. Ananda and do the honours, posing briefly with the new graduates for the customary photographs. We did seen a few graduands accepting their certificates from the venerable Chancellor; but the vast majority did not snub the monk although social media clips attempted to project such a scenario; a clear lesson to us all not to take such clips at face value.

Earlier, Ven. Ananda was conducted to the platform at the head of the customary procession of the university’s faculty clad in their academic regalia. Not being a graduate, perhaps he was not entitled to be similarly attired though he did add a silk sash to his robe. However that be, he was installed on an ornate chair, draped with a white cloth as is traditional, to do the honours of handing over the degree certificates. What happened thereafter is now well known though the picture painted was much blacker than reality. No doubt the snub, however big or small it was, has been widely welcomed by a nation angered by what is widely considered a rank bad and inappropriate appointment similar to that of the serving head of the One Country, One Law Presidential Task Force.

The Colombo University chose to largely ignore what happened, issuing a short statement titled “Statement from University Colombo on Ceremonial Graduation 2019.” This was distinguished by not what it said but what it did not say. Some bland sentences were strung together in a few paragraphs reporting that three day-long physical ceremonial graduation of 2,668 graduates of the 2019 graduation class had been duly completed. “All those who graced the occasion and supported us” were thanked. So was the “Venerable Chancellor,” who was specifically named though what happened to him was politely ignored. Various others who helped organize the convocation were mentioned by title as were the young graduates and their parents who too were thanked for their support. To crown it all, the university reiterated its commitment to “uphold decent behavior and attitudes among all sectors of the university and regretted any misrepresentation of the university’s reputation and good name in producing the best of global citizen,” whatever that may mean.

This statement issued through the Government Information Department was unsigned. Presumably the Vice Chancellor takes responsibility for it. But what could the poor lady do? She can’t stand up like the rest of us ordinary folk and say “serves him right, he damned well deserved it.” After all the President made the appointment. Can the university collectively thumb its nose at him? And would the president have got the message that was clear though blatantly exaggerated? The usually vociferous monk has attempted to brush off the incident which will be long remembered even in this nation of notoriously short memories. At a press conference, an acolyte (golaya) was sharply critical of the Vice-Chancellor who Ven. Ananda’s supporters seem to regard very negatively over what happened. She, after all, handed over the degree certificates to some graduands who refused to accept them from the monk and posed for photos.

Ven Ananda’s already got what used to be Thimbirigasyaya Road named after him. His temple served as a political office for the ruling Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) before the presidential and parliamentary elections. More recently he was a familiar presence on national television, stridently critical of those he helped elect on various issues over which the government had become massively unpopular. It would not be unreasonable to ask whether the recent appointment was an attempt to shut his mouth.

Opinions widely differ on whether some jobs are not for the clergy. There are those who strongly believe that Parliament is not a place for Buddhist monks. But several members of the Buddhist clergy have been elected to our legislature by the votes of the people and others have been appointed thorough party National Lists. Archbishop Makarios was President of Cyprus. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist Minister who led the American civil rights movement. Clergymen of various religious persuasions would surely have run for and been elected public office in many parts of the world. The Sorbonne-educated Prof. Ven. Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Nayake Thero is the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya and not even a whisper of criticism has ever been heard about that appointment.

Apart from Chancellors, there have been eminent Buddhist monks who have served as Vice-Chancellors, the chief executives of universities, and two notable names readily come to mind – Ven. Welivitiye Sri Soratha, who became the first Vice-Chancellor of the Vidyodaya University when the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas were accorded university status, and Ven. Walpola Rahula who was also Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya. Ven. Soratha, a scholar monk of revered memory, was credited as being a fount of great wisdom and his appointment adorned the university he headed. So also the highly accomplished Ven. Rahula, the first Buddhist monk to be appointed a professor of a Western university when he was appointed to the Chair of History and Religions at Northwestern University in the USA.

We are not admirers of much of what university students in this country do, notably the savage ragging that have too long been permitted to continue. But in this instance, though infinitely smaller than falsely projected, we join a cross-section of the country in applauding what a decided small minority of the students did.