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Jobs given to relatives; shamans encroaching on Buddhism
Even the much-venerated Father of the Nation was accused of this; he allegedly whispered in Governor Lord Soulbury’s ear that if and when he died, if still PM, the premiership should go to his son Dudley. If you wish to be kind, you may say it was because he chose not to further clash contenders SWRDB, John Kotelawala and JRJ. Mrs B was guilty of appointing her brothers to this office and that and when CBK became Prez she selected her mother who was not at all in fair health to be her PM. Mahinda R made an art and craft of it, boldly sticking his brethren, in-laws, nephews and acolytes in places of power in SL and overseas, many as ambassadors. So, we meet another SL national trait of the high and mighty, hitherto not mentioned in her Cry by Cass; that national trait being family bandyism alias nepotism.
Why is this blatantly bold act of family bandyism only ‘subject to lobby talk’ as the title of the article states? No remedial measures can be taken?
Joly karanawa Another shocking fact was revealed last week: the party aboard two ships, Cass believes, carousing with gay abandon and never a care in the world. The last was proven as it has been so very often: political high-ups having whale of a good time while the people of the land are near starvation and many not having one full meal a day. The time selected for the barge party was the worst when the burden of increased VAT and therefore prices of almost all necessities increased beyond the buying power of many, fell on the public. Video clips circulating showed ex Prez Mahinda R climbing up the gangway, not needing to offer help. Pavithra of Covid Pani fame and pot throwing, glitters into the ship in a flowing black, heavily embroidered salwar kameez with a diaphanous shawl trailing in the wind.
This traitorous act of partying was a clear demonstration of that saying which sends gooseflesh along Cass’ arms since it connotes a streak of vulgarity: nava gilunath band choon. You suffer, we celebrate. An exonerating explanation was forthcoming: it was an inspection tour of the two ships, arranged and paid for by the Ministry of Ports and Shipping. Do you wear party finery to inspect a ship? Mahinda will not heave himself up to do a duty tour with the national good involved, unless there was jollification.
Pretender to worshipful state
The people of this country spring eternal surprises on their countrymen and women by coming up with ingenious gimmicks to make money, get power or adulation. We as a nation, are classified as easy going, lazy too. But some brains work inventively and hey presto! there laid bare is a created idea, plan, medicine, self-promoting fairy tale. We had one who cheated a woman Minister and the Speaker of Parliament with his peniya to cure or resist Covid.
The worst are the three religious shamans who emerged recently in this fair isle and had women fall in adoration and religious fervor at their despicable feet. One claimed arahatship and arising from his sick mind spread a most maliciously degrading defamation of Siddhartha Gautama. He was pardoned by the Mahanayakes of the two Kandy Chapters. Then came a cultist who advocated suicide and took his own advice, followed by his wife who committed the heinous crime of killing her two innocent children. Two young adults also swallowed the prescribed poison.
Then arrives a shaman giving himself the name of Mahinda Kodituwakku from Egypt and claims he is a Bodhisattva and will be the next Buddha. Good grief! Sri Lanka, hide your face in shame. Women prostrated themselves before him in abject obeisance. Cass lost faith in her sisters, when mercifully she was told the welcome to him was all staged by stooges. Mercifully, a bhikkhu made the right decision since the highest in the Sangha did not take action. President of the Buddhist Info Centre, Ven Agulugalle Sri Jinananda Thero, lodged a complaint with the CID that this man landed here was misleading the Buddhist community. The CID was quick on the draw and arrested him and the Fort magistrate forbid overseas travel and ordered he be remanded.
Ordinaries are also imaginative and can come up with tales to even outdo quacks’ words.
Story was that after this man’s reception by white clad dames on knees, some young men clobbered him. It is said that he has been sent here to destroy Buddhism or at least dent our island’s claim to be a preserver of the true Dhamma as pronounced by the Buddha and Sangha members of his time? Another explanation for his sudden advent is that there is a move to submerge or diminish Theravada Buddhism and overlay it with Mahayana beliefs.
Who the promoters and senders of these messiahs are, is not known, like many a criminal in Sri Lanka, particularly of politically motivated crimes; to cite but two: the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Easter Sunday massacre to create chaos and insecurity? Cass can only surmise that Kuveni’s curse, not satisfied with creating economic and political turmoil and disaster, moved to religious grounds.
Cass is ruminating over what this man was doing in Egypt, of all places? Did Kodituwakku claim he was an archaeologist while what he did was carry away sand from archeological digs? Did he claim to be a geologist sweeping the streets of Cairo? Was he a hydrologist who watered plants laboriously grown in near deserts? Was he a botanist climbing date palms to pluck ripe fruit? His background should be publicized so people are aware that such fraudsters exist and must be punished. Cass remembers how a match was fixed between an eligible girl from Kandy and a man coming on holiday from the UK in search of a wife. He was advertised as a soil engineer. In the UK the poor bride discovered her newly acquired hub was a grave digger!
Such are the wiles of Sri Lankans! Has this trend been a trickle down or upward osmosis between political kapati suits and the hoi polloi with sick brains?