Maha Sangha wants anti-LTTE forces mobilised to conquer economic war, international challenges

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 January 2020, 22:22 GMT]
The Maha Sangha of the Sinhala Buddhist Theravada Establishment in the island staged an all-night Pirith Chanting Ceremony at SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence in Colombo on Saturday. While delivering a special sermon, Professor Ven Medagoda Abayatissa Thero “pointed out that the alliance that came together to defeat the LTTE should join again to conquer the economic war and international challenges,” a news release issued by the SL Presidential Secretariat revealed on Sunday. The Maha Sangha was invoking “blessings on the President, war heroes, the citizens and the country,” the news release further stated.

SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, SL Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, Speaker of SL Parliament Karu Jayasuriya (UNP) and several Sinhala politicians also attended another religious event at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium earlier on Saturday. The Chief Prelates of the three Nikayas of Maha Sangha were present at the Stadium.

Speaking at the event, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is the SL minister of Buddhasasana, claimed that the existence of the unitary state, the Sinhala people, and the Theravada Buddhism were all inter-connected in the island.

The rights of other religions were dependent on ensuring the supremacy of the Sinhala Buddhist unitary state, he proclaimed and thanked the role played by the Maha Sangha during the times of war when he was the SL President and his brother, the secretary of defence.

The Sinhala Theravada Buddhist establishment is opposed to any further federalist character getting constitutionalised.

The Theravada Establishment perceives even the ‘non-descript’ constitutional discourse, which the previous regime embarked upon as something that could lead to ‘separation’.

In other words, any non-descript move that seeks to avoid the term ‘unitary’, is interpreted by the hardline Sinhala monks as a threat to the island-wide supremacy of Sinhala Buddhism.

The Rajapaksa siblings have vowed to consolidate the unitary state system in the island further.

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