Daily News Editorial

Ven. Sobitha's legacy

Saturday 14th November 2015

 

The entire nation, irrespective of any differences, was in mourning on Thursday as Most Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera went on his last journey amidst a large gathering. It was a fitting farewell to one of the most erudite Bhikkus of our time who literally gave his life and soul to the cause of the Motherland. While Ven. Sobitha Thera was undoubtedly one of the most eloquent preachers of the Buddha Dhamma in living memory, he was better known for his incomparable contribution to enriching our democratic way of life. That was his lasting legacy and how his name will be defined for generations to come.

The January 8 Silent Revolution of the people would not have been possible without the colossal effort of Ven. Sobitha Thera to topple an autocratic regime that stifled people's rights. The National Movement for a Just Society (MNJS) headed by the Ven. Thera was the conduit through which this campaign for change gained momentum. Despite the many threats that came his way, he did not back down on his pledge to spearhead the campaign to restore good governance, democracy and rule of law. Having seen the evils of the Executive Presidency and the Proportional Representation (PR) system, he tirelessly worked to see an end to both of these mechanisms.

Even though the Rainbow Coalition that came to power on January 8 (subsequently reaffirmed on August 17) delivered on most of the demands of the MNJS and other like-minded organisations - such as the reintroduction of independent commissions - the abolition of the Presidential and PR systems has not materialized so far. However, it is most likely that the next General Election to be held around 2020 will be held on the proposed new hybrid electoral system, a mix of the PR and first-past-the-post systems, even if the next Local Government election is still held on the PR system due to time and practical considerations.

This still leaves out the abolition of the Executive Presidency. Some of the excessive powers of the Executive Presidency have already been curtailed following the election of President Maithripala Sirisena, but the abolition of the Executive Presidency per se, a much talked about slogan on the political stage for the last two decades, is yet to happen. A firm commitment to achieving this objective was sorely needed at this hour.

In the aftermath of the untimely demise of Ven. Sobitha Thera, President Sirisena has done just that, vowing before the mortal remains of Ven. Thera that he would do everything possible under his command to abolish the Executive Presidency and introduce electoral reforms which the late prelate fought for in the past few years. The Presidential Eulogy was not only a tribute to the highly revered Bhikku, but also an outline of some of the democratic measures due to be taken by the Government to create the just society that the Thera envisaged until his last breath.

In the words of President Sirisena, "Ven. Sobitha Thera devoted his life in the last few years to create a just society and promote the concept of good governance in Sri Lanka. The NMJS he formed to achieve those goals gave leadership to the mass campaign to bring myself and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to the present positions and to form the regime of Good Governance of today". President Sirisena has reiterated his pledge to create a just society, good governance, fully restore the rule of law and strengthen democratic institutions the Ven. Thera wished to establish through his relentless campaigns.

All politicians and other stakeholders in democracy must extend their support to President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government in delivering these pledges. We hope that initiatives will begin in earnest soon to abolish the Executive Presidency. The onus is now on the Bhikku and lay members of the NMJS to carry forward the vision and legacy of their late leader until his desired goals are achieved, with the support of other civil society organisations such as Purawesi Balaya, Lawyers' Collective and Friday Forum. This must be treated as a priority issue.

Ven. Sobitha Thera dedicated his entire Bhikku life to build a better Sri Lanka for all communities. That was his fervent wish and avowed objective. After a decade of tyrannical rule, Sri Lanka now has a golden opportunity to start anew and revitalize all democratic institutions and processes, in line with the thoughts expressed by the Ven. Sobitha Thera. That would be the greatest tribute we can pay to Ven. Sobitha Thera who relentlessly fought against injustice, lawlessness, authoritarianism and corruption. His was a life we should strive to emulate and his was a vision we should try to uphold. Unity among political forces, ethnic and religious groups and various civil society organisations - the main plank of Ven. Sobitha's mission - will be the key in this struggle to establish a truly democratic nation that upholds the rights of all.