Ceylon Today Editorial

Ven. Sobhitha Thera and Sri Lanka 

Thursday 12th November 2015

 
The Most Venerable Maduluwawe SobhithaThera makes his final journey today. He fought over four decades against injustice by successive administrations in his bid to create a just and free society. Unlike many other monks, Ven. Sobhitha Thera did not align himself with political parties. He led a civil organization that clamoured for justice. At times he was at the receiving end of the bad moods of political leaders in power. He was harassed by those political leaders. He did not give up.

The people rallied round him. Whenever, political leaders promised to establish a just and free society, Ven. Sobhitha Thera extended his support. All political leaders over the past four decades gained victory with the support of Ven. Sobhitha Thera. In the end the Venerable Monk looked dejected as pledges made to the people were not honoured.

As the Venerable Monk makes his final journey this evening, it is appropriate to think about the future of Sri Lanka in his absence. People always placed their trust and faith in all actions executed by Sobhitha Thera. The people believed Sobhitha Thera and the politicians. He mustered the support of the majority in this country irrespective of race or religion. Following his demise, most of the banners that were put up in main cities were tributes by the minority communities. They loved and hailed him as a Buddhist Leader who treated all communities with love and respect.

Sobhitha Thera dreamt of a Sri Lanka devoid of corruption and fraud. That was why he risked his life in the final phase of his life to turn that dream into reality. While attempting to achieve that dream, he faced harassment by political leaders in power. He braved himself in the face of those threats. When the Good Governance concept was mooted by Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ven. Sobhitha was delighted. The two political party leaders sought his help and the Venerable Thera extended his hand of support. However, he looked dejected over certain developments after the Good Governance administration was installed. The monk decided to remain silent. But he looked hurt. After some time he fell ill.

When Sobhitha Thera makes his final journey today, the centre stage of politics looks to be in a state of confusion. Political party leaders in this country cannot muster the support of all people. Their future depends on party supporters and the floating votes. Sobhitha Thera was unique as people from all political parties and civil organizations respected his call. He was more powerful than all politicians. Many political party leaders set up governments with the support of the Venerable Monk. The people believed in Sobhitha Thera. And, Sobhitha Thera had the talent to unify political party leaders towards the common causes of the people. There's no other who could bring political leaders together for the sake of the nation and the people.

That was amply demonstrated by the Venerable Monk at the last presidential and parliamentary elections. No other religious leader has ever played such a vibrant role in the attempts to give hope to the people to establish a just society through Good Governance.

Sobhitha Thera lived a simple religious life. He lived for the people and traversed with the people. He was the emblem of hope. Like the people, political party leaders would definitely feel his loss in the future as Sri Lanka is a politically divided country. Sobhitha Thera left us at the time the country most needed him. He yearned to establish a country free from fraud and corruption. He fought for over four decades to establish such a country. If the President and Prime Minister could turn that wish of Sobhitha Thera into a reality, that is the greatest tribute that could be bestowed on the most Venerable Monk.

There are no more impediments in the way of the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera when the nation bids farewell as he sets off into the sunset this evening. Sri Lanka and her People will miss him much. May the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana!

Daily Mirror Editorial

Listen, Mother Lanka calls to thee

Thursday 12th November 2015

 

A grateful Sri Lanka today says hail and farewell and a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to one of our greatest prelates, the Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera who played a courageous and vital role in the campaign to rebuild a just society based on noble values and virtues such as good governance and democracy, honesty and integrity and a deep respect for diversity and plurality.

At historic moments like these, when golden memories are mixed with silver tears, we recall the immortal words of a Bard of Sri Lanka. In 1905, Walter Stanley Senior wrote; “I climbed o’er the crags of Lanka, And gazed on her golden sea, And out from her ancient places, Her soul came forth to me, Give me a Bard, said Lanka, My Bard of the things to be. For high in my highland valleys, And low in my lowland plains, The pride of the past is pulsing, Hot in a people’s veins, Give me a bard, said Lanka, A bard for my joys and pains.

But most shall he sing of Lanka, In the bright new days that come, When the races all have blended, And the voice of strife is dumb, When we leap to a single bugle, March to a single drum. Hark! Bard of the fateful future, Hark! Bard of the bright to be; A voice on the verdant mountains, A voice by the golden sea, Rise, child of Lanka, and answer, Thy mother hath called to thee”

Indeed as we say goodbye to the widely respected Sobitha hamuduruwo, with a State funeral and a day of national mourning today, Mother Lanka calls to all of us to come together in rebuilding a country where there is social justice and a liberative spirituality where people rise beyond selfishness, greed and hypocrisy.

During the past four days, hundreds of thousands of people - the young and the old, the impoverished and the rich – came to Kotte’s Naga Viharaya to say thank you to Sobitha hamuduruwo. President Maithripala Sirisena - sincerely conscious of his debt of gratitude to the prelate who opened the door for him to come to the highest office – fell prostrate before the mortal remains of the prelate, when the Head of State came to pay his respects on Monday night.

Another notable feature was that thousands of people of all races and religions also came to say a sincere thank you to Sobitha hamuduruwo. Their heartfelt gratitude and precious thoughts were reflected in the spiritual bouquets offered to Sobitha hamuduruwo by the leaders of all religions and ethnic communities. Indeed people and leaders of the Tamil, Muslim and Christian communities were also moved to tears when they paid glowing tributes to the prelate who gave selfless and sacrificial leadership to one of our greatest liberation struggles and the silent, peaceful people’s revolution of January 8.

As Sobitha hamuduruwo is cremated at the Parliamentary grounds - the first time a national leader is given this honour in the grounds of Sri Lanka’s supreme legislative assembly – the people and the new National Government need to be aware this is not the end of a chapter but a trumpet call to continue the journey we started with Sobitha hamaduruwo on January 8 to rebuild a new Sri Lanka.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya’s parliamentary front-liner, the Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thera - now playing a key role in vital social justice issues - said in a television interview on Tuesday that the passing away of Sobitha hamuduruwo did not mean the end of a journey. The Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thera pledged that he and the National Unity Government would give their highest honour to Sobitha hamuduruwo by continuing with deeper commitment the journey towards the stabilization of good governance and democracy, social justice, transparency and accountability an independent judiciary and police service. Indeed then shall we sing of thee, Dear Mother Lanka, in the brave new days to come when the races and religions have blended and the voice of strife, selfishness or greed is dumb. Listen, people of goodwill, thy mother calls to be.