The Island Editorial

Foremost place for Buddhism

August 22, 2016

The government continues to draw heavy flak from its critics for an alleged attempt to do away with the constitutional provision (Article 9) which gives the foremost place to Buddhism when it formulates a new Constitution. Ruling politicians insist that there is no such move and their detractors are on a sinister campaign to propagate a diabolical lie for political reasons. Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Gayantha Karunathilake told the media on Sunday that Buddhism would continue to be given the foremost place in spite of claims being made by the critics of the government.

One may not know who is telling the truth. Politicians seldom do what they say or say what they do. Those who represent the government and the Opposition are adept at lying through their teeth, so to speak, if their election pledges are any indication. The real issue, in our book, is whether the political leaders who tell us they are even ready to lay down their lives to protect Buddhism really follow the teachings of the Enlightened One in running the affairs of the state.

Most of the practices successive governments have engaged in to raise their revenue, while claiming to uphold Buddhism, run counter to the core tenets of the teachings of the Compassionate One. The Buddha, according to the Anguttara Nikaya, has urged his disciples not to engage in five types of livelihood, which cause harm to others—trade in humans as well as other living beings, meat, intoxicants, arms and poison.

Leaders of successive governments have unconscionably promoted the migration of Sri Lankan women to West Asia, where they slave away as housemaids and undergo untold suffering including torture and sexual exploitation and some of them even return in coffins. This despicable practice, in the final analysis, amounts to slavery, upon which governments are dependent to earn forex to keep the economy afloat.

There have been ministries for fisheries and livestock development under successive governments to promote the killing of animals. Ironically, the leaders of the incumbent government happened to boast on this year’s Poson Poya Day, when the arrival of Arahant Mahinda, who brought Buddhism here, is celebrated, that the EU had granted it permission to resume fish exports to Europe and the fish production would increase.

The state had been involved in manufacturing liquor until some politicians lined up their pockets by selling the Distilleries Corporation to one of their cronies for a song in the 1990s. Governments have however been dependent on taxes on alcohol and tobacco. The Finance Ministry has recently boasted that the Excise Department’s revenue has increased from Rs. 57,276 million during the first seven months in 2015 to Rs. 69,326 mn during the corresponding period this year. That this ‘feat’ has been achieved at the expense of people’s health has not been mentioned. So much for the government’s commitment to upholding Buddhism!

The SLFP-led People’s Alliance, in the 1990s, in its wisdom, toyed with the idea of setting up an arms manufacturing facility in Galle. A Cabinet sub-committee was appointed to carry out a feasibility study, but later the plan was dropped. Perhaps, the then ruling politicians thought they would benefit more from commissions on arms imports than manufacturing lethal weapons here. Arms procurement became a lucrative business for many politicians and their cronies, who built business empires thanks to huge profits they made during the war.

Action has been taken to control the sale of some agrochemicals (read poisons) believed to cause serious illnesses including the Chronic Kidney Disease. But, the fact remains that the state boosts its revenue with the help of taxes on the poison trade.

Let it be stressed, lest it should be misunderstood, that the purpose of this comment is not to call for banning anything. We are only trying to expose the hypocrisy of the rulers who pretend to be great upasakas and upasikas and claim to uphold Buddhism while their governments engage in and/or benefit from trades that are antithetical to Buddhism.