Daily News Editorial

A timely measure

24 November 2016

Ethnic and religious tensions have witnessed a surge in recent times. There is the Bodu Bala Sena who has cast itself as the storm troopers in the defence of the faith, its leader the Ven Glagoda Aththe Gnanasara making incendiary statements liable to arouse emotions. If that is not enough, we now see certain fundamentalist Muslim groups making their presence felt, with their leaders making provocative comments that assail the sentiments of Buddhists in this country. Hindus on the other hand have largely remained dormant but some of their practices, such as animal sacrifices, have not been to the liking of Buddhists. Most of the conflict, it has to be said, stems from misunderstanding.

It is in this light that the idea mooted by Justice and Buddhasasana Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for a dialogue between the various ethnic and religious groups to douse tensions, should receive the commendation of all. According to the Minister, the government has appointed a high-power ministerial group which will make interventions by way of meaningful and constructive dialogue towards ending communal and religious mistrust. The ministerial group, the minister said, would soon facilitate a meeting with the various religious groups to iron out their differences.

Ideally, the politicians on both sides of ethnic divide too should be drawn into the project. This is because, more than any radical religious fanatics, it is the politicians who should take the blame for inflaming communal and religious passions. We saw recently how a loquacious Joint Opposition politician, repeatedly referring to the alleged vandalism of Buddhist shrines in the North, in a manner that could rouse the emotions of the Buddhists. On the other hand, politicians like Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran too often times make remarks that don’t go down well with the majority community. Hence it behoves on the Minister to appeal to these politicians too to act with circumspection. They (politicians) should desist from spicing their political speeches in a way that impinge on a particular community or religion.

What is needed is mutual understanding between different religious and communal groups. As mentioned, today the tensions have erupted chiefly due to misunderstanding. This was amply seen during the halal issue sometime ago. Hopefully, the ministerial group, that is composed of individuals from the four major religions and ethnic origins, will be able to set matters right before tensions come to a boil. In fact, such a body should have been in existence from the very outset. Had it been so, the spate of attacks carried out on Christian churches, some time ago, would not have taken place. It is difficult to fathom how, when the Catholic and Buddhist hierarchy are often seen in convivial discourse, their minions have to clash with each other.

That the Ven Galagoda Aththe too had met the Minister and offered to participate in the dialogue indeed is a happy augury for religious peace. The Thera had been an embarrassment to Buddhists, all along, with his antics. He had thanked the Minister for providing them with this opportunity, hitherto denied. The Thera may be unorthodox in demonstrating his grievances, but there is nothing wrong in lending a ear to his protestations and remedy matters that need remedying. This will now be the task of the ministerial team.

The measure, taken by the Minister, is also timely in the context of the different views that are bound to surface with regard to the proposed new constitution. Already scaremongers are at work sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of the public that Buddhism is to be accorded a diminished status in the new constitution. The dialogue mooted by the Minister could now help allay fears in this regard.

Be that as it may, racial and religious tensions will be the last thing the government wants at a time the reconciliation process is making positive advancements. Hence the government should be wary of interested parties, with political agendas, who may try to rock the boat, with or without the help of extremist monks.

JO hoist by own petard

A big hue and cry was made by the Joint Opposition when Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne sought treatment in a Singapore hospital for some ailment. The JO went onto draw a paradox, claiming that Sri Lankan doctors were not good enough for the country’s Health Minister. It was sought to portray the Minister as being unpatriotic.

Now comes the news that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, whose brother Mahinda, is supposed to hold the patent rights for patriotism, has sought leave from the court, hearing one of the cases against him, to leave for the US, for a three month period, to seek treatment for the commonplace ailment of diabetes. Nary a word from the JO, on this score.