Gammanpila takes on Wijedasa Rajapaksha

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

United National Party MP Wijedasa Rajapaksha yesterday said he has no intention of stopping Buddhist monks from coming to politics but said, on being asked about his proposed Bill in this regard, that the Bill was to prevent Buddhist monks from becoming Members of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of Jathika Hela Urumaya and Western Province Minister Udaya Gammanpila openly challenged UNP MP Wijedasa Rajapaksha to an open television debate on the matter.

Asked whether or not he would accept Gammanpila’s challenge to join with him to a TV debate on the matter, Wijedasa Rajapaksha said, he is not prepared to enter into any debate format, but said he is prepared to discuss his Bill that seeks to prevent Buddhist monks being elected to Parliament.

UNP MP said,”I will discuss the matter with “erudite” Buddhist monks if I had to, but I will not enter into any format of debate with an acolyte.”

Asked if he was prepared to discuss his Bill with a Buddhist monk from Jathika Hela Urumaya(JHU),he said he will discuss it with any monk of integrity.

Gammanpila commenting on his challege to Wijedasa Rajapaksha and the latter’s willingness to discuss the subject in question with an erudite monk, yesterday asked the learned MP had gone on to consider himself as being in par with erudite Buddhist monks in the country.

“Wijedasa Rajapaksha has carried forward the UNP’s usual anti-Buddhist sentiments without any knowledge of the country’s history and the role of Buddhist monks in the country’s politics,” said Gammanpila.

“Wijedasa Rajapksha is a politician, and so am I. I am the Secretary General of a political party that has Buddhist monks who represent the party in Parliament,” he pointed out.

“First of all Wijedasa Rajapaksha should climb down from his psychogenic Sierra mountains where he thinks that he is in par with venerable Buddhist monks,” he said. “If the learned MP has any venerable Buddhist monk supporting his move, then the matter would have been different.”

“Besides, Wijedasa Rajapaksha has no right to bring a Bill of this nature to Parliament that stand to curb their civil and political rights,” he pointed out.

“The acceptance of Buddhist monks in Sri Lankan politics is a matter that has been discussed and concluded long time ago. It is clearly stated in the Vidyalankara declaration of 1946. Their role in politics has been justified according to the Vidyalankara Declaration and former UNP stalwart D S Senanayake who entertained the ideology that Buddhist clergy has no place in Sri Lanka’s political sphere later admitted and accepted their role after things had been explained by Buddhist monks, such as Walpola Rahula Thera,” explained Gammanpila.