The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Vote of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs.

¶ 02 It is a historical duty to define correctly our Sinhala-Buddhist-rooted civilization and culture. The term “civilization” has been debased in politics, used in a shallow sense, and denied the scholarly respect it deserves.

¶ 03 An earlier speaker noted the near absence of the Opposition in the Chamber; in fact, only Hon. Lal Kantha is present from the Opposition. Let that be noted. But more important than numbers is to state clearly:

¶ 04 We often say Sri Lankan nationhood must be preserved and built upon—but what is Sri Lankan nationhood? Is it a statement about the Sinhala Buddhist alone, or about our grand civilizational identity? The Buddha taught: “Na jaccā vasalo hoti, na jaccā hoti brāhmaṇo; kammanā vasalo hoti, kammanā hoti brāhmaṇo.” By birth alone you are not of any status; it is by deed. Our civilizational belief is that identity arises from action, not birth.

¶ 05 Misunderstandings have eroded our unique civilizational harmony—not the NGO-style “reconciliation,” but our own civilizational concord. We must correct it. I listened to a Tamil Member assert that some of our monks have obstructed others’ religious and cultural freedoms. If so, such matters must be corrected.

¶ 06 Yesterday I attended an iftar where Sheikh M.F.M. Farood preached in Sinhala, with diction and spirit akin to a Buddhist sermon—evidence of our civilizational imprint upon Sri Lankan Muslims and Catholics. We should not be ashamed to speak proudly of our civilization; all religious and ethnic communities in Sri Lanka respect it. Only politics distorts it.

¶ 07 I also listened to Lex Fridman’s interview with Indian PM Narendra Modi—so energizing for that nation. We speak of “cultural man,” not a mythical “rainbow man.” Cultural persons are those shaped by their country’s unique civilizational values—beyond religion or ethnicity. Do not confuse this with dialectical materialism; those projects failed long ago.

¶ 08 Our Prime Minister rightly said India drew civilizational strength from the Buddha. We must value that. Attempts to mock our cultural realities—such as ridiculing rituals at Kelaniya or worship at the Sacred Tooth Relic—are misplaced. Yet today, our President, with great promptness, went to Sri Dalada Maligawa to meet the Mahanayake Theras. We appreciate that. “Appamādo amatapadam”—act with diligence.

¶ 09 I welcome the planned exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic. I urge similar respectful cultural observances at Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya—these are matters of faith across all religions. Attacking faith harms Sri Lanka’s civilization, not me personally. The media frenzy around such stories says more about politics than about our people’s needs.

¶ 10 We once claimed Sri Lanka should be a secular state. Today, our President shows respect to culture. We are happy; we want a cultural Sri Lankan—someone formed by our civilizational grace.

¶ 11 This Ministry, created under J.R. Jayewardene, is not merely to print books or hand out small grants. Its task is to shape the civilizational foundation that inspires our 22 million people. As PM Modi noted, nations differentiate themselves through their civilizational values. If we want a “rainbow,” we can import it—but even America is rediscovering its own distinctiveness. Our path is to be ourselves.