The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson, since the subject Minister is present today, I intended to draw special attention to tourism. However, due to the sensitive issue that has arisen, I believe we must draw the Government’s attention to it. My friend Hon. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam also raised it. To be frank, not only for tourism, for any enterprise in this country there must be clear peace, understanding and unity among people. Whatever Hon. Shanakiyan said about the matter related to the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bauddhiraja Viharaya yesterday, the reality is that this situation is the product of the atmosphere they created on political platforms before coming to power.

¶ 02 All Hon. Members in Parliament, especially those who represent different ethnicities and religions, are individuals who openly respect the Sinhalese Buddhist civilization of this country and the values associated with it. I believe there is no issue with that. However Hon. Shanakiyan describes it, in this country where there is a Sinhalese Buddhist civilization, the notion of “minorities” has no place. Because our civilization is guided by the Dhamma. The Dhamma says one should not consider a person to belong to a “caste” by birth; that is the Supreme Word of the Buddha. Our country belongs to one of the world’s greatest civilizations. There is a cultural process tied to that civilization.

¶ 03 Madam, a current Cabinet Minister said on a political stage that veneration of statues is a useless practice, a degenerate tribal act. Since they now believe this as a core doctrine in their hearts, this situation has truly arisen. If statue veneration is tribal, if the Sri Maha Bodhi should be cut down, and when such a group is in Government, when a Minister says “go to the temple and settle it,” the Police go and assault the monks. Our Kassapa Thero was stripped of his robe and assaulted. I am not speaking racism here; but why assault? I am not saying the Minister ordered the assault. But the Police think they have been told to assault, because of the fundamental mindset these Ministers have about our civilization and Dhamma.

¶ 04 Yes, even the Dalada Maligawa was bombed.

¶ 05 I have no quarrel with Hon. Shanakiyan; he does his politics and speaks from his perspective.

¶ 06 Madam Deputy Chairperson, we have an issue to resolve. Why act like this regarding an ahimsa Dhamma that must be equally respected by all and rejects racism entirely? Why do you writhe when we speak about it? It is not anyone else but this Government that constantly and unnecessarily elevates the notion that racism exists here. Then what does the innocent police officer think?