Reiterating the concerns relating to religious places’ use of electricity, which surfaced again and again in the discussion about increased electricity tariffs, a leading Buddhist monk this week claimed that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has disconnected the electricity supply to many temples that had failed to pay the electricity bills on time. Noting that this was despite the Government’s promises that it would take measures to alleviate the burden of the increased electricity expenses on temples including through the provision of solar panels, the Chief Prelate of the Ramanna Sect in Southern Sri Lanka, Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera, went on to say that the Government has not provided any relief whatsoever. The CEB’s response in this regard, which The Daily Morning reported, was that these actions are taken in accordance with the relevant systems in place, and that the CEB cannot treat any customer differently. The same stance has been expressed by the Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on an earlier occasion.

However, Buddhist monks have even vowed to take to the streets against this stance, which they think is unfair, probably because of the notion that religious places should be immune from the rules and regulations that apply to other institutions in the general society. Even though the concerns of Sobhitha Thera and of other religious leaders who have demanded that the Government provide them with some sort of relief is understandable in terms of the frustration that the majority of Sri Lankans are going through due to the economic crisis, how fair is it to demand special relief is a question. However, the question of the fairness of these demands emanates not only from the magnitude of the increased electricity tariffs, which are and should be equal to all electricity consumers. It is also a matter that has a direct connection to the followers of religions, who, in this discussion, are Buddhists that pay the temples’ electricity bills.

As was acknowledged by Sobhitha Thera, the people are no longer in a position to donate money to maintain temples, at least not as before, for their income has not increased at the same rate as inflation has. It is a reality that offering even a basic meal for monks has become challenging to many, let alone donating money to settle electricity bills that have increased by fivefold. If monks truly understand the people’s struggle and the country’s economic situation which have a direct impact on electricity bills, their first step should be trying their best to reduce the electricity bills. That is what every electricity consumer does. However, even after the latest tariff hike, temples can be seen using electric lights and other electrical equipment such as speakers as they did before the economic crisis broke out. They seem to have no regard whatsoever for increased electricity expenses or the fact that it is their economic-crisis-affected-followers that foot the electricity bill.

In this context, for once, monks should perhaps look at these issues as citizens of Sri Lanka, instead of a privileged group that is trying to maintain its status and comforts. They should consider employing the most basic response of any citizen in the face of an electricity tariff hike, which is, minimising the use of electricity. Living a minimalistic lifestyle is one of the foremost teachings of Buddhism, where the Buddha taught the importance of acclimatising to circumstances by adjusting one’s desires. Perhaps, it is high time for monks to not just go back to those basics, but to support their followers to do the same.

What is more, Buddhist religious leaders too have a role to play in this issue. Be it Buddhist religious leaders at the national level or the heads of the three Sects, they have a duty to look into the inequalities that exist among the resources that temples have access to. It is no secret that many temples have access to mammoth amounts of resources including earned or donated money, while some temples do not have resources to afford even the most essential goods. This inequality has gone unaddressed for decades, and has received little attention from leading religious figures. The big question is whether it should remain unaddressed even at this critical juncture where some temples could even be on the brink of closure. The importance of affluent temples of each Sect sharing their resources with underprivileged temples in an equitable manner and self-sufficient temples that earn money through various ventures sharing the knowledge and opportunities that they have should receive the attention of the country’s Buddhist leaders.

Regardless of the implementation of the abovementioned steps, the Power and Energy Ministry, the Public Utilities Commission and the CEB have a duty to fulfill for the country. That is, being fair. If and when they decide to provide some sort of relief to places of worship of any religion, they should see to it that those reliefs are provided only to those that are in need of such and do not have any other form of support. However, that should be based on economic and resources related factors, not religious factors. Prioritising religion in this matter would be a great injustice to millions of ordinary citizens that are not receiving any form of relief.