• Unity at Galle Face ‘aragalaya’ a challenge to the ruling class
• Public expressing displeasure about corrupt, self-serving politicians
• Sangha will support peaceful and constructive protests by public
• Concerned about violence that could stem from hartal movements
• Economic crisis due to selfish, corrupt policies of political leadership
• Gotabaya a prisoner of Rajapaksa regime, turned blind eye to corruption
• Political reforms and restructuring needed; public cannot be misled again

By Asiri Fernando The month of April will go down in Sri Lankan history as a turbulent period which saw many citizens finding their collective voices to call for much-needed change. The protest at ‘GotaGoGama’ at Galle Face has not withered as some policymakers predicted and protests have spread to other parts of the country as well, with many communities and groups joining together in a rare show of unity and citizenry. Last week, former Parliamentarian and ex-Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Party Secretary Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera joined the masses at Galle Face, adding his signature to a long list of citizens agitating for change, calling for the current Government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down. The move came nearly a month after advice from the four Chief Prelates of the Buddhist Chapters to the President and Prime Minister to step down and make way for a smooth transition to an interim government – a call which went unanswered. A large Sangha Conference organised last month endorsed the directive given by the Chief Prelates and brought pressure on the Rajapaksa administration to heed the call. In an interview with The Sunday Morning, Ven. Sobhitha Thera said that meaningful change would only come through significant political and structural reforms, adding that the unity found amongst the protestors at Galle Face had challenged the divisive political narratives used by the political elite over the years. Following are excerpts of the interview: The citizens of Sri Lanka have risen in an unprecedented show of distrust, frustration, and anger against the current Government through a series of peaceful protests – termed ‘the aragalaya’. What role, if any, do you think the Sangha community has to play in this struggle? The Sangha has historically acted as a connector or bridge between the rulers and the public. We are in touch with all segments of the community. Many of the monks in Sri Lanka play a connector-facilitator role for the public and community they work closely with. The Sangha is aware of the pressure the public faces, be it cost of living or the effects of poverty, health, and other grievances. We know how hard it is for many to get by, especially during this economic crisis where goods and services are rare and costly. The Sangha is doing what it can with the guidance and blessing of the Maha Nayaka Theras (Chief Prelates) to help the masses. We will do all that we can for the public as we feel their suffering; we have compassion and maithri towards them.  The rise of public protests – or the aragalaya – is due to the ill-advised and crooked policies and administrative decisions of the policymakers and leaders of the country. We in the Sangha know all too well that the crisis is due to the selfish and corrupt political actions and policies of the political leadership. The protest and hartal movements are parts of the aragalaya. And, as we too are stakeholders of our community, parts of the Sangha are also involved with peaceful protests. The Sangha will support peaceful expression of the public’s frustration and to voice their demands. However, we are concerned about the violence that can stem from hartal movements too. We can recall experiences from history. The 1953 hartal caused violence, public and private property was damaged, people were hurt, and some were killed. We saw another series of hartals evolving into violence in 1971, led by the Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya (Patriotic People’s Movement – DJV) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). That led to a major catastrophe. Again in 1983, we saw how protests escalated to the ‘Black July’ riots and we can recall how the hartal movement of 1988-’99 ended. We didn’t get anything positive or constructive from them, the outcomes of such protests and hartals were destructive. So, having learned from our history, protest and hartal movements should not be destructive; they should not damage public or private property or harm or injure anyone. The focus of these protests should be on the victims of the economic crisis. We need to show compassion towards those who are suffering. We should extend our compassion and love towards the victims, towards the common man. At all times, monks should be motivated by compassion, kindness, and love. Therefore, as the Sangha we will support the peaceful aragalaya and hartals, but we will not support disruptive and violent hartals. Any movement by the public that is peaceful and seeks not to hurt another will have our support. Is the Sangha community late to join the aragalaya? Why are there different views expressed by groups of Sangha on this matter? There are divisions in every facet of life. If you take any community, there are varied groups of people, differences in opinion and practice, etc. The Sangha community is no different; there are different groups with different views. For example, bhikkhus who live a solitary life in monasteries will not have the same views about the pressures the public face as a bhikkhu who resides in a village temple. Monks who are committed to researching the dhamma and other subjects may not be motivated as much as the monks who are in close contact with the public on this matter. I can say without a doubt that a majority of the Sangha supports this peaceful protest by the public. The four Chief Prelates have also been advising and making recommendations to the policymakers of our country on how to resolve this crisis. The current crisis has brought an opportunity for many Sri Lankans to find unity among themselves. What is your view of the unity found at Galle Face and many other places around the island? The unity we see at Galle Face is very good. It is a valuable outcome. The Buddha has taught us that we need to act calmly and with confidence and determination in the face of a calamity or an emergency situation. The public has united to seek change, to seek solutions for the problems they face. This unity is a challenge to the ruling class. The ruling class does not like it when the public is united. A divided community is easier for the ruling class to control. That is why politicians have time and again resorted to using racism and religious discrimination to create the ‘other’ to control the masses. They lie, create misinformation, and misinterpret/misrepresent information and incidents to create divisions among communities. It is clear that the politicians carried on with selfish and corrupt ways while the public was divided and in conflict with each other. So to see people from all communities united in their search for answers and relief at the aragalaya is a very good sign. A statement by the Maha Sangha, supporting the advice issued by the four Chief Prelates calling on the PM to step down and make way for an interim government to build political stability, was issued last month. Do you endorse this view? The four Chief Prelates issued a statement more than a month ago, advising the President to use his Executive powers to remove the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in order to facilitate finding solutions to the ongoing economic crisis. What the Maha Sangha, who gathered from across the island to meet at the Independence Square recently, did was to endorse the advice given by the Chief Prelates. The Maha Sangha have endorsed the advice and by doing so hope to put pressure on the Government to act soon on the matter. We had hoped that the President and Prime Minister would heed the advice given by the Chief Prelates. This is because the President and Prime Minister have been saying that they will accept the view of the Chief Prelates. These politicians visit the temples of the main chapters often, so there was an expectation that they would abide by this statement. However, it is clear that the President and Prime Minister have not done so. The original letter that was sent by the Chief Prelates one month ago has not received a reply. A reminder sent on 20 April has not received a reply as of today (5 May). The first letter was sent on 4 April. So, by now a month has passed with the advice of the Chief Prelates not being heeded or responded to. Had they heeded the advice, we feel that it would have been a step towards resolving this crisis. Do you think that the Sangha can influence the policymakers to make necessary changes? Yes. That is why a Sangha Sammelanaya (conference) was called earlier. More than 1,000 members of the Sangha attended it. The Sangha agreement and endorsement of the Chief Prelates’ advice took place. This agreement is a follow-up on the decision and advice given by the Maha Nayakas. The decision and advice were actually a notice for the authorities by the Chief Prelates. The Sangha community has endorsed this notice and that will influence the authorities to act. Do the President and Prime Minister have your confidence to continue in their respective posts? No, they do not. When Mahinda Rajapaksa became the Prime Minister in 2003, separatist terrorism was one of the main issues that was challenging the country. Separatist terrorism had to be stopped and therefore many supported him, including the nine members of the Sangha. He took over the presidency with the aim of defeating the terrorist movement. He carried out that duty and in May 2009 the terrorist movement was defeated and the war came to an end. Many people feel that Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the likes of Sarath Fonseka played an instrumental role in defeating the LTTE terrorist movement. Riding that wave of popularity, Mahinda Rajapaksa came back to power following the 2010 election. However, since then he has misused the power entrusted to him. He let corruption and abuse of power by those close to him and in his Government take root. By 2015, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s stature had declined and it was the corruption allegations against him that served as a platform for Maithripala Sirisena to become the next president. Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sirisena promised to unveil the corruption and punish the ‘thieves’. However, Sirisena and Wickremesinghe failed to do so and allowed corruption and theft under their watch. So, by 2019, the people felt Mahinda, Maithripala, and Ranil were all corrupt. I think Ranjan Ramanayake said it best: ‘They are all crooks, brother. They are all friends.’ So, the people around Mahinda Rajapaksa knew he would not be able to become president again due to the public perception of him and they formed a new party and showed Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the alternative, progressive option. He was not trained in politics and had a good standing with the public due to his work as Secretary of Defence and had better credibility at the time. They used Gotabaya Rajapaksa to get power and then Mahinda stole the power given at the ballot box. Mahinda wasn’t alone in this, his family and relatives all came in to share power and herein lies the root of some of the conflicts within the Government.  The public was seriously misled. Gotabaya lacks the will to stop the corruption that occurs during his watch. Why? Because his own brothers, his family members are party to it. Today, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a prisoner of the Rajapaksa regime, so he has turned a blind eye to the corruption and misdeeds happening under him. This was exploited by his brother Basil to come into power. Using the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, he entered the Parliament and became the Minister of Finance. The SLPP already had two-thirds control of the Parliament, so why did they need 20A? To consolidate power and make it easy for them to carry out corrupt work? They then moved to remove the safeguards which were put in place to stop corruption. They exempted the President’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office from the purview of the Auditor General. Basil was put in control of the Treasury. One of the key mistakes and a slap in the face of the Public Service and Judiciary was the appointment of P.B. Jayasundera as Secretary to the President. You can check with Court records who P.B. Jayasundera is. Within days they removed the restrictions imposed on sand, soil, and rock mining. We all know that cronies close to them will benefit from that move at the expense of the environment. Then the President ruined the agriculture sector with his reckless plan to halt the use of chemical fertiliser overnight. Today Sri Lanka has to import most of the rice it needs for consumption; our food security has been placed at risk and the farmers have been ruined. Gotabaya even failed to find out who made the error in ordering the Chinese fertiliser that failed to meet Sri Lankan standards. In the end no one was punished, but the taxpayer had to foot the bill of $ 6 million, even while Sri Lanka was struggling to find dollars. So, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has failed as the President. He has no credibility now; he has allowed corruption and malpractice to thrive. What can be done to unite the divided voices in the Sangha community at this critical time for Sri Lanka? Today no bhikkhu has questioned or spoken against the notice issued by the Chief Prelates. That is an indication that there is an agreement about the matter among the Sangha community. So at present it shows that there is unity on this matter. Has your venture into politics ended? How do you assess the impact of your contribution to governance and policy making? Irrespective of how one may define politics, as members of the Sangha we follow the teachings of Buddha. The Buddha has told his disciples to work towards the greater good of the public. We deliver sermons, evoke blessings, preach the dhamma, and help organise the basic needs of the community we are part of. At the time (when I joined politics), there were many social issues, we wanted to help find solutions for them. One of the key issues was the separatist terrorism which was ongoing. This is why we joined politics. We established a political party, earned the votes of citizens, and entered the policymaking realm of the Parliament, so I think we achieved our goals. The first goal was to end the separatist armed conflict which was affecting all Sri Lankans. I am very pleased that our entering politics paved the way to end the violence and end the power wielded by the terrorist group led by Prabhakaran. We humbly reflect on the impact that we have had by entering politics. The impact of what we did has become the subject of research and books have been written on it. After that, I left politics. I relinquished all positions I held in the Hela Urumaya Party and left politics in May 2016. I have not been part of any political party or backed anyone politically since then. I remain independent.  Some individuals in the Sangha community have been criticised for promoting disunity and extremist ideologies. What are your views of such persons in the Sangha community? Some in the Sangha community, a handful, are seen to be acting in their selfish interest, or due to certain linkages they have with others. We clearly recognise that the actions of these few have tarnished the image and good faith built by the broader peace-loving Sangha community. I think the Chief Prelates should investigate the actions of these few wrongdoers and act against them. The ill deeds of such persons damage the Sangha and the country. While we reject persons who promote disunity and extremist views, we call on the Chief Prelates to act on this. Another concern we have is regarding a small group of monks who misinterpret and misrepresent the teachings of the Buddha. Today, there are those who misinterpret the truth, spread false teachings, and disrespect the Buddha through their actions. It is prudent for action to be taken against those who are clad in robes and carrying out these misdeeds and spreading social disunity. I think the Chief Prelates and all chapters of the Sanga should take action regarding this. I think the Buddha Sasana Ministry also shares some responsibility to act on this matter. In your opinion, with the generational change we are witnessing with movements such as the aragalaya at Galle Face, is it time for some form of a reform movement within the Sangha community? The public has called for reformation, political reforms, and restructuring. Some call it ‘system change’. Even Gotabaya came to power claiming he will change the system, but he changed nothing. We cannot afford to be misled or conned the way we were by Gotabaya again. So today there is a broad consensus that corrupt politicians, leaders, and those who slave for them, including in Parliament and in the Public Sector, need to be ‘sent home’. If proper reform happens in the political arena, if there is better accountability, transparency, and humanity in policy making and implementing structures, then many of the problems in the country will be solved. A productive set of reforms and restricting in politics and governance will have an impact on the economy, on society, on religion, etc. The practice of religion is also impacted by the political reforms of a country. We know from history how much change followed the visit of Ven. Mahinda to Sri Lanka from India. It changed our culture, our civilisation, and our spiritual progress. The visit was due to politics. Ven. Mahinda was sent to Sri Lanka by King Asoka of India when he learned of the troubles that had befallen the island. Therefore, if significant political change and reform take place and we see the formation of a more effective and just system of governance being formed, that would affect every facet of the country.