brand logo

Buddhist and Catholic clergy oppose Ranil as PM

12 May 2022

  • Omalpe Sobitha Thera claims Ranil’s appointment unconstitutional, unethical
  • Archbishop Ranjith says illegal appointment based on political greed
  • Anura Kumara Dissanayake says appointment to protect each other 
BY Buddhika Samaraweera  The Buddhist and Catholic clergy, as well as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power (NPP) vehemently opposed the appointment of United National Party (UNP) Leader MP Ranil Wickremesinghe as the 26th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka yesterday (12), stating that the people would not accept Wickremesinghe as the Premier or a Government led by him. Speaking at a media briefing held last evening prior to Wickremesinghe’s appointment and taking of oaths/swearing in, Chief Prelate of the Ramanna Sect in Southern Sri Lanka Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera said: “We have learnt through the media that all arrangements are being made to appoint Wickremesinghe as the Premier. In fact, this is an unconstitutional and unethical appointment.  “He is not at all suitable to be appointed to such a position. At the moment, people are asking for one thing, but something else is going to be given as the solution. It is like someone asking about mangoes, but is being answered about pumpkins.” He also said that the Mahanayakas (Chief Prelates) of the three Buddhist Sects have issued a very clear statement on the steps to be taken to resolve the current crisis in the country. He quoted an excerpt from a letter from the Chief Prelates to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 4 April: “The country should be handed over to an interim administration by a panel of all parties represented in Parliament, which will fulfil the aspirations of the people until a Parliamentary Election can be held by overcoming the prevailing economic crisis, without violating the trust of the people.” However, Ven. Sobhitha Thera claimed that the President had disregarded the proposal of the Chief Prelates by appointing a leader like Wickremesinghe, who had lost the Parliamentary Election and had not won the love and respect of the people as the Premier. “The whole country knows about Wickremesinghe. He is not a leader who has won the love and respect of the people. He is elected to the Parliament from the National List; therefore, he is not really a leader who represents the people. But the Chief Prelates say to go for an all-party programme with a leader who has won the will of the people in a way that can fulfil the aspirations of the people,” he added. Speaking further, he said that the appointment of Wickremesinghe as Premier is not for the demands of the people, but appears to be based on some personal aspirations of the Rajapaksa family. He claimed that the appointment in question appeared to be an arbitrary move by the Rajapaksas to protect themselves. “One person from a political party in Parliament is going to be empowered by grabbing MPs from other parties. This will be done by force or through giving money. It is completely illegal to give power to one person by grabbing MPs from political parties in this way. The President is making a serious mistake and this appointment could exacerbate the people’s struggle. The people are not ready to accept this appointment.” He said that a person who could honestly obtain the support of the majority of the people’s representatives should be appointed as Premier, and that if the President does not do so, it will put the country in further danger. “Former Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa had to step down and leave in secret because he did not understand what was happening on this earth. Therefore, the President will suffer the same fate due to these arbitrary decisions. Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya Leader Sajith Premadasa has come forward to take the responsibility. Therefore, his request should be accepted immediately. If Premadasa is also not ready, one of his group members should step down and allow a non-party member to enter Parliament,” he added. Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, addressing the same media briefing, stated that the appointment of Wickremesinghe as the Premier is a serious act of infidelity against public opinion. He also said that the country, which is currently in a state of crisis, would be plunged further into the abyss through this decision. “Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter of the Siam Sect Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera had proposed a very clear alternative. That option had the support of all the other Chief Prelates as well as the support of all other parties. We would like to ask the President as to what happened to that proposal.” The Archbishop further said: “Wickremesinghe represents a party, but there are no members of that party in Parliament. Therefore, he does not command the majority in Parliament and this appointment is therefore not legal.” He noted that the President’s attempt to appoint a non-independent person to the post of the Premier, who was rejected by the people, and the MPs’ who would support it would be rejected by the people. He also said that this political attempt to plunge the country into another abyss instead of recovering from the crisis is based solely on political greed. “If the unrest and misery in this country is to be reversed and the country is brought back to normalcy, the causes of this country's destruction must be found and remedied. We will not agree to the destruction that is being perpetrated without changing the Constitution and the system in the country. Therefore, we are not ready to accept the Premier or the Government to be appointed.” Meanwhile, speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Ramanna Sect yesterday evening, JVP and NPP Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the President’s decision to appoint Wickremesinghe as Premier had been taken for their own protection and not by listening to the views of the people. “Wickremesinghe has always been the saviour of the Rajapaksa family. He always wields power for their own protection. And the Rajapaksas are Wickremesinghe’s saviour too. In the face of the uncertainty that has arisen in this country at this time, they have taken this decision without any understanding of the public opinion.” He also said that the people would not accept the solution put forward by Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe in the backdrop where serious public opposition is being expressed in the face of the oppressive situation, fraud, and corruption in the country. He said that only Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe would accept this solution. “We do not believe that any citizen would accept these conspiracies hatched in a palace. None of these changes are what the people expected. Therefore, I believe that Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe should understand that the solution is not in such conspiracies hatched in a palace. It depends on how much you listen to the power of the people. Therefore, this conspiracy and the formation of the Government have marked their demise at the inception.” Wickremesinghe, who has served as the Premier on five previous occasions, was sworn in as the new Premier before President Rajapaksa at the President’s house last evening. President’s Secretary Gamini Senarath and Wickremesinghe’s spouse Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.


More News..