• A defining moment for Sri Lanka’s governance

The influence exerted by the Maha Sangha in Sri Lankan politics and Sinhala Buddhist society has deep historical roots. The perception that the Maha Sangha places rulers on the throne and deposes them has been built over centuries. 

However, the firm stance taken by the National People’s Power (NPP) Government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on the issue of once again granting a pardon to Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who is serving a prison sentence, marked a significant ‘departure’ from the country’s political culture.

Objecting to the action of prison officials who stripped Gnanasara Thera of his saffron robes and brought him to court in civilian attire, monks and supporters launched a march on 10 October from near the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy under the banner of ‘Justice for the Saffron Robe’. Once the march entered Colombo on its sixth day, their demand shifted to the immediate and unconditional release of Gnanasara Thera.

When a court order prevented monks who had besieged the Presidential Secretariat at Galle Face Green from continuing their protest, a faction camped out in the Viharamahadevi Park, engaging in a satyagraha for over 10 days. This protest, conducted in defiance of the court order, came to an end following the intervention of the Mahanayake Theras of the three main Buddhist chapters.

In a joint statement, the Mahanayakes stated that they were in talks with the Government regarding Gnanasara Thera’s release, while also expressing strong concern over indiscipline among the monks.

A moral conflict

The Government’s refusal to bow to the pressures of the faction of the Maha Sangha demanding a pardon for and and the release of Gnanasara Thera, instead remaining steadfast in its stance that ‘everyone is equal before the law,’ highlights the moral conflict between the true essence of Buddhist Dhamma and the conduct of monks who are determined to use religion as a shield to maintain their influence in politics and governance.

There are no indications of widespread support among Sinhalese Buddhist society for this faction of the Maha Sangha. They do not view Gnanasara Thera’s release merely as an issue concerning an individual monk. Instead, they regard it as a yardstick for their influence over politics and governance.

Historically, monks have considered it their exclusive right to influence rulers to act according to their wishes and to overthrow governments that fail to do their bidding. The warning by a young monk, Balangoda Kassapa Thera, that if President Dissanayake does not grant a pardon to Gnanasara Thera, “it will be necessary to choose a new president,” is a manifestation of this supremacist mindset.

The fear that the ‘unconditional influence’ assumed to be held by monks in Sri Lanka’s politics and governance will collapse if the Government does not heed their demands has driven them to this level of agitation.

The most significant moral dilemma here is that the stance of the monks who have rallied in support of Gnanasara Thera stands in complete contradiction to the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. Seeking pardon under the guise of saffron robes for a monk who, in the past, acted against Buddhist teachings, incited hatred between communities, disrupted reconciliation, and fomented violence raises profound questions about Sri Lanka’s tradition of religious and moral integrity.

A crucial question is why such a major controversy is being generated for a monk who has been convicted of despicable crimes, including contempt of court, inciting hatred between communities, and intimidating a woman demanding justice for her forcibly disappeared husband.

Division among monks 

While the Maha Sangha generally does not wish to see its influence in politics and governance wane, it is evident that there is a division among the monks over the Gnanasara issue. 

On one hand, a faction of monks has rallied in support of Gnanasara Thera, while on the other, a considerable number of other monks have urged the President to uphold the rule of law without yielding to pressure. Monks could be seen at the forefront of protests held in various parts of the country, demonstrating solidarity with the Government.

Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, a senior Buddhist monk, warned that the same law applied to both monks and laypeople in the country, and that those not prepared to respect the law and the Dhamma should strip off their saffron robes and abandon monasticism. This sends a clear message that the arrogant conduct of certain factions of monks in politics cannot be justified in the name of the Dhamma.

Opposition manoeuvring

Today, the law has firmly gripped a monk who acted in defiance of it. Instead of respecting and appreciating justice for doing its duty, leaders of Opposition political parties have engaged in acts that stoke communal sentiments for narrow political gains, demanding both inside and outside Parliament that Gnanasara Thera be released. News reports indicated that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) even passed a resolution calling for his release.

When the Government recently passed the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament to increase the retirement age of superior court judges, Opposition party leaders warned that it would pave the way for government interference in the Judiciary. However, by asking President Dissanayake to pardon and release Gnanasara Thera, it must be said that these very same leaders are now inviting him to interfere in the Judiciary.

Amidst the severe economic crisis facing the country and critical livelihood issues of the people, Opposition politicians taking up the Gnanasara issue reflects their belief that mobilisation on an ethno-religious basis is their sole path to political resurgence.

The Opposition has calculated that by driving a wedge between President Dissanayake’s Government and the Maha Sangha and branding it an ‘anti-Sinhalese Buddhist government,’ they could turn the support of the Sinhalese Buddhist people towards themselves. 

However, the President is not someone who will antagonise the Maha Sangha as a whole. He certainly knows the problems that would arise for him if he were to do so. Furthermore, the majority of factions within his Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) would not favour a prolonged confrontation with the Maha Sangha.

Enforcing the rule of law

However, by refusing to yield to the monks who pressured him to act outside the law, it is certain that the President held a certain moral high ground in the current controversy surrounding Gnanasara Thera.

The Government’s refusal to bow to monks who refuse to respect the law stands as a major challenge to the communal and religious politics that has ruined the country until now, as well as to those privileged groups who acted as if they were exempt from the law.

Standing firm in not violating the law is a good sign of commitment towards establishing the rule of law in the country. If the President and other leaders of the Government can summon the political courage to maintain this stance on other issues as well, it will undoubtedly mark a decisive step towards the new political culture they promised.

Refusing to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was introduced nearly 40 years ago to establish Provincial Councils, is also an act of disrespecting the law. That, too, poses a challenge to the rule of law. Continued disregard for court rulings regarding encroachments on religious sites and lands belonging to minority communities in the north and east remains a persistent trend.

Enforcing the rule of law should not be a matter of selective preference for the Government; it must be applied uniformly to all issues.

A historically significant moment 

Regardless, the controversy ignited by the Gnanasara issue signifies a historically significant clash between the rule of law and the influence of religious politics. 

A faction within the Maha Sangha views this dispute as a matter of prestige. There is no doubt that legal action against monks like Gnanasara Thera, who are known for extremist or racist rhetoric, will deal a major setback to hardline Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist forces in the south.

Fair-minded Buddhist monks who reject racism and extremism, along with the majority of the public who desire peace and economic recovery in the country, must stand in support of the Government’s firm stance. Through this, extremist monks can be isolated. 

Although minority communities harbour deep disappointment and anguish over the Government’s approach and actions regarding their issues over the past two years, demonstrating solidarity with the President in the current controversy is a need of the hour.

Although the policies of the JVP/NPP regarding the national ethnic issue are not constructive, if the President suffers a setback in the ongoing dispute with the monks, it will favour political forces eager to regain power through ethno-religious mobilisation. Political forces representing minority communities must keep this in mind in their approaches.

The firm resolve demonstrated by the Government in the Gnanasara issue will not destroy the relationship between the Sri Lankan State and the Maha Sangha. Instead, if it paves the way to realign that relationship within a modern, democratic, and legal framework, it will be beneficial for Sri Lanka’s future.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Colombo)

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication)