13 February, 2025

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Sobitha Thero Willing To Stand For Presidential Election; Says Sri Lanka Should Face international Inquiry If It Has Nothing To Hide

Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Kotte Nagavihara and a vocal monk in the movement calling for an abolishing of the Executive Presidency has expressed his willingness to stand as a presidential candidate.

Madluwawe Sobita Nayaka Threo

Madluwawe Sobita Nayaka Threo

‘Yes I am ready to stand as a Single-Issue (SI) presidential candidate, but if a former Chief Justice or a former President is interested, no problem, I am happy to step aside. I will serve for six months only within which time I will abolish the Executive Presidency and institute a parliamentary system by constitutional methods. The roots of bribery, corruption, nepotism and bad governance lie in Executive Presidency,” Sobitha Thero told the Sunday Thinakural newspaper in a wide ranging interview.

Sobitha Thero has headed the movement that gathered a group of experts to draft a new constitutional framework that replaces the presidential system and sets up certain safeguards to prevent the abuse of power by the political leadership including the limiting of the cabinet of ministers and anti-graft measures. The monk is seen to be leading a broad opposition alliance of political parties, civil society groups, trade unions and professional organisations against the undemocratic, corrupt and authoritarian policies of the Rajapaksa Administration.

He told the Tamil language newspaper that there was no need to speak of overthrowing the Government. “Today the Government is confused. These kinds of internal conflicts will naturally lead to collapse. Today, the Prime Minister is against the President. We believe the minds of the people are changing,” Sobitha Thero said.

Dropping another bombshell about the ongoing international challenges against Sri Lanka with momentum building for another resolution in Geneva, Sobitha Thero inserted a major sanity check into the national discourse about human rights and a war crimes inquiry.

“Sri Lanka is a part of the international community, we have to abide by international norms, and if there is a call for an international investigation, I have no problem in agreeing. If we have done nothing wrong we can go before an international investigation and vindicate ourselves” he acknowledged.

Latest comments

  • 3
    18

    well this guy may get the taste of power and the saffron army may take over as in Iran’s Ayotollahs.

    Mankind is very easily corruptible

    • 19
      1

      No Hamuduruwane, getting rid of the Executive Presidency and the proportional voting are not the only problem.Keeping a careful watch and safeguarding the tax payers moneys is more important.What keeps the Exec.Presidency and the proportional elections is the care free attitude towards the tax payers money.The best solution is to bring back the Solbury constitution first with the Permenant Secs.who had the power to stop Ministerial nonsense.The Perm Sects should be de facto chief accounting officers and be guided by the Constitution and not by the Minister. Both the 1972 and 1977 constitutions are illegal as they were voted in by the people

      • 3
        1

        Good one upali.You are right something is really rotten with the constitution.If the soulbury constitution clipped the powers of these bastards by as you say well qualified permanent secretaries then i think we should bring it back.In the meantime we have to quickly get rid of the presidency because the enormous power concentrated in the hands of one person is at the expense of millions of peoples power.The peoples power must be restored.

      • 4
        1

        Agree! Million dollar question is the way to get out of the mess. No human being can be trusted for power. Wish we had Dudley Senanayake alive. No one in politics today can be trusted.
        First of all our voters should be made well aware of this. It should be no JVP no UNP or SF for sure. Should be an all nationality matter. The people should be made vote only on this issue, at this point honorable monk is correct. He made raised the importance of the issue than anyone else. All our politicians inluding opposition are crooks or jerks and no use.

    • 0
      0

      Huh…. comment from a saint or a sinner?

    • 0
      2

      Rajash,don’t prejudge others.Give him the benefit of doubt.

      • 0
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        Religion is a subject on which I have ever been most scrupulously reserved. I have considered it as a matter between every man and his Maker in which no other, and far less the public, had a right to intermeddle…..No government can be maintained without the principle of fear as well as of duty. Good men will obey the last, but bad ones the former only. Thomas Jefferson

    • 3
      3

      as the Tamils found out when their Sun God grabbed them by the balls.

    • 0
      0

      Rajash you are spot on.
      This man is worried about his flock not like the Rinpoche who gave up everything and did not mind what others took from him.
      In my life I nursed a Rinpoche for 3 months(relative of the king of Bhutan) providing him oxygen that no one could have obtained in a state of emergency since Tibetans are still refugees. My first look I liked him then I was told by the french he had never plucked a flower in his life- he was the real Buddhist like a travelling monk.

  • 0
    0

    Unbelievable.As a patriotic(not a bogus feigning motherland cheer leader) and, a dedicated democrat and Roman Catholic by faith, For me this is nothing but divine intervention.I am a former national list member of parliament appointed by Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

    • 0
      0

      “former national list member of parliament appointed by Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.”

      exactly why we give 2 hoots to a politician- the very bitch that involved NM Perera and made us burn our hard earned cash because we did not bum her like you.
      Colvin who robbed us of our lands
      Tamils who lost their right to education.

      A politician is one whop speaks the truth and sandwiches with lies- G Bernard Shaw.

      It’s better to have you bombed so that you understand the meaning of independence-
      When the Sihala spied for the fascists Japanese, and had the second largest Catholic Church in the world built by Portuguese/Dutch bombed.

      Like the Americans say – Deal with It.

  • 7
    2

    I have no respect for monks of any type be they buddhist, christian, hindu or muslim but if this monk is serious about accepting that the current sinhala buddhist state has to be dismantled – preferably by its own citizens rather than by an interventionist force – and replaced by a secular – that is to say one that treats religion as something private and nothing to do with the state – one, and the sinhala buddhist ideology rubbished and dumped in the cess pits of history along with the thamileelam nonsense so that the history of modern post colonial Sri Lanka can be re written as the story of an ongoing attempt to instill democratic values and the rule of law in a post colonial society then I may be interested in participating in such an exercise. Chandrika had her opportunity to abolish the presidency and she did not. Ranil will never do it. This man will not be able to do it either without solid international as well as Indian support. The path forward will be difficult but if the old man is serious about accepting that the path that his saffron robed tribe of fascists has built is a road to hell and wishes to change it then he should indeed be assisted in this task.

  • 2
    5

    I dont trust this monk. Monks in Sri lanka are a farce. So why not maker Dr.Harsha De Silva the common candidate. He is educated, to date there is no corruption alligation against him and country needs a leader that can get a good grip of the economy.

    • 2
      2

      You need a guy to talk to the gallery.
      Srilankan voters time and again proved that by voting Banda’s nationalistic SLFP over UNP, then by voting immature Sirima over Dudley, and then voting for Mara twice. We dont need educated or just leaders. All we need is a bloke wearing sarong and scream on top of your lungs in Sinhala with lot of slang and fake patriotic slogans.
      As a common condidate I would like to suggest Harin De Silva as a common condidate, who can talk and scream. He is young. He could attract young voters. He should lie and say he is for Sinhala Buddhists. He must promise every graduate will get jobs in a fortnight. He must keep Ranjan Ramanayake next to him wjo will deliver the goods safe. In order to attract more Sinhala public he must conscript few Actresses who like to show their assets without any shame. It doeant matter how much it would cost. Unquestionably it’ll pay rich dividend.
      Thus this regime could be uprooted. To send Gonraja home UNP must be equipped to do anything. Even if they have to import Sumana Gomaz they must go ahead and do so.
      Otherwise its hard to defeat this regime with the deaf and dumb Sinhala voters. Dont worry about Tamil Muslim Burger votes. They will anyway vote for UNP. Hoodwinking the sinhala ‘matto’ fools is so important. UNP must temporarily change its policies and adopt Gonraja style promises. Please dont allow RW to talk a single word in Sinhalese. And most importantly please keep Sajith away miles. Harin can do the job!
      If Mara could win any damn fool could win!
      If Mara could rule any idiot can rule too!
      After all politics is the only job that one need no qualifications!
      Examples – Sirima, CBK & Mara.

      • 0
        0

        Apologies. I meant Harin Fernando.

        • 0
          0

          HARIN Fernando sucks up to Rajapaksa

      • 0
        0

        Pandu @,

        long time no see pal, hope you re doing in the lost paradise.

        Who is this Dr. Harin de Silva ?

        • 0
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          He is just a podieka .. I guess.. how can you suggest him as a nation wide candidate, I like his speeches. He is very talented. He can send the message as the X ray would do to the masses, but for him, it would take years.. as we know how the gawky village masses get it.

          • 1
            0

            Hello Sirimal,
            I know Harin is an up and coming polotician and thats it.
            I wasnt promoting Harin. What I meant was for the grass eating SL public. These Putttalam Booruwos will never ever learn to vote the right guy. I reckon that its a distant dream to have RW as the Presiden with these grass eating public. RW also doesnt seem to change his stance. Sajith and Grp is busy undermining the party’s progress.
            The burning issue right now is to send this Mad Regime home along with its entire vedda clan. Purely for that I would support any bloke if he has the winning streak.

  • 7
    0

    In which part of the „Thripitakaya“does it say Buddhist monks can get involved in direct politics? This question is not only for Ven. Sobhitha but also for all other Buddhist monks who are active in SL politics today.
    Playing an advisory role to politics is different to getting directly involved.
    Each and every person who becomes a Buddhist monk takes an oath when he receives the sacred robes, that he will detach himself and give up all worldly desires. Politics is full of desires. In Politics you criticize and you will be criticized. That leads to jealousy and anger. Anger creates hate. These are things that Buddha told his followers to refrain from doing. One becomes a Buddhist monk to foster Buddhism and not to destroy it. Monks stepping in to politics (no matter which party) destroy Buddhism.

    • 2
      1

      A sane comment at last. Ven Sobhitha will never be president, the masses will be very reluctant to vote for a monk as the JHU discovered.

    • 0
      3

      rajini says”In which part of the „Thripitakaya“does it say Buddhist monks can get involved in direct politics?”

      In which part does it say that they can’t?Since you are being so specific and searching for that specific sentence that they cant, i also
      searched typing the word politics and i can’t find it.

      “Playing an advisory role to politics is different to getting directly involved.” how so in the bhuddhist context.What you are saying is better to be in shallow mud than deep mud.better to have the mud upto your knees than upto your waist.isn’t that your argument?For centuries monks have been advisors to the kings as you rightly pointed out.At that time they knew that the king’s decision was final and if he rejected their advice that was it.Now with parliamentary system introduce they know that the peoples reps when they reject the advise can be influenced by the monks going directly to the people bypassing the president and hence they have decided to become the people’s representatives so that their advice will have greater clout with the president.

      people have not rejected the JHU as you claim.They have a vote base of 500000 that can swing a tightly contested election.Why do you think that mahinda had that ideological nutter champika as the minister of power for so long and had to remove him only when power cuts started to occur.

      “Politics is full of desires.”
      That is why sobitha has said he will hold office if elected, for only 6 months.Tell me anywhere in the worlds history anyone has said such a thing before being elected.He is telling the whole world including a dimwit like you that he has no desire to be a politician but wants to just make a change to the constitution as the country is suffering due to power hungry laymen, and then bucker off
      back to his priestly duties.

  • 1
    2

    Bad news for the Muslimes.

    • 3
      2

      We are not against Buddhism or Buddhist monks, excepting the gnasara type who is anti Chritian and Muslims. Rev. Sobitha is a principled monk and he has never created problems for the Muslims. But having said that, I think we should go for a secular state and not be like Iran,

      • 1
        0

        Zareena,
        Your problems were manifested by the Turks/Mughals who crucified the north of India- please study your history.(Indira married Feroz the farsi and it was arranged like greedy Jinnah to Farsi Petit) Therefore true independence will follow when NaMo comes on stage. The Guajarati’s took Islam to Indonesia with a smile not the sword and there you find the best of Hindu sculpture at Bali (50million hindus) even today and the Chola Architecture living side by side. Therefore when Hillary visited Chennai she was asked to look east wards like them not look back. The world spins about its axis and if you don’t look at the terrible middle-east where aggressive folk live life is great. Good luck.

    • 0
      1

      Any priest whether Buddhist, Christian or any other religious belief would be far more reliable that a person whose only motive is ensure his already established as a massive giant tree to developed into forest worse than that of Gaddafi’s.

  • 4
    2

    I am inclined to believe Ven. Sobhita Thera. He is not a religious bigot or a narrow minded racialist! He has the guts to speak out the truth.

  • 3
    1

    Apologies about my last opinion. I went a bit over board and wrote something not so civil about the Ven. Prelate and CBK.
    Religious leaders should stop there with religion and politics is not for any of them, it should be forbidden. Politics and religion is a very bad mix and that’s one main reason why we do not have peace in this paradise. Let Ven. Sobitha teach real Buddhism to Lankan Buddhists and request them to behave like good human beings. This advice is suitable for all religious leaders and followers of all faiths.

    • 1
      1

      In today´s context, even monks shortly before attaining Nirawana, should wake up to save the country from RULING BUNCH OF THIEVES.

      This is the very reason why we the people have ONLY option – that is Sobitha hamuduruwo – it is our responsibility to support him for the great motive which is the abolition of EP and pave the way for a democractic governance.

  • 2
    2

    Ven.Sobita is the only hope that fellow Lankan’s would have as a presidential candidate to put brakes on a roller coaster ride of the ruling elite in the future. There is no end to this carnival of spending billions of public money on image building exercises of self grandeur on Air ports sans planes,harbours without boats and larger than cut outs in every street corner and village intersection. Added to all this is the impunity in which even provincial councillars of the UPFA can go on a rampage assaulting even the Police. Thuggery has now been institutilised to the extent that no public officer can perform his or her duties without threat.
    Let Ven Sobita take the challenge to the might Goliath!

  • 4
    1

    I think Ven. Sobitha Thero is the only candidate that we can trust to abolish the wicked presidential system. Forget about CBK, the mother of all lairs, who promised to abolish but never did it during her 11 years of power. Others like former CJ with her husband who is crook. SF tried and failed because of his foul mouth. If we fail to get rid of these corrupt regime of MR & Bros clan, we all have to be sorry for our selves.

  • 1
    2

    mirror,mirror on the wall,who is the fairest thero of all?

    Mirror says- http://groundviews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Ven.Madulwawe_nbf_LankaTruth_1.jpg

  • 0
    0

    What the country really need is an independent Commission for corruption whose commissioner is not accountable for any politicians.

    This is the way forward and then all other mechanisms like Judiciary/Police/Public service will all fall onto a system.

  • 0
    0

    There are so many things that have gone wrong and it has become “untho jata Bahi jata” (knots within & knots ouside). This Constitution is also a “rotten jack fruit” – that which has been pinched, knocked, kicked and licked so many times by so many caretakers. It is now giving out unhealthy ordure. In simple terms it has to be replaced with a carefully considered, well drafted one to meet the needs of the present day and years and years to come, without giving any caretakers to meddle with it indiscriminately to suit their fancies and wishes. But CERTAINLY NOT with the one that this HAMUDURUWO has drafted. Perhaps, his main target could be to get rid of the present President and the regime and that is not what Sri Lanka wants. This does not mean in anyway to support this regime. But I still feel they should go but must be replaced with “responsible” “civic minded” representatives of the people at the central and the provincial levels of administration.

    A well drafted Constitution could be the “key” to such an opening. It must be people friendly, beneficial, independent, strong, safeguard, secure, instrument to be presented and accepted by the unitary state.So towards this goal,the people must get together and form a forum of academics, professionals, and civil society members and come up with a draft to be presented to the voters at an election and pledge to adopt it forthwith in a newly elected parliament.

    This is what HAMUDURUWO and all other PATRIOTS must do. It is very risky to come before the country with a view to “ATTACK” and “ELIMINATE” one or few clauses of the present Constitution and win an election. It is only a means to attain a success of a “hidden agenda”.

  • 0
    0

    “Says Sri Lanka Should Face international Inquiry If It Has Nothing To Hide”

    Sobitha should be asked,if srilanka has something to hide,will he still support an international inquiry.He seems to be telling that he is supporting an inquiry only if srilanka has nothing to hide.The whole world knows that it has something to hide,so it is not very clear whether he will support still support in inquiry that could bring some army soldiers and officers into disrepute.

    If he had said that he would support an inquiry because he wants any crimes committed be made public,then he would be more clear in what he wants and what he does not want.Though a monk he seems to be a monk who knows to play the political game well too.Definitely better than fonseka who every time he opens his mouth he shoots himself in the foot.

  • 0
    0

    This is the only way to get rid off this underworld criminal EAJA hora and restore peace and prosperity in this corrupt criminal stupid country.

  • 0
    0

    GOD BLESS Sobitha Thero WE HOPE YOU HAVE THE COURAGE AND HELP OF THIS HOPELESS NATION TO BRING BACK THAT HOPE OF LIFE AND TO PERFORM AS A CORRUPT, RAPE, DRUG AND MURDER FREE NATION

  • 1
    0

    “Now this is what many have been suggesting, but I for one had given up hope since his recent remarks suggested he was not interested; he is a real back and forth personality. So I was pleased that he had now taken a position from which it seemed he would not retreat. Unfortunately Sobitha is also known for going into reverse gear when he comes under pressure. So what happened next was not a complete surprise.” http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/1454

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