{"id":127948,"date":"2014-07-18T00:08:15","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T18:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=127948"},"modified":"2014-07-25T01:10:12","modified_gmt":"2014-07-24T19:40:12","slug":"ven-maduluwawe-sobitha-thera-expresses-remorse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ven-maduluwawe-sobitha-thera-expresses-remorse\/","title":{"rendered":"Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera Expresses Remorse"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/a><\/span>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Malinda<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

Meanwhile In A Parallel Universe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wiman Weerawansa, the ardent defender of the regime, staunch nationalist, anti-imperialist and in fact the <\/span>jaathiye panchaayudaya<\/i> (self-proclaimed) had come. He had seen, he had chit-chatted, he had posed for photographs and he had left.\u00a0 Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha<\/span><\/a> Thera blessed them all with the customary \u2018<\/span>suwapath wethva\u2019<\/i> and went into his bedroom.\u00a0 It had been an animated conversation. They had talked of the Executive Presidency and other constitutional matters. They had discussed the state of the country.\u00a0 They had exchanged pleasantries.\u00a0 The venerable thero was exhausted.\u00a0 He reclined in an easy chair and reflected.\u00a0 He thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018What was that all about?\u00a0 Why on earth did I agree to meet Wimal?\u00a0 What was I trying to achieve?\u00a0 What was his objective?<\/p>\n

\"Ven<\/a>

Ven Sobitha<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018I met him in my capacity as the Convener of the Movement for a Just Society, this is true, but to what end?\u00a0 Wimal is Wimal.\u00a0 A good orator.\u00a0 An excellent communicator. He knows all about brands, brand building and brand positioning.\u00a0 I was in the photographs that made it to the newspapers.\u00a0 So what?\u00a0 I am not the one getting the political mileage.\u00a0 I am not the one who is getting brand exposure.<\/p>\n

\u2018I should have known better.\u00a0 After all I know Wimal.\u00a0 I know his history. I know of his hunger-strike. I know the threats and withdrawal of threats.\u00a0 After each feigned disagreement with the President, Wimal comes out strong defending the regime.\u00a0 The last line of every episode has been the same. He says that he will not allow the regime to be defeated.\u00a0 Aanduwa wattanna denne nehe.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Maybe I am getting old.\u00a0 If I had any doubts, all the hue and cry about Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s visit should have laid them to rest.\u00a0 One would have thought that Wimal would have suffered a coronary if Ramaphosa ever came.\u00a0 Well, he has come now.\u00a0 Wimal has not announced a hunger strike. He has not even done a Palitha Thevarapperuma, threatening to resign knowing well that Mahinda would bail him out at the last moment.\u00a0 Someone said that Ramaphosa was but a tourist and that seems to have been enough for Wimal.<\/p>\n

\u2018Wimal has words.\u00a0 Had he been in the opposition he would have creamed whoever said that Ramaphosa was a tourist.\u00a0 Actually I wish there was someone like Wimal in the opposition. They just have voice-cut politicians.\u00a0 Sloth is their middle name.\u00a0 Now Wimal, had he been in the opposition, would have asked the Government if the TNA was a bunch of wild elephants roaming around in Wilpattu. He would have asked the Government if the TNA\u2019s offices was some culturally and historically significant archaeological site.\u00a0 He would have asked why Ramaphosa has not included Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy in his itinerary.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t do that. He remained silent.<\/p>\n

\u2018So what was this visit all about?\u00a0 Wimal doesn\u2019t want regime-change. He does not want Mahinda ousted.\u00a0 He is not interested in a just society because he doesn\u2019t have the eyes to see all the injustice happening around him and even if he did his biting wit does not bend this way and that to twist a phrase and deliver scathing criticism.<\/p>\n

\u2018This was not a visit to pay respects. It was not to obtain blessings.\u00a0 Maybe I should just treat it all with equanimity.\u00a0 I was tricked, this is true.\u00a0 But I cannot, as a bikkhu<\/i>, turn away anyone, even Wimal.\u00a0 And in any case, I have spent hours and hours with people as dodgy as Wimal or worse.\u00a0 Yes, that\u2019s it.\u00a0 I will take that line.\u00a0 It\u2019s all I can salvage after being turned into a pawn in one of Wimal\u2019s many publicity chess games.\u2019<\/p>\n

*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of \u2018The Nation\u2019\u00a0and his articles can be found at\u00a0www.malindawords.blogspot.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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