{"id":232966,"date":"2023-06-18T11:48:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T06:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=232966"},"modified":"2023-06-28T15:19:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T09:49:31","slug":"kurundi-a-runway-to-56","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/kurundi-a-runway-to-56\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurundi: A Runway To \u201956?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tisaranee Gunasekara<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlready the snow falls…” ~ <\/i>Karl Kraus words in verses III<\/p>\n

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Kurundi<\/p><\/div>\n

In his fifth labour, Heracles cleans the Augean Stables by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus through the filthy abode of King Augeas\u2019 divine cattle. Many believed that the Aragalaya would have a similarly cleansing effect on Lankan society, washing away the filth of primordial extremisms with the waters of its idealism.<\/p>\n

As the Kurundi storm demonstrates, ethno-religious racism didn\u2019t die. The extremity of the crisis and the resultant antipathy towards the Rajapaksas drove it underground. To paraphrase Camus, the plague bacillus lay dormant in the dark corners of religious places and political organisations, of imagined histories and collective memories until the time was right to rouse up its rats again.<\/p>\n

That time might be now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Less than one year after the Aragalaya sent Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span> fleeing, his saffron cohorts are back, ready to set the country on fire again for a slice of power and a chunk of land. They are all there, from Medagoda Abayatiss thero (laughingly equating Tamils and Muslims of today with the Nigantayas<\/i> of the Buddha\u2019s lifetime who bribed a king and tried to take over a temple) to Akmeemana Dayarathana thero of Sinhala Ravaya (hinting at separation and bloodshed).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The political monk began his comeback bid with the successful persecution of Nathasha Edirisooriya<\/a><\/span> and Bruno Divakara. Had the Wickremesinghe government upheld the rule of law instead of succumbing to political expediency, the political monk might have retreated to await a more propitious time. But the administration played dead, allowing not only the distortion of the ICCPR<\/a><\/span> into an anti-blasphemy law but also its selective \u2013 thereby discriminatory – application. So Nathasha Edirisooriya and Burno Divakara are still in custody for defaming Buddhism while Dilith Jayaweera<\/a><\/span> (who wondered whether \u2018Siddhartha was a loser\u2019), Balangoda Kassapa thero (who tried to incite Sinhala-Buddhist anger towards Christians), and Akmeemana Dayarathana thero (who threatened a religious conflict that would make it impossible for non-Buddhists to leave their houses) are free to ply their divisive politics. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cowardice and the opportunism of the political class empowered the political monk. So began the march to Kurundi. If they win in Kurundi, they\u2019ll become unstoppable, again. And this will be their country.<\/p>\n

That is precisely the claim of Walawahangunawawe Dhammarathana thero of Mihintale. This country is the property of the Sangha (sanghika<\/i>) he says, since it was donated to the monkhood (Sasana) by ancient kings. Other monks are trying to create a nexus between Northern\/Eastern land issues and the restructuring\/sale of state-owned enterprises. Their political agenda is thus in direct opposition to Ranil Wickremesinghe\u2019s economic agenda. They have also linked the Kurundi issue with the full implementation of the 13th<\/sup><\/span> Amendment, another Wickremesinghe promise. Theirs is a project to turn Lanka into what it never was, a Sinhala-Buddhist theocratic land where monks have the final say on matters large and small, from devolution to which radio plays are permissible. (Playwright Malaka Devapriya was summoned to the Organised Crime Prevention Division in October 2019, subsequent to an ICCPR complaint by Ahungalle Jinananda thero – the prime mover in the Shakthika Sathkumara case.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an attempt to justify the proposed Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Act, President Wickremesinghe mentioned the burning of his books. That was an act of barbarism and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Unfortunately, Mr. Wickremesinghe\u2019s resultant animus towards all of Aragalaya makes him blind to far more likely dangers emanating from the populist-racist right. The secretary of Sinhala Ravaya, Madhubhashana Prabath, commenting on the leaked video of the President\u2019s second encounter with Archaeology Director General, left nothing much to imagination or interpretation. \u201cRanil should pay attention to what happened to Rajiv Gandhi. Because patriots are near even you… The video was leaked by a group very close to the president. The president must understand that there are Sinhala-Buddhists around him. … This happened in a high security zone. From such a place it cannot be leaked easily… Those patriotic Buddhists will do anything for the country. They will make every intervention necessary for the country.<\/p>\n