JSS-NHS Contestation of the General Elections An Unnecessary Anomaly Which Could Lose Its Credibility And Synonymously Hamper Outcome For The Deserving.

Although the concept of preserving the Buddhist Infrastructure within a Nation of Buddhist Heritage dating back to thousands of years is a noble and admirable one it cannot justify the propriety of members of the Buddhist Clergy or any clergy for that matter towards jumping into mainstream politics as it not only defeats their purpose but surely circumvents the objectives towards their calling which is to maintain and propagate the faith in a tranquil and peacefully passive non confrontational manner as in the teachings of all Great Religious Axioms which undoubtedly include all faiths.

In a general sense historically and statistically it has been proven globally that a Nation does not necessarily desire to promote religious leaders or members of any clergy towards their cause in a political role although there have been some exceptions and this perhaps is cause enough to deter the ambits of the National Sinhala Heritage as in essence theirs would be a bifurcation of a calling where the greater responsibilities point towards preserving and maintaining the faith rather than dabble in party politics, said with due respect!

Relatively the recent decision by Sri Lanka's leading organisation of Buddhist Monks The Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya to contest the upcoming parliamentary election under the banner of National Sinhala Heritage does not seem justifiable towards any rationality considering their status as keepers of the faith and furthermore it could pose unwelcome problems to the prospects of mainstream political parties and more than likely to affect the outcome of the April 2 ballot adversely for the frontrunners and in a sense be of advantage to the enemies of the state who have been conniving various aspects of skullduggery it has been reliably learnt as well as portrayed by the manner in which certain upstart Tamil Politicians , particularly some well known cabinet members are already fomenting fires of dissent against the Sinhala Nation and its candidates running upto the April 2nd Elections.

Consequently there seems hardly a need for vote splitting within a Nation 70% predominantly Buddhist whose emotions could easily be distracted and swayed away from casting a proper vote in a misguided belief that the JSS could better influence the state of affairs within Sri Lanka which at present seems to be beyond the grasp even of the seasoned politicians as it could probably lead to further mayhem and chaos in an already devastated Nation. The JSS has said it will put up 260 monks as candidates and contest under the banner of the National Sinhala Heritage (NSH). Perhaps it would be in the bests interests of the Nation that this anticipated move should be aborted and sensibilities prevail where responsibilities should rest in the hands of the politicians and the stoic leadership of the President whose patriotic traits, loyalties to the Buddhist Religion, respect for all religions and political resolve which clearly depicts her quest for the Nation's posterity is clearly in no need of questioning and unsolicited inadvertent upstaging as a worst case scenario by an entity which is more than likely to confuse rather than facilitate despite the good intentions should by all means be considered very negative.
There seems to be litttle to speculate on, where even the most prudent of analysts seem to concur that the move could inadvertently target the newly formed alliance between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which plan to win confidences and the assents of the voters with a Nation Preserving Manifesto and a purging of the Nation's evils, corruption and securing its Sovereignity which the previous Administration has failed to deliver in its entirety rather unfortunately as it must be accredited for initiating and ratifying the ongoing peace where the buck stopped at the juncture of hesitancy and the threat of compromising the Nation's Sovereignity and Territorial Integrity became the greater issue at hand!.

There is also the distinct possibility of a JSS backed National Sinhala Heritage Platform adversely affecting the returns of the United National Front of Ranil Wickremasinghe already becoming concerned over the defections of some of its former Muslim Allies and others as the Nation wonders where the count would end, further defections being anticipated and inauspicious for the UNF also perhaps to a lesser degree but could certainly be added criteria toward adversity and ultimate demise !

Although opinions may be presently divided on this issue and there have been defiant representations made towards justifying their entry into party politics which would seem to be a no no! and a erroneous concept by all precepts of religion.

It has been stated by the prominent Political Analyst BHS Jayawardena that quote" The presence of some of Sri Lanka's most popular Buddhist monks in the political arena will attract floating votes, plus a neat chunk of votes from the leading parties, especially the SLFP-JVP alliance. For those wondering why the monks are coming out of their cloisters and jumping into the heat and dust of elections, the monks have the answers ready." Further quoting the NSH and its secretary the Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera it has been said " We have been watching for too long the manner in which political leaders are undermining the rights of the country's majority Sinhala Buddhists in order to bring the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) to the negotiating table. Protecting the country and Buddhism has been the traditional role of the monks in the 2,500-year history of Buddhism here, and we are not doing anything new." Words spoken by a young and charismatic Prelate seen by many as one of the most promising Buddhist priests in the country whose voice will not go unheeded and a matter for the Nation's leaders to contend with!.

However the rationality of intertwining religion and politics does not justify their intended political role which is a matter for the Politicians who have always consulted with the Buddhist Hierarch in all their decision making. In a hypothetical sense it might be interesting to observe the manner in which an organization like the NSH would deal with the LTTE where the all important aspect of negotiation might not necessarily be an avenue it would be equipped with to pursue and short of being a spanner in the works their presence in the political arena in Sri Lanka would be somewhat meaningless!

It has been reported that the decision by JSS / NSH follows an almost non committal response by the SLFP-JVP albeit the overall cognizance of a conditional pledge presented by the monks to extend support to the alliance where a key demand following a natural order is a pledge not to negotiate with the LTTE which is perfectly understandable. But their support would be of no consequence if it hampered the chances of the PA / JVP alliance being the custodians of the Nation's well being as they appear to be the only alternative to the inefficiencies of the present Administration.

Extending support and campaigning on behalf of the PA-JVP alliance and presenting their advise towards all Sinhala Parties about National Unity in the best interests of the Nation would perhaps be the best option for the Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya backed NSH at a crucial time in the history of Sri Lanka in order that the fortcoming Elections would proceed with no snags or disruptions where Sri Lanka needs no further supplementations of what's best for her well being and political righteousness after all the strife and anguish of the past!

In conclusion it can be said confidently that the contestation of the General Election my the JJJ backed NSH would be an unnecessary anomaly where the contestants by virtue of their identity could lose their credibilities as well as to a degree hamper the outcome for the deserving!