Punishing Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero Sets a Bigger Judicial Precedence against Tamil and Muslim Ultra Racists
Posted on December 15th, 2016
Dilrook Kannangara
The Minister of Justice raised a few eye brows when he decided to sort out matters connected to Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero outside the legal system. Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala MPs questioned his rationale behind his action. They argued that the venerable Buddhist monk should be punished for hate speech and arousing ethnic tensions. Minister of Justice deflected their demands and pointed out how they shamelessly remained with the Cabinet of the former President despite what happened in Aluthgama . By not taking legal action against the venerable monk, the Minister of Justice actually saves some key Tamil and Muslim politicians!
If legal action is taken against Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero, it sets a judicial precedence which can be used against Tamil and Muslim leaders that regularly rely on racism to win votes. TNA leaders regularly cry Sinhala colonization” creating hatred against Sinhala people living in the north and east and spreading their assumed restriction against Sinhalese living in the north and east. These are extremely racist rantings that unfortunately go unpunished. Certain Muslim leaders have also engaged in racism. One of them called Buddhist monks saffron terrorists not very long ago. He too went unpunished. If Sri Lanka takes action against arousing racial hatred, most Tamil and Muslim leaders will be behind bars before Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero. This was why the Minister of Justice wants the matter sorted out without going to court.
The Sri Lankan society has double standards on racism. Due to perennial racism sowed by Tamil politicians since 1920s, people are numb and immune to its ugliness. As a result they don’t call it racism. However, Sinhala politicians rarely use racism in politics. Therefore, even if someone talks about injustices to Sinhalese, people would be quick to brand him/her a racist!
However, this doesn’t work in law. In law, everyone is equal (at least on paper). A Tamil, Muslim or a Sinhalese will be judged on an equal footing in a court of law. Society’s high tolerance of Tamil racism and low tolerance of Sinhala racism will be dumped in the rubbish bin in a court of law. One yardstick will be used to measure all. Therefore, although Tamil and Muslim leaders always escaped being branded and punished for racism in the society, their luck runs out in a court of law. Sinhalese sometimes branded as racists by the society for innocently standing up for just rights in fact commit no offence legally.
This has profound implications on religious texts as well. If hate speech is illegalized sufficiently and meaningfully, many verses in Hindu and Islamic texts and a considerable number of Biblical texts will have to be hidden, deleted, creatively interpreted or otherwise toned down to escape hate speech laws. Since Buddhism has no hate arousing texts, it escapes the law. For this reason, although the government made a huge cry about banning hate speech, it has been unable to bring meaningful legal restrictions that would cause collateral damage against Hindu and Islamic texts.
Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero is a bigger hero than appears. He has routed Tamil and Muslim ultra racists and trapped them into laws against hate speech and racially inflammable expressions. If he is punished, Tamil and Muslim ultra racists must be punished too. In fact proving their guilt is much easier than proving Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana’s guilt.
The government is in a conundrum. Hopefully they will not continue to bend the law (as they infamously boast) to punish one at the same time saving worse others. If they continue to do so, people will completely lose faith in the legal system and rely on alternative approaches to deliver justice.
December 15th, 2016 at 5:45 pm
Both Maha Raja governement and Hora Raja governement are responsible for bringing disrepute to Buddhism by letting this monk behave like a mad dog. It doen’t mean this monk is not responsible.
He has a real cause. His fighting is justified. This man has been cronered, neglected and allowed to rot by sucessive governements, not only by this governement. He has no where to go but to fight as a mad dog for survival.
Why this happened, if our constitution alrady guarantees supreme position for Buddhsim ?
Why this happened after our sons, daugthers, brothers , sisters , monks , samaneras, died in thousands liberating mother land.
There is excuse to all responsible if the war is still going on , becuase our liberators were not sucessful.
There is no more excuse, after our liberators sucessfully defeated the terrorists !
This the ONLY REASON I am blaming the MAHA EKA.
December 16th, 2016 at 3:47 am
S.Gonsal
You are confusing others or your confused yourself ???
As a Tamil I am following Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero all action news.
he is right 100% he is not breaking any land of law at all as way of OUR family life he has right to protect his local community .
December 16th, 2016 at 4:39 am
No wonder Sinhalese are called modayas. The brain dead donkeys don’t understand there isn’t a single Sinhalese
deshapaluwek opening their mouth to defend Sinhalese rights and Buddhism. Only people who opened their mouths
are the Buddhist monks. That’s why the catholic-run UNPatriotic party is hell bent on reining in them. This will please
all the tamils, mussies and the catholics. Then the catholic-controlled media make sure to brand these monks as
racists etc. etc and punish them through courts. These brain dead Sinhalese donkeys know how many monks have
been imprisoned since these traitor YAMA PALLAN came to power? Patriotic Sinhalese are ashamed to have these
traitors being born amongst them as Sinhalese. After so many mega crimes against the Sinhalese, Sri Lanka and
Buddhism there are still a lot of traitor Sinhalese defending their record. Shame on you!
100,000+ Sinhalese lives by dragging the war for over 30 years saying the catholic tigers of tamil drealam were
too strong
60,000+ Sinhalese by dragging the jvp insurgency
giving half the country to his catholic buddy hitler mala paharan by traitor chief die hard catholic token Buddhist
Batalande Wadakaya pol pot r@nil wickramaSinhalakiller
sending 600 policemen in the east to catholic tiger of tamil drealam bullet by lk alugosu porisada
millennium city intelligent officers murders
5585 billion day light robbery with catholic buddy arjun maha horandran and traitor chief die hard catholic token
Buddhist Batalande wadakaya pol pot r@nil wickramaSinhalakiller
introducing 13,13A to constitution and putting foundations to break up Sri Lanka.
new constutition to break up Sri Lanka
List goes on! Meanwhile some traitor Sinhalese donkey moan about others! Why the other party hasn’t done that much damage?
They haven’t been brutal enough against the Sinhalese and Buddhism. The traitor brain dead Sinhalese donkeys still
don’t understand! Can’t see the damaage done by the catholic-run UNPatriotic party.
December 16th, 2016 at 4:41 am
Traitor Sinhala donkeys care to click on any of the links to see and enjoy your beloved catholic-run UNPatriotic
party handy work against the Sinhalese, Sri Lanka and Buddhism? You can’t see these in so called Buddhist
Sri Lanka.
http://ltte-christian-ties.blogspot.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6_o9txURc
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015/08/05/christianizing-of-sri-lanka-unps-betrayal-of-buddhism/
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2016/05/27/ranil-wickremasinghes-new-unp-3/
http://www.lankagrid.com/soma-thero/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_eJ1gX_fuU
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2016/09/26/ltte-terrorism-church-links-can-someone-explain-these-photos/
December 16th, 2016 at 5:28 am
Kumar,
You don’t understand .
Code of ethics for Hindu priests and Buddhists monks are different. That is why you are confused.
I am not blaming him for his action which is 100% justified as a “man”, but I regret the damage done to Buddhist monkhood by doing so. Our politicians are responsible for this damge.
December 16th, 2016 at 3:51 pm
Sorry S.Gonsal I disagreed with you .
you can call him Buddhist monkhood or priest but you know as well as I know He is a simple Amaduru(piggu) who live with ordinary local people. does not matter those people are Tamil or Sinhalese or Muslim .
eg: he identify 2 family who has not got husband to support family with children need house to live in Batticalo .
really specking our opposition leader Sampanthan or local Tamil MP should provide house for these family to proof We Tamils are genuine people for United Mother Lanka.
Code of ethics mankind is same for every one in this world specially you & me who believe Karma & Dharma !!!
You don’t understand .- Agreed Why this Kolaveri machang ???