Yohan Perera and Athula Bandara in Anuradhapura Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe changed his decision to give up politics and leave the country several years ago following the advice of several leading Buddhist monks including the late Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, the Chief Incumbent of Mirisawetiya Venerable Ethalawetunu Wawe Dhanatilaka Thera said yesterday.

The Venerable Thera expressed these sentiments during a religious ceremony held at the Mirisawetiya Cheithiya to mark the present government’s completion of three years in office last evening.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was planning to give up politics and leave the country for higher studies but gave up the idea following the advice of leading monks including the late Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera and myself. We told him not to give up politics and remain here. I personally phoned him and told him to change his decision and he heeded my request,” the thera said.

He said the Prime Minister was very good at selecting and deciding on things.

Mr. Wickremesinghe was heavily criticized for talking of Wi-Fi and he also predicted that coconut pluckers were going to own mobile phones around 30 years ago but today what he said has been proved to be correct,” the thera pointed out.