Lankan Buddhist monk suggests comprehensive framework to defeat ISIS
Posted on May 12th, 2019
Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Colombo, May 12: Ven.Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Jathika Hela Urumaya leader and a National List Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament, has brought out a document on a comprehensive plan to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which is believed to have inspired or directed the suicide bombings in Sri Lanka on April 21.
Produced in the name of Sri Lanka National Council (SLNC), the document was released late last week in the presence of religious leaders including Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.
It begins by saying that it is important to realize, first and foremost, that the ISIS is not similar to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and that the methods developed to fight the LTTE cannot be blindly applied to the fight against the ISIS.
The LTTE was fighting for a piece of territory where the Tamils would rule themselves, but the ISIS is a global organization aimed at converting the entire world to Islam by force of arms. It tentacles are spread across the world and it strikes in various parts of the world.
The roots of the ISIS are in global oil politics and not in Sri Lanka per se. The scope of the ISIS being global, Sri Lanka will have to join the global war against the ISIS.
While this calls for Sri Lanka’s cooperation with the West it should do so without surrendering its national independence, the document says. Intelligence should be shared with the West and other countries involved in the fight, but prudently without giving the recipient country a foothold in Sri Lanka.
To gain the confidence of the West and India, Sri Lanka should have prudent and measured relations with China. According to the document, Sri Lanka is in danger of being dominated by China economically. At the same time, Sri Lanka should see that it does not come under the political domination of India and the military domination of the West, it adds.
The SLNC urges the government to opt for sustainable development rather than just development measured in terms of the GDP. The latter strategy has landed Sri Lanka in debt.
There should be less dependence on imported oil and coal and more on renewable sources of energy. This will obviate the need for excessive dependence on foreign investments and foreign funding, the document says.
To secure Sri Lanka from the stranglehold of foreign countries, ports and airports should not be handed over to foreign entities and the plan to build a corridor between Colombo and Trincomalee with foreign assistance should be abandoned.
The document cautions against going overboard in accepting international help to fight the ISIS as that would only further weaken the country and erode its independence in the long run.
The document said that while in the case of the LTTE, the then opposition supported it, in the case of the ISIS, support is coming from a section of the government itself.
This is because of electoral alliances and sharing of power with some pro-extremist parties necessitated by the proportional representation system. The SNC proposes a new electoral system which will obviate the need for such alliances with minor communal parties and enable a single party to form a stable government.
Apart from taking stringent action against persons involved in extremist activities, the government should promote national unity and moderation in civil and religious thought and action.
Towards this end, denominational schools should be replaced by multi-religious schools. Co-education should be insisted upon. Extremist and fundamental teachings should be banned. On the other hand there should a compulsory course of study in inter-religious harmony.
There should be no religion based uniforms in schools or religion-based banking. And there should be no religion-based laws or religion based enclaves, the document says.
(The featured image at the top is that of Ven.Athuraliye Rathana Thera, MP and leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya )
May 12th, 2019 at 7:46 pm
You have contributed to this misery by going into marriage with Yahapalana team.
Now coming forward to clear your image??
You supported the movement which succeeded due to Lies and Lies and blatant lies regarding the Looting of public funds by MR and his family. When they failed to find any wrong doings, why did you keep quiet.
You may have also blamed MR and the family during that campaign saying they were looting. By joining a team of liars itself is a sin for a monk.
You have broken your Seela already. You have no right to be in the robe which is considered sacred as it was worn by great Sanga similar to Arahath Sariputta etc etc.
Now you cant run to hide your face. Go home!!
May 13th, 2019 at 2:07 am
I wish to disagree with Hiranthe here.
Though the venerable monk joined the yahapalanaya, he had been acting independent as far as I could remember. I saw him tying the pirith nool on PM’s wrist on stage after he was elected, but that was in good faith. His effort to rid the Rajarata farmers of kidney decease had been successful to a great extent. For that there were many who threw brick bats at him.
Similarly, this proposal he makes is the best I believe. I myself have been writing here in this forum suggesting a similar set up.
We all supported MY3 at the presidential poll as there was none in the horizon to take the challenge at that time. Even the clergy recommended him thinking that a farmer in SL is even suitable to be the king. Little did we know by that time (I think 25 years) he had already graduated from Diyawanna. After wining the election we thought that he would surround himself with technocrats and other educated people to run the country. In fact a friend of mine who was working as a professor overseas was eagerly waiting for a message to come back to SL and join such a team as he had known the prez for a long time. He never got a message or a call. Instead of that the prez surrounded himself with the most corrupt people in the civil service. And we know how two of them got caught counting bribe money in a car park of a five star hotel in Colombo.
We cannot blame any other community for the problems we have. The other ministers also did the same. Examples are ministry of power and ministry of Drainage and water supply. A well known corrupt fellow who used to go round consultants offices end of each month to collect dues became the most suitable man to be the GM.
Diyawanna is beyond a clean up. MR too contributed for its downfall. Therefore this parliament should be dissolved and the system abolished. It should be converted to a museum where the pictures of all those died and injured could be hung with the scenes of devastation of 4/21 for the information of future generations. Nearby we can see the cenotaph where the names of 28000 Ranawiruwos who died on another attempt to take over the country are etched on stone.
The old parliament at Galle Face is more than enough for about 120 MPs. to serve this small country.
May 13th, 2019 at 5:09 am
මේ කාලලන්නි පෙරේතය සින්හලයන් මුලා කරගෙන බඩවඩා ගන්න තවත් එකෙක් චම්පකය වගෙ. මගෙ වචන වලට සමාවන්න. මෙයා මතකද වකුගඩු ප්රස්න වලට උත්තර හොයන්න මැලේසියාවට ගියා. දැන් මේ විපැත්තිය අල්ලගෙන අපි ඔක්කොටම කෙලල උන්ගෙ බඩ වියත රැකගන්න.
By the way most corrupt in our country are the Nadars, Pasis, Boras and Malayalis, Tamils who run our economy.
It is time we get red of their practices of controlling our politicians.
I think most of in this forum do not agree with me.
As soon as the Police checked the Mansions of a Bora in Bandarawela and was televised; Sirisena issued a media release not to televise such videos the next day.
May 13th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
Christie,
If someone does some good for the country you have to appreciate it. Ven. Rathana fought a lone battle to ban Glyphosate and popularize bio fertilizer. Even my brother, a microbiologist from a UK university was working in one of the bio fertilizer manufacturing project until recently. It is a well known fact that it has produced good results in reducing the number of CKDu cases in Rajarata which is the heartland of Sinhala Buddhists. If you are against it, then I am sorry I have to say that you are actually anti-Sinhalese
This write up is in English. Why is that your comment in Sinhala only for Ven.Rathana. I put it to you that you are trying to mislead the Sinhalas. There wee similar campaigns in this very site against Galaboda Aththe when there was a demand to release him. And that was sabotaged by many who commented here. There is lot of accusations against Indians in all your comments. Even against SWRD who is well respected by most Sinhalas. If not for one of his educational programs I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the little I have managed to achieve in my life. Many Indians who have made this county their home are contributing much more than our Sinhala counterparts. Whose building is Jaic Hilton and who put up Colombo City Center?.
I see a well disciplined work force employed by Abans, mostly Sinhalese cleaning CMC roads. I see them working as early as 6.30 AM on the roads in my area. You do not find garbage dumps on our roads as they come to the door step and clear it everyday.
Are Harry Js and Dhammikas any better?. I have heard how one guy did re-insurance and legally syphoned off money for various politicos. India too has to battle ISIS menace. You should listen to the speech by Dr, Narayana Swamy in the US recently.