Senaka Weeraratna

The situation of the Press is far worse today

It is totally anti-national and anti – Buddhist.

A content analysis of the Political Columns of any English language mainstream newspaper will reveal this stark truth. 

The Govt. has the mandate to establish a Commission of Inquiry like what Mrs. Bandaranaike did in 1963, to investigate and report on matters concerning the reform of the National Press, given the increasing public dissatisfaction expressed by the Buddhist public, Buddhist organizations, and the Maha Sangha, about the state and activities of the Media. 

There is no space for Buddhist opinion in the newspapers today.  It is sad but it must be said that leading Buddhist organizations are exceptionally weak when it comes to the defense of Buddhist interests. There is no real Buddhist leadership provided by lay Buddhists. They are only Office Bearers. 

Almost all prominent newspaper columnists are non – Buddhists. Some have Sinhala Buddhist names and use these names to deceive the readers that their views reflect a Buddhist opinion. But in fact, they have a Christian link through one of their parents and are steadfastly loyal to the Church. 

The biggest achievement of Colonialism and its auxiliary Christianity has been its ability to manipulate the identity of people especially brown coloured people in former European colonies. The process continues in India, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. 

An example is the  Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919. It is Indian soldiers who killed over 379 unarmed fellow Indians, following orders given by a White Officer. 

There is no reported case of this type of incident happening in Chinese or Japanese History. 

Once you change your religion into that of an Abrahamic faith your loyalty also changes.

After that, the Brown man becomes the enemy of the Brown man (and woman) who continues to remain loyal to the ‘ Rata, Jathiya, Agama’ of their ancestors and cultural heritage. 

The missionary schools divided the nation in strict adherence to the colonial policy of Divide and Rule. 

Today the Editorial Staff of mainstream English language newspapers are full of brown people whose loyalties are to the Vatican primarily.

They are products of missionary schools or public schools.

Rarely would you find an old Anandian or an old boy of an Olcott school on the Editorial staff of leading English language newspapers?

Public opinion in Sri Lanka is created by scribes who are knee-jerk anti – Sinhala and anti-Buddhist.   

Hate speech is directed towards Buddhism and Buddhist monks daily ad nauseam, without state intervention to stop it.

The Govt. which came on a huge mandate given mostly by Sinhala Buddhists must exercise its lawful power to stop the vilification of Buddhism, demonization of Buddhist monks, and humiliation of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Heritage, History, and Culture that happens almost on a daily basis. 

It is easy to establish the hate speech crimes of the scribes of the newspapers through a content analysis of their biased writings.

The Portuguese came to conquer and dislodge Buddhism. It was not an accident. The Portuguese and the Dutch forbade the practice of Buddhism. All the Buddhist Temples in their areas of control were destroyed and monks killed. Those who survived fled to Sitavaka and later to Kandy.  

Lascoreens ( those who embraced the faith of the invaders) turned against their original faith i.e. Buddhism, and joined the Portuguese to burn down Temples and then construct Catholic Churches on top of the sites of Buddhist Temples. Father Queyroz who wrote the monumental treatise ‘ The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon’ provides the full list of such Churches. An apology and compensation have yet to be paid for this dastardly crime. 

The Catholic Church likes to play the victim card but the actual victims of 450 years of colonial rule were the Sinhala Buddhists of this country.

Senaka Weeraratna