{"id":152039,"date":"2025-09-17T14:34:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=152039"},"modified":"2025-09-17T14:34:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:34:02","slug":"can-ngos-install-multi-religious-statues-in-sri-lankas-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/09\/17\/can-ngos-install-multi-religious-statues-in-sri-lankas-hospitals\/","title":{"rendered":"Can NGOs Install Multi-Religious Statues in Sri Lanka\u2019s Hospitals?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Palitha Ariyarathna<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Synopsis:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Foreign-funded NGOs are preparing to install multi-religious statues in two<\/a> government hospitals in Kandy<\/a> and Peradeniya. This article questions the legality, constitutional authority, and donor-driven influence behind such symbolic acts. It calls for public vigilance, legal review, and protection<\/a> of the Buddha<\/a> S\u0101sana under Article 9<\/a> of Sri Lanka\u2019s Constitution<\/a>. The core message: Sri Lanka\u2019s public institutions must reflect native sovereignty\u2014not external agendas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A symbolic initiative is now scheduled to begin within two government hospitals\u2014one in Kandy and the other in Peradeniya. Multi-religious statues are expected to be placed in these institutions, framed as gestures of harmony and coexistence. But beneath the surface of this narrative lies a deeper constitutional and cultural concern: Who decides what symbols belong in our public spaces? And under what authority are they placed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka<\/a> is a democratic republic where Buddhism<\/a> holds the foremost place under the Constitution. According to Article 9, it is the duty<\/a> of the State to protect and foster the Buddha S\u0101sana. This obligation is not ceremonial\u2014it is legal, historical, and civilizational. Hospitals, as civic sanctuaries, are not symbolic laboratories. Their legacy<\/a> is rooted in centuries of Buddhist<\/a> healing\u2014from Mihintale, the world\u2019s first hospital<\/a>, to King<\/a> Dutugemunu\u2019s village-by-village medical centers, and King Buddhadasa\u2019s compassionate medicine<\/a>. The presence of Buddha statues in these institutions is not ornamental. It reflects a doctrinal ethos of public care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Supreme Court<\/a> of Sri Lanka<\/a> has made this clear. In its 2023 determination on the Ayurveda<\/a> (Amendment) Bill, the Court ruled that the State must actively protect the Buddha S\u0101sana and avoid any act\u2014symbolic, financial, or regulatory\u2014that causes harm or dilution. In 19\/2003, the Court further affirmed that the right<\/a> to propagate religion is not recognized as a fundamental right under Sri Lanka\u2019s Constitution. Therefore, symbolic installations framed as pluralism\u201d or coexistence\u201d do not enjoy constitutional protection when placed in public institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent symbolic activities appear to be supported by foreign funding streams originating from U.S. government agencies, European diplomatic missions, and global advocacy networks such as Freedom<\/a> House, Open Society Foundations, and CAFOD. These campaigns, while presented as inclusive, raise urgent civic and legal questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n