{"id":95667,"date":"2019-11-27T00:33:02","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T06:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=95667"},"modified":"2019-11-26T17:31:49","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T00:31:49","slug":"presidential-swearing-in-at-ruwanveli-maha-saeya-anuradhapura-lest-its-symbolism-is-misread-by-rabid-antinationalist-racists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/11\/27\/presidential-swearing-in-at-ruwanveli-maha-saeya-anuradhapura-lest-its-symbolism-is-misread-by-rabid-antinationalist-racists\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential swearing in at Ruwanveli Maha Saeya, Anuradhapura: Lest its symbolism is misread by rabid antinationalist racists"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

I \nlove my country. I am proud of my country. I have a vision concerning my \ncountry. I appeal to all Sri Lankans to join together in building a prosperous \nland for posterity\u201d  declared Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on being sworn in as the \nseventh executive president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka \nnear the Ruwanveli Mahasaeya at Anuradhapura on November 18, 2019. After \nassuming duties at the presidential secretariat in Colombo on the following day, \nhe made this FB entry: \u2018I \nam now the President of all Sri Lankans, whether they voted for me or not and \nirrespective of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. Elections are now over and \nI need the support of all Sri Lankans to build a prosperous and harmonious \nnation where all can live with respect and dignity\u2019. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gotabhaya \nis a man of few words, he means what he says; he is a near perfect exemplar of \nthe Buddhist ideal of acting according to what one preaches. As president he \nwill not renege on his election promises. This is something that his past \nperformance, both as a military officer for two decades (1971-1992), a \nlieutenant colonel by the time he voluntarily left the army, and as a civilian \ngovernment functionary – defence secretary – for ten years under war winning \nformer president Mahinda Rajapaksa, his older brother (2005-14), has already \nborne out. He doesn\u2019t mince his words when he speaks out about important but \nunpalatable truths. During his campaigning, he urgently called upon the Tamil \nand Muslim minorities to trust him, vote for him, and be partners to the certain \nhistoric victory that he was going to score on behalf of all Sri Lankans. The \nelection results made it clear that his appeal had largely fallen on deaf ears. \nGotabhaya said that the level of compliance with his request fell short of what \nwas expected. He referred to this fact on the occasion of his taking oaths, and \nremarked that although he knew he could win by relying on Sinhalese votes alone \nhe requested the minorities to participate in the victory by voting for him. And \nhe repeated his appeal for cooperation from the two minority communities in the \nfuture for nation building. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \nnew executive president was sworn in at the historic Ruwanveli Maha Saeya in \nAnuradhapura under the gaze of a statue of king Dutugaemunu (161-137 BCE), the \nbuilder of that edifice. The symbolic significance of this event cannot be lost \non the fair-minded and patriotic Sri Lankans who are aware of the 2500 year long \nrecorded history of the majority community, the indegenous Sinhalese of the \nisland nation. Sinhalay (Ceylon), now called Sri Lanka, is the homeland of the \nSinhalese; there is no other land or country that they can call their homeland \n(The word \u2018homeland\u2019 here means a particular people\u2019s or nation\u2019s native land). \nBut in the context of widely prevailing distortions of the history of the \nSinhalese in their island home, introduced by racially biased fake historians, \nthis swearing in ceremony is bound to be misinterpreted to the disadvantage of \nall Sri Lankans, particularly the majority Sinhalese. Such misreadings of the \nhistoric proceeding, the taking of oaths by Gotabhaya before the Maha Stupa and \nthe statue of the  king Dutugaemunu, are likely to be attempted by strategically \n\u2018concerned\u2019 outsiders having various designs on the island, which is located on \na geopolitically most sensitive point in the region. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter \nXXV (25) of the Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of the 5th century CE records \nthe main purpose of Dutugaemunu\u2019s military campaign against the Chola invader \nking Elara of Anuradhapura (205-161 BCE). (The source text used here is the 1889 \nEnglish version of the Pali original compiled in two parts by Mudliyar L.C.  \nWijesingha as an imperial government commission; the first part of the work \nwhere Chapter 25 occurs was translated by George Turnour in 1836, and was \nannotated and emended by Wijesingha in 1889.) Before beginning his campaign, \nking Duttha Gamani (Dutugaemunu) went to Tissa Vihara at Mahagama (cf. modern \nTissamaharama viharaya, Magampura international airport, etc., in the Hambantota \ndistrict in southern Sri Lanka), reverentially bowed down to the monks, and \nsaid, I am about to cross the river for the restoration of our religion\u201d and \nasked for some monks to be allotted for our spiritual protection. Their \naccompanying us will afford both protection and the presence of ministers of \nreligion (which will be) equivalent to the observance of the services of our \nreligion\u201d. So, five hundred monks were assigned, and the king left, accompanied \nby them.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \nfive hundred \u2018ministers of the faith\u2019 (i.e., monks or bhikkhus) were to attend \nthe king in the campaign \u2018as a self-imposed penance\u2019, which Wijesingha \nelucidates as \u2018punishment for breaches of discipline\u2019. It is important to \nunderstand the term \u2018penance\u2019 in this Buddhist, non-Christian, context. The \nauthor of the Mahavamsa was a Buddhist monk, and he didn\u2019t actually want to \nglorify war as it involved violence and killing. He depicts Dutugaemunu as being \ncontrite when he has committed such acts, though these are unavoidable in war. \nThe presence of the monks kept him reminded of the justness of his cause and \nhelped him take part in religious practices and rituals to keep his conscience \nclear. At one point in his march from Mahagama to Anuradhapura, Dutugaemunu had \noccasion to remark: This enterprise of mine is not for the purpose of acquiring \nthe pomp and advantage of royalty. This undertaking has always had for its \nobject the re-establishment of the religion of the supreme \nBuddha\u201d.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven \nchapters of the Mahavamsa (Chapters XXII to XXXII) are devoted to Duttha \nGamani,the victor over invaders and re-unifier of the divided country, and  the \nbuilder of the Maha Stupa\/Maha Chetiya or the Ruwanveli Maha Saeya (completed by \nhis successor king Saddha Tissa, Gamani\u2019s younger brother, two or three years \nafter his death in 137 BCE) . In the long narrative covered in these chapters, \nwe are treated to balanced accounts of friend and foe alike. Usurper king Elara \nreceives just praise for his righteous rule. However, perhaps in his desire to \nemphasize the heroic stature of prince Dutugaemunu, the Mahavamsa author \nrepresents his father king Kavantissa as a pacifist who constantly dissuaded his \nsons Gamani and Tissa, particularly, the first, the more rebellious elder of the \ntwo, from challenging the foreign usurper Elara at Anuradhapura, allegedly \nfearing for their physical safety. But now we know that the father king was \nactually preparing for war against Elara, but did not like the adolescent \nbrashness of Gamani. He had assigned the responsibility of looking after the \nfood security of the people to Tissa, and went about amassing the necessary \nforces. Gamani ran away from his father and remained in hiding in the Malaya \ncountry for a time. He returned home to Mahagama on his father\u2019s unexpected \ndeath, and after a brief armed encounter with his younger brother over \nsuccession, which was settled by the intervention of the monks, and before \nsetting off on his campaign march to Anuradhapura, \u2018sent back Tissa (to \nDigavapi)  to superintend the agricultural works in progress. He similarly \nemployed himself also, calling out the people by the beat of \ndrums\u2019. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On \nthis (that is, on the two brothers being thus reconciled through the mediation \nof the monks), Mahanama Thera reflects philosophically: \u2018Thus good men being \nsensible that violent resentment, engendered hastily by many and various means, \nis pernicious; what wise man would fail to entertain amicable sentiments towards \nothers?\u2019 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \nMahavamsa author Mahanama Thera was an erudite Buddhist monk. In fact, he was a \nroyal in robes, for he was king Dhatusena of Anuradhapura (c. 460-478 CE)\u2019s \nmaternal uncle and teacher. Dhatusena spent his childhood as a novice monk \nliving and learning under the care of Thera Mahanama, who obviously groomed him \nfor assuming kingship at the opportune time, for at that time, the island was \nunder foreign invasion. Dhatusena turned warrior, made war on and defeated the \nsouth Indian Damila usurpers Parinda, Khudda Parinda (sons of Pandu who had died \nafter five years on the throne), Dathiya, and Pithiya, and \u2018entirely extirpated \nthe damilas who had been the devastators of the island by their various \nstratagems – by having erected twenty-one forts, and incessantly waged war in \nthe land; and re-established peace in the country, and happiness among its \ninhabitants. He restored the religion also, which had been set aside by the \nforeigners, to its former ascendency\u2019. So, king Dhatusena repeated the heroic \ndeed that king Dutugaemunu had done six hundred years before. He also did a lot \nfor the economic wellbeing of the nation through his massive Kalawewa reservoir \nproject and numerous other enterprises. But he did something more: he had his \nuncle Mahanama Thera compose the Mahavamsa in order to charter the course of \nhistory since the arrival of legendary prince Vijaya from the Vanga (modern \nBengal region) country in India and the later introduction of Buddhism  as \nrecorded in earlier works and as transmitted in oral tradition and preserve it \nfor posterity.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, \nabout six hundred years after Dhatusena, as described in Chapters 57-60 \ncontained in Part II of the Mahavamsa (continued as Culavamsa), prince Kirti \n(born around 1039 CE), son of \u2018the Great Lord\u2019 Moggallana and princess Lokita of \nRohana, who became sub-king in that southern part of the kingdom of Lanka, as a \ntender teenager, having subdued his enemies there, fought many battles against \npowerful south Indian Chola invaders ruling at Pulatthi (Polonnaruwa) and \nfinally became king over the whole country as Vijaya Bahu (the First) in 1055 \nand ruled till his death in 1110 CE. As usual since the time of king \nDevanampiyatissa (307-297 BCE) when Buddhism was introduced to the country under \nroyal patronage, at this time too \u2018the princes of Lanka\u2026\u2026. .continued to defend \nthe country and the religion of the land\u2019 through the counsel of the Order \n(i.e., the Maha Sanga). \u2018Thus did Vijaya Bahu, the ruler of men, hold the reins \nof government without any fear in his hands for fifty and five years more; and \nwhen he had had improved the religion of the land and the country\u2026\u2026.sore \ndistressed by the wicked \u2026..(Chola invaders), he ascended up to heaven as if to \nbehold the great reward arising from his good deeds on earth\u2019. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From \nthe hallowed precincts of our magnificent past as recorded in the Mahavamsa \n(continued down the ages to date as a royal\/state enterprise) let\u2019s return to \nthe present. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With \nthe decisive electoral victory of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Sri Lanka has just emerged \nfrom the worst, the strongest, recent threats to its existence as a sovereign \nnation with a glorious history that none in the world can surpass in spite of \nits tiny geographical size or its political, economic and military \ninsignificance. But Sri Lanka\u2019s pivotal importance as the repository of pristine \nBuddhism, which, whether it is explicitly acknowledged or not, has already \nautomatically become (perhaps) the single indispensable non-religious \nethico-philosophical refuge for the human species, who \nappear to be lost
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 …. \non a darkling plain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swept \nwith confused alarms of struggle and flight,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where \nignorant armies clash by night\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as \nMaththew Arnold, the 19th century visionary English poet put \nit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 We, \nthe Sinhalese, have from time immemorial been patriots, lovers or supporters of \nthe country, or nationalists, but never racists (those who love or support their \nown race to the exclusion or disadvantage of other races) or, as followers of \nthe Buddha dhamma, we have never been religious fanatics (those who believe \nthat, as only their religion is true, all other religions are false, and that \nall those who profess other faiths are inferior to themselves, and are in need \nof being converted, or deserve harassment and even physical elimination). We \nhave been passionately patriotic; throughout our long history, we have fought \nvictoriously, shedding much blood defending our country from various foreign \ninvaders attracted by its strategically important location and its natural \nresources. Today, however, we are being represented to the outside world by \ninimical forces in various manifestations as rabid Sinhalese racists and violent \nBuddhist fanatics, whereas the truth is the exact opposite: We are actually \nvictims of others\u2019 essentially politically motivated racism and religious \nintolerance. Over the past seven decades of independence, we have been intensely \npersecuted by Tamil racism, and since recently, by Islamic extremism. But this \nstatement must be immediate qualified with the following: it cannot be believed \nthat this religious fanaticism and racial discrimination against the Sinhalese, \nparticularly against the Buddhist majority among them, is shared by the majority \nof the Tamil and Muslim minority communities. But such passions are aroused \namong innocent Tamils and Muslims by a handful political opportunists among them \nto win their votes at elections. Externally, our cry for justice is not heard, \nbecause our voice is drowned out by the bullying noises of the enemies who \noutnumber us a hundredfold.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We \nmay breathe a sigh of relief now that Sri Lanka is being placed in safe hands \nwith Gotabhaya at the helm. He will look after the security of the unitary Sri \nLankan state in all its aspects (economy, law and order, civil administration, \nand all other conceivable departments) in the face of threats from separatist \nzombies and Islamic terrorists still lurking in the shadows, neither of whom has \nany legitimate issue to settle with the Sinhalese Buddhist majority community. \nGotabhaya has pledged to complete implementing all the development proposals \ncontained in his meticulously drafted election manifesto within his five year \nterm. It is the citizens\u2019 responsibility to extend their full cooperation to him \nwithout being distracted by the machinations of political, moral, and physical \ndecrepits  who have agreed to sell out the land and resources of the country, \nand to divide and destroy the nation in order to savour power at least in their \ndying years. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning \nwith the immediate ending of the state of anarchy that has been prevalent for \nthe past five years, the change envisaged by patriots on this occasion will \ninvolve, not only regaining the postwar momentum of growth reached during the \n2009-2014 period and restoring the safe and secure background that made such \ndevelopment possible, but also, even more vitally, eliminating threats to the \ncontinued existence of the unitary state that our ancient and modern heroes \nguided by the Guardians of the Nation, the Maha Sangha, have delivered to \nus. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swearing \nin at the sacred Ruwanveli Maha Saeya that is so deeply steeped in history shows \nthe seriousness with which Gotabhaya views his epoch-making mission of saving \nthe country of which all fair-minded and patriotic Sri Lankans must be justly \nproud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \npoint of view offered for critical reception. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala\u00a0 I love my country. I am proud of my country. I have a vision concerning my country. I appeal to all Sri Lankans to join together in building a prosperous land for posterity\u201d  declared Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on being sworn in as the seventh executive president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rohana-r-wasala"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95667\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}