Clergy tells President responding to all opinions is waste of valuable time

• Buddhist Advisory Council urges President to take criticism with prudence and lead the country with his own intellect
• No erosion of trust; will always extend blessings

Spending time to respond to all opinions expressed by each person is waste of valuable time that can be utilised to work and what is needed at the moment is to take criticisms without bias, and lead the country with his own intellect, the Buddhist Advisory Council has pointed out to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The Maha Sangha said that whatever the comments made by certain sections of the society, the Maha Sangha and the people of this country have placed great faith in the President. 

These views were expressed at the 8th session of the Buddhist Advisory Council held at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday.

People are annoyed by the hateful comments made by some disgruntled elements, who are unhappy because of not receiving privileges and the Government should not get discouraged by the baseless allegations and insults levelled against it by various parties, said the Maha Sangha. 

The Maha Sangha requested the President to rule the country in a righteous manner for the remaining three and a half years.  The Buddhist Advisory Council paid special attention to the current activities of the fundamentalists by stating that in the past, it was the underprivileged that got caught in their clutches. The Maha Sangha said it was a matter of grave concern that today it is the rich, powerful and famous artistes and political leaders who have fallen prey to fundamentalists. It was pointed out at the session that recently there were reports regarding an incident of a Deputy Principal of a popular girls’ school in the Kurunegala area attempting to forcibly convert students and parents into their faith. 

The Maha Sangha, appreciating the procedure adopted by the President in appointing individuals to various positions, including that of diplomatic service, remarked out that Foreign Service should not become a resting place for the retirees. They said that the Ambassadors appointed to countries such as Myanmar and Thailand should be people with a vision based on the five precepts. 

The Maha Sangha also stressed the need to stop deliberate misinterpretations given to the character of Lord Buddha, Buddhist philosophy, as well as archaeological and ancient sites and for that purpose, the activation of the Buddhist Books and Publications Regulation Act was discussed. The need to activate the Tripitaka Conservation Board was also stressed. 

The Maha Sangha, State Minister Vidura Wickramanayake and Principal Advisor to President Lalith Weeratunga and officials participated in this meeting.