Honouring Ven. Sobitha

Friday, 13 November 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Yesterday, Sri Lankan citizens of all religions and ethnicities bid farewell to one of the most beloved and prolific Buddhist monks in recent history. United in their grief and setting aside petty differences, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans gathered to pay their last respects to the departed Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, who, by all accounts, was instrumental in bringing about much-needed political change to the country at a time when it was most needed.

Ven. Sobitha was a political monk. There is no way around that fact. However, to say that is not a blemish on his name or character, as, unlike any other politically-motivated member of the clergy, Ven. Sobitha was one whose goal was peaceful coexistence of all Sri Lankans irrespective of their political, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic differences, in a democratic society – a true pluralist, in every sense of the word. He was also one of the handful of Sinhalese Buddhist monks to have earned the respect and admiration of minority communities from all over the island, as amply evidenced by the numerous messages of condolence from Christian, Hindu and Muslim leaders that had the privilege of working together with him for a variety of causes.

Much has been written, in this publication and elsewhere, about the many commendable contributions he made to bringing about lasting and meaningful reconciliation to a country and populace battered by three decades of war. He was also a prominent and lifelong advocate of the now-hackneyed good governance. Arguably, Ven. Sobitha was the sole reason that the 8 January presidential election produced the result that it did, and, had it not been for his timely and highly intuitive actions in that regard, it is not a stretch to say that things could’ve turned out quite differently.

In light of his passing, the national conversation has yet again focused on the seemingly-endless shortcomings of the Yahapalana Government and some of its actions that critics say have now reached self-parody levels. Expectations were high at the start of the year following election night, and Ven. Sobitha was at the forefront of the millions of Sri Lankans wishing to see a change for the better in the governance of this country. Of course, things were never going to change overnight, and it’s only natural that some voters are going to be disappointed when their admittedly-high expectations are not met, but the way things are going, it’s almost as this Government is attempting self-sabotage. It is crucial that the powers-that-be don’t create a situation where the public’s disappointment can be exploited into a mass-scale movement against the progress that this Government has made over the past 10 months.

With his passing, Ven. Sobitha has left a gap that is unlikely to be filled for a long time to come, and it is of paramount importance that we, as a nation, strive to do what he set out to do before his untimely demise. It is thanks to him that the current administration is in power at all, and there is no better way to show its gratitude than by staying true to its mandate: to create a just society where the rule of law applies equally to everyone and build a country that every man, woman and child can proudly call home. May Ven. Sobitha attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.