Religious heads should decide on clergy doing politics

July 4, 2012, 10:35 pm

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa

The controlling bodies of the religions should decide whether the clergy, including Buddhist monks, should be allowed to engage in politics, Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dallas Alahapperuma said.

Addressing a press conference yesterday (04) at the Mahaweli Centre, Minister Alahapperuma said that according to the Sri Lankan Constitution the clergy, including Buddhist monks, have rights to engage in political activities.

UNP Parliamentarian and President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was to present a private member’s bill earlier, which would prevent the clergy from engaging in mainstream politics.

Meanwhile, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) media spokesman Nishanka Sri Warnasingha said, in a brief discussion with The Island, that President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (04) had asked the government group to vote against the proposed bill blocking the clergy from engaging in mainstream politics.

In addition to that, Minister Alahapperuma lashed out at websites that resort to character assassination and gossip mongering thereby tarnishing the good name and reputation of famous personalities in every field.

"They tried to attain their goals while using the free media concept in a wrong manner," Alahapperuma added.

He added that those websites were trying to create a wrong impression about the country, too, by disseminating baseless and distorted news without giving an opportunity to the victims to have their say.

Speaking at the press conference Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary and Health Minister Maithreepala Sirisena said that any individual, who has been proven guilty of crimes by a Court of law, would not be given SLFP nominations and relatives of current ministers and MPs would also not be allowed to contest.

The SLFP nominees for the chief minister posts for the North-Central, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern provincial councils would be announced after the SLFP central working committee meeting.