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Is the BBS a threat?

By Kalana Senaratne Sunday, 22 June 2014 00:00

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and its many monks take their ‘professional’ duty – the promotion of Sinhala Buddhism – quite seriously. And recently, they decided to spread their Sinhala Buddhism in Southern Sri Lanka, especially in Aluthgama. Gnanasara Thera called his audience to finish the Muslims if a single Sinhalese is touched; a singer invoked the lines of Tibet S. Mahinda (“es gedi walata hena gahalada sihalunne”). The mobs carried out the task it was supposed to carry out. Around four people (Muslims) were killed, over 80 were injured, many houses and shops were torched, terror was driven into the hearts and minds of the Muslim people; with violent and forceful retaliation and defence coming from the Muslim people as well. The President and the Defence-Secretary were away, overseas.

What ‘Aluthgama’ represented has sought to be analyzed in many ways, and if you place inordinate attention on the single speech made by Gnanasara Thera before violence was unleashed, it would be difficult to forgive him/her for imagining that this is largely about the BBS attempting to threaten the state, to capture the state. That, I believe, is a simple assessment of a very complex phenomenon; it is also not innocent, for in attempting to portray the BBS as a threat to the state, one not only misunderstands the nature of the state but also helps (and I think quite deliberately so) the political leadership to evade responsibility.

But the BBS is the underside of Sinhala-Buddhism, and the natural culmination of this project was going to be violence. And while ‘Aluthgama’ is a political moment which reveals many things, it raises a serious and fundamental question.

The principal question we are made to ask is: is the BBS a threat to the state?

I think the answer is ‘no’ and is also the wrong question, for a number of reasons.

For firstly, the BBS is very much part of the state for its ideology is largely the dominant ideology of the state. It is a Sinhala-Buddhist outfit promoting the project of Sinhala-Buddhism.

Secondly, a group such as the BBS cannot exist or sustain its campaign without the support of the powerful elements of the regime. And importantly, it cannot do so without the support of the people. It has to have a sympathetic populace, and it has. One is struck by the level of support and sympathy that the BBS and its broader political project have attracted, especially after the incidents in Aluthgama. From the legal and business professionals, right down to the students at local (especially Southern) universities, the level of sympathy that the BBS-project has attracted is quite staggering. This element needs to be vitally understood and remembered before anyone attempts to critique the BBS as being a threat to the state.

Thirdly, I do not think I heard anything new or strange or surprising from the BBS (especially Gnanasara Thera) in Aluthgama. At best, what I heard was simply the express articulation of what one thought the BBS really stood for. And that’s the only difference. And that rhetoric very clearly showed how well the formation of the current state – especially the army and the police – conforms to the wishes of the BBS. When Gnanasara Thera screams approvingly that there is still a Sinhala Army (Sinhala hamudaawak) and a Sinhala Police force (Sinhala policiyak), he is giving expression to the idea that this is what it is, this is how it ought to be.

Fourthly, as for Gnanasara Thera’s critique of the President in particular, a keen observer would have detected the subtle changes in tone and expression. In other words, Gnanasara’s critique of, say, Minister Rauf Hakeem, is far different from his critique of President Rajapaksa. And the claim that the Sinhalese have no leader is the standard Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist argument. More importantly, it is important to realize here that the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist camp has made the argument that they are not entirely happy with the post-war developments and policies of President Rajapaksa. For example, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera’s very interesting ‘Amathaka Wu Urumaya: Kawandayata Hisak’ (2011) is a book which is inspired by the understanding that the Sinhala-Buddhist project is not being realized in post-war Sri Lanka. This does not mean that they support Gotabaya Rajapaksa; Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism is neither that simplistic to jump from one Rajapaksa to another, nor politically dumb to openly challenge President Rajapaksa and the state. And what we get in Gnanasara Thera’s critique of the regime is not really a challenge to the state, but rather another one of those ‘course-correction’ messages that you get from the likes of Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Champika Ranawaka.

Fifthly, it is necessary not to underestimate the power of the state. It is a state that has tremendous military might. And it is one which is so powerful that it can effectively suppress any movement if it really wants to, and has every power to do so; legally, constitutionally, militarily, judicially or in any other imaginable way. The fact that it’s not happening with regard to the BBS tells us precisely what the BBS is all about.

If then what is the fundamental question that ‘Aluthgama’ makes us ask?

That fundamental, preliminary, question is nothing but the following: is the BBS a threat to the Sinhala-Buddhist project? That is the question we should ask, the question that should concern us, before we proceed to inquire whether the BBS threatens the state. And this is where one confronts the major challenge.

For firstly, every shred of evidence tells us that the BBS is not a serious threat to the Sinhala-Buddhist project. Where and how is it a threat when the people are silent? Where and how is it a threat when the politicians are unwilling to critique the BBS openly? Where and how is it a threat when the likes of Ven. Sobitha are silent? And as I mentioned before, the level of support that the BBS garners can be surprisingly high.

Secondly, it is challenging because this question can be answered mainly by the Sinhala-Buddhist community given that it is the overwhelming majority. And as long as the majority community is unwilling to ask that question and answer it, their inability to do so will only go to prove the obvious.

In conclusion, it is difficult to read the BBS as a threat to the state. It is equally difficult to read it as a threat to Sinhala-Buddhism. And if the BBS is not a threat, what it means to the Muslim people or any other community is terribly damaging. If I am wrong and if the BBS is indeed a threat to Sinhala-Buddhism, then can any Sinhala-Buddhist kindly tell me how it is so?

http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-features/item/30484-is-the-bbs-a-threat?.html

Curbing racial violence:| Hakeem informs Gotabhaya of need for institutionised mechanism

June 25, 2014, 9:43 am

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem has suggested to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that an institutionalised mechanism be established to prevent recurrence of religious violence.

Minister Hakeem met the Defence Secretary at the Defence Ministry yesterday.

Having briefed the party of his meeting with Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, Justice Minister Hakeem told The Island last night that he had got an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of issues relating to recent violence at Alutgama and Beruwela with the Defence Secretary.

Yesterday’s meeting was meant to explore ways and means of thwarting violence, Minister Hakeem said, adding that nothing could be as important as having an institutionalised mechanism to meet any eventuality.

Responding to a query, the SLMC leader said that in the wake of Alutgama mayhem, the government shouldn’t resort to ad hoc measures to prevent another bout of violence.

Minister Hakeem reiterated allegation that the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) was responsible for attacks on the Muslim community. The Defence Secretary pointed out that there were other groups beside the BBS under scrutiny.

Asked whether he had taken up any other issues, Minister Hakeem said that they had also discussed the need to take tangible measures to prevent hate speech as well as inflammatory statements.

A deeply concerned Justice Minister said recent violence pointed to the need for an ‘early warning system’ to ensure the government could act swiftly and decisively before disaster struck. The Minister said that he had informed Defence Secretary Rajapaksa of that need and some shortcomings in security set-up during the recent disturbances.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=105698

Police won’t prevent BBS event in Kandy – SSP

June 23, 2014, 10:50 pm

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By Madura Ranwala

Police would not prevent a Bodu Bala Sena event scheduled to be held today at 3.00 p.m. opposite the Sri Dalada Maligawa as it was a religious event, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said yesterday.

However, the SSP warned that action would be taken if the event was used to incite racism and create religious disharmony.

SSP said that it was unlikely that the BBS would be able to hold its ‘Adhistana Pooja’ as permission for the event had not been granted by the authorities concerned.

When contacted, Chief Executive Officer of the BBS operating from Colombo, Dilanthe Vithanage said last night that they were planning to hold the religious event with the participation of 300 to 400 Buddhist monks from Mahiyanganaya, Colombo and Kandy.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=105633#

Island Editorial - 24th June 2014

Plot thickens

June 23, 2014, 8:32 pm

The police now tell us that Ven. Watareka Vijitha Thera’s claim that he was abducted and assaulted by a group of persons in robes recently is false and his injuries are self-inflicted. Legal action will be instituted against him when he leaves hospital, Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana has told the media.

The onus is on the police to prove their allegations against the injured monk. What is of greater interest than the Police Spokesman’s claim, in our view, is a statement attributed to a lawyer retained by Ven. Vijitha Thera that he will not defend the monk if the allegations levelled by the police are true.

One is intrigued. How will lawyers appearing for the monk know the veracity or otherwise of the Police Spokesman’s claim until the court makes a decision thereon? Until such time, they will have to defend their client because he should be presumed innocent until proved guilty. They cannot desert him even thereafter if he wants to appeal to a higher court in case of his conviction.

Lawyers commit no offence when they defend offenders including dangerous criminals such as mass murderers and drug barons. In most cases, they are fully aware that their clients have really committed the crimes they are indicted for, aren’t they? Clients usually confide everything about their offences to their lawyers. In fact, it is to make lawyers utter falsehoods in courts in their defence that criminals part with hefty sums of dosh. One is reminded of a cynical observation Dickens makes about lawyers through Brass, in The Old Curiosity Shop: "It is a pleasant world we live in, Sir, a very pleasant world. There are bad people in it, Mr. Richard, but if there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers."

Never mind much-maligned Ven. Vijitha Thera, his injuries and his lawyers! The police cannot claim that the eye injury UNP MP Palitha Thewarapperuma’s suffered in Aluthgama while trying to help the victims of violence is self-inflicted. He has accused the police of having allowed thugs to attack him and some Muslims he was trying to remove to safety. This is a very serious allegation made by an Opposition parliamentarian.

MP Thewarapperuma has called upon the IGP to take the responsibility for the incident and resign. That will never happen. IGPs resign in this country only to be posted as ambassadors! (We don’t know whether the incumbent police chief has any ‘ambassadorial ambitions’.)

What action will the police take as regards MP Thewarapperuma’s complaint?

After letting horse bolt

The police are, true to form, busy closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. They have decided to ban rallies and processions aimed at inciting communal hatred. Laws prohibiting such events have been there all these years and they have also been enforced selectively to scuttle anti-government rallies. The police go running to courts and obtain orders to prevent students’ and workers’ protests. The question the police must be made to answer is why they did not resort to legal action to stop the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) rally which triggered recent communal clashes in Alutgama.

It is not only the BBS which has taken the law into its own hands; there have been instances where the ruling party politicians and their goons stormed kovils purportedly to stop animal sacrifices. Minister Mervyn Silva with a mob invaded the Badrakali temple in Chilaw on two occasions. One has a right to oppose animal slaughter, but one’s protests should be within the confines of the law. Minister Silva got away with his offence as usual.

Two years ago, a violent mob descended on the residence of a person who claimed to have attained Buddhahood. There have been many such attacks on prayer houses of other faiths as well. In almost all cases, attackers including BBS activists went scot free thanks to deplorable leniency on the part of the police. It is this culture of impunity which helped the BBS become a law unto itself.

The proposed ban must be implemented strictly and no room left for bigots to indulge in violence. We, however, hope that it won’t be abused to suppress political dissent.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=news-section&page=news-section&code_title=55

පුත්තලම සහජීවනයේ අගය කියයි

2014 ජුනි 23 03.33 p.m
(කීර්ති ශ්‍රී බඹරබැද්ද-පුත්තලම විශේෂ)

Puthalama1 පසුගිය දිනවල බේරුවල හා අලුත්ගම සිදුවිම්වලට තම විරෝධය පාන බවත් මේ තත්ත්වය පදනම් කරගෙන කිසිම ආකාරයක ආගමික ගැටුමකට හෝ වෙනත් ගැටුමකට පුත්තලම නගරය හා ඒ ආසන්නයේ ඉඩ නොතබන බවත් පුත්තලම තම්බපන්නි සර්ව ආගමික සංසදයේ ආගමික නායකයෝ පැවසුහ.

මෙම සර්ව ආගමික හමුව පුත්තලම ප්‍රදේශිය ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ පැවති අවස්ථාවේදි මාධ්‍යට අදහස් දක්වමින් ආගමික නායකයෝ මේ බව පැවසූහ.මෙම හමුව සදහා පුත්තලම තුනේ කනුව විහාරාධිපති දෙල්වගුරේ විපස්සි,පුත්තලම බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යස්ථානාධිපති මාගම ධම්මසිරි ,පාලාවියවිර කොබ්බැකඩුව විහාරාධිපති තල්වත්තේ සිරිමංගල, හිමිවරුන් හා සාන්ත මරියා දේවස්ථානයේ විරාජ් එරංග පියතුමන් සමග පුත්තලම දිස්ත්‍රික් මවුලවි සංගමයේ මවුලවි ,පුත්තලම ජුම්මා දේවස්ථානයේ සභාපති එස්,ආර්, එම් ,මුසම්මිල් ,පුත්තලම පිල්යාර් කොවිලේ ඒ, එස්,පවදරන් ශර්මා කුරුක්කල්තුමන් හා පුත්තලම ප්‍රාදේශිය ලේකම් එම්, ආර් මලික් මහතා ද එක්ව සිටියහ. ආගමික නායකයින් මාධ්‍ය හමුවට පැමිණි අයුරු හා මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡාව පැවැත් වූ අයුරු ඡායාරූපවලින් දැක්වේ
Puthalama2

http://www.lakbima.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37617:2014-06-23-10-16-24&catid=34:news&Itemid=62