Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Sunday criticised President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent remarks on religious observances, claiming they risk encouraging extremism and undermining harmony in the country.
In a special statement, Premadasa said the President’s comments on the worship of Buddhist religious sites amounted to “giving space for extremism” and were inconsistent with the spirit of Sri Lanka’s Constitution. He stressed that the Constitution grants Buddhism a special place while also ensuring protection and freedom for all other religions and cultures.
Premadasa said Sri Lanka must continue to move forward by safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity, while promoting brotherhood and reconciliation among all communities.
He was responding to remarks made by President Dissanayake at the launch of the “Ratama Ekata” (A United Nation) anti-drug campaign in the Northern Province, where the President warned that racism would not be allowed to resurface and accused certain groups of attempting to revive racial divisions through religious activities and protests.
Referring to a recent incident linked to the Tissa Viharaya in Jaffna, the President had said that travelling to specific locations to observe Sil on Poya days, while passing the Sri Maha Bodhi, was not an act of virtue but one driven by hatred. He also said that groups gathering around temples claiming to protest over land issues were motivated by racism rather than genuine grievances, adding that intelligence services had been instructed to investigate such protests.
Premadasa rejected that characterisation, saying people across the country have the right to worship Buddhist religious sites and that such acts are not driven by hatred. He noted that pilgrimages to sacred places, including the Solosmasthana, encourage people to travel across different regions of the country and are undertaken regardless of ethnic or religious differences.
He said Buddhists also visit religious sites in the North, including places such as Kebiliththa, and that people of all faiths frequently visit Buddhist, Christian and Catholic places of worship without any intention of fostering hatred.
While acknowledging that small extremist groups exist in all communities, Premadasa said there was no place for extremism in a country guided by the Buddhist principle of the middle path. He warned that statements which could be interpreted as questioning religious observances risk strengthening extremist elements.
The Opposition Leader said the government, led by the President, must fully understand the Constitution and refrain from making statements that contradict the special status accorded to Buddhism, while also respecting and protecting other religions and cultures.
He added that unity and reconciliation were essential to building a secure country and strengthening national security, and warned against highlighting issues that could deepen divisions in society.
Premadasa said Sri Lankans are taught from a young age to respect all religions and that exploiting religious sentiment to create social hostility for political gain was unacceptable. (Newswire)