‘Our leader had always acted as a Buddhist wholeheartedly’ - UNP pledges to seek advice from clergy

The United National Party (UNP) pledged to continue “its rich tradition of obtaining advice from the Buddhist clergy pertaining to party matters and national issues,” in an event to launch an affiliated Buddhist organisation last week.

“UNP is a party with a rich tradition of preserving Buddhist values,” claimed deputy leader Ruwan Wijeyewardene. “Our past leaders donated their own wealth for the betterment of Buddhism unlike other parties which makes use of Buddhism only to gain power. However, the UNP is labelled as an anti- Buddhist party.

“Our present leader was accused of being an anti- Buddhist,” he continued, referring to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. “Some said he was a Christian.”

“Our leader had always acted as a Buddhist wholeheartedly,” Wijewardene concluded.

“We will restore and maintain the UNP as a powerful entity based on the advice of the Buddhist clergy,” he added.

The Buddhist clergy continues to play a powerful role in Sri Lanka’s politics, with many of the island’s Sinhala parties seeking counsel from Buddhist monks. As Sinhala Buddhist nationalism becomes more rampant on the island, with ‘Sinhalisation’ of the North-East through the construction of stupas and other Buddhist places of worship, their role has become increasingly influential.