Sinhala Buddhist monk, Seelarathane Thero, and leader of the Sinhala- nationalist political party, Jana Setha Peramuna, has publicly criticized the National People’s Power (NPP) government, claiming that the recent announcement permitting Muslim nurses to dress in accordance with their cultural and religious identity is an attempt to “erase Sinhala culture”.
In a video published online by the Daily Mirror, Seelarathane Thero remarked that Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya “is going to ruin the country’s culture and history”. He directed criticism towards the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Employment, Vijitha Herath, for his recent comments about the dress code for Muslim nurses.
The minister recently chaired a meeting between Muslim community representatives and government officials to address challenges faced by the Sri Lankan Muslim community. During the meeting, concerns were raised about Muslim women feeling discouraged from pursuing the nursing profession due to restrictions on modest attire that cover their legs and heads. In response to these concerns, Vijitha Herath said that the current legal framework permitted nurses to add variations to their uniforms to accommodate their religious identity, adding that one’s religious and culturally identity should not be an obstacle to pursuing their ambition.
However, Seelarathane Thero alleged that Vijitha Herath does “not want Sinhala culture” in the country through his statement and called on the NPP government to implement “one rule” for all citizens.
“We too have a culture, a history, so I would like to propose that you cannot have one rule for the Muslims, another rule for the Sinhalese and another rule for other nationalities. You should have one rule for people. The country should be ruled by that one rule. No other country in the world has two rules! All countries have one rule and the country goes by that rule. If the Muslim people can go according to their culture, and their own uniforms then [Sinhalese] nurses can also wear the lama saree and the Kandyan saree. The Tamils can also wear saree and go to work”, he said.
Seelarathane Thero further criticized Vijitha Herath, alleging that he failed to represent the country’s interests when he participated in the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in Geneva last month.
“Honorable minister, even when you went to Geneva, you did not talk properly about the problems of our country. You did not talk, just swallowed the problems and came back. The human rights commissioner was able to make the rules as a result,” he said.
Seelarathane Thero has a controversial history of promoting Sinhala Buddhist nationalist dominance and advocating for military occupation in the North-East. He was previously known as a strong supporter of the Rajapaksa regime.
