The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena Gnanasara Thera slammed Sri Lanka’s government for attempting to bring in an act that “puts conditions” on the Buddhist clergy.
Reiterating that Buddhist clergies would not be controlled by parliament, and that any rules on monks should only be proposed by the Buddhist Sangha, Gnanasara Thera said,
“We are facing these problems because of not taking the right decision at the right time, a point which has not been understood by political leaders. We will not let the Act to be brought to the parliament. Ordinary people cannot put conditions on the clergy. If rules are to be implemented they should be proposed by the Chief Sangha Nayaka.”
Adding that monks would not present themselves before any court or magistrate, Gnanasara said,
“We respect the country’s law but we are not going to bow before the white man’s law unless it is relevant to our country."
"We request Buddhist monks to boycott the courts of this country. If the government fails to call for a Sanghakadikaranya we will break the civil law. Then the government has to convert every coconut tree into a gallows and every school into a prison to supress the Sinhala Buddhist people.”
In response to preparations to pass a bill on Buddhist clergies in Sri Lanka, the Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister Wijeyasayadasa Rajapashe stressed that government had no intention to influence disciplinary procedures on the Tri Nikayas by passing a bill on Theravada Bikkhu dialogue.
Explaining the bill at a cabinet briefing, he said,
“This bill was drafted by the past regime and the current government made some amendments before presenting it to parliament. The drafted bill was introduced only to authorise Tri Kikayas Sanga Nayaka Theros to take disciplinary action against the monks who violate the given ‘Vinaya’ rules of each Nikayas.”