Selling Buddhism

The government issues vehicle permits to public officials and members of parliament to facilitate their official travel in the discharge of their official duties and responsibilities.

With the acceptance of these permits the recipients must fulfill the following —

(1) Should not sell or otherwise dispose of the vehicle/s for five years from the date of the first registration.

(2) Should use the vehicle for official travel; and,

(3) The vehicle should be in the custody of the permit holder.

That the Leader of the Opposition was able to borrow the luxury Mercedes Benz IC 7 – 1512 from one Hemantha Nissantha to travel to Vidyodaya Pirivena is evidence that the vehicle imported on a permit issued to the JHU Member of Parliament was in someone else’s custody.

Newspapers have reported in detail the statement made by the retired Senior D.I.G (Police) Kotakadeniya that vehicle permits issued to JHU MP monks were sold and that there is no illegality in it and the confession of Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero, MP that his vehicle permit was sold. Now it is reported that three more JHU MP monks have sold their vehicle permits.

If a public servant had committed such an offence he/she would not only have been dismissed but also sent to prison and the vehicle confiscated.

Here the government appears not only to condone this act but supports the misconduct by granting time to lay JHU members on all state TV channels to defend themselves and repeat ad infinitum to convince the gullible that no fraud nor deceit was committed. The law enforcing authorities are deaf and dumb.

These lay JHU speakers argue that no fraud or deceit was committed and the Leader of the Opposition has cast a slur on the sangha by exposing this racket. They argue that the car has been and still remains registered in the monk’s name. Surely even an idiot will know that under the law normal change of registration is only possible after the lapse of five years from the date of first registration.

Lord Buddha, a prince by birth had only the robe he wore and his pathra (if one could call them his belongings) from the day of his renunciation to the day of his parinirvana. He walked thousands of miles during his 45 years of missionary activity.

The parinibbana sutta vividly describes that though old and infirm he walked to Kusinara where his parinirvana took place. His teachings are about austere and simple living, and above all honesty, truthfulness and right conduct.

Here we have five JHU MP monks who entered parliament to establish a Dharmarajya selling their duty free vehicle permits at the first given opportunity.

That is nothing but a willful violation of the regulations governing the issue of duty free vehicle permits and tantamounts to fraud and deceit.

No one is above the law and the law must take its course. Otherwise the government’s message to the nation is "if you are with us you are safe." The Nayaka Theros instead of faulting the Leader of the Opposition should request these JHU MP monks to resign forthwith as they have through their act caused a slur on the sangha.

The selling of the vehicle permits is only the beginning and it looks like the lay JHU members are taking the monks for a ride.