Parliament monk of Sri Lanka shuns non-violence

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Parliament monk of Sri Lanka shuns non-violence

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Buddha and Buddhism are well known for the Nirvana and the middle path to enlightenment rather than extremes of any form with emphasis on meditation. But the Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka are famous for their political power games and extreme nationalism. Sri Lanka is the only country to have a political party exclusively of monks not to mention their nine elected members of the parliament. The extremist monk political party has advocated and supported through its parliamentary strength for a military solution to the country’s ethnic strive. In a recent interview with Washington Post, the lead monk of the political party sounding more like a military general pledges to do the duty in the battle field.

The USAID study of Sri Lanka’s standing on Democracy and Governance back in 2001 concluded that the gradual unravelling of the Sri Lankan nation-state is due to the combined effects of protracted ethnic-based conflict and deteriorating democratic rights and institutions. The findings are very much valid even after the six years of peace efforts. The study highlighted the serious and irreparable damage done to the very foundation of Sri Lanka, the notion of it being a single nation-state. The researchers also asserted that the protracted conflict and the obvious decline in democratic politics and governance are directly and powerfully linked i.e. the conflict fuels democratic decline and vice versa. Thus, any efforts to address the decline in Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions will have limited impact unless complemented by efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.Further, five key and interrelated causes were identified for the democracy and good governance challenges faced by Sri Lanka. Any efforts to address the Sri Lanka’s worsening challenges must directly or indirectly address all or most of these causes.

1. The notion of the Sri Lankan nation subscribed to by many Sinhalese – including most of Sri Lanka’s politically influential Buddhist monks – is based on a firmly-rooted belief in the primacy of the Sinhalese/Buddhist majority and its culture.
2. Elite political competition, principally between two major political parties, fuels ethnically-based majoritarian and is increasingly undemocratic.
3. The government is excessively centralized and the large size of the state sector gives the government excessive influence over society and intensifies political competition for control of the state.
4. The impact of civil society organizations (CSOs) on politics and governance has been limited by ethnic and other divisions within civil society, by the relative power of the state and political parties, and by the highly partisan nature of the media.
5. The ethnic conflict has become a well-entrenched institution that exerts a pernicious influence on society, the economy, politics, and policy-making and governance.

The donor assistance is identified as way to influence the strengthening of democratic institutions and governance in Sri Lanka. Conditional aide in support of efforts to end the conflict and achieve a sustainable peace; discouraging undemocratic forms of political competition; encouraging the rule of law and respect for rights; supporting efforts to improve national and local level governance; and supporting greater and more effective citizen participation in politics and government were the recommendations.

Will the leading donor countries such as Japan, USA and European Union achieve the nirvana in promoting democracy and good governance in Sri Lanka?