Presidential pardon
I was aghast when it was reported that the Minister of Buddha Sasana was to make an all-out effort to obtain a Presidential pardon for Reverend Galagodaatthe Gnanasara, who was convicted for blatantly violating the authority of the Judiciary.an offence was committed and after a fair trial the monk was found guilty and was sentenced accordingly; the wheels of the independent Judiciary of the country seemed to turn as they should and the citizenry was happy. Now there is a hue and cry to obtain a pardon for the convict, purely because he donned a yellow robe, the symbol of the noble order of the Maha Sangha created by the Buddha, for the sole purpose of propagating the Dhamma– bahujanahithāya-bahujanasukhāya (for the wellbeing and happiness of the people).
In a democracy, everyone is equal before the law. In fact it is the law (the Vinaya) that has held the Buddha Sasana intact for over 2600 yearsvi na yōn ām asā san ass aāyu( stability of the order is dependent on the rule of law). sri Lanka being a multinational and multi religious society, the environment should be conducive for all to live in harmony, respecting each other. none could claim immunity or preferential treatment in matters pertaining to the law of the country.
The argument that has been put forth by certain monks is baseless. President JRJ’S pardoning of Gonawala Sunil was obviously wrong; two wrongs cannot make a right. further, argument that the monk belongs to the Kotte Sangha Sabha, of which Sabha the Reverend Maduluwawe Sobitha was a member, cannot hold the name of that esteemed monk who sacrificed his entire life in the national interest, which should not be tarnished on any account. If the senior monks of that Sabha acted properly and took whatever disciplinary action deemed necessary on the occasion of the said monk being convicted some time back, he may have been restrained and helped correction of his conduct as a monk. Obviously the senior monks of that Sabha including the present Vice Chancellor of the Sri Jayawardenapura University, who has made an appeal on behalf of the convict monk, failed in their duty at that time.
Let there be no interference in the affairs of the Judiciary, for the safety of us all, and enable a harmonious society, making living in Sri Lanka a pleasure.
A much concerned Sri-lankan