Wimal’s call to black out Lanka’s Light of Vesak
The most venerable Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters to whose feet Wimal Weerawansa sporadically rushes with his ata pirikara gifts to gain their blessings and whitewash his image, should take careful note and be wary the next time the supposed penitent drops by with his platter of offerings begging for another round of religious cleansing.
Ever since he broke away from the JVP ten years ago and joined the Rajapaksa creed of sinhale nationalism, he has draped himself with the Lion Flag to cover his nakedness and has striven to portray himself as the Greatest Living Sinhala Nationalist in the island – next to the Rajapaksa’s of course but on par with Gammanpila who is presently on trial for fraud.
But Wimal – who, last month, was set loose on bail from remand, where he had languished for over two months on charges of corruption - may not have noticed the four Bo leaves adorning the four corners of the Lion Flag or may have failed to fathom its symbolic presence.
In his mad, desperate scramble to embrace the sinhale standard to fuel with nationalistic fervor his own political career on the vanguard of patriotism and to don the lion mask and mane to conceal his dwarf stature and chinless goatee, it seems it has escaped his understanding of the Bo leaves profound relevance and its commanding place in the collective conscience of the Sinhala race.
If the lion symbolises the Sinhale on the national flag, the four Bo leaves symbolise Buddhism; and its joint presence reveals the indivisibility of the Sinhalese with Buddhism - with the Buddhist symbol depicted as being the guardian of the Sinhala race, from all four corners of the world.
And last week, by his utter failure to grasp the hold Buddhism has in the sinhale conscience and the degree to which it is embedded in its collective heart, the self appointed patriot of our times, Wimal Weerawansa revealed his true colours of his opportunistic and shabby patriotism and laid bare the blackness of his heart by calling the entire nation to drape the island in mourning by hanging black flags instead of commemorating the thrice blessed day of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and Nirvana with the soul inspiring colourful Vesak flag fluttering from every household.
With raised hand, with clenched fist, with pirith nool bandaged wrist and with screaming voice he squirted, to the drunken roar of an intoxicated rabble caught in euphoric raptures - who, perhaps did not know what they were cheering – his exhortation to all of Lanka to wrap the land in a wreathe of black flags and thus to eclipse the nation’s light of Vesak merely to dishonour the Indian Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Lanka to participate in the 14th United Nation’s International Vesak celebration held in Lanka for the first time. He demonstrated his supreme contempt to what the nation holds most sacred and holds steadfast to its collective heart: The inspiring light of Vesak and the incomparable significance of the day to all Lankans. He called upon the people to display hatred on a hallowed day that radiates love and compassion to all beings.
In his May Day speech at Joint Opposition’s Galle Face May Day rally, this pseudo patriot declared: “The Indian Prime Minister Modi is not com-