It is particularly sad
that no one has hitherto advised the Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter
about the words he is supposed to have told the delegation of the United Bhikku
Front when they visited him recently.
Accordingly the purported report (manufactured as a
figment of some wide imagination and ascribed to a Kamal Suraweera) the Most
Ven. Undugama Sri Buddharakkhita Maha Nayake Thera, said, and I quote verbatim
from the Ceylon Today online paper as follows:
"The UNP Leader acts on the advice of
a group of sycophant henchmen around him, who work for only
self-aggrandisement, benefits and privileges.
They are immune to people's suffering and
the colossal hardships the public has to undergo everyday.
The UNP, under the present leadership is
misled by the so-called close advisers," the Thera said addressing a
delegation of priests from the United Bhikku Front, who were visiting the
Malwatu and Asgiri Chief Prelates.
"For over 20 years, under the
leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Party has been on an irretrievable
downward slide. A coterie of sycophants around the leader conjures up every
manner of obstruction in the way of any up and coming popular leader, until he
leaves the Party in sheer disgust. Day by day the Party is sinking in a quicksand
of oblivion.
"There is now virtually no opposition
in the country to fight any issues with regard to the government. This is truly
a tragedy of massive proportions," the Thera said.
It is time that the
Mahanayake is informed of exactly what was ascribed to him, so that he can
refute the statements made, as the true meaning of what he said has been
misquoted, and lost in translation into the English.
It is well known
that he is unhappy with the direction the opposition is taking he is not as
untactful as to not give it credit for their efforts in countering the excesses
of this Government. He is now quite convinced that his backing of a regime that
is fast losing its credibility is not acceptable. He would like to see a new
leader of the UNP, but that is not due to the incompetence of the present
leader, just that he believes they need a more electable leader to lead them,
and is willing to give more time for one to emerge, as there is no suitable
candidate in the horizon.
The mistaken
aspersion that the leader does not give a chance for youth to emerge was never
mentioned by him in the meeting, and a figment of the Newspapers imagination.
So let us hope the papers stops its lying or cease to publish!
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