Hindu religious leaders have asked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to establish a formal mechanism bringing together Hindu priests from across Sri Lanka to work collectively on national and community issues, the Daily Mirror reported.
The request was made when priests representing Colombo, Batticaloa, Jaffna and the Hill Country met the President at the Presidential Secretariat.
The President’s answer
Dissanayake noted that Hinduism encompasses diverse religious traditions, beliefs and identities and does not have a single leadership structure, and said that diversity should be respected rather than brought under one structure.
He nonetheless agreed on the importance of a joint mechanism for priests to work together on common social objectives while preserving the different traditions within Hinduism, and instructed that a programme be formulated for common social action involving all relevant parties. The initiative is to be coordinated under the direction of the President’s Secretary.
What the priests raised
The delegation commended the government’s efforts on coexistence, peace and reconciliation, and said religion should promote love and harmony while opposing attempts to spread racism based on religious or cultural differences.
They also asked for an avenue to discuss matters affecting Hindu devotees, including issues concerning Hindu religious schools.
Combating narcotics was discussed extensively. The priests said eliminating the drug problem could not be achieved by any individual or single institution and should be treated as a collective national responsibility, calling for participation from all sectors of society and backing the government’s eradication programme.
The fourth faith delegation this week
The meeting follows three others in as many days: a Catholic delegation under Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, both received at the Presidential Secretariat on 10 September, and a separate call by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for an impartial Chemmani investigation. Narcotics and communal harmony featured in each.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not name any priest in the delegation, say which temples or organisations they represent, give the date of the meeting, or state what form the joint mechanism would take or by when it would be established. It does not report what was said about Hindu religious schools beyond the fact that they were raised. No other verified newsroom had filed the story at the time of writing.
