News
Queen presided over Buddha Jayanthi 2500 celebrations as head of Ceylon
The statement made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe while participating in the vote of condolence on the demise of HM Queen Elizabeth II, moved in the Parliament today (23).
“Amongst all the letters of congratulations I received on becoming the president, the one that was sent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was special. It would have been one of the last letters of congratulations, if not her last letter of congratulations. Her Majesty has been very frail after the death of her husband, His Highness Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, but no one expected a sudden passing away like this.
The ceremonies are all over, but we have to grapple with the issue. What did Queen Elizabeth II mean to us, to Sri Lanka, to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and to the world. As Queen of Ceylon, her reign signified the transformation of our country from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. The great political upheaval started under her. The 1956 election victory, the emergence of the ethnic issue, the coming of the free education generation, the state control of the economy, two coup d’etat against the government and the start of the armed uprisings in the South.
Her Majesty is a person who is a staunch Christian and held to her beliefs as a defender of the Anglican faith. But as Queen of Ceylon she also upheld the commitment to safeguard Buddhism under the Kandyan Convention of 1815. In fact, a little known item is that HM presided over the Buddha Jayanthi 2500 celebrations as the head of Ceylon together with the kings of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the President of Burma as Myanmar was then known.
When her term came to an end and we became a republic, there were also two issues that we had left behind which has still not been resolved. The conversion from a dominion of Ceylon into a unitary state of the Republic of Sri Lanka was the emergence of the ethnic issues which led, in turn to uprisings and still the last part of it has to be resolved.
Secondly, it was an issue that was raised, about if you want a figurehead why don’t you have the queen? Why do you need a figurehead President? I remember the late Mr. Siriwardena, Editor of the ‘Aththa’ wrote an editorial that we need not become a republic to become a socialist country. Then there was the issue that was raised by the then leader of the Opposition Hon. J.R. Jayawardena supported by his Chief Opposition Whip Ranasinghe Premadasa as to why we need a figurehead president. If we are to have a president, we should have an Executive Presidency on the model of France.
Now this is also still an unresolved question. Many have pledged and won elections to abolish the executive presidency but no one has done it. In a sense, she represented not only the transformation of Sri Lanka but also the transformation of the rest of the world. The transfer of power from the West to Asia and Africa, the dismantling of the British Empire and the UK joining Europe, and then they left Europe and are now redefining its role as Global Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II was different. From Head of the British Colonies she became head of the Commonwealth of Nations, the transformation which represents her greatest success bringing together the West and the rest. This Commonwealth of Nations saw some of the most outstanding leaders of our time get together with HM the Queen. Sir Winston Churchill, Dame Margaret Thatcher, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sir Robert Menzies, Pierre Trudeau, Lester Pearson, Nelson Mandela, Kenyatta, Kenneth Kaunda, Nyerere, Nkrumah, Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman were amongst the others.
In this transformation, Queen Elizabeth II became to us a symbol of stability and a symbol of adaptability. No other queen would have jumped off a helicopter with James Bond. And she was a symbol of duty. As a global icon she outranked the UK, a nation which has now to charter its fortune without its greatest soft-power asset, Queen Elizabeth, who was 100 times more powerful than the aircraft carrier named after her.
It is to pay our respect to this global icon which took many of us to the funeral service in Westminster Abbey. It was a very moving funeral service. The most poignant moment became when all of us in the Abbey, Christian or non-Christian, joined in to sing her favourite hymn ‘The Lord Is My Shepherd’. ‘Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me and in the god’s house for evermore my dwelling place shall be’. Queen Elizabeth II is no more. Therefore, I request, Hon. Speaker, and I am supporting the motion moved by the Hon. Prime Minister to convey to HM King Charles III and members of the Royal Family our condolences.
I conclude this tribute to Queen Elizabeth II of Ceylon, the last of our royal line which began with King Wijaya with this verse. “Anicca vata sankhara, uppadavaya-dhammino, Uppajjitva nirujjhanti, tesam vupasamo sukho.” Impermanence our formations subject to rise and fall, having risen they cease, their subsiding is bliss. Thank You.”
Latest News
Action beyond dialogue is essential in addressing Green Financing and climate change. – Prime Minister
There have been numerous discussions and dialogues successfully conducted across various sectors, but it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on strengthening the implementation. Such collaborative effort like GGGI initiates in leading Sri Lanka towards a resilient and sustainable finance.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the Sri Lanka climate finance awareness session on advancing sustainable finance and carbon markets for climate action held today (30) at hotel Marriott Bonvoy in Colombo City Center.
The awareness session was organized by the Prime Minister’s Office with the collaboration of the ministry of Environment and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to create awareness of Green finance strategies leading to new initiatives for sustainable Sri Lanka.
Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that this session is intended to support the line ministries in better understanding how these financing mechanisms work and how they could be leveraged to implement the sustainable development priorities.
Addressing the event, the Prime Minister further stated:
“Sri Lanka has developed and updated numerous environmental frameworks to address the growing challenge of climate change, that has become the current development challenge that continues to affect lives, livelihoods, and our overall trajectory as a nation.
In Sri Lanka, key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, energy, tourism, and water are increasingly exposed to climate-related disruptions, threatening both livelihoods and macroeconomic stability. To prevent this trajectory, we must leverage a full spectrum of international climate finance instruments.
Sri Lanka has a solid policy foundation, political will, and the institutional capacity to lead on climate action. What we now need is the financial architecture to match this ambition. Hence, today’s session represents a step toward building shared awareness and technical capacity across the public sector”.
The Prime Minister emphasized that while numerous discussions and dialogues have been successfully conducted across various sectors, it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on concrete implementation highlighting that meaningful results can only be achieved when ideas and plans are translated into action, and urged all stakeholders and officers to prioritize execution to bring about the positive changes the country needs.
The event was attended by secretary to the Prime Minister, G. P. Saputhanthri, representatives from the central bank, representatives of Ministries and GGGI institute.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that there is a contemporary need to develop the Pirivena and Bhikkhu education and that the government is seeking the revered guidance of Maha Sangha in that cause.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya on Tuesday (29) at the Sri Subodhi Rajarama Mulasthana Maha Vihara in Bombuwala, Kalutara.
During the event, the Prime Minister honored sixty-three venerable members of the Maha Sangha who had rendered their noble service to the Sasana and also conferred awards upon several distinguished lay benefactors in recognition of their contributions.
Delivering the keynote speech, the Prime Minister stated:
“There has always been a strong bond between Buddhism and society throughout history. Culture and social relations have been built alongside the Buddhist philosophy. The society we seek to establish as a nation must embody the Buddhist values of fairness, equality, and compassion. These virtues, as taught in the Buddhist philosophy, are ever relevant and alive.
Piriven and Bhikkhu education are currently facing numerous challenges, and considerable efforts are needed to address them. Thereby a substantial and concerted intervention is required.
A pertinent question arises as whether our Pirivena institutions are adequately preparing for the evolving needs of the world? There was once a belief in Europe that, with scientific advancement, religion would become redundant. Today, this view has been discredited. Along with material progress, spiritual development remains indispensable.
The knowledge, attitudes, and skills of our Bhikkhus must be enhanced to meet the emerging global challenges. A profound discussion on necessary reforms in Piriven and Bhikkhu education is therefore imperative.
Opportunities for Bhikkhus to study subjects such as mathematics, science, and modern languages are currently limited. Without exposure to contemporary disciplines, it is questionable whether one can successfully confront present-day challenges”.
The event, held under the patronage of the Venerable Egodamulle Amaramoli Mahanayake Thera, the Chief incumbent of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya, was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Mass Media and Health Mr. Nalinda Jayatissa, several Members of Parliament, and numerous lay devotees.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, plans are underway to launch a 1,000-acre forest plantation project in collaboration with the private sector. This large-scale initiative is designed to operate under the Public-Private-People Partnership (4P) concept and a preliminary discussion on the project was held today (30) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The discussion focused on resolving technical aspects associated with the project and addressing the fundamental issues necessary for the land release.
The programme aims to implement several effective environmental projects in the coming year with the active participation of the private sector. These efforts are intended to safeguard the country’s biodiversity, forest cover and natural ecosystems, while also reinforcing the shared responsibility of the public, government and private sector in environmental conservation.
The discussion was chaired by Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu and Additional Secretary of the Clean Sri Lanka Programme S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, with the participation of senior officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation and Environment
Action beyond dialogue is essential in addressing Green Financing and climate change. – Prime Minister
Pirivena and Bhikkhu education must be developed – PM
1,000-acre forest plantation project to be launched under “Clean Sri Lanka” programme
-
Business4 days agoPick My Pet wins Best Pet Boarding and Grooming Facilitator award
-
News4 days agoNew Lankan HC to Australia assumes duties
-
News4 days agoLankan ‘snow-white’ monkeys become a magnet for tourists
-
News2 days agoJapan-funded anti-corruption project launched again
-
Features4 days agoKing Donald and the executive presidency
-
Business4 days agoACHE Honoured as best institute for American-standard education
-
Features6 days agoThe Truth will set us free – I
-
Business2 days agoNational Savings Bank appoints Ajith Akmeemana,Chief Financial Officer