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Buddhist monks to remain neutral, not align with any party
Colombo, Apr 04: The influential Buddhist monks, who contested Sri Lanka`s parliamentary elections as a separate entity under the banner of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), today said the front would not align with any party to form the new government.?
Colombo, Apr 04: The influential Buddhist monks, who contested
Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections as a separate entity under the
banner of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), today said the front would not
align with any party to form the new government.?
The JHU, which contested the elections for the first time, has
already secured at least six seats in results declared so far for
Friday's polls
''We are not going to support any party to form a new government. We will function independently and support any government on an issue-by issue-basis. If it is good for the country, we will support, otherwise will strongly oppose,'' Ven Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, a top elected monk said.
In the past, the influential section of Buddhist monks has been opposed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and substantial devolution of powers.
Calling for the annulment of polls in the war-ravaged north-east, the Thera said they were against the way the peace process was handled by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his United National Front (UNF) government.
''We are for peaceful resolution of the conflict, but were opposed to the way it was mismanaged by the prime minister and his government,'' the Thera said.
The radical hardline JHU is likely to get at least nine seats in the 225-seat parliament. The JHU's decision to not support either of the major political parties -- newly formed United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe-led UNF -- has come at a time when both the outfits seem unlikely to form a new government on their own.
Although President Kumaratunga's coalition is emerging as the single largest party, the projected results show that it may well fall short of the half way mark of 113 seats to form the new government.
Bureau Report
''We are not going to support any party to form a new government. We will function independently and support any government on an issue-by issue-basis. If it is good for the country, we will support, otherwise will strongly oppose,'' Ven Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, a top elected monk said.
In the past, the influential section of Buddhist monks has been opposed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and substantial devolution of powers.
Calling for the annulment of polls in the war-ravaged north-east, the Thera said they were against the way the peace process was handled by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his United National Front (UNF) government.
''We are for peaceful resolution of the conflict, but were opposed to the way it was mismanaged by the prime minister and his government,'' the Thera said.
The radical hardline JHU is likely to get at least nine seats in the 225-seat parliament. The JHU's decision to not support either of the major political parties -- newly formed United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe-led UNF -- has come at a time when both the outfits seem unlikely to form a new government on their own.
Although President Kumaratunga's coalition is emerging as the single largest party, the projected results show that it may well fall short of the half way mark of 113 seats to form the new government.
Bureau Report