An outspoken Buddhist priest who is a sworn critic of the government wants sacked Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe to do more by coming onto the streets with supportive Members of Parliament for the welfare of cricket in the country.
Dhammarathana Thero the head monk of the historic Mihintale temple made the declaration and branded political parties in Parliament as having the same old faces under different entities and running the country like beasts when Ranasinghe paid him a courtesy call.
The Thero told Ranasinghe that one man, Sagala Ratnayake who is President Ranil Wickremasinghe’s advisor, was the cause of his (Ranasinghe’s) sacking that is shielding Sri Lanka Cricket’s corruption tainted head Shammi Silva.
“This whole country is corrupt and even a five year old child knows that. Sagala Ratnayake is not a Minister or part of the Cabinet, but he has crept in somehow performing some stunts and is safeguarding Shammi Silva. He (Ratnayake) has also taken the President for a ride. Because you stood up in Parliament you were sacked,” Dhammarathana Thero told Ranasinghe.
The Thero also told Ranasinghe that if there are genuine and honest people in Parliament they must all come out now onto the streets in support of him (Ranasinghe).
“They (politicians) cling on to positions like bats, monkeys and leeches “, Dhammarathana Thero said. “They can kill us for talking like this. These political parties who are in Parliament have no right to seek the people’s votes again. The LTTE, UNP, SLPF, JVP and Sajeba are all animals running the country under different names”.
He also said that dollars were running the administration of cricket and the only way corruption can be cleaned up once and for all is for Legislation to be implemented where no one will be allowed to be for more than two four-year terms in Parliament.
“What we see happening here is a family business. No one in the country should be allowed to be in Parliament for more than two terms,” the Thero said.
