Interview with Udaya Gammanpila, Legal Advisor, JHU
I interviewed Udaya Gammanpila, the Legal Advisor to the Jathika Hala Urumaya (JHU) and erstwhile Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). Udaya is now a candidate from the Colombo District for the Western Provincial Council elections to be held on 24th April 2009. I interviewed him in January, before he announced his candidature and just after the attacks on MTV and the assassination of Lasantha Wickremetunge.
This was the second time I have interviewed Udaya for public television. I find him to be forthright in his political opinion and a person able and willing to conduct civil debates on highly contested issues such as the freedom of expression, the clampdown on dissent, human rights and terrorism. Even though we share extremely different worldviews, amongst many other politicians from various political parties I have interviewed it is particularly revealing that he comes across as convincing and principled to the ordinary voter.
When asked about the deterioration of the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and his thoughts on how we could secure dissent and restore democracy, Udaya suggested that in many other countries, the CIA and Western elements acted as third forces that attempted to destabilise governments.
Udaya also said that there was no essential disconnect in using violence to protect the non-violent way of life. He said that the State had the exclusive right to use violence to protect citizens from terrorism and that even in the time of the Buddha, it was the case that violence was used in polity and society. Being a Buddhist practitioner, Udaya said he totally agreed with the war against the LTTE.
Noting that JHU did not believe there was an ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, Udaya went on to explain his party’s 3D approach (demilitarisation, development and democratisation) in response to a question I asked him about if and how the Government would address root causes of terrorism in Sri Lanka.
11 Comments
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to Content Updates
iPhone app
I have seen after arrival of this JHU somany ethnic violence started in srilanka various town and villages agaisnt minority. Bandaranayaka the first person started discriminations agaisnt tamils and muslims its now contniuinng by JHU with false history and propagandas. These JHU thinking srilanka is super power like US, they dont think srilanka begging all over the world to survive. Also talking about LTTE and terrorism, I am asking from JHU who ruling this country after indeoendent to date? all of them are sinhala Buddhist politicians not anyone else. 6 decades after the independent we have go anything from these buddhisht liers leaders? accept poverty and violence we dont have anything. LTTE only 25 years but other 35 years who destroyed the country with lies? all of them are like you people. Still doing the same. How many places in the country JHU created dicrimination agaisnt tamils and muslims? how many people have been killed your mobes for just and how many shops, homes, properties of the muslims have been destroyed by sinhala terrorist sofar ebcause of jelous. Just invading the shops and buying something and not paying for the items, when shop owner ask your sinhala terrorist are fighting and making violence for nothing, finally destorying our wealth and properties with innocent killing with the support police and army. You cant continue like this and day will come soon to end your bladdy double standard fae soon as possible keep it in mind and southern singhalease born in jelousy.
Well said Mohamed. Where were you talking from? It is the Tamil kings over last 2000 years who have invaded Sri lanka from time to timeand commited genocide on Sihalese people.
Ah for Muslims if the Sinhala kings did not protect them and resettled them in eastern Sinhalese lands they will be no more. .Islam is a religon which practice barbaric like practices. For ex Taliban destroying the Bhamian Buddhist statues.Also Moghuls kiled billions of people in their invasion in the name of god. So did Hindus.
Udaya , as the posters say is a clean and clever politcian . We need more people of his calbre for a clean and fair administration . He expressed his feelings and was genuine and sincere in dealing with the current problems , I felt .
I am a Sinhalese but not a fanatic or a fellower of JHU. These pathetic bunch of ignorants are shame to this nation. They are an evil force who is itself a terror movement in my view who is attempting to divide Sri Lanka on racial, religious, an political lines and they in the same category of LTTE.. Obviously according to their agenda everybody must hate westerners, Christians, other races and throw them in jail and kill the rest, and they want the ‘Formost place’ in Sri Lankan government. Isn’t that the same thing the LTTE want, an Utopian state for themselves? Supposed the Sinhala minority Christian community, and all other minority ethnic communities who makes up the 32 % of the population divided, then majority Sinhala Buddhists could be in a weak position I suppose. Remember the JHU is going around in the western world preaching non-violence with mask on your face. Remember the whole world know who you are. Thankful to mass media today. Anti-western S.L politicians always seek refuge in the Christian- west for their life safely.
The majority Sinhalese Buddhists 68% out of 18,000 million people are only 13,840. Just an insignificant number if you know the world populations. This bunch of lunatics are not belonging to a civilized society. They are anti-western, and anti-Christian and anti-democratic, racial, and they are Buddhists. However, they so badly want to move to the west to live better and enjoy western freedom! What a hypocrisy?
Where in the ‘hell Urume’ says that Buddha’s job is to deal with terrorists or any political conflicts. Buddha left the political office and went out of his palace looking for truth regarding life, death, suffering and so forth. However, according to JHU they want the ‘formost place in Sri Lankan government, the littel Island trying to compare to a Super power in the world by some frogs in the well.
The JHU think all Buddhists can be easily misled, and get their agenda through if they put on a yellow robe, sorry safren robes. As a matter of fact JHU driving more Buddhists out of Buddhism than normal rate who are leaving Buddhism. I am in search of a religion who preach non-violence, peace making, and loving people wherever they are. I love a religion who teach love, forgiveness, and mercy instead of hate and murder to solve our problems.
Buddha Dharma has nothing to do with JHU, and nothing to do with politics. What it has taught is totally based on compassion to all the living beings, and to salavge from cycle of birth and death.
JHU: Please do not use ‘Buddhist’ facade and the saffron robe to preach whatever your political views.
For Non- Buddhists: Please do not tie Buddhism to JHU. You are insulting a great teaching.
Refering to Anderae ,while reading his comments my mind goes back to the same anderae of the Rajamaligva of the kanyian kingdom of the yester years.
He has shown his ignerence of the JHU why it came in to existence.To make u understand the JHU came in to excistence because to the collosal injustices done to the sinhala buddhists during the colonial rule and the sucessive govrenments after independence who were licking the boots of the colonial masters. sinhala buddhists of the kandyan kindom lost their lands because of the Tamil labour brought from india, to day havent a piece of land to bury their dead ,they are thrown down the precipice day by day where the land issue is concerned. To mohamad it is you fellow mohomadians in maradana who looted with sinhal goons i saw it with my own eyes, why bandaranake intraduce the sinhala only bill because of the injustices done to the sinhalese during the last five hundred years. the average sinhala man did not know to fill a form when go to a office or to courts as the medium of language was english but ofcourse reasonable use of tamil in their areas.For thIS reason he made sinhalA the state language
Please stop digging the past and resurfacing the very discriminatory policies, animosities and hatreds that lead to the deformation and destruction of the nation for the past half a century. One group may have suffered and lost more than the other but we all as Sri Lankans have lost too much and for too long. There have been rights and wrongs on both sides of the isles and that is the undeniable fact.
Now, that we have come to a juncture where we all Sri Lankans regardless of caste or creed have to decide which path to take. A path to peace and tranquility by accepting to live and let live or to go back to square one and restart the same path of discrimination, revenge, arrogance, wars, death and destruction!
Don’t listen to the politicians; let the politicians listen to you, otherwise shun them! Hate filled discriminatory politics is a worse menace then terrorism, I may say.
Guys, the most important matter is what ever way we have lead has not given us any harmony to live peacefully with each other. By far we don’t know the meaning of 2 simple words excuse and reason, as majority of us mix these 2 words for the each ones benefit. The solution is to have equal right for all Sri Lankans with unbiased treatment from every quarter of society and hold our leaders responsible for their actions. In short learn to respect each other and let’s not let our future generation suffer from our mis-deeds/selfishness.
Thank you Lord (No pun intended.) The Ven Ratnasara Thero (who is no longer living) once summed up the Buddha’s philosophy as, “The Path is the Goal”. Such simple memoraboe five words with such deep meaning is easy to remember and so hard for many to follow. It is a universal and timeless concept. It is true to any goals we want to achieve. If only the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, and the world remembers that the path is the goal, peace is achievable.
Sri lanka is homeland of siwhela. Siwhela has been eveluated as sinhala. Siwhela(Siw is mean four according to the sinhala.) is belonging four groups.Those are Yaksha,Naga,Raksha,Asura. Raksha is mean demon. Truth can be never hidden. We know that a lot of our ancient kings (including Ravana) are worhiped by Tamils. We are very happy about that. Since tamils are afraid to many sinhala kings. That is why they are worshiping them. Exactly many tamils will be worshiping president Mahinda Rajapaksha as their god. But we are respecting and memorizing them every day as well as forever.
There is a epigraph that is located at Yala . Which is described that Buddhist Ravana’s daughter Sohili had donated cavern to Maha sangha under the Kashyapa buddha.
Likewise there is a epigraph at Nuwara eliya which was indicated that Ravana’s chief MInister Makara had donated cavern to venerable Maha Sangga under the Kashyapa buddha.
Besides there are a lot of evidence that we can prove the Ravana is purely sinhala(Siw hela) buddhist king as well as vegetarian. Ravana had indicated one of his medical book that by eating beef , human have to sicken 98 diseases.
Great king Ravana was descendent from Raksha(demon) group who are one major group under the siwhela(Sinhalease.). Tamils are saying that Ravana is demon king. Then we can assure that Ravana is totally sinhala king.
If you would read Lankawathara Sutta , that had indicated clearly that Ravana was buddhist under Kashayapa buddha.
It is said there were 11 Ravana found in Sinhalese history such as Nala Ravana, Manu ravana, Punu ravana and Dasis Ravana. The most famous Ravana is the king who fought with Indian hindu prince Rama. He is called Dasis Ravana which means the king with 10 great talents. The Dasis Ravana lived lived nearly 5000years ago in Sri Lanka. He was a descendant of Surya Wansha and Hela Raskshasa tribe. (Ancient Sinhalese tribe) He was one of the best fighters in Angampora, the traditional martial arts of ancient Sinhale.
King Dasis Ravana was a great Scholar in Ayurvedic medicine. He was the person who invented Arka Shastra. The book Arka Prakshaya reveals this truth to the present world. As his willing to research in Ayurvedic medicine he wrote several books revealing the cures for many diseases. In one book he wrote “Eating beef cause to infect ninety eight new diseases to human beings. The book “Kumara Tantraya” which reveals the treatments for infant diseases was written by him accepting the request of his pregnant queen Mandodari.
He has children and the eldest one was Indrajith also known as Meghanada who followed his father’s steps. There are some hints in Sri Lankan rock inscriptions about the daughter of king Dasis Ravana.
King Ravana’s kingdom was Lankapura. The kingdom is almost disappeared today. But If you keen on Sri Lankan folklore and ola manuscripts there you can find some remaining sites of Lankapura today known as Seegiriya and Trincomalee.
King Ravana invented the bow of Violin. He also narrated very first Ragas, the musical compositions of Eastern classical music known as Lanka Dehena and Sinhala. Siva thandawa is one of the great devotional compositions done by him, which is still being in use in India.
He was the first king flew over the world with his aero plane, known as Dandumonaraya or Vimanaya, Kashtawahana.
Some evidence of Dandumonaraya the aeroplane is found in Rock inscriptions, Jataka Stories and Ola manuscripts. The Sinhalese folk stories are enriched with Ravana Stories.
King Ravana was continuing a vegan oriented life style and was a real nature lover. According to Lankavatara sutta he was Buddhist and worshipped Kashyapa Buddha. Once he invited Kashyapa Buddha to visit Lanka and deliver his sermon to Sri Lankan citizens who practice yoga and follow Buddhism.
Today the time has changed and many of us do not know the real history of king Ravana and throw our folk tales away without considering any valuable parts of them. King Ravana was one of the best emperors found in Sri Lankan History.
There are more than 300 Sinhalese village names related to king Ravana era. In addition, there are some more places and remains in which the Rama Ravana war took place in Sri Lanka