The ‘ Sil Redi Keliya ‘

We are in the midst of loud proclamations of the truth – the doctored truth of the Sil Redi type. Religion and spirituality are brought to the forefront in seeking to hide the truths of corruption under the veil of the Sil Redda.

Mahinda Rajapaksa  is doing his own dance of the Sil Redda or Cloth of Virtue, trying to make a big show of his silence through a whole court case involving two of his most trusted public officers to whom he would gladly give illegal orders,  and now say  the Sil Redi fault is his, and not theirs.

Religion is hauled out and so called spirituality dragged to give a sacred touch to what was clearly a wrong and offensive order, to use the Cloth of Virtue to promote his re-election to the Executive Presidency; the term of which he extended with the crooked votes for the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Can such a mastermind of the crooked in politics and governance be considered in any way truthful when making a mockery of tears for those incarcerated by his own orders?

His media release refers to the Sil Redi Project – Sil Redi Vyapruthiya – which is a good exposure of that entire exercise. It was, in fact, a Sil Redi Vyaparaya – a business of the Cloth of Virtue, where the virtue, if there was any, was hidden and lost in crooked politics and business.

Who comes to his support? His political ball picker Wimal Weerawansa, who thinks no one in government, can ever do any wrong, and thus an executive president can never ever do wrong. All of his supporters repeat his thinking on the fault of the judiciary, not showing any regard for the independence of the judiciary, of which this High Court judgment has given a good example.

It is obvious that Mahinda Rajapaksa and all others of his political tribe, who are suddenly shedding crocodile tears for the plight of Lalith Weeratunga and Anusha Palpita, are greatly missing the time of a hugely controlled and manipulated judiciary. One that saw his acquittal in Helping Hambantota, and the later statement by then Justice Sarath Silva, that had given a wrong judgment, when he briefly jumped under the shadow of  Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera’s campaign. Of course, that hopscotch Sarath Silva did quickly jump back to the Rajapaksa clique of the crooked.

The Rajapaksa frenzy about the Sil Redi business, with a leaflet of his picture and message for support, and even a clock to keep the time of the Seela – or the Hours of Virtue – is now being turned into the vulgar stuff of the politics of religion. Sections of the Yellow Robed fraternity, whose task is to bring the message of the Buddha – the Dhamma – to the people, now see great importance in Virtue of the Sil Redda. The Pindapatha – an aspect of the Right Livelihood for monks – is now being seen by some, and promoted by  – Sil Adu – not so virtuous politicians, as a source for seeking alms from devotees of the Dhamma, to pay court imposed fines for what the court held was wrong, and illegally used public funds. The Cloth of Virtue was the cover for this whole exercise of presidential theft of public funds and its misuse for political gain, in the name of Buddhism and Seela.

How much further can we go in this distortion of religion for the promotion of religio-politics?

Keep your eyes open for the next time that the orange hue Sivuru Hora comes flying to your garden, and be on the lookout for the white feathered Redi Hora, too. They come in the hues of nature, and not with any stolen claims to the sanctity of religion and worship, as our crooked politicians are now making such a song and dance about; trying to hide their corrupt selves behind the Sil Redda.

This is the day of the Sil Redi Keliya.Â