Despite large number of ministers in the past, certain sectors saw no progress – Malwatte Chief Prelate
The Chief Prelate of the Malwatte Chapter, Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera expressed concern that despite a large number of ministers, deputy ministers, and state ministers in the past, certain sectors of the state saw no progress.
The Chief Prelate expressed these views while speaking during a courtesy call by Ranjith Ariyarathne, Secretary to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana on Saturday (12). The Chief Prelate commended the new government’s decision to limit the number of ministers. He remarked that it was a good move in every sense.
“The new government has announced that they will not appoint a large number of ministers, which is very commendable. This government is functioning with just three ministers, which is admirable. In the past, there were hundreds of ministers, but some areas saw no work being done. No solutions were found for the public’s problems. Several clauses in the Vihara Devalagam Ordinance need amendments, and we have prepared a document with our proposals on how it should be reformed. There is a lot of work that needs to be done by this ministry. However, with only three ministers managing the state, it’s difficult to address everything.”
Following the meeting with the Chief Prelate, Ariyarathne spoke to the media and clarified certain rumours. He stated, “There is false information circulating that the Ninth Article of the Constitution will be removed during the upcoming constitutional reforms. Neither the President nor the relevant ministers have made any such statement. The Ninth Article clearly states that Buddhism should be given priority, while other religions should be treated equally. To our knowledge, there will be no change to this article, and we don’t expect any. Even the non-Buddhist scholars who work with us have emphasised that this article should not be amended. As a Buddhist, I share the same expectations. However, I am not a constitution drafter but a government official, so we will have to wait and see what happens during the upcoming constitutional reforms.”
Regarding the Vihara Devalagam Ordinance, he added, “The ordinance has already been amended and sent to the Attorney General. We have received the draft, which has been handed over to the Chief Prelates. Based on their guidance and advice, we expect to proceed with the next phase of the amendments.”
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