Dilan Perera should tender public apology - P. Harrison

Minister P. Harrison says that former UPFA Parliamentarian Dilan Perera should tender a public apology to the entire body of Maha Sangha for insulting and treating them with contempt.  

The Minister of Social Services, Welfare and Livestock Development stated that Perera has attempted to offer poison to the highly respected prelate Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero. 

“This action demonstrates that Dilan has no knowledge or understanding of the teachings of any religion,” Harrison said in a statement today.

The minister stated that Venerable Sobhitha Thero took the initiative and provided the leadership to the Movement which campaigned for creating a just and fair society in the country and that this “irked” former President Mahinda Rajapaksha and his clique because this movement posed a big challenge to them.  

“Dilan Perera’s attempt to make UNP leaders also to drink poison is aimed at destroying the ideology of Good Governance perceived and pursued by Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero and the large majority of people,” he said.

Harrison says that before trying to make others drink poison, Perera should better find out who actually should take poison.  

“If it is the corrupt elements who should be given poison we can provide examples to show where the bottles of poison should be emptied,” the UNP candidate said.

Full Statement Issued by P. Harrison: 

Mr Dilan Perera the weird spokesman for the UPFA leaders who have gone crazy in the face of certain defeat has attempted to offer poison to the highly respected prelate Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero. This action demonstrates that Dilan has no knowledge or understanding of the teachings of any religion.

According to Buddhism, if a member of the Maha Sanga guides or induces a person to take his own life, it is termed as a Paarajika (One of the four gravest sins which ends a person’s monastic life). If Dilan wants he can read what the four Paarajikas are and refer to what the third Paarajika means.  Dilan wants to cause a much respected Chief Buddhist Monk to a state of Paarajika. Kurunegala District candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa and his clique usually interpret religion to their own liking to achieve their political aims. Statements of this nature made by Dilan Perera who has been following Mahinda Rajapaksa and polluted the sanctity of sacred temples by using its premises for political activities, cannot be ignored. The Maha Sangha of this country are the saviors of the nation and they are held in high esteem, as they guide the people and act as mentors of the nation. Therefore, Dilan Perera should tender a public apology to the entire body of Maha Sangha for insulting and treating them with contempt.  

It is well known that Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero took the initiative and provided the leadership to the Movement which campaigned for creating a just and fair society in this country which irked the Kurunegala District candidate Mahinda Rajapaksha and his clique because this movement posed a big challenge to them.  Dilan Perera’s attempt to make UNP leaders also to drink poison is aimed at destroying the ideology of Good Governance perceived and pursued by Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero and the large majority of people. The people of this country on 17th of August should express their dissent and anger against Dilan’s brutish statement. That would be the best way to respond to the insulting attack levelled against the entire Bhikku community which includes the high prelates of the Malwathu Asgiri chapters of Siyam Nikaya and the high prelates of Amarapura and Ramanna Nikayas.

Dilan before trying to make others drink poison should better find out who actually should take poison.  If it is the corrupt elements who should be given poison we can provide examples to show where the bottles of poison should be emptied. Dilan should to read the Auditor General’s report on the activities of the Foreign Employment Promotion Ministry of which he was the Minister. The report refers to several instances of Almsgivings, New Year festivals, War Hero commemorations, May Day demonstration, elaborate Poson zones and a lot more such events. 

Incidentally all these activities and celebrations were supposed to have taken place in Hali Ela area in Badulla District. Its amazing thing is that none of the people in Hali Ela participated in any of these events because those were limited to paper and no event had been really held.  However, according to the audit report, the amount of money taken from the public funds for these so called events is more than Rupees 250 million.  

We would like to help Dilan Perera to refresh his memory about his ‘nonevents’ for which money had been obtained from public funds. Rupees 9,119,999 had been obtained for organizing a ‘walk’ to promote foreign employment, in Gampaha, Hambantota and Colombo.  A total of Rs. 54,000 lakhs had been spent on food and paid to a restaurant in Hali Ela but no food had been supplied. A payment of Rs. 750,000 had been paid to the said restaurant but it was for food obtained for the May Day Rally. A further amount of Rs. 1,693,600 had been obtained for a supposedly held insurance workshop for those in foreign employment. No workshop had been held.  

The Auditor General’s Report refers to another payment of Rs. 35 Lakhs for a Pinkama said to have held in Hali Ela but in fact no such Pinkama had been held. Out of that amount Rs. 20 Lakhs supposed to have been spent on Pirikara.  If Dilan Perera can at least tell us what item was given as Pirikara and whether there was any Bhikku who received it, Dilan Perera might be able to achieve the state of Nirvana. Dilan had obtained Rs. 3,962,710 in the year 2014 on the landslide tragedy in Badulla district. According to the audit report it had been obtained to provide food for the families of those who were employed abroad but up to now no family has received any payment.

Rs.2,265,000 had been obtained from the Ministry funds for his image building  by way of cutout profiles and banners portraying himself.  Rs. 2,448,400 had been obtained for notices and other publicity materials pertaining to a Bak Maha Ulela supposed to have been held in Hali Ela in 2014.  Rs. 1,035,000 had been obtained for expenses relating to a function at which Kurunegala District candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa participated on 25th July 2014. If Dilan needs further information which he has forgotten, a copy of the Auditor General’s report could be dispatched to him.  

Dilan Perera knowing very well that the people of Badulla District are aware of how he cheated them has got himself into the National List without coming forward to contest the elections. At the last Presidential election, the people defeated the UPFA in Hali Ela clearly signaling that they were well aware of Dilan’s corrupt deals. Why Dilan Perera and the set of rogues want to bring Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power is to suppress and to stop the investigations which are now underway on these corrupt and fraudulent activities. Dilan Perera should understand that he is covering his nakedness in a transparent cloth. Therefore, whenever he appears in public to make statements against others he only exposes his own nudity.