I knew of my ouster through the media

-Ven.Ellawala Medhananda Thera

By Jatila Karawita

Former leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Venerable Ellawala Medhananda Thera says that he couldn’t have been more thrilled than when he learnt through the media of his ouster from the party leadership while on an excavation tour in the outstation.
The ex-JHU leader in an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS affirmed that he has never hankered after posts in his life and hence will continue to work for the betterment of the Buddha Sasana by remaining a member of the party, in spite of step-motherly treatment meted out in whatever form it may be.
Venerable Medhananda also observed that he was currently delving into his ouster from the party helm and said it was too early to comment on whether his ouster as party leader was the result of a conspiracy hatched by a prominent minister and a monk from the party.
Interview -

What do you make of your allegedly forced ouster from the JHU leadership?
I came to know of this ouster through the media while I was on an excavation survey in the jungles of Mullativu and Vavuniya, and currently I am studying the process that led to my dumping as party leader.
The norm is usually to inform the current leader before such a decision is taken but, I was never even called for a discussion on the issue, hence it has come like a bolt from the blue.
However, I need to categorically stress that I am quite thrilled to hear that the party has decided to replace me even if that has not been done in keeping with the democratic protocol of an esteemed party like the JHU.
I also have never hankered after portfolios in my life and therefore could take this latest episode in my stride ever so easily.
Then you are no longer the leader of the JHU?
Well, I guess I am not.
For the time being it is difficult to make a comment on it, as I am yet to be officially informed and for my part, I am also delving into the process which apparently led to my ouster, as I have a right to know since I was the leader of the JHU since its formation in the aftermath of the now-defunct Hela Urumaya.

What could have been the reasons for your sudden ouster from the JHU leadership?
As you know the JHU was formed to accomplish several tasks by the nation and paramount amongst those was giving unconditional support to the SLFP-led successive governments to wipe out LTTE terrorists and maintain our unitary constitution with meager devolution of powers as a long-term solution to the vexed ethnic issue.
Another was the introduction of a law to criminalize unethical conversions and proselytism by foreign Christian fundamentalist groups. The party was instrumental in implementing several policy programmes including a ban on smoking in public places, curbing the drug menace and introducing extreme limitations on consumption of alcohol including the compulsory shut-down of liquor stores and the ban on sale of meat on Poya and other holy Buddhist festivals.
For a party that strove to accomplish those lofty aims by the majority Buddhist population in this country, I always put country before self and rendered my outmost services apart from what I did in my archeological work.
Hence, to be shown the door in this manner to a layman could be heartbreaking and could lead to depression and despondency. On the contrary, none of those things has happened to me because as a monk, I believe in the word of the Buddha, which is that nothing is permanent in this world. I and am quite content to carry out my duty by the nation through remaining in the party.

Some say the motive behind the JHU’s recently held convention was to take measures to oust you from the party reins and there is also the allegation that there has been a conspiracy hatched by a leading minister and monk from your party to replace you at the helm, could these be true?
In any political party there could be conspirators, backstabbers, cutthroats and henchmen. It is the height of insanity to think the JHU would be an exception to it.
To my knowledge there was no open conspiracy or opposition to oust me from the leadership, but I am still in the dark as to whether this one was simmering in the backstage for sometime, before its climax last week.
Anyhow, I am content to be relieved of this added burden so that I could go out of my way to serve the country and more specifically the Buddha Sasana.

There is also a school of thought that you were abruptly relieved of your post even sans your knowledge, due largely to your close association with the president?
There is no undue closeness with the president or for that matter with any other politician.
But, I must say that the JHU took a concerted decision to back the presidential bid of Mahinda Rajapaksa back in 2005 and then last April, and there was no one riling openly against that decision hitherto to my knowledge.
To suggest all kinds of reasons for my ouster from the leadership is a figment of imagination and I have no time to waste over these trivial issues.

With your current political predicament in the JHU, will you be swayed to join the UPFA or any other party for that matter?
My current political plight within the JHU is no valid reason for me to ditch the party altogether, and I will continue to remain as a politician till my services are needed by the party, as I am a life member in it.

Do you think in the wake of your stunning ouster from the party helm that the people will continue to repose anymore faith in the JHU for the foreseeable future?
It is true that our party has had its share of controversies or ups and downs, since we first came into the political sphere under the banner of Sihala Urumaya about six years ago.
Initially, there was a lot of skepticism and we drew a lot of flak from all quarters, as it was the first time a group of monks decided to enter mainstream party politics of this country.
But, since then despite the exit of certain leaders be they monks or laymen in the interim, the party continued to go from strength to strength and the high point of our party’s history was the election of around nine MPs to the parliament at the 2004 general election.
Since then, we officially became part of the Rajapaksa administration in 2007 and managed to send three MPs this time around to the parliament.
The JHU’s motto is clear to the people and just because I am no longer at the helm is no reason for the public to lose faith altogether in the party or the high ideals it stands for, especially more so considering the accomplishments of the JHU in such a short political journey.

What do you make of the newly appointed leader of the JHU, Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera?
What I make of him is irrelevant now, and now that there is a new leader it is up to him to direct the party’s future course, henceforth.
I also would like to express my sincere good wishes to the new JHU leader so that he could continue from where I left off.