BUDDHIST MAJORITY
Sri Lanka, Bhutan
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SRI LANKA
Buddhist nationalism is politics by other means. In post-colonial, “democratic” Sri Lanka, Buddhist nationalists play the religion card for political gain. Ambitious politicians promote Buddhist nationalism inorder to dragnet the majority Buddhist vote. Buddhist clerics and monks do it to increase their influence and power.
The name “Rajapaksa” is virtually synonymous with Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism. Mahinda Rajapaksa came to fame during his first term as president (2005-2010) when he, along with his brother, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, crushed the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), ending years of civil war.
Both Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa stand accused of war crimes. During Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term as president (2010-2015), corruption, nepotism, human rights abuses, and violent Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism all escalated markedly.
By the end of 2020, after a spell in the political wilderness, the Rajapaksas were back!
The failure of the Yahapalnaya (good governance) coalition – an uneasy alliance cobbled together to break the power of the Rajapaksa clan – along with the trauma of the 21 April 2019 Easter bombings, combined to set the stage for a Rajapaksa revival. The Rajapaksas ran a “populist” campaign based on Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism and national security.
As anticipated, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (70) won the November 2019 presidential poll, securing 52.25 percent of the vote. Virtually all Sinhalese voted for Rajapaksa while virtually all Tamils and Muslims voted for Premadasa. Traumatised and desperate for security, Christians (who usually vote with the minority Tamils) overwhelmingly voted for Rajapaksa.
On 21 November 2019 President G Rajapaksa appointed his brother, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa (74), as Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and Finance.
Buddhist nationalists have been pressing for a law to criminalise conversions for almost 20 years. Draft bills have proposed prison terms and fines for anyone found guilty of “forcing” anyone to convert. The main obstacle in the extremists’ path has been the Supreme Court and the lack of consensus among Buddhists.
On 26 February 2020, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed the Annual Convention of the All Ceylon Buddhist Councils. He identified what he maintains are the two greatest “threats facing the Sinhala Buddhist Nation”: (1) the drugs being peddled to school children and (2) the conversion of “traditional Buddhist families to other religions” (specifically Christianity). He hinted of plans to revive the controversial anti-conversion bill and urged the Buddhist Councils to give him unanimous support.
Parliamentary elections were held in August 2020. Five members of the Rajapaksa clan won a seat in the parliament, and Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected as Prime Minister.
On Monday 22 March Sri Lanka’s multi-faith International Religious Freedom Round-table sent a letter to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, urging him to abandon the planned introduction of anti-conversion legislation. Signed by 36 religious dignitaries, the letter affirms the fundamental human right of freedom of conscience on matters of faith and religion, while denouncing unethical conversion through force and violence. It also points out that anti-conversion laws are notoriously ambiguous, giving emboldened intolerant elements a weapon they can use against religious minorities for doing nothing other than worshipping together, sharing their faith, or performing charitable works.
BHUTAN
It can only be hoped that Bhutan’s remarkable transition under His Royal Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, from absolute monarchy and Buddhist kingdom, to constitutional, parliamentary democracy, does not see Bhutan go the same way as Sri Lanka.
Constitution of Bhutan (adopted 2008)
Excerpts:
Article 3 Spiritual Heritage
1) Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, which promotes the principles and values of peace, non-violence, compassion and tolerance.
2) The Druk Gyalpo [king] is the protector of all religions in Bhutan.
3) It shall be the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also ensuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan. Religious institutions and personalities shall remain above politics.
Article 7 Fundamental Rights
2) Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression.
3) A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to information.
4) A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.
12) A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, other than membership of associations that are harmful to the peace and unity of the country, and shall have the right not to be compelled to belong to any association.
Around 2 percent of the population is Christian; almost all are recent converts. They are peaceful good citizens who pose no threat. Any move against them would most likely be motivated by political ambition.