(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –No one should be allowed to ruin state institutions for the sake of petty political gain. This applies to the Central Cultural Fund, Department of Cultural Affairs as well as the Ministry of Buddhasasana Prime Minister and Minister of Economic and Policy Planning, Buddhasasana, Cultural Affairs Religious Affairs, Urban Development, Water Supply and Housing Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
The Prime Minister said that during the last regime, Thousands of people had been recruited to institutions under the Buddhasasana Ministry on contract basis with an enormous salary bill the Ministry could not afford.
Last time, their salaries were paid from the Central Cultural Fund, he said.
The Prime Minister said Ministry Secretary obtained his signature recently to release Rs 100 million from the Central Cultural Fund to pay the salaries of new recruits. Most of these appointments had been given to go on house to house canvassing during the recent elections. Now the election and the contract were both over and these recruits had been discontinued”, the Prime Minister said.
This type of action placed both the government and the recruits in difficulty. Several other Ministries too had been stuffed with additional recruits prior to the last election, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister was addressing the gathering at a ceremony held at the Weeraketiya Kasagala Viharaya to mark the distribution of school educational equipment and tools among a batch of 1,000 Daham Pasala students on January 5. The programme was held under the theme “Surakshita Hetak Daham Samajayak”.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said it was the duty of parents to give their children an inclination towards religions.
“Except certain Buddhists, other religionists did not insult their religion or their priests. People would never forget the manner in which certain people who called themselves Buddhists insulted the Maha Sangha and Buddhism during election time in the past and proudly got such comments published in the media. They ought to be ashamed of such behaviour. No one should be allowed to insult any religion as it amounted to sacrilege. The Prime Minister added.
Kasagala Rajamaha Viharadhipati Ven. Talamporuwe Indusumana Chief Adhikarana Sanghanayake Thera, Malaysia Bauddha Viharadhipati Ven. Kotawila Siridhamma Nayake Thera, Ven. Demaliye Pannaratana Nayake Thera, Ven. Matara Kade Veediye Punyaji Nayake Thera, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, H. W. Gunasena, Somawansa Kodagoda and Ajith Rajapaksa were also present on the occasion.
