Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thero was a monk who played a pivotal role in bringing Mrs. Bandaranaike to politics after the assassination of Mr. Bandaranaike. Later, he established relations with China. During the government of Mrs. Bandaranaike from 1960 to 1965, the monk wrote a book. The book said that Sri Lanka should go to a dictatorial regime.
This book disturbed the opposition. Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai visited Sri Lanka during this period and promised to give the Bandaranaike international Conference Hall as a gift from China. During this time, relations between Sri Lanka and China strengthened.
The connection between Venerable Gnanaseeha Thero and China, the monk’s book, along with the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister, alarmed the opposition, including the UNP. Rumors also circulated that the Chinese Communist Party was involved in printing and sending pro-government pamphlets to Sri Lanka.
The UNP protested against this in front of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka. Similarly, the UNP, in its campaign against the Bandaranaike government at that time, accused China of being behind her government’s authoritarian approach. India also was uneasy when she signed a maritime agreement with China in July 1963. This led the UNP to accuse Mrs. Bandaranayake of selling the Trincomalee harbor to China.
The opposition campaigned that she was going to create a dictatorial red government like China’s which led to the Mahanayake Theroes and monks to take to the streets against the government.
This past incident comes to mind because of the statement made by JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva recently. He told in a media conference that when he went to China and met with Chinese leaders, they told him that the JVP government should be in power for another 15 to 20 years to develop Sri Lanka.
Tilvin met with one of the seven powerful members of the Politburo of the Communist Party. Tilvin’s utterance of China’s statement in public is somewhat similar to Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thero’s book stating Sri Lanka should adopt into a dictatorial regime while being close with China.
It is not known whether Tilvin made a secret discussion public with China’s approval. Sri Lankan public could form a wrong opinion about China because of Tilvin’s statement.It could indicate thatChina considers that the JVP government should be in power for 15 or 20 years in Sri Lanka. It is China’s responsibility to correct Tilvin’s statement.
