A timely move

A timely move
The country is still celebrating Vesak, the holiest event for Buddhists all over the world. Buddhism occupies a unique place in our history and indeed, in our day-to-day lives.
Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where Buddhism survives in its purest form. Sri Lanka has become the leading voice for Buddhist causes in the world arena.
It is therefore appropriate that the Government is planning to introduce five Acts to preserve Buddhism and the Maha Sangha for the future generation, as reported in yesterday’s Daily News.
According to Prime Minister DM Jayaratne, a preliminary proposal in this regard has been presented to the Cabinet. Among the proposals is the creation of a Sangha Sabha comprising leading Buddhist monks to advise the Government on matters related to Buddhism.
Throughout Sri Lanka’s history, Buddhist monks have advised the rulers of the day on matters relating to Buddhism and affairs of the State. This tradition is being continued to this day. The Sangha Sabha will thus be a step in the right direction.
Sri Lanka’s rural society thrives on the close link between the temple, the school and the village. But many rural temples do not enjoy the patronage that their counterparts in the City have, due to various reasons. This could affect the very foundation of the rural society.
The Government must therefore be lauded for its proposed initiatives to meet the needs of rural temples. One such effort is to provide an allowance to needy temples in rural areas to improve their infrastructure and supplement other necessities.
The educational needs of Samanera Bhikkus in these temples must be looked into. All facilities should be granted to their Dhamma schools.
The Government should welcome the views and suggestions of eminent Bhikkus here and abroad as well as lay Buddhists regarding the new proposals, so that any valuable inputs could be incorporated. Next year, it will be 2,600 years since the Buddha attained Enlightenment (2600 Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi).
The new Acts are very timely in this context and will certainly help protect and nurture Buddhism in Sri Lanka for generations to come.
Another boost for North
Now that terrorism is no more, local and foreign tourists are free to travel to all areas which remained inaccessible previously. Among the prime attractions which tourists are flocking to are the country’s famous National Parks, some of which had to be closed from time to time during the conflict due to terrorist infiltration and certain incidents.
In a further boost for tourism and environmental conservation, wildlife authorities are planning to set up several wildlife parks, forest and bird sanctuaries in the Northern part of the country.
According to a report we published yesterday, Nayaru, Kokilai, Chundikulam and Madhu Road have been identified as viable locations for such ventures. The rich bio-diversity and unique natural features found in forests, marshes and lagoons in these areas could provide rich material to develop wildlife sanctuaries.
This is a timely move that will help the economic growth of the province, which had seen little or no development during the past 30 years.
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa had instructed officials to develop identified areas at the earliest possible time following a feasibility study to promote them as attractive eco-tourist destinations. The ventures will also help generate employment for the Northern youth.
It is also heartening to note that the authorities are also looking at the possibility of expanding the extent of the Wilpattu National Park by encompassing viable land areas which are presently unused in the Northern sector of the park.
All parks in the country including Wilpattu are now fully open to visitors, but Wilpattu is yet to regain its former glory. With repairs being done to the park infrastructure and with the clearing of villus and reservoirs covered with weeds and plants, Wilpattu will once again be a haven for visitors - and animals.
Sri Lanka Tourism and the inbound travel industry should actively promote all national parks. The airing of documentaries on our national parks on international TV channels such as Discovery and Animal Planet will certainly help in this endeavour.
Special packages should be tailored for both local and foreign tourists to view the flora and fauna in our national parks and the open concept zoological gardens due to be opened in the South.