Ven. Vanavasi Rahula Thera said that a person who cannot go anywhere on time, no matter what his duties are, cannot govern a country, let alone a house.
He said this when Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa did not arrive on time for the ceremony organised by the national organiser of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Tissa Attanayaka, on the occasion of the 1,500th programme of meeting Buddhist leaders to build religious harmony, which was held at the historic Vattarama Arahantha Maliyadeva Raja Maha Viharaya in Galigamuwa Dewalegama, Kegalle.
“You said you will come to this event at 4.00 pm. But it was 4.30 pm when you arrived. You were reminded of this same story earlier by Ven. Deniyawala Palitha Thera.” He also said, “If you hope to rule a country, you must remember to work on time.”
The Thera also said, “I am happy about the completion of 1,500 meetings with Buddhist leaders in Tissa Attanayaka’s ‘Sadaham Yatra programme’. I think that Tissa Attanayaka has done something that no other politician in this country has done. A total of 1,500 temples and 300 other religious places have reached 1,800. Especially I want to remind you at this time, I wonder if I saw the Opposition Leader in person for the first time today. He always calls me on the phone. But I think today was the first time I saw him in person. I invited him to visit Namal Uyana several times but he always says that he is busy with so much work. For a while, I sometimes wonder if this is the nature of these politicians. Whenever Tissa Attanayaka passes by the Namal Uyana, he visits us here, chats with us, drinks a cup of plain tea and listens to a sermon and leaves.”
“Leader of the Opposition, it seems that there is chaos within the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Because I have a little doubt that they are trying to rise above the others by backstabbing and undercutting them,” the Thera said.
