Scholar Buddhist monk appointed Sri Lanka’s ruling party’s chairman

Colombo, April 22

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party announced on Saturday that Prof Uthurawala Dhammarathana, a Buddhist monk and scholar will be its new Chairman, replacing former senior minister GL Peiris.

“Prof Uthurawala Dhammarathana was nominated to the position of party chairman,” SLPP general secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters after the party’s General Meeting early Saturday.

The meeting was the first since the powerful Rajapaksa family-led SLPP ran into chaos last year when the island nation was struck by a catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis sparked by years of mismanagement and the raging pandemic.

Peiris, its founder chair and former foreign minister, now sits in opposition. He was sacked by the party in March from his post, the Colombo Gazette news portal reported.

“With GL Peiris no longer in the party, we had to appoint someone to replace him,” Kariyawasam said, adding that Dhammarathana had long been an associate of the party. Sri Lanka’s Buddhist clergy holds power and influence on the country’s politics.

The SLPP also announced that Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Gopal Baglay, called on party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday to discuss Indo-Lanka relations and the economic assistance New Delhi extended to the crisis-struck island nation. — PTI

‘Influential clergy’

• The monk, Uthurawala Dhammarathana, will replace former senior minister GL Peiris
• Peiris, its founder chair and former foreign minister, now sits in opposition as he was sacked by the party in March
• Sri Lanka’s Buddhist clergy holds power and influence on the country’s politics