How to do Elections? – a lesson from Bhikkus
by Shamika Soysa

Election time is a difficult time for politicians. It is the time almost all the politicians begin to remember that there is a public in the country. People of the country are kept at most sacred place and they are treated like kings. Lots of promises are given to them and numbers of future development plans are developed by all the parities for the sake of people in the country.

To let people know their (politicians’) great expectation to develop the country all the public places, roads, walls are decorated with beautiful messages from them. To say how much these politicians become helpful to each other, they take lots of time to find mistakes, shortcomings, and faults of other parties and be kind enough to convey them to the public to make opposition parties better. Our ears getting filled with lovely voices of the canvassing loud speakers. The country takes the form of a Carnival in this piece of time.

Bhikkus contesting the election from Jathika Hela Urumaya has missed all the above tactics. The way they give publicity for their Election has become a quite one. It is very rare to find a poster of them. The political stage of them takes completely different form from other political stages. They do not make it ugly the environment by pasting all sorts of posters. Even some people don’t know the election sign of them.

They don’t go after people to beg the votes. People go after them to sacrifice their votes. They do not import people from other cities of the country to their meetings, still huge number of crowd gathers for their meetings. Banners, posters, decorations, paper advertisements for Bhikkus publicity, are done by people voluntarily. They do not follow the shameless approach to mud other parties, like others. They face attacks on them with Metta and Karuna (loving kindness). Mostly what the Bhikkus do is explaining the current situation in the country, which is the corrupt politics, and explain what their policies are. They don’t even ask people to vote for them unless it is really needed.

Increasing number of violence is reported against other parties day by day. Even the police appreciate Bhikkus for the excellent Election campaigning without harming anybody and the environment. There are people who try to break this strategy and trying to create unnecessary problems and fights in these meetings. Other than that, all the meetings are conducted peacefully by these Bhikkus.

Bhikkus are highly criticized by some of the people with extremely bad accusations. Even in Lord Buddha’s time Chinchi Manawika was paid to disgrace Lord Buddha. But no one could harm the purity of Lord Buddha in any way. Lord Buddha was shined among the truth.

Bhikkus contesting the Parliamentary Election has already shown a new culture of Election campaigning. The approach is freedom, peace and harmony not only to living beings but also to the environment as well. It is obvious because the underlying approach followed by these Bhikkus is philosophy of Buddhism. This is a clear proof for the future activities of these Bhikkus. There are Devadaththas and Chinchi Manawikas in present also. That no one can avoid. Reply given to them with Metta, Karuna, Muditha and Upekka will lead the Paramitha Perahera to a successful ride towards the Dharma Rajya. Also all the other parties must learn from this Paramitha Perahera about how to do Elections without violence and not harming the environment.[16 March 2004]