Think Twice, Mr. President”: Monks Fire Warning Shot Over LGBTQ & Discipline Debate

Colombo’s corridors of power are buzzing after a heavyweight letter landed on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s desk — signed by none other than the Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwathu, Asgiriya, Amarapura, and Ramanna Chapters. And the message? Don’t get too cosy with “Western rights talk.”

The chief monks lashed out at two hot-button issues:

Moves to amend the Penal Code to outlaw corporal punishment, which they say could break down discipline among youth.

Efforts to normalize LGBTQ lifestyles, which they argue threaten Sinhala Buddhist cultural values under the pretext of human rights.

It wasn’t sugar-coated either. The letter flatly accused certain groups of “eroding the ethical foundation of society” and warned that changing Clause 82 of the Penal Code without wider debate was dangerous.

In short, the saffron establishment has drawn a line: discipline and morality first, “modern freedoms” later.

For AKD, this is no casual note — it’s a political landmine. He campaigned on reforms, human rights, and shaking off old hypocrisies. But now the monks are reminding him that in Sri Lanka, faith and politics sleep in the same bed, and any attempt to push progressive changes without temple blessings could trigger backlash in villages and ballot boxes alike.

Behind the gossip curtain, insiders say the President is rattled. On one side, international partners and urban activists pushing him to modernize. On the other, the monks warning him that Sinhala Buddhist values are non-negotiable.

As one political wag put it at a Pettah tea stall: “AKD wanted to be the bold reformer, but when the Mahanayakes speak, even bold men think twice.”

For now, the gossip takeaway is clear: this isn’t just about laws. It’s about who gets to decide the moral compass of the nation — politicians, foreign NGOs, or the saffron-robed guardians of tradition.