Yet another display of why it's intergral to separate church & State!
— Mari (@EmDeeS11) November 20, 2024
Min. Saroja Paulraj offers flowers & bows before a statue of Lord Buddha on her 1st day. What is the necessity/relevance of this ritual in relation to her work? And why esp must a non Buddhist adhere to this? pic.twitter.com/J0WyKkb15b
Sri Lanka’s new cabinet took up office this week, with many, including the only Tamil woman praying before a statue of the Buddha to mark their first day.
Minister Saroja Paulraj offered flowers and bowed before a statue of the Buddha which was placed in her office, by the Sri Lankan lion flag.
The practice of praying before the Buddha is traditional for Sri Lankan ministers.
Meanwhile in Jaffna, newly elected National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentarian Rajeevan Jayachandramurthy posted a video of himself and his fellow NPP lawmakers seeking blessing from Sinhala Buddhist monks.
According to Sri Lanka's constitution, "the Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana".