Sri Lanka’s Parliament must ban BEEF in its canteen
Posted on May 15th, 2013
Shenali D. Waduge
Amid the political fanfare the Sri Lankan Parliament canteen also made headlines recently. It was nothing to do with the 5-star hotel breakfast for Rs.80 or similar lunch for Rs.150 and nothing to do with honey, cornflakes, golden syrup and other delicacies accommodated on requests by Parliamentarians slavishly and tirelessly working on behalf of this developing nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s citizens. The topic was Pork. While it was announced with glee and likened to a major victory that the previously banned pork had been removed, within weeks that ruling has been changed and pork remains banned in the Parliament canteen. We commend the Muslim MPs for standing their ground and not compromising on their religious belief. We look forward to the day when Buddhist MPs would take similar stands.
Our contention now is with the remaining Parliamentarians most of whom are MPs on the Buddhist and Hindu vote. A country that had prohibited cattle slaughter for over 2000 years and eating of meat started only after the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and cattle slaughter itself was allowed only in 1815 should be ashamed when MPs representing the majority populace and the Hindus who also treat the cow as a sacred animal are allowing beef on the canteen menu.
No one is asking our MPs not to eat beef in their private homes. What they eat or do not eat in the privacy of their homes is of no concern but when seated in Parliament they are representing the will of the People. Therefore, it is symbolic that as a predominantly Buddhist nation complimented by the fact that the 2nd largest population are also against cattle slaughter that the Parliament canteen should show the same respect given to the Muslims in banning pork to apply to the serving of beef in the Parliament canteen as well.
If Muslims are offended by Pork, Buddhists and Hindus are also offended by Beef. Therefore, a common respect should prevail and reciprocity too.
The month of Vesak is a perfect month to ban beef in the Sri Lankan Parliament.
May 15th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
I agree. Serve only veggie food and fish. It is good for health too.
TOTALLY ban beef. Then the halal BS will also NOT come up in parliament.
They eat from peoples’ tax. Eat what people give you, MPs. NOT what you like to eat. I wish there is some MP with a backbone to get the ball rolling. Ban beef in parliament.
May 15th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Put aside the cultural and religious reasons, banning beef has a huge economic benefit for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka spends billions of rupees to import milk powder (contaminated of course!). Banning beef will ensure that we can boost our local milk production and save billions in foreign exchange.
Pigs are farmed for meat only. They also provide medical raw materials, their insulin is both cheap and closest to human insulin.
May 15th, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Sinhala buddhists didnt want t o eat beef because that animal helped them to build up this agricultural country. Muslims kill and eat this animal because they they have not contributed to this agricultural heritage
”RATA GODANEGU AYATAI THAMANTA PIHITAVUNA HARAKATA GENA DUKA HITHENNE””
SINHALAYA MARAGENA KANNA BERI AYA HARAKA MARAGENA KANAWA
May 15th, 2013 at 6:02 pm
Why stop at only BEEF Shenali? BAN Mutton, Lamb, Fish and Fowl too!
Perhaps this reductio-ad-absurdum of this nonsensical issue will force the Muslims to heed Shenali’s cry for SANITY !!
May 15th, 2013 at 7:49 pm
This not eating pork is only a big show. On the sly they eat when there are no other Muslims present. Muslim chefs even prepare pork dishes in Indonesia and Malaysia. This is just another way of showing off their power. That’s all. It is unfortunate that Non Muslims do not have the backbone to either not implement pork ban or better ban all meats as Shenali suggests.
According to the wishes of these pious Muslims soon we will have to ban Pork everywhere in Sri Lanka so that we may not hurt their “feelings”. Do they care two hoots about Buddhist feelings when the Sri Lankan driver Thungasiri was caned 200 lashes for just having a picture of Lord Buddha or desecrate Buddhist places of worship in Sri Lanaka, Maldives and Afghanistan?
The Non Muslim lily livered gutter snipes in the Parliament have no pride nor a sense of justice. They are no better than the pigs that frequent the open toilets in the Wattala, Kandana , Ragama, Ja-ela and Negombo.
May 15th, 2013 at 11:34 pm
Recent article says trees too have feelings and prefer to live as a community. Hmmmmm….
May 16th, 2013 at 2:39 am
Do not eat anything follow guantanamo. If you want to stay healthy eat more green leaves and vege and drink hot water daily. Give some peace to your stomach too. Leaders must show an examplery way of life to others by doing good things. Anyhow Sri Lankans never learn.They keep on doing the wrong things and bad things and in the night keep the oil lamp and pray.Please forgive me God. May god bless them all.
May 16th, 2013 at 6:50 am
Sri Lanka is mainly a Buddhist nation. Buddhism quite rightly explains why one should refrain from eating meat, but it does not ban the eating of any kind of meat. Unlike Buddhists, Muslims are not allowed to eat pork and Hindus not allowed to eat beef. Christians consume meat and believes there is nothing sinful in doing so. Position being thus, I do not see how Muslims could force others to comply with their values, especially in a non-Muslim nation. This is the problem with Muslims wherever in the world they live. They expect everybody to abide by their values and cause unnecessary friction in the community. Can a Muslim explain, why shouldn’t non-Muslims be given the option of eating Pork just as much as non-Hindus have the option to eat beef.
May 16th, 2013 at 8:27 am
Ever heard of ‘Harak horu”. They took away your cattle in the dark of the night bu not for worshipping. They were Sinhalese. Sinhalese ate meat for 40 thousand years. The land they hunted animals were taken over by the Crown land Act of 1840 to grow Coffe, Tea then Rubber. Buddhism does not say you are not to eat meat.
Let us not be Hindus. The British-Indian imperialist and Indian colonial parasites fed us lentils, parippu that Indians have been eating for thousands of years. Parippu does not grow well in the island nation.
Sinhala parippuwas will be better off in India where parippu is grown everywhere.
May 16th, 2013 at 9:27 am
BUDDHISM ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO AVOID ANIMAL FLESH..— NO SLAUGHTER—-‘maaghaatha”’ have u ever heard of that royal decree IN SINHALA BUDDHIST CULTURE.
PANATHIPATHA—– MEANS DONT KILL
CHRISTIE
THERE WERE NO HARAK HORU BEFORE PORTUGESE TIME——GERIMAS KANA OYA BALLA BENDA DAMAVU…….WAS SAID BY A KING. British killed these animals and forced our buddhist priest to eatand when refused they shot them down
liquor and ciggeretts were given free to sinhalese to destroy them we know the history . your people— colombians — stopped teaching that history to hide their “”””PAAPA KARMA””””””
hindus worship cow but buddhists just respect that animal because it helped so much to develope the country. buddhists never apply burned cowdung on their foreheads. NO BLIND FAITH IN BUDDHISM
May 16th, 2013 at 2:15 pm
“buddhists never apply burned cowdung on their foreheads.”
Well said.
Buddhists never apply burnt BS on their foreheads!
BS LEAKS into brain when they apply on foreheads. Even the LTTE flag tiger has burnt BS on its forehead!! How funny is that!
May 16th, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Mr. A. Sooriyarachi has got it correct. Buddha and Buddhism does not go about banning beef or anything else as suggested by Shenali Waduge. When you say “samaadiyaami” it is a pledge to oneself, and we merely try to explain and PERSUADE others to follow the Arya ashtangika maargaya. That does not include Shenali’s INTOLERENT approach which is more Islamic than Buddhist
May 16th, 2013 at 4:38 pm
Shenali is NOT advsing any INTOLERENT approach. She only suggest a FAIR & HEALTHY APPROACH.
There are 20+ Hindus in parliament. They HAVE shown tolerance. But look what has happened to them? Their religious interests ridiculed.
Why not Muslims? IF beef is also banned, it is VERY FAIR. It is good for these FAT polies’ health too!!!
Look at JVP MPs. They entered parliament skinny. Now OBESSE. They don’t let TILVIN eat anything because he is their SHOWPIEACE to win votes.
We know beef, pork, chicken, bacon, ham, lamb, mutton, fish, etc. are VERY EXPENSIVE than other foods. So why feed FREE LOADING MPs more and more tax payer money making them sick? Let them eat vegitarian food. That will make them MORE HEALTHY, saves money (feeding buffet meals to 225 lazy people for 300 days is no cheap thing!), no disputes, easy to digest and everyone can eat together. It will improve their behavior too.
SL parliament should go vegitarian NOT BARBARIAN.
May 17th, 2013 at 7:37 am
There is nothing in Buddhism that says lay people should abstain from eating meat. Buddhism is not a religion where you are intiated in to a set of practices.
Game meat was a part of our food and we were graet hunters, King Tissa was a great hunter. Part of Indian Imperialism is to stop us eating meat and stop something we did for more than 40 thousand years. Those who do not want to eat meat should not impose their practice on others. So all bad things vame from the West and most of the contribitors and commentators to this forum live in the West.
May 17th, 2013 at 7:37 am
There is nothing in Buddhism that says lay people should abstain from eating meat. Buddhism is not a religion where you are intiated in to a set of practices.
Game meat was a part of our food and we were graet hunters, King Tissa was a great hunter. Part of Indian Imperialism is to stop us eating meat and stop something we did for more than 40 thousand years. Those who do not want to eat meat should not impose their practice on others. So all bad things vame from the West and most of the contribitors and commentators to this forum live in the West.
May 17th, 2013 at 10:41 am
”GAME MEAT WAS PART OF OUR FOOD AND WE WERE GREAT HUNTERS”’
WRONG…………….
MAY BE BEFORE MAHINDAGAMANAYA………”Do u know who said this and to whome?………Oh! king do not kill animals . All living beings have the right to live . u are only a guardian of the land’
this is the reason that sinhale had royal decrees called “MAAGHATHA” —- only in this sinhala buddhist country.
Was it possible in a tamil country? or a muslim country? At that time 99 .99% of the population was sinhala buddhists
BRITISH KILLED MORE THAN 5000 ELEPHANTS DURING THEIR TIME THAT MEANS BUDDHISTS HAVE GIVEN THEM THE RIGHT TO LIVE.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:00 am
BUDDHA SAID
DO NOT EAT ANIMAL FLESH IF U
SEE—– { DITTHAN-}THAT IT IS MEET—
HEAR { suthang} that it is meat
are IN doubt{PARISANKITHANG} if u are in doubt that it can be meat
This way buddhists cannot find a suitable meat to eat
in mahayana buddhism it is clearly mentioned that meat eating is prohibited.
if killing is prohibited encouragementto kill by eating meat is also bad.GOOD PEOPLE NEVER TRY TO FIND LOOP HOLES IN THIS
have a doubtthat it can be meat