City Hall Warns Monks Over Political Activism
Phnom Penh governor Pa Socheatvong warned monks Thursday that if they do not follow orders to keep out of politics, they could create a rift within the monkhood that could threaten the very existence of Buddhism in the country. Mr. Socheatvong also said that if monks remain engaged in politics, the government might have to take away their right to vote in elections. “Now there are [people] using the religious sector—monks and Buddhism—for political purposes. This is a very dangerous problem,” Mr. Socheatvong told a crowd of about 60 monks and a similar number of Buddhist laymen who gathered at Phnom Penh’s Wat Lanka on Thursday. … “Maybe someday we will not allow monks to vote anymore, and then people will complain, saying, ‘The monks are also human, so why not allow them to vote?’” “But if the monks vote and take one side, there will be discrimination in pagodas and we are afraid the monks will starve,” he said, explaining that people will stop giving alms to pagodas with political leanings that differ from their own. “Is it appropriate that our pagodas separate into two groups—CPP pagodas and CNRP pagodas? The monks became monks to serve the religion and do social work,” Mr. Socheatvong said, adding that since July’s national election, less money is being donated to pagodas. “In the past few months, the contributions to Buddhism have decreased by $1 million. When Khmer New Year comes, will [donations] continue to decrease or not? How about Pchum Ben next year, are [donations] going to decrease again?” Mr. Socheatvong asked. …
Mech Dara and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/city-hall-warns-monks-over-political-activism-49496/
