US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO564

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, DRL/IRF, INR/NESA 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  03/30/14 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, SOCI, PHUM, CE, Elections, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  New party with all-monk candidate slate 
reportedly making inroads ahead of April 2 election 
 
Refs:  (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 280356Z Mar 04 
 
-      (B) Colombo 557, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  In an unprecedented move, the JHU, a 
new political party, is fielding an all-Buddhist monk 
slate of candidates.  While its platform is vague, the 
party is basically anti-peace process.  It has also 
taken a tough stance against corruption.  The JHU effort 
has drawn flak from the Buddhist hierarchy, which 
believes that monks should not engage in politics.  On 
the hustings, the party has drawn good crowds and some 
observers believe it could pick up anywhere from 2-5 
seats.  If the JHU does well in the April 2 election, it 
could be a player during post-election maneuvering.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) ALL-MONK CANDIDATE SLATE:  As flagged in Ref B, 
the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party is fielding an all- 
Buddhist monk slate of candidates.  (The English 
translation of the party's name is "National Heritage 
Party."  The JHU is a new party, but is closely linked 
to the Sihala Urumaya party, which is not participating 
in this election.)  The party is running over 200 monk- 
candidates in the southern part of the country.  The 
JHU's move is unprecedented in Sri Lanka, where Buddhist 
monks -- with some notable exceptions -- have usually 
steered away from overt involvement in politics (see 
more below).  After a handful of attempts in previous 
decades, it was not until the 2001 parliamentary 
election, for example, that a monk was elected to 
Parliament.  (This monk, Ven. Baddegama Samitha, is 
running again.  He is not a member of the JHU, but runs 
as a candidate of a leftist party aligned with the 
President's United People's Freedom Alliance, "UPFA.") 
The JHU has a rather amorphous leadership structure. 
Its nominal leaders include the Ven. Ellawela 
Medhananda, the Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka, and the Ven. 
Athurelia Ratana. 
 
3.  (C) ANTI-PEACE PROCESS IN THRUST:  In making its 
run, the JHU has not aligned itself with either the UPFA 
or the Prime Minister's United National Party (UNP).  In 
general, the themes that the JHU has focused on during 
the campaign have been similar to those held by the 
radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)(which is part of 
the UPFA coalition).  The JHU is highly skeptical of 
attempts to negotiate with the Tamil Tigers and has 
bitterly attacked the UNP government's peace moves, for 
example.  Like the JVP, the JHU has also taken a strong 
stance against corruption, charging that many UNP 
ministers have taken bribes, etc.  In another similarity 
to JVP positioning, the JHU has also taken an anti- 
globalization posture, which sometimes verges on the 
xenophobic.  (See Ref A in which JHU monks reportedly 
criticized Coca-Cola and McDonald's for "cultural 
pollution.") 
 
4.  (C) DISAPPROVAL FROM BUDDHIST HIERARCHY:  A key 
aspect of the JHU's campaign also involves its 
explanation of why it is running an all-Buddhist monk 
slate.  According to the JHU, Sri Lanka is mired down 
with a "criminal class of politicians" who are enriching 
themselves and not solving the country's problems.  This 
demands, per the JHU's logic, that Buddhist monks become 
involved in politics to rescue the country and return 
Sri Lanka to "a righteous state."  The JHU's claims have 
been very controversial within Sri Lanka's Buddhist 
community.  The most important pillars of the Buddhist 
hierarchy, the Kandy-based heads of the Malwatte and 
Asgiriya monastic orders, have rejected the notion of 
Buddhist monks running for office and engaging in 
politics.  (FYI.  Buddhist religious leaders clearly 
monitor national events closely.  As is their 
predilection, however, they usually do not discuss 
politics explicitly, but prefer to make coded -- 
sometimes cryptic -- references to such matters.)  Both 
Mahanayakes (senior clerics) of Malwatte and Asgiriya 
have urged the JHU monks to return to their monasteries 
and engage exclusively in religious activities.  The JHU 
monks have refused to do so.  (The monastic orders have 
not threatened to take ecclesiastical action against the 
JHU monks.  Because of the relatively loose nature of 
hierarchical control in Sri Lanka, the Malwatte and 
Asgiriya orders apparently have no explicit authority to 
defrock the JHU monks over this particular matter in any 
case.  Moreover, some of the JHU monks are members of 
other smaller orders and are not subject to Malwatte and 
Asgiriya control.) 
 
5.  (C) JHU SEEMS TO HAVE SOME MOMENTUM:  Despite the 
controversy over its all-monk slate, the JHU's campaign 
has been a very active one and has drawn good crowds. 
While it is very hard to tell, some observers believe 
the party could pick up anywhere from 2-5 seats in 
Parliament.  (Several observers believe the party could 
win as many as 8-9 seats, but this higher figure is 
widely discounted.)  The gain of even one seat for the 
JHU would be a big event for a new party.  (FYI:  The 
JHU's close ally, the Sihala Urumaya, did very poorly in 
the last election in December 2001, winning no seats.) 
There is some debate as to where the JHU's votes will 
come from:  some believe that the party, due to its 
anti-peace process stance, may take away support that 
would otherwise go to the UPFA, especially the JVP. 
Other observers believe that the JHU will reap its 
biggest gains among undecided voters, who are 
disgruntled with the larger parties for various reasons. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT:  The April 2 election will probably be 
a close one.  If the election is close and the JHU wins 
some seats, the party could be a player during post- 
election maneuvering.  It is also possible that the JHU 
could be a big dud on election day.  There are signs 
that many Sri Lankans are not receptive to the JHU -- 
some recent poll results, for example, have indicated 
that a huge majority of those polled (Buddhists and non- 
Buddhists) completely reject the idea of monks running 
for office.  On the societal side, the JHU's impact on 
Buddhism as it has been practiced in Sri Lanka is 
uncertain, but there is clearly a debate raging in the 
temples.  END COMMENT. 
 
7.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD