US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1295

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001295 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
PLEASE PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:    DECL:  08-05-14 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, CE, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  In political move, President resigns from 
leadership position in governing alliance 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 1243, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  President Kumaratunga resigned as 
leader of her government United People's Freedom 
Alliance on August 4.  Government interlocutors 
officially described the resignation as expected, adding 
that it would allow the President more time to focus on 
the peace process.  Her departure from the leadership 
position comes after party officials claim they were 
misquoted on August 3, saying she had reversed her 
position to discuss the Tigers' interim administration 
proposals at peace talks.  While her August 4 
resignation does not imperil the government, it likely 
represents internal alliance turmoil.  The President may 
feel this is her only option for distancing herself from 
the infighting.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) PRESIDENT RESIGNS AS ALLIANCE LEADER:  On August 
4, President Chandrika Kumaratunga abruptly resigned 
from her post as leader of the governing United People's 
Freedom Alliance (UPFA).  According to several party 
sources, the move did not signal a change in government 
or a weakening of the alliance.  A government press 
statement explained that the President had resigned her 
position "due to pressure of work."  Susil 
Premajayantha, Minister of Power and Energy told poloff 
August 5 the President wanted to engage more on the 
peace process and development projects for the country. 
 
3.  (C) RESIGNATION WAS EXPECTED:  Premajayantha said 
the President had only accepted a UPFA executive council 
position "for the time being" when the alliance was 
formed in January 2004.  (The UPFA executive council is 
comprised of party leaders of the major alliance 
parties:  the President's own Sri Lanka Freedom Party 
"SLFP," the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna "JVP," the 
Muslim-based National Unity Alliance "NUA" and the left- 
wing Mahajana Eksath Peramuna "MEP.")  Now the time had 
come, Susil said, for another SLFP member to assume the 
role.  The President remains the leader of the SLFP and 
her party is scheduled to meet late August 5 to nominate 
someone to replace her on the UPFA Executive Council. 
Some reports have suggested that Kumaratunga's brother, 
Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike, could be tapped as 
her replacement.  Premajayantha also highlighted the 
fact that Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of the 
JVP, was not a member of the alliance executive council, 
either. 
 
4.  (C) The UPFA executive council met on August 2.  The 
incident that followed may have led to the President's 
decision to resign her leadership position.  Media 
outlets reported on August 3 that at the Council meeting 
the President had "backtracked" on her promise to 
discuss the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Interim 
Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal at peace 
negotiations.  In the firestorm that ensued, the SLFP 
spokesman Maithripala Sirisena publicly issued a denial 
of comments that the President had changed her 
negotiating position.  The state-owned DAILY NEWS 
apologized for conveying an incorrect interpretation of 
the government's stance on peace negotiations and 
printed a clarification from the GSL. 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT:  While her August 4 resignation does 
not imperil the government, it likely represents 
internal alliance turmoil.  Unofficially, many 
commentators feel that the JVP is becoming increasingly 
obstinate and the President is having a difficult time 
keeping them in line.  Since the JVP is in her 
government, she can not attack them publicly and she may 
feel that resigning is her only option for distancing 
herself from the infighting.  This type of infighting 
does not bode well for a smooth policy process and, 
indeed, for the survival of this unwieldy coalition 
government.  END COMMENT. 
 
LUNSTEAD