US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO843

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000843 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, CE, Elections, Political Parties, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: POLITICAL PARTIES RALLY THEIR BASES IN 
PEACEFUL MAY DAY FESTIVITIES 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 00812 
 
     B. COLOMBO 00807 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary: This year's May Day--a traditional forum 
for parties to hold pep rallies to tout their 
accomplishments, outline future moves, and lambaste 
opponents--passed without incident this past weekend.  The 
various rallies in Colombo sponsored by the Sri Lankan 
Freedom Party (SLFP), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), 
and the opposition United National Party (UNP) highlighted 
the tensions that exist between the allies and foes alike, 
touched on the sensitive political issues of the day, and was 
heavy on expected party propaganda and rhetoric.  The JVP in 
particular used the holiday rallies to underscore their 
opposition to the proposed joint mechanism for tsunami relief 
in the North and East.  End summary. 
 
May Day Latest Venue for Political Jockeying in Colombo 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
2.  (SBU) All of Sri Lanka's major political players held May 
Day celebrations and rallies across the country on May 1, 
with the greatest concentration occurring in Colombo. 
Despite some worries about possible violence, the day passed 
peacefully, albeit under the watch of almost 5,000 armed 
policemen in the capital.  The most interesting aspect of the 
day was the fact that, unlike last year, the two main 
partners of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance 
(UPFA) decided to hold separate rallies: President Chandrika 
Kumaratunga's SLFP rallied on Colombo's Galle Face Green, 
while the JVP rally took place in a near-by park.  Even the 
UNP--which arguably does not have as strong ties to the labor 
unions that May Day traditionally honors--held its own rally 
for the first time since 1993.  Attendance figures for the 
various rallies remain uncertain, especially given that the 
parties reportedly resorted to various tactics to inflate 
their numbers in an effort to demonstrate their strength and 
outdo the other parties.  The various rallies each drew 
thousands of party activists, many of which were bussed in 
from across the country with the promise of a free meal and 
other small incentives.  Party marches reportedly devolved 
into a competition to see whose procession would take the 
longest to complete.  According to party insiders, parade 
organizers bussed marchers who reached the end of the parade 
route back to the beginning in an effort to prolong the event 
and give the impression of higher attendance. 
 
3.  (U) On top of the usual sops to labor issues common at 
Sri Lankan May Day celebrations, more prescient themes, such 
as post-tsunami reconstruction and the peace process, also 
figured prominently at the various rallies.  Although she did 
not personally attend the SLFP rally, President Kumaratunga 
released a statement that vaguely called for a new 
compensation formula for workers, the establishment of a 
benefit insurance scheme, salary increases for public and 
private sector workers, the end of political victimization, 
and the guaranteeing of rights and safety of expatriate 
workers.  However, she went on to honor the victims of the 
tsunami and claimed that reconstruction and rehabilitation 
 
SIPDIS 
following the catastrophe must be the priorities of the 
government.  Speaking at the rally, Prime Minister Mahinda 
Rajapakse and Tourism, Investment Promotion and Industries 
Minister Anura Bandanaraike -- two prominent politicians 
often mentioned as possible successors to Kumaratunga -- 
defended the UPFA's performance and rationalized the decision 
for the SLFP and the JVP to hold separate May Day rallies. 
Rajapakse defended the government's questionable policy of 
prohibiting reconstruction within a 100 meter buffer zone of 
the coast, dubiously claiming that the government had the 
support from tsunami victims and the international community 
for the decision, according to press reports.  The JVP 
similarly downplayed its decision to hold a separate rally, 
and JVP leader Amarasinghe stressed that the party was "bound 
to uphold and protect the SLFP-JVP agreement."   In pointed 
reference to the proposed joint mechanism for tsunami relief 
between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the 
government, he warned, however, that the JVP would reconsider 
its commitment if the coalition government tries to move 
beyond what is agreed to in the manifesto.  At the UNP rally, 
opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe predictably attacked 
the government for its poor handling of the economy and 
post-tsunami reconstruction and called for the government to 
resign. 
 
May Day in the North 
-------------------- 
 
4.  (U) Not to be outdone by the politicking in Colombo, an 
estimated 50,000 people took part in a peaceful rally in 
Jaffna, and the LTTE sponsored its own versions of May Day 
celebrations in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya.  Post-tsunami 
reconstruction -- including the appeal for a the passing of 
the joint mechanism -- and protests against the murder of 
prominent Tamil journalist Sivaram (Ref. A), not surprisingly 
figured more prominently in the rallies held in the North. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5.  (SBU) This year's May Day celebration was light on 
substance and new policy initiatives, but heavy on rhetoric 
and one-upmanship -- much like Sri Lankan politics in 
general.  The decision by the JVP and the SLFP to hold 
separate rallies -- and the subsequent efforts both sides put 
into downplaying it -- is indicative of the growing tensions 
the governing coalition is facing.  As for the opposition, 
the UNP's ability to garner a respectable crowd for its first 
May Day rally in over a decade -- especially for a holiday 
usually reserved for more socialist-leaning parties -- could 
be a sign of the more aggressive opposition campaign the 
party has been threatening to launch (Ref. B).  Meanwhile, 
the contrast between the North's focus on the ethnic conflict 
and the South's emphasis on pageantry and platitudes 
highlights the disconnect between the aims and concerns of 
the two regions. 
ENTWISTLE