SRI LANKA: LOCAL GOVERNANCE THE PRIORITY IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002014

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS
NSC FOR DORMANDY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF KWMN CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: LOCAL GOVERNANCE THE PRIORITY IN
CULTURAL CAPITAL OF KANDY

REF: COLOMBO 1997

Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission. 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: During a December 14-15 visit to Kandy, Sri
Lanka's cultural and Buddhist capital, emboffs found
interlocutors focused on local governance and dedicated to
addressing the needs of the communities in the Central
Province. Elected officials spoke about working together
with their political rivals, as well as the challenges of
governing with their Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)
colleagues. Christian contacts discussed religious tensions
in the region, while elected officials stated that depressed
living conditions in certain communities provided a reason
for Christian groups to operate. Separately, local officials
with the International Organization for Migration reported on
their new awareness campaigns among local communities on
trafficking issues. End Summary.

Kandy: a refreshing outstation oasis
--------------


2. (SBU) During a December 14-15 trip to Kandy, poloff and
POL FSN met with a variety of government and civil society
interlocutors in Sri Lanka's upcountry cultural capital.
Nestled in the mountains on the northern edge of Sri Lanka's
tea growing region, Kandy was bustling with local residents
and a regular stream of tourists. Despite the town being the
heart of Sri Lankan Buddhism -- with its world-renowned
Temple of the Tooth and seats of two major Buddhist sects --
several store fronts and hotels were decorated for the
Christmas season. With Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim
populations, the Central Province -- with Kandy as its
capital -- is a microcosm of Sri Lanka in some ways, but
enjoys relative ethnic harmony. Interlocutors of varied
political persuasions discussed the differences with their
political opponents but also the ways in which they worked
together.

Muted politics at the local level
--------------


3. (C) Compared with southern Sri Lanka, where
identification with political parties seems more pronounced,
interlocutors in Kandy said that political differences in
their province were more muted. Sarath Ekanayake, Chief
Minister of the Central Province and a member of the Sri
Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP),described himself as a "Sinhala
Buddhist," but underscored to poloff that he focused on
addressing the issues of all Sri Lankans within the region.
Making similar comments, D. Mathi Yugarajah, Chairman of the
provincial council and member of the Tamil Ceylon Workers
Congress (CWC),felt that elected officials were working well
together. Both men recognized the paucity of resources that
had traditionally been directed at the Tamil estate workers
-- one of the poorest segments of Sri Lanka society -- and
asserted that education was the key to developing this
population.


4. (C) Dependent on the national government in Colombo for
fiscal resources, the elected officials admitted that
resources were never sufficient but said they were trying to
allocate funds for the best use. (Note: This is in contrast
to elected officials from the South, who had spent much of
their time early this year complaining to poloff about their
lack of sufficient funds. It should be noted, however, that
poloff's attempts to meet several officials from the main
opposition United National Party -- who might not speak so
glowingly about political harmony in Kandy -- were
unsuccessful. End Note.) Ekanayake spoke about plans to
develop the local information technology infrastructure to
create more education and employment opportunities for local
residents.


5. (C) In addition to provincial government officials,
emboffs also met with Venerable Udawatte Nanda Thero, a monk
MP with the Buddhist extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU)
party. A long-time government servant, Venerable Nanda Thero
had been an elected member of the local Kandy municipal
council for over a decade before being elected to Parliament
in the April 2004 election. He, too, spoke about his efforts
to minister to the people of his district and was
particularly proud that he was the highest JHU vote-getter in
the entire Central Province in the April parliamentary
elections. Venerable Nanda Thero said he was dedicated to
preserving the rights of Sinhalese Buddhists for future
generations -- see more below.

Governing with the JVP
--------------


6. (C) Both Ekanayake and Mathi Yugarajah spoke about their
experiences working with the government's main coalition
partner, the jingoistic Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). In
the 58-member provincial council, elected in July 2004, the
United People's Freedom Alliance (UFPA) holds 30 seats,
including 9 JVP members. Ekanayake said that although the
JVP had run -- and won -- the seats under the UPFA ticket,
the party members did not always support the government's
positions. He indicated that they questioned the reasoning
behind every decision, including traditional social events
that the council annually hosted. Ekanayake said he found
the JVP very certain of its own politics, but naive regarding
the wider, more diverse political arena.


7. (C) Mathi Yugarajah also agreed that the JVP was a
"top-down" party with provincial council members taking
direction -- and stating positions -- directly from its
politburo in Colombo. (Note: Mission has directly
experienced this "top-down" leadership and poloff generally
has to submit any meeting request to the JVP leadership in
Colombo. Apparently the JVP MP from Kandy did not receive
permission to meet with us, as he had to "go out of town"
just moments before our scheduled meeting. End Note.) The
Council Chairman also noted that when JVP members introduce a
proposal to the council, their colleagues present the same
proposal in all the other councils. (JVP members hold seats
on all eight elected provincial councils in Sri Lanka.) Both
men said their JVP colleagues rarely strayed from their
position, even if in the minority, and made little attempt to
compromise within the council.

Religious tensions in the cultural capital of Buddhism
-------------- --------------


8. (C) Similar to other regions in Sri Lanka, Kandy and the
Central Province have their share of religions tensions.
Local Christian pastors described to poloff the harassment
that they and their congregation face from Buddhists in their
communities, adding that police were often uncooperative or
slow to act. Council Chair Mathi Yugarajah recognized the
positive social work that Christian organizations performed
in predominantly Buddhist rural communities, but said that
these communities' isolation made them susceptible to less
genuine (i.e., proselytizing) influences. "There are so many
poor Christian communities," he said; "why don't these
Christian groups use their resources to alleviate the
conditions there?" Surprisingly, Venerable Nanda Thero did
not reiterate the familiar extremist rhetoric of his party,
but also felt that fundamentalist-type Christian groups take
advantage of Buddhists living in poor socioeconomic
conditions.


9. (C) Emboffs also met with the Most Venerable Mahanayake
Thero, the head of the Asgiriya sect of Buddhism and one of
the leading Buddhist clerics in Sri Lanka. In a reassuring
discussion -- translated by POL FSN -- the Mahanayake of the
Asgiriya chapter expressed concern about "fundamentalist"
actions of some Christian groups, but said he was convinced
that the issue should be addressed through inter-religious
dialogue and not by legislation. He noted a recent meeting
among the Catholic Archbishop, the Mahanayake of the Malwatte
sect (the other leading Sri Lanka Buddhist cleric),and
himself. (Note: The Mahanayake of the Asgiriya chapter's
sincerity towards religious tolerance was underscored when,
during the meeting, another monk's cell phone went off with a
cheery "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" ringtone.)

Local efforts to address trafficking issues
--------------


10. (C) Emboffs visited the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) regional office in Kandy, established in July

2004. Staff Assistant Jezina Yaheya described the ongoing
outreach and awareness activities carried out by the office.
Yaheya said the first priority had been to engage local
police officials, who were receptive to IOM's efforts to
educate them further about trafficking issues. She and the
local project officer had also begun awareness campaigns
among estate sector workers, educating them about foreign
employment agencies specifically. Yaheya said that during
one visit, several women complained that an employment agency
had taken their passports and money, promising jobs in the
Middle East and had disappeared. Under direction from IOM,
the workers filed a complaint with the police, who managed to
locate the bogus agency officials and retrieve most of the
passports. IOM officials plan on continuing outreach and
awareness efforts for the present, as well as building an
information network and capacity with local non-governmental
organizations.
Comment
--------------


11. (C) As the cultural and Buddhist capital of Sri Lanka,
Kandy provided a refreshing political and climatic change
from Colombo. Interlocutors seemed focused on addressing
local issues and working for their constituencies, without
being caught up in the personality-riven national politics
that dominate discussions in Colombo. Kandy is not without
its problems, as officials try hard to represent all ethnic
and religious communities. Officials are also focused on
significant development requirements of the mainly Tamil
communities in the estate sector. Forward progress in the
government's ongoing peace process with Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam can only help in bringing more development and
harmony to this upcountry region. Should southern Sinhalese
politics cause the government to implode, however, the
resulting political turmoil -- not to mention any potential
national election -- will disrupt and impede the governance
efforts at the local level. End Comment.

LUNSTEAD