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Viewing cable 09COLOMBO635, SRI LANKA: PRESIDENT'S SUPPORTERS CALLING FOR

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09COLOMBO635 2009-06-24 05:02 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Colombo
VZCZCXRO7445
PP RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #0635/01 1750502
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 240502Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0143
INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1754
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8766
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 7004
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5045
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3139
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 5004
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1283
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4111
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9380
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6682
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 1209
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3607
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000635 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB AND INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: PRESIDENT'S SUPPORTERS CALLING FOR 
EXTENSION OF HIS TERM - OR KING RAJAPAKSA? 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  A  flurry of press reports and statements 
by GSL officials and ministers over the past several weeks 
has floated the idea of extending President Rajapaksa's term 
of office without a competitive election.  These suggestions 
range from a proposal for a referendum that would allow 
Rajapaksa to hold an up or down vote on extending his term by 
several years, to a proposal for a constitutional amendment 
to make him President for life.  A more fanciful but 
symbolically charged concept holds, with no apparent basis in 
history or geneology, that Rajapaksa is of royal descent and 
should be anointed as a Sinhalese king.  The President has 
dismissed such talk, saying all these paths would be 
undemocratic.  However, some observers believe he may be 
allowing these statements in order to pave the way for a move 
to extend his term of office without a regular presidential 
election.  END SUMMARY. 
 
REFERENDUM PROCESS 
------------------ 
 
2. (SBU) The current constitution allows for the holding of a 
national referendum in situations of "national importance." 
In 1982 President J.R. Jayawardena used this provision, 
Chapter 8 of the Constitution, to extend the life of the 
parliament in which he held a 5/6 majority.  However, it has 
never been used to extend the term of a President before. 
Once the President declares (by his own judgment) that such a 
situation exists, a vote would then be taken of the Cabinet, 
with a two-thirds majority required for passage.  That would 
be followed by a decision of the Supreme Court - all of whose 
members were appointed by President Rajapaksa.  The approval 
process for such a referendum could be telescoped into as 
little as one week.  Then, a single, nation-wide vote would 
take place.  If passed by a simple majority of registered 
voters, the referendum would extend the President's term of 
office, presumably by several years. 
 
PUBLIC CALLS FOR EXTENSION 
-------------------------- 
 
3. (U) Several ministers recently expressed support for 
either a referendum or a constitutional amendment in public 
statements.  Media reported that a rally took place in the 
Dambulla on June 14, where local UPFA officials and 
supporters called for a referendum process to extend 
President Rajapaksa's term of office by five years, bypassing 
the regular presidential election due by November 2011. 
Several political pundits have floated this idea in the  Sri 
Lankan print media.  One such commentator claimed that the 
referendum idea had been broached in a cabinet meeting, but 
that President Rajapaksa had dismissed it as undemocratic. 
 
4. (U) The Chief Minister of the North Central Province, 
Berty Dissanayake, said on June 21 that general elections for 
Parliament should still be held, but that a constitutional 
amendment should and would then be passed to make Rajapaksa 
the President for life.  While a constitutional amendment 
would require the support of a two-thirds majority of 
Parliament, some feel the ruling UPFA could obtain such a 
majority if general elections are held soon. 
 
KING RAJAPAKSA? 
 
5. (SBU)  Less realistic (but more corrosive to post-conflict 
reconciliation) are public suggestions that Rajapaksa should 
become King of Sri Lanka.  Ad campaigns began appearing in 
government-controlled media and billboards shortly after the 
military victory over the LTTE, suggesting that Rajapaksa 
should be named king.  On May 25, the chief prelates of the 
two leading Buddhist sects, the Kandy-based Asgiriya and 
Malwatte chapters, conferred the title of "Vishva Keerthi Tri 
Sinhaladeeshwara", or Universally Renowned Chief of the 
 
COLOMBO 00000635  002 OF 002 
 
 
Tri-Sinhala, on President Rajapaksa.  This is only the third 
instance in 2,500 years of recorded history that this title 
has been conferred on a head of state.  In the other two 
instances, the title was given to kings of the now-extinct 
Sinhala royal lineage, who united the country under one ruler 
centuries ago by militarily defeating warring tribes within 
the island. 
 
6.  (SBU) Rajapaksa previously ridiculed political leaders 
who took kingly titles or behaved like monarchs.  However, in 
late May he visited the sacred bo-tree (Sri Maha Bodhiya) in 
Anuradhapura, where the local chief prelates allowed him to 
embed jewels at the bo-tree site, a privilege reserved 
previously for the ancient Sinhala kings.  State media has 
also recently proclaimed Rajapaksa as "Prince Diyasena", or 
the second incarnation of the Buddha.  This refers to a 
Buddhist tradition involving Prince Diyasena appearing 2,500 
years after the original Buddha to save the Sinhala Buddhist 
nation. 
 
7. (SBU) COMMENT:  Holding a referendum would be the easiest 
and quickest way for President Rajapaksa to extend his term 
without an election.  Many observers feel that the President 
might gain a larger majority in a yes/no vote than in an 
election in which he faced other candidates.  A 
constitutional amendment to extend his term would require the 
support of more MPs than are currently in his ruling 
coalition - and there is no guarantee his coalition would 
gain enough seats in a general election to push an amendment 
through.  The idea of crowning Rajapaksa King has been 
celebrated in song in government-sponsored TV ads, and may 
hold some appeal for some of his more ardent supporters. 
However, many others in his coalition are embarrassed and 
alarmed at such talk, and would likely put up strong 
resistance.  In spite of his rejection so far of such 
proposals, some Embassy contacts feel that by allowing public 
statements such as those described above to continue, 
Rajapaksa is preparing the ground to later agree to a 
referendum or constitutional amendment, saying at that point 
that he is merely following the expressed will of the people. 
MOORE