Jathika Hela Urumaya

National Heritage Party Jathika Hela Urumaya
Secretary	Omalpe Sobhitha
Founded	February 2004
Preceded by	Sinhala Heritage
Headquarters	047/3A Denzil Kobbakaduwa Mw, Pannipitiya Road, Battaramulla
National affiliation	United People's Freedom Alliance
Parliament of Sri Lanka	3 / 225
Election symbol
Conch Shell
Politics of Sri Lanka Political parties Elections

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (Sinhala: ජාතික හෙළ උරුමය, often approximated in English as National Heritage Party) is a political party in Sri Lanka which is led by Buddhist monks. The JHU was launched in February, 2004 by the lay-based, secular Sinhala nationalist political party Sihala Urumaya. Founding members include Kolonnawe Sumangala Thero, Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero, Ellawela Medhananda Thero, Dr. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero, Athuraliye Ratana Thero and Thilak Karunaratne. Some Sri Lankan Buddhists, including the All Island Clergy Organization, denounced the decision by monks to enter politics. However, the party drew some support from the middle class conservatives and the Buddhist youth.

History

The Jathika Hela Urumaya contested its first parliamentary elections on April 2, 2004, which were Sri Lanka's most recent legislative elections. All of its candidates were Buddhist monks. At these elections the party won 6.0% of the popular vote and nine out of 225 seats.

Since the election, the party has been involved in a number of controversial issues, such as the introduction of a law to criminalize unethical conversions and proselytism by foreign Christian fundamentalist groups. There has also been some quite dramatic infighting within the JHU parliamentary fraction, since the group which had been cobbled together just before the polls lacked unity on the issue of how to relate to government formation.

Two of its founding members, Theros Kolonnawe Sumangala and Uduwe Dhammaloka left the party after a conflict between the robed and lay members. The founder of the Sihala Urumaya also defected to the United National Party after seizing the party headquarters. After months of trouble, the party is strong again with the young monk Athuraliye Rathana Thero and the Sihala Urumaya member Champika Ranawaka leading the comeback. Ellawela Medhananda and Omalpe Sobhitha theros remain in the leadership. Other influential members include Dr Neville Karunatilake and Udaya Gammanpila. JHU is also affiliated with the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT), SPUR, North-East Sinhala Organisation (NESO) and other local and international Sinhala nationalist groups.

Jathika Hela Urumaya successfully appealed the supreme court to cut President Chandrika Kumaratunga's term short. In October 2005, former JHU member Uduwe Dhammaloka indicated that there was a growing sentiment among the monks of the JHU that a mistake had been made in directly entering the political realm. Dhammaloka indicated that he personally believed that monks could have a more positive impact on Sri Lankan society by focusing on religious work, and that the current crop of monk-parliamentarians intended to "ensure that monks will not enter politics again" ("Monks"). It is unclear if Uduwe Dhammaloka and other ordained members of parliament will resign their positions, or if legislation will be introduced to restrict monks from standing for public office (as is currently the case in Thailand). Jathika Hela Urumaya supported President Mahinda Rajapakse in the presidential election in 2005. In 2007, the JHU officially became part of the Rajapakse Government with one of its Buddhist monk MP resigning and in his place a lay member Champika Ranawaka being made a MP and then the Cabinet Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Charges Against United States

JHU launches a campaign to collect one million signatures to petition United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki Moon to establish a commission to inquire into human rights violations committed by the United States ^[1]

Ideology

The party maintains a Sinhala Nationalist stance in its politics and advocates wiping out the Tamil tigers by force. It wants to maintain Sri Lanka's unitary constitution with meager devolution of powers as a solution to the present conflict. The JHU have also being instrumental in implementing several policy programmes including a ban on smoking in public places and limitations in alcohol, including the mandatory shut-down of liquor stores and ban on meat on Poya and other Buddhist festivals.

See also

• Buddhism in Sri Lanka
• Theravada Buddhism
• Champika Ranawaka
• Udaya Gammanpila

References

1. ^ JHU to force UN probe HR violations by US

• "Monks should stay out of Sri Lanka politics, says monk legislator". AFP. October 24, 2005. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=1,1858,0,0,1,0. 
• "The Show and The Throw". ANCL. December 19, 2004. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/12/19/fea04.html. 

External links

• Official Web Site of Jathika Hela Urumaya
• An election statement from Jathika Hela Urumaya supporters
• Profile of the Jathika Hela Urumaya from Lankanewspapers.com
• Interview with leading members of the Jathika Hela Urumaya. February, 2004.
• News story describing tensions between monk-politicians and former Sihala Urumaya members
• Monks should stay out of Sri Lanka politics, says monk legislator