Anisur Rahman
During this on-going
massprotest, I was on a four-day visit to this beautiful island state from 15
april to 19 april 2022. It was a big chance for me to have an insight into
country’s political as well as eonomic crisis. Economic problem will be solved
sooner or later if the politics could be brought back on the right track. It is
obvious, in recent years, the country’s politics was on wrong track in terms of
fighting against corruption, family autocracy and wrong policy. In this
context, country’s people have diverse allegations against Rajapaksa family
members who hold various positions in the cabinet and govermnet offices.
It is to be
noted that following the unexpected defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015
presidential election, they have been accused of authoritarianism, corruption,
nepotism and bad governance. In 2019 Presidential election Gotabaya Rajapaksa,
brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa contested and won. Gotabaya, formerly a military
officer, never held any elected position before he had been president.
This Rajapaksa family does not carry that strong political legacy as of the Sheikh family in Bangladesh, Gandhi family in India, Sukarnaputri family in Indonesia or Bandarnayek family in Sri Lanka. The Rajapaksas are neither royal nor aristocratic, but as the ’rulers’ of Sri Lanka they turned to be the power players of the country.
The
Rajapaksas are a rural land-owning family from the southern district of
Hambantota. The family owned paddy fields and coconut plantations. During the
British period, one of its members, Don David Rajapaksa, held the feudal post
of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale. The family entered the political
scene when Don David Rajapaksa's son Don Mathew Rajapaksa was elected in 1936
to represent Hambantota district in the
State Council. Don Mathew died in 1945 and at the resulting by-election his
brother Don Alwin Rajapaksa was elected without a contest. President Rajapaksa,
priminister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, minister Chamal Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa are
sons to Don Alwin Rajapaksa.
The
Rajapaksa family had four Rajapaksa brothers from one generation holding the
reins in government as president, prime minister and cabinet ministers. Some
nine members from this Rajapasa family are parliament member.
President
Gotabaya was also the minister of defence. Prime minister Mahinda was in charge
of economic policies and planimplementation, minister of Buddhasasana,
religious and cultural affairs and minister of urban evelopment and housing.
Basil Rajapaksa was finance minister. Eldest brother Chamal Rajapaksa was minister
of irrigation, and also the state minister of national security and disaster management.
Mahinda’s
son Namal Rajapaksa was the minister of youth affairs and sports. Chamal’s son Shasheendra
Rajapaksa who was earlier the chief minister of Uva Province was a state
minister with an ’extensive’ portfolio. In addition to Namal and Shasheendra, another cousin Nipuna
Ranawaka, the son of the youngest Rajapaksa daughter Gandani Ranawaka, is an
elected MP.
This family
enjoys extreme monopol in political power and position. The family had extreme control over government
in Sri Lanka. It was reported that 72% of the total budgetary allocations to
ministries were to those under the purview of the Rajapaksa family.
The
Rajapakse brothers, photo source: https://srilankabrief.org/
Enough is
enough. Now the people are on streets and outside the president’s office. Their
demand is ’all Rajapaksa’ must got home. The Rajapaksa dunasty is shattering.
How was the political career of the founding father of this dynasty, Don Alwin Rajapaksa? He was elected parliament members several times from early 1950s till mid 1960s. He was condidet poluical colleaue to S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike och Wijeyananda Dahanayake. He achieved a reputation to be an honest and committed politician. He initially declined to be a minister. Later he accepted. Lastly he hold the position of deputy speaker in Sri Lankan parliament.
Let me share
a tale about his eldest son Chamal Rajapakse’s prior to be a police sub
inspector. Chamal was asking permission from his parents to join in Sri Lankan
Police. It was not easy for his parents
to give permission. To get an insight let me quote some lines from his father’s
letter to Chamal in this regard:
’Son, when
you sought my permission to join the police I gave my consent after considering
the matter at great length. The general belief today is that the police is
capable of corrupting any person with a good character. As the saying goes bees
making their hive in a Margosa tree will not affect the sweetness of its honey
(—-) a person who joins the police with an unblemished character will remain
untarnished. Although consumption of liquor and acquiring notoriety have become
the legacy of the police, I and your mother earnestly expect you to perform
your services devoid of such evil.’
Same
Rajapaksa family, by carrying the legacy of Don Alwin Rajapaksa, bears
allegation of diverse scandals today. Among them are Rajapaksa family received
numerous of state resource abuse complaint from organisations and election
monitors including on their involvement in fraud, misuse of powers and murder –
prior to their fraudulent cases are money laundering that said to have taken
$5.31 billion out of country illegally through Central Bank using Mahinda
Rajapaksa's close association Ajith Nivard Cabraal the former governor of Central
Bank of Sri Lanka.
How does it sound? Anyway, this is one of the major reasons why Sri Lankan brothers and sisters want to get rid of this Rajapaksa family. #
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