How was Sri Lanka’s ‘hero family’ forced to leave the country because of the hatred of the people?

 

Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa fled the country early in the morning on July 13, but it was a great embarrassment for a family that has been in power for the past two decades. Sri Lanka still has no foreign exchange reserves, load shedding has become commonplace and fuel, food and beverages have become the norm. And other essentials, such as medicine, are on the verge of extinction. Massive protests against sharply rising prices erupted in April, after which growing anger forced Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to oust him in May. Was Mahinda Rajapaksa is the elder brother of the fugitive president.

He announced his resignation after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, which led to deadly protests across the country. Dozens of politicians’ houses were set on fire, some of them by the Rajapaksa family. Also owned. Mahinda had to be evicted from his official residence when he was surrounded by angry protesters. However, despite his eviction, the pressure on his younger brother, 73-year-old Gotabaya, did not abate. Amid calls for his resignation, he remained in office as president and was forced to meet some demands. He transferred some of his powers to parliament, but appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister of the coalition government. The anger of the protesters increased as Vikram Singh had become the Prime Minister five times but he never completed his term and was considered a close ally of the Rajapaksa family. As everything from fuel to food became difficult for the Sri Lankan citizen, the protests intensified again. Even on July 9, thousands of protesters marched on the President’s official residence and soon after Earlier, the president was evacuated to a safe place, just as his brother was deported in May and reportedly found at a naval base in northeastern Sri Lanka. Was

Gotabaya later flew to the Maldives in a military helicopter, which sources said was trying to reach an undisclosed destination. He fled the country but did not immediately announce his resignation. Critics say he wanted to cling to power until he reached a safe place so that he would not have to return to Sri Lanka and appear in court. How did the Rajapaksa family, once considered a ‘hero’ of Sri Lanka, become hated by the ruling masses? Until a few years ago, Mahinda Rajapaksa was seen by the majority of Sinhalese as a hero who Is considered to be the cause of the end of the surrounding civil war. In his first term as president in 2009, he defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels. He was compared to Sinhala Buddhist kings during parades and large public gatherings. Political analyst Kasal Perera said: The most popular Sinhala Buddhist leader in Sri Lanka since independence. Some people used to call him ‘Ruler Mahinda’. In his book ‘Raja Paksha: The Sinhala Selfie’ in 2017, Perera explains what role the Rajapaksa family played in the politics of the island and how Mahinda came to power. His father was also a Member of Parliament and Mahinda progressed over time and was first elected Prime Minister in 2004 as Leader of the Opposition. A year later, when he became President, Secretary of Defense It was a major breakthrough in the career of a former Sri Lankan military officer who was currently living a quiet life after retirement in the United States. Was known as a leader.

Soon other members of his family joined the government. It was Mahinda who made the Rajapaksa dynasty part of political rule in Sri Lanka.

The two brothers stood together until the extraordinary demonstrations this year. However, rifts erupted when Gotabaya asked Mahinda to resign in response to the protesters’ demands. The demand came as a shock to a man who played a key role in bringing his younger brother to power. Pereira said: “He was walled off and forced to step down during a large demonstration. His age will now be a major obstacle to his return.

Mahinda’s eldest son denies any wrongdoing between his brothers. A week before Mahinda’s resignation, he told the BBC: “Obviously there is a policy difference between the president and the prime minister. He said his father had always supported the peasants and the poor, while Gotabaya had a different point of view. Gotabhaya Raja Paksha reportedly said in his inner circle that he was not a supporter of the second term but hoped that he would try to get the country out of the current economic crisis. People see it as the only cause of the current economic crisis and have no choice but to vent their anger on the family. The Rajapaksa family was very popular in the Sinhala community despite its discrimination against minorities and human rights abuses He was also accused of carrying out deadly attacks on the media. However, few Sinhalese dared to speak out against this influential family. However, the story is very different now as the current economic crisis has united several communities in Sri Lanka and for the rights of the minority community by Sinhalese protesters. Bhavani Fonseka, a human rights lawyer, said: “The economic crisis has damaged the majority of the community, after which most people have changed their minds. I think the Raja Paksha family Chandani Manel, a Colombo resident, said: “No matter who runs this country, our basic needs must be met.” “I have two children and I have to take care of an entire family. Politicians can live on their wealth, but we can’t.