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Once known as Sri Lanka’s man for all seasons, 76-year-old Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday was forced to resign amid clashes between his supporters and anti-government protesters that left three dead and 150 injured. The wily politician and patriarch of the powerful Rajapaksa clan was reluctant to step down from the post of prime minister, even as his younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa holds onto his chair under mounting pressure.
The anti-government protests triggered by Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since since independence was the major reason behind Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation. The crisis has been caused partly by a lack of foreign currency, which means that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel leading to acute shortages and very high prices. Protesters have hit the streets since April 9 seeking resignation of President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda.
There are reports of a rift between brothers Gotabaya and Mahinda in running the debt-ridden country. Mahinda submitted his resignation to Gotabaya and, with this, the cabinet automatically stands dissolved. The president had dropped his older brother Chamal and eldest nephew Namal from the cabinet mid-April.
The two-time former president’s resignation came as anti-government protests gathered momentum after close to 1,000 trade unions ranging from a number of sectors, including the state service, health, ports, electricity, education and postal – joined the movement demanding the immediate resignation of the ruling government, including members of the powerful Rajapaksa family – President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda.
Projected image of security and stability
After a crushing defeat in the 2015 presidential elections, Mahinda returned to power in 2020 after the deadly Easter terror attacks that killed 270, including 11 Indians. With the country on edge over security, his brand new party, Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP), scripted a historic win after gaining absolute power despite its short runtime. A massive victory in the 2020 general elections gave the Rajapaksa family an opportunity to tighten their grip over the country’s functioning. The party amended the Constitution to restore presidential powers and install close family members at key positions.
Initially, Mahinda maintained an image of security and stability as the Covid-19 pandemic spread in 2020. Despite reporting much lower rates of infection and death than other South Asian countries, the tourism-dependent economy suffered a major setback. This ultimately resulted in an unprecedented economic crisis that paved his ouster.
Street-fighter politician, youngest lawmaker
Known for his brutal military campaign against the Tamil Tigers, Mahinda became premier for the fourth time when he assumed the role of prime minister. A veteran street-fighter politician, he entered Parliament at 24 years old becoming the country’s the youngest lawmaker. But, after a loss in 1977, he focused on his law career before re-entering Parliament in 1989.
His portfolios over the years include labour minister (1994-2001) and minister of fisheries and aquatic resources (1997-2001) under President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who appointed him as PM after the general election of April 2004 when the United People’s Freedom Alliance won a majority. He was chosen as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s presidential nominee in November 2005. Shortly after his victory, Mahinda announced his intention to crush the LTTE that had established a de facto government in northern Sri Lanka.
Campaign against LTTE, ‘family firm not country’
Mahinda became a hero when he successfully ended the nearly 30-year bloody civil war with the LTTE. All his predecessors had failed in this regard, but not Mahinda and he eventually came to be known as “a man with a Midas touch”. He used his victory over the LTTE to return to power with a thumping win in 2010.
During his presidency from 2005 to 2015, Mahinda consolidated his position. He, however, ran the country like his “family firm” by awarding influential positions to his three brothers – Gotabaya, Basil and Chamal. The Constitution was also changed to allow him to serve a third term.
But, his domestic popularity seemed to wane in 2014 because of inflation and concerns over corruption as well as abuse of power. In an attempt to secure another presidential term before losing support, he called for an early presidential poll. But his political gamble backfired and he was defeated in the elections in 2015. Maithripala Sirisena, formerly a member of Rajapaksa’s cabinet, defeated him and was sworn in as president.
‘Chinese debt trap’, corruption cases
Political analysts and critics say it was due to Mahinda that Sri Lanka has fallen into the “Chinese debt trap”. During his tenure as president, he concluded several key infrastructure deals with China raising concerns in India and the West. The strategic Hambantota port, which was funded by a Chinese loan during his regime, was leased to Beijing on a 99-year debt-for-equity swap in 2017 after the country failed to pay off the debt.
After his loss in 2015, Parliament restored a constitutional two-term limit on the presidency barring Mahinda from contesting again. So, in August, he was elected to Parliament. The Rajapaksas were now battling arrests and corruption cases in court. They were facing numerous cases of alleged misappropriation of funds, many of which are still pending.
But, three years later, Mahinda was briefly appointed as the PM in October 2018 by President Sirisena. This was right after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sacked as the PM in a controversial move that plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court declared the dissolution as “illegal” and, later, Mahinda and his supporters defected from the ruling party and joined the SLPP, founded by his brother Basil, and he formally became the leader of the opposition.
The turning point
The turning point in Sri Lankan politics came with the aftermath of the deadly Easter bombings on April 21, 2019. Led by the Rajapaksas, the SLPP lambasted Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe for failure on the security front. This became an opportunity for the Rajapaksas to once again wield their influence. The SLPP announced the presidential candidacy of Mahinda’s younger brother Gotabaya, who had served as his defence minister during the campaign against LTTE.
The duo promised security to Sri Lankans who became worried about Islamic extremism in the Buddhist-majority country. Gotabaya won the presidential election in 2019 and, after becoming president, appointed Mahinda as the PM.
(With PTI inputs)
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