President Mahinda Rajapaksa
President Mahinda Rajapaksa (64), the fifth Executive
President of Sri Lanka, was elected for a second term of office in the
Presidential Election held yesterday (January 26, 2010), with the Sri
Lankan electorate recognizing him as the national leader who liberated
the country from the terrorism of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
and set the country of the path to peace and rapid economic development.
In the election held two years before the end of
Rajapaksa's first six year term, he won with 57.8 per cent of the votes
cast, in an election where nearly 70 per cent of 14,088,500 registered
voters polled. His closest rival, former Amy Commander General (Rtd.)
Sarath Fonseka obtained 40.15 per cent. The number of votes obtained by
Rajapaksa was 6,015,934, while Fonseka received 4,173,185 votes.
The re-election of Mahinda Rajapaksa took place in the
first nationwide election held after the defeat of the LTTE in May last
year, and the first where people from all parts of the country were free
to participate in more than two decades.
In the last Presidential Election held in November
2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as candidate of the United Progressive Freedom
Alliance (UPFA) was elected fifth Executive President obtaining 50.29%
or 4,887,152 votes polled, while his closest rival Mr. Ranil
Wickremesinghe, leading the United National Party (UNP) obtained 47.43%
or 4,706,366 votes.
Rajapaksa's rationale for calling a Presidential
Election two years before the expiry of his first six year term was his
desire to obtain a nationwide mandate, because in the Presidential
Election in 2005, the Tamil population, in the North and East of the
country were unable to vote, as the heavily armed LTTE, that was
controlling most of those regions, ordered the Tamils to boycott the
poll. In this election all communities throughout Sri Lanka were free to
exercise their franchise, in the oldest representative democracy in
Asia, which has had universal franchise in 1931.
His victory in this election was a clear endorsement
by the people of the leadership given by him to defeat the LTTE,
eradicate terrorism and restore peace; stand up to forces from West,
both countries and institutions, that tried to pressure the Government
to have a ceasefire with the LTTE, as it was facing the final military
rout; and his commitment to continue development of the country which
under policies he initiated while carrying on a costly war against
terrorism.
Defeat of LTTE
Early in the fourth year of his six-year term,
President Mahinda Rajapaksa etched his name in the records of Sri Lankan
history as the national leader who ended a thirty year long war against
the forces of separatist terrorism that threatened the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the country; gave leadership to defeat the most
ruthless terrorist organization in the world; withstood international
pressure for a ceasefire with terrorists; united the country under the
single National Flag, and embarked on an ambitious programme to ensure
democracy throughout the country, bringing a new political vision that
seeks both Development and Reconciliation to build a New Sri Lankan
Nation.
The fifth Executive President of Sri Lanka, Mr.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition,
Member of Parliament, lawyer, human rights activist and trade unionist -
comes from a family with a long tradition in people-oriented politics.
He was elected Executive President in the nation-wide election held in
November 2005.
He succeeded his father DA Rajapaksa to Sri Lanka's
Parliament in 1970, showing the strong influence that his family has had
for decades in Sri Lanka's southern Hambantota District.
Voice to the people
He continued a tradition of pro-people politics
initiated by his paternal uncle, DM Rajapaksa, known in his time as the
Lion of Ruhuna (the traditional name for the southern region of Sri
Lanka), who was elected to the State Council from Hambantota in the
1930s as a leader of the emerging movement against British colonial
rule, giving voice to the largely impoverished rural peasants of the
South. He wore an earthy brown shawl, the colour of kurakkan (a type of
maize) cultivated by the rural masses, whose cause he championed
throughout his life, till his sudden death in 1945.
Rural leadership
The mantle of the southern rural leadership and earthy
brown shawl of protest and hope came to his brother DA Rajapaksa,
himself a politician well-known for his integrity, courage and
perseverance in the face of many odds, especially for those who worked
for the cause of the rural poor. In the by-election in 1945 he succeeded
his brother uncontested in the Second State Council and was included in
the Council's Committee on Agriculture and Land, prior to independence
from the British in 1948. With his interest in the needs of the landless
peasants and the development of agriculture, DA Rajapaksa pushed through
a 99-year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in
five acre plots. For the middle income earners, land extending from 10
to 50 acres was alienated in the same manner; measures that gave a boost
to rice and coconut cultivations in the south of Sri Lanka.
Elected to Parliament from the Beliatta electorate of
the Hambantota District in the first Parliament of 1947, he was a member
of the governing party, the United National Party (UNP), till in 1951 he
crossed over to the Opposition on matters of policy, together with the
late SWRD Bandaranaike, which led to forming of the Sri Lanka Freedom
Party (SLFP) that gave weight to Social Democratic policies. He was
re-elected to Parliament from the SLFP in 1952 and 1956 after which
election Mr. Bandaranaike was elected Prime Minister of an SLFP-led
Government. Mr. Rajapaksa was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and
Lands in 1959. He was defeated in the parliamentary election held in
March 1960 following the assassination of Prime Minister Bandaranaike in
September 1959. In the next general election held soon after in July
1960 he was re-elected from Beliatta from the SLFP then led by Mr.
Bandaranaike's wife Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. He was appointed Deputy
Chairman of Committees in Parliament and subsequently Deputy Speaker.
When the SLFP lost to the UNP in 1965, political fortune changed again
and he was defeated.
Mahinda - The early years
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the second son in a family of six
brothers and three sisters, was born in Weeraketiya in Sri Lanka's Deep
South, on November 18, 1945, and was brought up from his early years in
keeping with Sinhala-Buddhist tradition. Family tradition was also seen
with his first schooling at Richmond College, in the southern city of
Galle, where his father and uncle, and cousins who also entered
politics, were first schooled. His education was later shifted to
Nalanda College and Thurstan College in Colombo. He later studied law at
the Colombo Law College, and qualified as an Attorney-at-Law. He took
oaths as an Attorney-at-Law in November 1977, and has evinced a keen
interest in human rights aspects of law. Throughout his student days he
continued his links with the peasants of the south, and was no stranger
to the paddy fields and the agricultural livelihoods of the people. With
Sri Lanka having a strong leftwing movement at the time of his student
days in Colombo, Mahinda also participated in many of the leftwing and
radical protest and agitation movements.
He was 24 years, when first elected to Parliament as
an SLFP member, from the Beliatta electorate in 1970. He was then the
youngest Member of Parliament and represented the same electorate his
father did from his first election in 1947 and several subsequent polls
till his death in 1965. He practiced law mainly in the southern town of
Tangalle from 1977 to 1994 which kept him closely in touch with the
people and their needs, and also the development needs of the southern
region, until his appointment as a Minister in 1994. He lost his
parliamentary seat in the landslide victory of the UNP in 1977. In the
parliamentary election that followed in 1989 (after the UNP had extended
its term by six years through a questionable referendum) he was
re-elected to Parliament from the Hambantota District under proportional
representation, and held this position until he bade farewell to
Parliament as Executive President in November 2005.
Loyalty and politics
Loyalty to principle and party has been the hallmark
of Mahinda Rajapaksa's political philosophy. In this he followed the
example set by his father, especially in the loyalty he showed to the
SLFP which he helped found and to the late SWRD Bandaranaike and Mrs.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike whose leadership and politics he accepted. Mahinda
Rajapaksa too was deeply loyal to Mrs. Bandaranaike and the SLFP. His
loyalty and attachment to the SLFP, which was responsible for the ups
and downs in his politics, just like his father's, has kept with the
party from the time he was a youth activist of the party as a student,
and throughout his political life as Member of Parliament, Cabinet
Minister, Prime Minister and now as the country's President.
It is this loyalty that saw him chosen as Prime
Minister after the General Election of April 2004, when the United
People's Freedom Alliance, a coalition led by the SLFP, won a majority
in Parliament. He had by then risen to the position of senior Vice
President of the SLFP. Loyalty to party also saw him chosen as the
SLFP's presidential nominee in November 2005.
A Man for Rights
From the beginning of his career, Rajapaksa adopted a
centre-left political stance, identifying himself with labour rights and
becoming a champion of human rights. He was a leading member of the
Parliamentarians for Human Rights, and in the days of grave human rights
violations under the UNP government in 1988/89 took the lead in
agitating in defence of human rights, taking the issue before the
international community.
He came into prominence as a leader, together with Dr.
Manorani Saravanamuttu, of the Mothers Front, which organized the
mothers of the "disappeared" in what was described as the white terror
of 1988-90. The Visva Bharati University of Calcutta in India conferred
on him the title Professor Emeritus for his record on human rights. He
played a major role in mobilizing people's action against the then
government, especially in defence of the democratic rights of the people
that were being gravely endangered. Among the campaigns he led was the
hugely successful "Paada Yaathra" - a pilgrimage of protest on foot from
Colombo to the southern shrine of Kataragama, which saw massive
participation by the people; he also took the lead in organizing several
other public protest campaigns which laid the groundwork for the defeat
of the UNP government in the General Election in August 1994, and the
later election of Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga of the SLFP as the fourth
Executive President in November the same year.
Rajapaksa was Minister for Labour & Vocational
Training and of Fisheries in President Kumaratunga's Cabinet from 1994
to 2001. He brought his experience in trade union activities to good use
as Minister of Labour and helped settle many a labour dispute both in
the public and private sectors. His close understanding of issues
involving the working people helped in the preparation of the Workers'
Charter, presented to the Government of President Kumaratunga. He
brought a new lease of life to the field of Vocational Training by
establishing the Vocational Training Authority with over 300 training
centres at the village level.
As the Minister of Fisheries he started a University
for Oceanography and established a Coastal Guard Unit. He also took the
initiative in launching housing schemes for the fishing communities in
the country, which has seen the building of the largest number of
housing units so far for any single economic sector in the country,
other than the traditional housing arrangements in the plantation
sector.
He also held the portfolio of the Ports and Shipping in addition to
Fisheries, for three months, and in this period initiated work for the
construction of a new harbour at Hambantota, which is one of the most
important measures in economic and infrastructure development in the
country. The work on this was stalled for some time, and has now been
resumed after his election as Executive President. It is expected, when
completed, to be a hub of marine activity in the South Asian region.
From the time he was chosen Prime Minister in April
2004 till his election as President 19 months later he also held the
portfolio of Highways, which saw him take a keen interest in the
development of the country's roads. This experience made him introduce
the concept of Maga Neguma, focusing on the development of roads and
highways, in his manifesto for the Presidential Election. As President
he pursues road and highways development as an important aspect of
government policy, and has seen to the building and reconstruction of
nearly 5,000 km of modern roads, highways and expressways I the country
and more than a dozen important bridges, vastly improving and
modernizing the country's road network.
He has been the President of the Sri Lankan Committee
for Solidarity with Palestine for 25 years, until his election as
Executive President, and has always maintained a close interest in
finding a peaceful solution to the Middle East problem within the
framework of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Rise to Presidency
Mahinda Rajapaksa had no sudden rise to the Presidency
of Sri Lanka. He has come through many decades of work with and for the
people, demonstrating an unfailing loyalty to his political party and
its leadership, and boldly facing the rough and tumble of politics.
After the ministerial position he held in Government, when the SLFP
again went into Opposition following electoral defeat in December 2001,
in March 2002 he was elected Leader of the Opposition, bringing to that
office his many years of parliamentary experience, both in Government
and Opposition.
After the General Elections of April 2004 in which the
United People's Freedom Alliance emerged winner, he was appointed the
country's 13th Prime Minister on April 6, 2004, in the Government headed
by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and was a key political organizer
for the SLFP and its allies at a time of increased political rivalry.
When the Presidential Election was brought forward by
one year to November 2005 by order of the Supreme Court, Mahinda
Rajapaksa, then a senior Vice President of the party was chosen as the
presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party for the election
held on 17 November 2005. His candidature was later approved by 25
political parties and people's movements. His election came with support
from all sections of the Sri Lankan polity, and was a more significant
achievement as he had to wade against undercurrents of opposition from
sections of the very political party, the SLFP, to which he had been
loyal from the time he entered parliamentary politics in 1970. It was an
opposition that came from a fear of the loss of family control over the
leadership of the party.
He was sworn in as the fifth Executive President of
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the 19th of November
2005, after being elected President with a majority that endorsed his
manifesto, the Mahinda Chintana in a closely contested, peaceful, free
and fair election.
In acceptance of his commitment to the SLFP, and his
loyalty to it in times of success and defeat, he was elected President
of the party, of which his father was a co-founder, on June 29, 2006.
The Presidency
Mahinda Rajapaksa won the Presidency of Sri Lanka on a
wide-ranging policy, which was largely people-oriented and was laid out
in the "Mahinda Chinthana" - The Thinking of Mahinda - which promised
the defeat of terrorism, advance of democracy, and a commitment to a
negotiated solution to the long standing ethnic conflict, exacerbated by
separatist terrorism; it offered social democratic approaches to
economic and social issues, the continuance of social welfare policies
such as free education and free health, and end to privatization of the
State sector, a huge commitment to infrastructure development,
strengthening of the rural sector of the economy, protection of the
environment and the upholding of traditional values such as the humane
treatment of animals.
He went through a most trying period in the first five
months since his election, with the separatist Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launching attacks on the security forces and
civilians from barely two weeks after his election. From early December
2005 till mid-April 2006, President Rajapaksa showed considerable
patience and forbearance, for which he won international admiration, in
the face of provocative violence by the LTTE that killed nearly 600. He
allowed limited attacks on LTTE positions only after it carried out a
failed suicide-bomb attack to assassinate the Army Commander in April
2006. He demonstrated his commitment to peace and negotiation by
re-opening the talks with the LTTE, which it had unilaterally walked
away from in April 2003, but the LTTE did not reciprocate his moves for
peace.
Road to Peace
President Rajapaksa did not hesitate to take a
determined stand on behalf of the people, when the LTTE closed down an
important sluice gate at Mavil Aru in the East, cutting off water for
drinking, agriculture and livelihood for nearly 50,000 people of all
communities, leading to the danger of a major humanitarian crisis, in
mid-2006. He used the security forces to re-open the sluice gate at
Mavil Aru. From then on the security forces proceeded to clear the LTTE
from other areas of the East such as Mutur and Sampur, strengthened the
protection to the Trincomalee Harbour, and finally liberated the entire
Eastern Province from the LTTE in July 2007. He has now initiated an
accelerated programme of development for the East, which is already
leading to considerable economic activity there.
Speedy action was taken to restore democracy to the
region with the holding of Local Government elections there, and
elections to the first Eastern Provincial Council all within one year of
clearing the region of terrorism. The Provincial Council elections saw
the emergence of a former child soldier of the LTTE Mr. Sivanesathurai
Chandrakanthan as the Chief Minister of the Province. The process of
democratization was further enhanced when the former leader of the
breakaway group from the LTTE - Mr. Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, whose
nom-de-guerre was Karuna Amman, sworn in as the Minster for National
Integration and Reconciliation.
The President has also launched the Nagenehira
Navodaya (New Dawn in the East) which is a major initiative for the
economic development of the east, complete with infrastructure
development and new opportunities for investment in the region.
Liberation of the North
The success of the armed forces in retaking Mavil Aru
led to the launch of a major humanitarian military operation to free the
North of the island too, from the grip of the LTTE. With professionalism
in the security forces encouraged under the President's leadership,
which sought to eliminate terrorism from the country and free all people
from fear and mistrust, increased manpower to the armed services, and
sufficient weapons and armour for the troops, the Sri Lankan armed
forces continued operations against the LTTE. The high morale of the
troops engendered by strong leadership of the President led to repeated
success against the LTTE. From around September 2008, the armed forces
advanced in the North defeating the LTTE in its several Northern
strongholds of Pooneryn, Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass and Mulaitivu, until
its final defeat on 19th May 2009.
In the final stages of the battle the LTTE
demonstrated its ruthless nature by holding thousands of Tamil civilians
as human shields, and later as hostages, for the protection of the LTTE
leadership that was expecting to escape through some form of foreign
assistance.
Political analysts are agreed that among the key
reasons for President Rajapaksa's successful leadership in defeating the
LTTE was his ability to put an end to the continuing rivalry and
bickering between the two large democratic parties in Sri Lanka - the
Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the United National Party - having aligned
all democratic political forces with him in the cause of defeating
terror and restoring democracy.
Both military and political analysts also agree that
another key factor in the defeat of the LTTE was the ability of
President Rajapaksa together with the Secretary of Defence, Mr. Gotabaya
Rajapaksa and the Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka and other
service chiefs, to call the bluff of the LTTE as an invincible fighting
force. Of much importance in the successful defeat of the LTTE and its
terrorism, was the firm stand that President Rajapaksa to against
western powers and international institutions to pressure him to have
ceasefire with the LTTE in the last stages of the battle. He rejected
these pressures as interference in the sovereignty of Sri Lanka, and was
not swayed by threats of economic and other reprisals by western forces
that were supportive of pro-LTTE expatriate Sri Lankans in their those
countries.
The leadership given by him to defeat the terrorism of
the LTTE, and his restoring the unitary status of Sri Lanka, with the
assurance of Constitutional Rights to all citizens led to the University
of Colombo conferring on him the degree of Doctor of Laws in 2009.
Following the defeat of terrorism the President has
already taken key measures to restore democracy to the North. Shortly
after the victory over terrorism was announced steps were taken to hold
Local Government elections to the Jaffna Municipal Council and the
Vavuniya Urban Council in the North.
President Rajapaksa has also made a commitment to
resettle all of nearly 300,000 internally displaced Tamil civilians in
the North under a 180 day resettlement and rehabilitation programme. His
initiatives in this regard have already seen much government expenditure
and considerable international assistance coming to Sri Lanka for the
resettlement of these Tamil civilians forced into government relief
centres by the violence of the LTTE. By early January 2010, the numbers
still in the relief centres had been reduced to less than 80,000.
He has laid stress on the rehabilitation of former
LTTE cadres, and especially the child soldiers recruited by the LTTE.
The priority given to this has already seen many former child soldiers
being re-united with their parents, and many also attending regular
schools both in the northern towns as well as in the Colombo District.
"Uthuru Vasanthaya" the Northern Spring - is the
special initiative of the President to expedite development in the
North, and make the Northern Tamils partners in the country's progress.
There is also a strong commitment by the President to
move towards a political settlement of the issues facing the communities
in the North and East as well as the widening of democracy in Sri Lanka
through a "homegrown" solution which is politically inclusive and is
aimed at ensuring constitutional guarantees of freedom and democracy to
all communities.
All Party President Rajapaksa remains committed to a
negotiated political solution to the crisis of power sharing in the
country, and in a major policy initiative has appointed an All Party
Representative Committee to work out a consensus solution on methods of
power sharing and necessary constitutional reform in the country.
Shortly after the defeat of the LTTE, he also summoned
an All Party Committee representing political parties within and outside
Parliament to seek consensus on speedy development of the North and
reconciliation in the country. The Tamil National Alliance, considered a
proxy of the LTTE that had rejected all earlier invitations to
participate in all party discussions, responded positively to this
initiative.
Development
He has initiated several major infrastructure
development projects, among which are the construction of the new
harbour and international airport at Hambantota and four other harbours
in other locations, at least four new highways linking the major cities
of the country, a coal-fired thermal power station at Norochcholai in
the North Western Province, a multi-fuel thermal power station at
Kerawalapitiya in the Western Gampaha District and a hydro-power station
at Upper Kotmale in the central hills.
The Government is paying keen attention to
strengthening the rural economy with increased incentives to cultivators
and the search for new markets for their produce. The development of
Small and Medium Enterprises also receives considerable importance under
the economic policies of the Rajapaksa presidency.
SAARC
A person with a strong commitment to South Asian
solidarity, he was elected Chairman of the eight-member South Asian
Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at the 15th SAARC Summit
held in Colombo in August 2008, taking over the Chair of SAARC from
India.
IT initiatives
New initiatives have been launched to take computer
literacy and Information Technology to the rural sector and also bring a
major enhancement of IT knowledge and capability in the country, and its
use in governance. The Nenasala, a brand name in Rural IT Centres, was
conceptualized by President Rajapaksa during his tenure as Prime
Minister and to date more than 500 such centres have been opened in the
rural and semi-urban areas. IT literacy in the country has risen to
nearly 25% in the four years since Rajapaksa was elected President in
2005.The expansion of telecommunication facilities in the country is
being encouraged with the numbers of fixed-line and mobile phone users
showing a rapid rise since December 2005. The country now has more than
50 per cent penetration of mobile and land phones.
In keeping with the Mahinda Chinthana, in the social
sphere, the Rajapaksa administration has introduced policies to curb
addiction to tobacco and alcohol, and also prevent substance abuse and
drug addiction. In a major initiative in humanitarian policy, President
Rajapaksa has ordered a stop to the killing of dogs for rabies
eradication, carried out under British colonial law, and initiated the
introduction of modern, humane and scientific methods of rabies control
recommended by the World Health Organization. A new law on the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has completed the drafting stage. The
Government is also carrying on an important programme to improve animal
husbandry in the country, with the expectation of achieving
self-sufficiency in milk production in the medium term.
President Rajapaksa follows a pragmatic foreign policy
with a commitment to the principles of Non-Alignment, and the
maintenance of friendly relations with all countries, strongly
supportive of the United Nations and its initiatives for development and
progress, and seeking international cooperation in the fight against
terror both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
The three budgets presented by the President, in his
capacity as Minister of Finance were adopted in Parliament with
overwhelming majorities, with most parties in Opposition too voting for
them. Under his stewardship the economy of Sri Lanka showed a growth of
over 6% in 2007 and in 2008. Despite difficulties caused by the current
world financial and economic crises Sri Lanka expects over 5 % growth in
2010, which could improve due to new economic activity in the North and
East. Prudent economic management has seen the country face the major
economic crisis facing the world, which had led the International
Monetary Fund, in January 2010, to elevate Sri Lanka to the status of a
Middle Income Country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is married to
Shiranthi Rajapaksa, a keen social worker who heads the Seva Vanitha
Movement - a women's service movement in the public sector, and takes a
keen interest in issues of the rights of women and children, as well the
advance of the humanitarian policies in the Mahinda Chinthana. She has
taken an important initiative in helping the women and children who are
internally displaced in the north due to terrorism. Under the 'Siriliya
Saviya' organization led by her, special action has been taken to
provide cooked food and essential drugs to the IDPs, training in
community culinary work among women IDPS and also for vocational
training among them to help them have better livelihoods once resettled.
They have three sons. All of them are keen sportsmen
and have represented their school St. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia in
Rugby. The eldest Namal, in addition to studies, is at present engaged
in youth affairs, especially the participation of youth in development
work. He is the key organizer of 'Tharunyayata Hetak' which seeks to
empower youth in the rural sector for the purpose of uplifting the rural
economy. Amidst his work in youth affairs he has studied law in the UK
and has now returned to the country with greater commitment to rural
development and the progress of youth.
The second son Yoshitha is a Sub-Lieutenant in the Sri
Lanka Navy after training at Dartmouth in the UK.
The third, Rohitha is pursuing higher studies in
Aeronautical Engineering and Astronautics at the University of
Southampton, UK.
President Rajapaksa is himself a very keen sportsman.
He represented his school in Athletics in Track events specializing in
the 4 x 400 metres relay. When not restricted by the pressures of work
and concerns of security he has always been present at the school rugby
matches when his sons were playing, and was a frequent spectator at
inter-club rugby games in Colombo and Kandy. A keen fan of both cricket
and rugby, he follows the fortunes of the Sri Lanka cricket team and
inter-club rugby with great interest, and offers much encouragement to
Sri Lankan sportsmen and sportswomen.
January 28, 2010 |
