PM Mahinda Rajapaksa – Defence News of India

SOURCE: NEWS18

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa gave an exclusive interview to CNN-News18 as he completed 50 years in active politics on Wednesday. Elected to Sri Lankan Parliament as the youngest MP at 24 in 1970, Rajapaksa has been the President of Sri Lanka twice and the Prime Minister on three occasions. He was also a leading, young voice of the opposition during JR Jeyawardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa’s tenure from 1977 to 1993.

Credited with ending the 30-year-long brutal Tamil Eelam war (LTTE) for a separate homeland in 2009 and speeding up economic development of the island nation during his previous tenure, Rajapaksa is now serving his third term as the Prime Minister along with his younger brother Gotabaya as the President.

In this freewheeling chat, Rajapaksa maintained that Sri Lanka wants to maintain good relations with both India and China as the two countries find themselves involved in another border standoff.

Asserting that Tamil people want prosperity and peace, not a separate homeland, he asked the Tamil politicians to realise that a separate state is just not feasible, and also declared that he would never allow terrorism, be it Tamil or Islamic.

Here’s the full text of the conversation: Q. You have completed 50 years in active politics, in public life. You are the most senior leader in the SAARC, who is still leading a nation. How do you look back at all these years in public life?

Ans. It has certainly been a very eventful 50 years. During this entire period, we have had peace only in intervals. Less than a year after I was elected to Parliament in May 1970, Sri Lanka was ravaged by the first insurgency of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. When I became President in November 2005, the biggest challenge that I faced was the separatist terrorism of the LTTE. We have faced challenges and we have been able to overcome them together. Looking back, I am grateful that I was able to fulfil 50 years in politics, in service to my people.

Q. As the President between 2005 and 2015, you destroyed LTTE and restored peace. Do you think it was the toughest job you handled in the 50 years?

Ans. That would have been a difficult task for any leader. I was blessed to inherit an experienced and gifted team in the leadership of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, along with the best Intelligence service a President could ask for. Management of the forces was paramount, and I knew of only one man I could trust that service to, my younger brother. In fact, Gotabaya as defense secretary was the first appointment I made as President in 2005.

For all of us who were involved in the war, it will no doubt remain one of our greatest achievements and it was my privilege to give them that political leadership and protection to execute that victory. After all, the LTTE as a terrorist organisation had been given the highest rankings in the world by the FBI.

Q. You were out of power for five years between 2015 and 2019. Please tell us about those years.

Ans. When the election results were announced, I wasted no time in putting my affairs in order and leaving straight to our family home in Weeraketiya to enjoy my retirement. The people, however, made a statement asking me to return and lead them once more. As I looked around and saw how the supposed political leadership of Sri Lanka was crumbling with the harassment of intelligence officers and the persecution of public servants under my tenure, I realised my job was not done yet. The job of grooming the next generation of leaders was in my hands as a father of this nation. I asked the then-present government to be accountable for their actions and leading by example, hopefully set a precedent for future MP’s to lead in integrity and honesty.

Q. You have seen SAARC from its inception in 1985. Do you think it is still relevant?

Ans. Regional cooperation is all important. It is an absolute necessity. It’s what enables us to remain strong. The SAARC may not be functioning as it should due to issues between member states. Problems exist, but we have to keep lines of communication open and cooperation has to take place between regional players.

Q. Sri Lanka has emerged as a top global tourist destination under your regime. Coronavirus seems to have hit tourism hard. What is the way out?