President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Early in the fourth year of his six-year term, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has etched his name in the records of Sri Lankan history as the national leader who ended a thirty year long war against the forces for 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, 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 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 remained 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.

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.

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 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 expected to lead 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 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 Mavilaru 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, 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 strong holds of Pooneryn, Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass and Mulativu, 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 to call the bluff of the LTTE as an invincible fighting force.

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 Vauniya Urban Council in the North.

President Rajapaksa has also made a commitment to resettle all internally displaced Tamil civilians in the North under a 180 day resettlement and rehabilitation programme. His initiatives in this regard have already seen considerable international assistance coming to Sri Lanka for the resettlement of over 280,000 Tamil civilians forced into government relief centres by the violence of the LTTE.

"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, 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 500 such centres have been opened in the rural and semi-urban areas. 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.

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 4.5% growth in 2009, which could improve due to new economic activity in the North and East.

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.