by J.T. de Silva

As various allegations are levelled at brothers of the two main contenders at the upcoming Presidential Election, Ceylon Today interviewed Basil Rajapaksa (President’s brother) to obtain responses over allegations levelled at the two families.

Excerpts:

Q:
Minister, you appear to be so relaxed. You are not seen in election rallies. There are rumours that you have left the country and you have gone to US. Are you discontented? Will the election be lost?

A: I am not disillusioned. There are no issues in our family. Although I am not on election platforms, I am very active. I address the rallies in Gampaha district since we won the district with great majority. We have launched a very organized propaganda campaign which is hundred per cent successful.

You suspect about the victory in the Presidential. Why do you do so?

The President came to power in 2005 and ended the war which was dragging for three decades. He provided opportunity for Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burger and Malay communities to live and move without any fear. He protected the unity and sovereignty of the country.

People of this country gave him another mandate in 2010. That mandate was used to develop the country. He developed all sectors like agriculture, education, health etc. He improved road network and other infrastructure. Expressways and flyovers were built.

The government has rendered an unprecedented service which cannot be compared to any other government. The opposition is jealous of the government and accuses that several members of Rajapaksa family are pocketing commissions. It is hate speech.

All the development expenses are subjected to the existing law of the country. The projects are implemented at district level after soliciting the cabinet approval. The budgets are audited by the Auditor General. They can also be questioned at the Committee of Accounts of the Parliament. No exposure has been made by any of these bodies for the past ten years. At least there was no petition.

You asked if we would lose the Presidential. We have not lost in elections. Similarly, we will not lose this election also. The people of this country are intelligent and grateful. They love President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Q:
The MPs and the Ministers of the government are still crossing over to the Opposition. The government has now lost the two thirds majority. There is a popular wave in the country for the victory of the common candidate.

A: We have no two thirds majority now. But we always gained the two thirds majority when we wanted to pass a certain Bill. We had two thirds majority to pass the Divi Neguma Bill, 18th amendment to the Constitution and Budget. Those who have left the government now also voted in favour of the 18th Amendment although they speak against it now.

The wave around the common candidate is a wave of hatred. We are sympathetic towards them. I have nothing more to say.

Q:
Tamil people have moved away from the government. Is it true that the votes from the North are less?

A: There is a popular wave around the President in the country. Tamil people have a great trust on the President. Train service to Jaffna was restarted. They say that they can now live without fear, thanks to the President. The people of the North have decided to keep the President despite whatever the TNA says. In the same way the majority of the plantation Tamil people are also with the President. We are sure that we will gain more votes than the past from the plantation areas. People are now aware of the conspiracies of the Opposition. They cannot be hoodwinked.

Q:
The Presidents in other countries hold the position for only two terms. Why is the President of Sri Lanka trying to get elected for the third time? Is it shown as the most serious political issue of the country today?

A: The number of the terms of a President is limited to, two only in US and not in other countries. But the term is limited to four years in those countries. In Sri Lanka, although the President’s term is six years, the Presidents in the past went for elections in four years. President Mahinda Rajapaksa also did the same.

The President came to power in 2005 and fulfilled the needs of the people. In 2010, people gave him a mandate to develop the country and he did it too. The economy had collapsed when he was first elected in 2005. Economic nerve centres like Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, Sri Lankan Airline, Telecom, Lanka Gas Company, the oil terminal in the port, over 160 fuel stations of the country and Waters’ Edge were privatized.

We reversed this trend, freed the economy from privatization and strengthened the economy. It was very difficult for us to get loans from the IMF. We negotiated with them without slashing welfare. We reintroduced the fertilizer subsidy.

The President seeks to re-elect, to make the country the world’s best for the children who enter the world with knowledge of science and technology. It is not only for the present generation but also for the future generations. I am sure people will continue trusting the President as same as they did in 2005 and 2010.

Q:
What is this mega deal story?

A: The biggest deal is selling off Sri Lankan airline. Over 160 fuel stations were sold. Who made those deals? They were not us. I don’t say they stole. Who sold the Waters’ Edge hotel complex? They were fined through a court case.

We must say that we are not connected to those deals. The President has not sold any public property. How can he engage in deals in that context? He strengthened people’s assets through reacquiring them.

Who were free from corruption charges? Dudley Senanayake was alleged of favouring Freudenberg Company. N.M. Perera was linked to Giridara Mill. Sirima Bandaranaike was alleged of changing zeroes.

Consider the Colombo – Katunayaka expressway. Dudley Senanayake initiated it. A loan was taken from Japan and the contract was given to a Korean company. The contract was not implemented and I don’t know what happened to the loan taken from Japan.

Q:
Was the President shaken when he heard that Maithripala Sirisena who ate hoppers and drank coffee the previous day at the Temple Trees becoming the common candidate the next day?

A: He was worried since he had closer relationship with Maithri’s family than the relationship with our family. They too were always with the President. President trusted him so much that the acting Defence Minister position was given to him when the President went abroad. He trusted Maithri more than he trusted me.

Not only that, the President did not involve in the rice mill and sand issues due to his loyalty to Maithri.

The secretaries of the SLFP left the party in earlier occasions as well but they safeguarded the quality of the position. This one went without telling anyone. He joined opposition to contest against the President. But the President is sympathetic.

In 2010, Sarath Fonseka contested the Presidential after meeting the President and informing him. But Maithripala Sirisena did not inform.

Q:
Is the President angry with Maithri now?

A: On the day the nominations were handed over, the President wanted to shake hands with him but he rejected it. The entire country was looking at it.

Q:
You are the national organizer of the SLFP. Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike alleges that you have not recruited a single member after you were elected to this position.

A: She is not in the party now. As national organizer, I don’t recruit members. Recruitments are made by the electoral organizers, district organizers and the branch organizations. The highest number of members was recruited after I took over as the national organizer.

I don’t know if the General Secretary of the party was aware that I recruited so much members.

Q:
What is your comment about the allegation that the opposition common candidate is a part of an international conspiracy?

A: Yes. No country in the world has developed like our country in a brief period. No country has improved so much infrastructure and achieved development goals. No country has established internal peace and security like this after war. Foreign countries are jealous of the development in our country.

The President could do all these things thanks to the mandate he was granted by people. He safeguarded the trust of the people. He will be so in the future too.

A common candidate was manipulated in this international conspiracy. When there was no one to challenge, one was taken from us. There is a group connected to the conspiracy of the Western countries. The one who created the Post Tsunami Operational Mechanism System and the one who signed the ceasefire are in that group.

They want to create an Arab Spring in Sri Lanka. There is a massive threat in the world today. See what has happened to Iraq. They had money earned from petroleum and the country was developed. Technical education was given and the productions were started. The same set of words like democracy, nepotism, corruption was used to create Arab Spring in Iraq. Now the entire country has been destroyed.

Next, they went to Libya. Same thng was done in Libya. Arab Spring came to Libya when the country was developing with petroleum earnings. Finally, Gadaffi was killed under a culvert. All these were done without any vision or plan. Before six months, the ambassador who created the situation was also killed similarly on a road. Today, all the foreign embassies are closed in that country. People of Libya are being killed in thousands. The majority of the population live in refugee camps in foreign countries.
What has happened? Have they seen the spring?

They moved to Syria and Afghanistan doing the same thing to those countries. We must pay our attention to these countries. These conspirators wants to make the events that happened in those countries repeat in Sri Lanka.

Q:
Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena alleges that he was not allowed by Rajapaksa Government to implement the Drug Policy. Why did Rajapaksa Government do so?

A: Tobacco and Alcohol Act was brought in the Parliament as a private member’s Bill by Omalpe Sobhitha Thera of the JHU. Minister of Health Nimal Siripala de Silva tabled the Bill in Parliament on 5 July 2006.

Minister Maithripala Sirisena proposed to include 80% space of cigarette packets covered with graphic warning on cancer. Cabinet approved it and the bill was passed in the parliament without any obstacle.

After that, the Tobacco Company filed a case demanding the 80% be reduced to 60%. Minister Maithripala did not make the Cabinet aware of this. Who agreed to 60% before Supreme Court?
We don’t know. He agreed and now speaks the opposite.

Q:
Is it true that the Ministers are disillusioned since no job can be given in their Ministries due to MP Namal Rajapaksa’s engagement?

A: Who says so? Where does it happen? See, the former Minister of Health granted 800 jobs before he left. Isn’t it the answer to the allegation against MP Namal Rajapaksa.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today