COLOMBO: Basil Rajapaksa, the political strategist who shaped the Presidential election victory of his elder brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2019 and followed it up by fashioning the comeback of his other elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister the next year, resigned as a Member of Parliament on June 9, conceding that his family was better at politics than governance and vowing to continue working with the party he founded, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to ensure it remained a force to be reckoned with.
“I think that governance and politics are two things. I think we can see that our family is better at politics than at governance. Therefore, the main purpose of my decision to resign from Parliament was to leave governance. Accordingly, from today onwards, I will not be involved in any activity pertaining to governance, but there is no way to stop engaging in politics. Because of that, I am ready to continue that commitment, if necessary, on behalf of all those in our party who were with me. However, we now understand that my party and I have greater potential for politics but not for governance,” Basil Rajapaksa told a packed media conference at the SLPP headquarters following a statement he made to announce his resignation as MP from the SLPP’s National List.
The former Finance Minister referred to India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, who paved the way for the rise of Hindu nationalism, as a classic example of a group doing well in politics but not in directly governing a country.
“India’s RSS has been around for years, but they do not govern directly. The BJP has taken on that role,” he said.
However, Rajapaksa, a member of the powerful political family that has ruled Sri Lanka for much of the past two decades, does not foresee an immediate end to the Rajapaksa dynasty.
“Sri Lankans elected a Rajapaksa president three times: twice with Mahinda Rajapaksa, and once with Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” he said. Mahinda Rajapaksa was twice elected Sri Lanka’s president in successive terms from 2005 to 2015.
Basil Rajapaksa will now be replaced by billionaire businessman, Dhammika Perera, who is set to be appointed to the newly created Cabinet post of Minister of Technology and Investment Promotion.
Not responsible for economic mess
Basil Rajapaksa was accused of being partially responsible for the economic crisis in the country but he denied allegations that Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves depleted as a result of his actions.
He said he did not expect to take up the post as Finance Minister but it was thrusted upon him yet he did his duties to the best of his abilities.
“There were no reserves even when I took up the post. If there were such reserves, I myself could have done what was needed”, Rajapaksa said.
He also recalled that Sri Lanka is currently receiving flour and oil, due to agreements reached during his visit to India, and that he was the one to initiate Sri Lanka’s bid to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Responding to a question posed by a journalist, Rajapajsa said that he was not interested in blaming people for the crisis and that everyone including journalists were responsible for the current calamity.
“No, I’m not passing the ball to the people. But yes, they do hold some responsibility for electing us to power. If, as you say, we passed the ball, then those who gave us the ball in the first place should also be responsible,” said a visibly agitated Rajapaksa, who resigned exactly one month after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister following bloody violence that broke out with the brutal beating of peaceful protestors outside the Prime Minister’s official ‘Temple Trees’ residence and at the GotaGoGama protest site at the Galle Face.
Rajapaksa stepped down from his finance ministerial post early in April amid furious public protests demanding that the Rajapaksa clan quit office, taking responsibility for the downturn that has left citizens struggling amid record inflation and acute shortages of essentials. Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa remains a legislator.
“I’m no longer the finance minister.” Basil Rajapaksa said when asked if he would take responsibility for the current economic situation.
“Since 1951, this country has been run the same way, on debt. No government has tried to change this. After my appointment, I tried to some extent enable the people to stand on their own feet.
“It may or may not have worked, but if there is something this country is getting now [in terms of financing], it is only what I was able to secure as finance minister,” he said, adding that fertilizer and other essentials were being purchased today with loans that he had helped secure.
Rajapaksa said the government had been divided on approaching the IMF for assistance, and that reconciliation between two pro and anti-IMF camps had to be achieved.
He said that former Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle told him not to go to the IMF. Further, he said, the two groups failed to justify their opinion to him when he requested their ways of rebuilding the economy, with or without an IMF programme.
Moreover, he said that he had presented the views of these two groups to Cabinet periodically, and there had been discussions within Cabinet about whether or not the IMF should be approached.
“Some were in favour, some were not in favour (of going to the IMF), but the President decided that we should have discussions with the IMF; based on that, I sent a letter to the IMF last July,” he added.
As a result of this, Rajapaksa claimed, two top IMF representatives met with the President and himself.
The IMF delegation comprised its Asia Pacific Department Director Dr. Changyong Rhee, Deputy Director Dr. Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf, and IMF Resident Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Dr. Tubagus Feridhanusetyawan, who met the President in March 2022.
In April, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he believed Sri Lanka should have gone for an IMF programme much earlier.
Personally opposed to 21st Amendment
Rajapaksa, who holds dual citizenship (Sri Lanka and US), said he was personally opposed to the 21st Amendment, which is being currently dicsussed by parliamentarians as a way to find a solution to the political crisis in parallel with ongoing efforts being made to tackle the economic crisis.
Basil Rajapaksa was also said to be leading attempts to block the 21st Amendment from being passed by Parliament.
Rajapaksa was reportedly seeking the support of a number of SLPP members to oppose the 21st Amendment.
“A constitution must serve the public interest”, he said. “I mean, except through a Constitution that is empowered by the people, we cannot give the power of the person who got 6.9 million votes to a person who got 253,000 votes. We are not opposed to giving powers to Parliament, but the current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is not someone who was elected by Parliament. He is a person nominated by the President. It is problematic to give such a person such power.”
Basil Rajapaksa also said that the SLPP had repeatedly requested the President to hand over the post of the Premier and the Cabinet of Ministers to the SLPP, at least until an election is held.
“What we ask is to give our party the place it deserves. We deserve the posts of the Premier and the Cabinet of Ministers, because the people gave power to the SLPP. If someone says that people have changed now, it can be seen in an election. Therefore, give our party its due place until an election is held. Our party also has good MPs and Ministers. That is why the people gave us power.”
“I definitely support certain aspects of the 21st amendment, such as the provisions on independent commissions.
If the executive presidency is to be abolished, Rajapaksa said, Sri Lana’s provincial council system – a legacy of the 1987 India-Sri Lanka Accord – must be reformed in the interest of maintaining the island nation’s sovereignty and unitary character.
He, however, believes he did his best.
“I think I did [do something] to the best of my ability. But I couldn’t do everything the people had expected,” he said.
Rajapaksa added that the SLPP would contest the coming elections, including the local government elections, scheduled for next year.
“We have the highest number of local councillors. We are not afraid of elections.”
Rajapaksa said that some people claimed that elections cost a lot of money. “Yes, they do. But that is the price we pay for democracy. Maintaining a democracy can’t be done without incurring expenses,” he said.
Asked if his resignation was a permanent one, Rajapaksa, who has been a member of parliament twice before, said: “If the people decide so, perhaps; but if they want me back, I’m ready for that too.”
“I know it’s going to be even more difficult going forward. We must all work together. We’re ready to extend any help to the present administration and whoever may be coming next,” the former minister said.
He expressed hope that global conditions will also improve, facilitating Sri Lanka’s recovery.
“I hope the Ukraine crisis is resolved and tourism will pick up again.
In a lighter moment, the SLPP stalwart said that he held no grudges against those who had created the earworm, Kaputu kaak, kaak, kaak” followed by a chorus of “Basil, Basil, Basil, Basil. The former finance minister’s ouster was one of the key demands of the ‘Aragalaya’ movement that was formed amid the rising cost of living. The catchy tune, which has its origins in a video in which Rajapaksa was heard using the Sinhala word for crows, “kaputas”, in the plural form, at a discussion that was held in English, went viral on social media and became the campaign meme of the protestors.
Rajapaksa claimed he had in fact made the song his phone’s ringtone. “I mean, it’s not a bad animal, really,” he said referring to the crow. “It’s my ringtone now. The phone goes ‘Basil Basil’ when it rings.
While steadfastly refusing to take the blame for the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa showed some contrite only towards the end of the press conference, saying, “I would also like to express my sincere apologies to the people if there were any mistakes made.”
He also said that he hopes to go back to the US and join his family.
In July 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Basil, the youngest of the Rajapaksa brothers, as Finance Minister. He became the fourth Rajapaksa brother to enter cabinet at that time and fifth member of the first family to enter the Cabinet. The eldest of the brothers, Chamal Rajapaksa, was a Cabinet Minister, and so was Namal Rajapaksa, son of former Prime Minister Mahinda. Besides, Chamal Rajapaksa’s son Shasheendra Rajapaksa held the rank of a non-cabinet minister.
Reuters reported that infighting between the Rajapaksa brothers has also played a part in Sri Lanka’s slide into turmoil but Basil Rajapaksa is likely to retain influence.
The country of 22 million people is suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with shortages of fuel, medicines and cooking gas because a severe lack of foreign exchange has stalled imports.
Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in a foreign debt default. The country announced last month that it is suspending nearly $7 billion in foreign debt repayments due this year out of about $25 billion due by 2026. Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt stands at $51 billion. The country lacks the financial wherewithal to buy imported necessities and pay its debts. Authorities have started discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package and have asked the IMF to lead a conference to unite Sri Lanka’s lenders.
