CBK won’t support MR’s return

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike yesterday said that she would not support the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa as it would be betrayal of all parties that fought for decency in this country.

“It was not a party that was defeated; it was a Rajapaksa Government that was defeated. If those people who led that horrible system are brought back into this system, all of us who fought for decency in this country are going to be terribly embarrassed. We will have to forget all our principles as well,” she said, addressing a special media briefing organised by Finance Ministry yesterday. 

She went on to say: “I cannot talk for others. As for me, I have always tried to engage in a principled politics. I have always worked on very clear principles. I left the SLFP at one time with Vijaya on a matter of principle, not on anything else. I cannot change it at this stage of my life and my principles will not permit me to do politics with the Rajapaksa clan that destroyed this country in every possible way.”

It was the first time that the two major parties – Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United National Party (UNP) – which were at loggerheads for over 50 years came together in solidarity. 

“We did an election together. We did a very unusual phenomenon for the 8 January presidential election and I call it a ‘silent revolution’ that we were able to bring about. We worked beautifully together, without any problems, and we were able to bring about a massive change in this country,” she explained. 

She said the 8 January silent revolution was a radical transformation of the country’s political culture, management methods, and the thinking of the government.

Bandaranaike lashed out at Rajapaksa regime, saying that having won the war, the dividends of peace were not given to the country. The benefits were only enjoyed and pillaged by the family and their cronies, she added.

Commenting on the ongoing investigations relating to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, she said: “We are a democratic Government. We will first prove that there was fraud and it is not an easy task to prove it. However, I must say that investigations are being carried out very strongly.”

She also accused former President Rajapaksa of creating a rift in the SLFP. “It is a very bad thing. Mahinda Rajapaksa should be responsible for the party’s fraction. He does not care a thing about the party or the country, as long as he and his cronies can loot everything possible.”

However, she explained that it was not the first time the party has had rifts since this was common in the political arena and there had been many instances where other parties also had factions.