Once a Hero, Now the Villain

The economic crisis has affected the social life of 22 million people, and Sri Lanka is going through a difficult time. Previously celebrated by the public as heroes who ended the civil war, the Rajapaksa brothers are now viewed as villains.

Protesters have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa since early April, claiming they are to blame for the nation's economic collapse. Commodity prices started to climb in late 2021; consumers are paying more than 30% more than they did a year ago. The majority of people are not eating enough as a result of this predicament.

After Mahinda Rajapaksa's followers attacked anti-government protestors and violent fights broke out throughout the country, Mahinda resigned as prime minister. Mahinda, 76, was forced to evacuate his home after an irate mob encircled it and set fire to dozens of politicians' properties, some of which he owned.

A court has prohibited Mahinda from leaving the country, and he is currently hiding in a naval base in the nation's northeast. This was the same as being humiliated for Mahinda, who was president twice.

When the Tamil Tigers were defeated in 2009, Mahinda Rajapaksa was president, and the protracted civil war ended. Currently, Sri Lanka's President, Gotabaya Japanese, was Mahinda's brother and the country's defence minister during the time.

As the nation's problems worsened, two siblings, Basil and Chamal Rajapaksa, who had essential administrative roles, quit last month. Namal Rajapaksa, the sports minister, also announced his resignation. He is Mahinda's son.

Gotabaya proclaimed a state of emergency last week and stated he has no plans to step down as president. It is unlikely that Sri Lanka, which is currently experiencing its most significant economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, would experience more political turmoil. People are catching fire as a result of expensive food and fuel shortages.

These changes will surprise the Rajapaksa family, who have dominated Sri Lankan politics for more than ten years.

The majority of Sinhalese hailed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the hero who put an end to the nearly 30-year civil war. He was compared to Buddhist Sinhalese kings in ceremonies to celebrate the end of the war.

According to seasoned political analyst Kusal Perera, Mahinda was the most prominent Sinhalese leader in Sri Lanka after independence, and some even referred to him as Emperor Mahinda.

Rajapaksa: The Sinhala Selfie, a book by Mr. Perera that examines the Rajapaksa family's place in Sri Lanka's political system, was published in 2017. It illustrates Mahinda's quest for power.

Mahinda's father served in the legislature, and in 2004 he advanced from being an opposition leader to becoming prime minister. When Mahinda took office as president in 2005, he appointed his younger brother Gotabaya to the position of defence minister.

It was a significant development for Gotabaya, a retired Sri Lankan soldier who now lives quietly in the United States. He came back for the Mahinda campaign, and soon after, other brothers and relatives also started to hold cabinet positions. The Rajapaksa Empire has founded in large part thanks to Mahinda.

The Rajapaksa brothers had been inseparable up until this point. But the path to destruction has already started. In particular, the current president Gotabaya has urged Mahinda to make sacrifices for the benefit of all. The demand to respect the protesters' request to leave was then made.

Mahinda, who had appointed his younger brother to the ministry, found the suggestion a grave affront. Mahinda doesn't want to end his political career that way.

According to Mahinda's eldest son Nay Mai, the president and Mahinda have different political philosophies. He nonetheless denied that there was a conflict between the brothers. According to Nae Mai, President Gotabaya's path was different from his father's because the farmer and the people were always on his side.

Those who oppose the current administration will welcome Mahinda's resignation as prime minister. The demonstrators are adamant that Gotabaya would go on the same course. Gotabaya has made it clear to those close to him that he has no interest in running for reelection and merely wants to help the nation's economy.

Nevertheless, he was left with little choice as anti-Rajapaksa sentiments spread nationwide. Additionally, there are worries that tough-guy President Gotabaya would use the military to maintain his position of authority.

There are significant human rights violations affecting the Rajapaksa family. Although there have long been allegations of oppression of minorities and the media among the Sinhalese population, at the time, the Sinhalese majority chose to ignore these issues; now that the country is in crisis and the protests have brought the ethnic groups together, the Sinhalese majority has even begun to support the rights of the minorities.

The Rajapaksa family won't be easily persuaded to give up. When the new government takes office, they are concerned about their political future and safety.

The president has so far resisted calls for his resignation and offered some accommodations. He has consented to give the parliament some of the president's executive authority and to name veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister of a coalition government.

However, President Gotabaya's political future is still in doubt, and some even think he may eventually have to resign.

Most of the populace is dissatisfied and frustrated by the president's manipulations. Debt management will be challenging. The lack of energy and gasoline shortages will only last for a short time if the new government does not address these issues immediately.