Sri Lanka’s former resident and ex-prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, broke his silence over the weekend as he defended the record of his war-crimes accused brother and maintained that his only folly was that “he became soft”.

“Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not responsible for all the country’s ills. Everybody, including me and the previous governments, would have to answer,” Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Sunday Times.

He added that his brother had simply “acted on the advice of the experts he trusted”, alluding to successive governors of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank. Mahinda Rajapaksa further lamented the demise of his brother’s political career, touting his military accomplishments and asserting that his failure was due to a lack of resolve.

“When he was Defence Secretary, he displayed good administrative skills. As President, he was subject to heavy pressure. He was a hardliner before. He became soft. He should not have done what he did, but he is not a politician. He should have finished the task before him correctly”.

For human rights activists, Gotabaya’s Rajapaksa’s record is synonymous with genocidal violence, white van abductions, and authoritarian rule. As defence secretary, he oversaw a brutal military campaign that saw the indiscriminate shelling of hospitals, food lines and government-mandated “no-fire zones”. An estimated 169,000 were slaughtered during this period.

The end of the armed conflict was followed by a period of terror as critical journalists and dissidents were abducted, tortured and forcibly disappeared by white vans under the alleged orders of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

In late 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa secured the presidency by presenting himself as a “strong man” and pandering to hardline Sinhala Buddhist nationalists. This openly ethnocratic platform enabled him to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament and centralise power within the presidency through the 20^th amendment.

Rajapaksa utilised his sweeping power to push forwards deeply unpopular reforms such as the chemical fertilizer ban which saw crop yields plummet. Despite the protests of many of his own supporters, Rajapaksa refused to abandon his policy telling an audience in Edinburgh that farmers had grown too used to fertilisers. This was against the protests of several experts who warned of the dire consequences this ban would bring.

Questioned on whether he knew his brother would flee the island, Mahinda Rajapaksa denied prior knowledge, after previously asserting he was simply away for a medical visit. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who similarly was forced to vacate his home when faced with mass protests, claimed that he would “remain in politics” and only retire “at the appropriate time. Until then I will not go”.

Asked whether he would remain the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted “that is left to the party to decide… If it becomes necessary, I am prepared to go”.

Mahinda Rajapaksa also spoke approvingly of the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, stating:

“He is the only capable person who can bring about a speedy economic recovery,” he said.  “That is why I endorsed his assumption of office and expressed my support to him.”

His endorsement of Ranil Wickremesinghe contradicts his earlier claim that he had put forwards Wickremesinghe’s rival, Dullas Alahapperuma. During the interview, Mahinda Rajapaksa further stressed his support for an all-party government.

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