Sri Lanka’s former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa received a warm welcome on his return to the island from the USA earlier this month, as he called for elections to be held.
Rajapaksa was greeted at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by several members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) including Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and MP Sarath Weerasekara.
Speaking to Sirisa since his return, Rajapaksa said his party does not support the postponement of the parliamentary elections. “Be it the parliamentary elections or the presidential, we are of the opinion that it must be held on the specified date,” he said.
Though the current government is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe, it continues to maintain close ties with the SLPP. However, Rajapaksa refuted his party had any significant influence, stating “there are very few members from the present cabinet who represent the SLPP”.
“Even though people claim it's our government, even we are doubtful if it's ours,” he said. “We don't have a sitting minister from the North, Central, or Uva provinces. So how can you ask if this is even our government.”
Rajapaksa also said that he would want parliamentary elections to precede presidential polls.
“This way no one will get washed away and the members will remain,” he said. “Even with COVID, we continued to secure a ⅔ majority. But I wonder if that reflects the people’s aspirations. There’s this thought process that keeping both parliamentary and presidential powers to one party might not be a good idea.”
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Last week Rajapaksa also met the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santhosh Jha, where they reportedly “exchanged views on bilateral relations, political developments and other subjects of mutual interest”.
Rajapaksa, who is also a US passport holder, has a history of corruption and embezzlement.
A 2007 leaked US embassy cable noted that Basil “worked for the Ministry of Mahaweli Development, where he earned the nickname "Mr. Ten Percent" for demanding a ten percent commission on every project”. “Embassy contacts say Basil has no close advisors and more enemies than friends in Sri Lanka because he makes a habit of trying to "buy people”,” the cable added, noting that at the time “Basil continues to be accused of significant corruption in his current position”.
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