Gotabaya Rajapaksa – War Criminal, Coward Or A President-In-Waiting?

By Muhammed Fazl -June 9, 2014

Muhammed Fazl

With international pressure building up and a successful prosecution taking shape against him, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa cashing in on the wave of success of his brother PresidentMahinda rajapaksa in local elections, is rushing to seek legitimacy and public support for a top job that could fall vacant in the near future. The sudden decision would have risen either from insecure complexities or as a precautionary measure of having immunity usually granted to serving heads and deputy heads of States against possible convictions in an International War Crimes Tribunal. It is also no secret that Mr. Gotabaya harbors great ambitions to fill the shoes of the President in the event the position becomes vacant, either due to an unexpected death of the latter or due to a ruling by the Supreme Court arising from a successful petition against the President for seeking an illegal third term. As for the legitimacy of the third term, only the voter should have the right to approve changes to the Constitution. 

Gotabaya

By not allowing thieves, rapists, sports stars and actors to sustain a despotic regime, thanks only to their popularity, the crossover MP’s should have no mandate to vote for President Rajapakse’s third term, especially when they had hoodwinked and convinced the ignorant voters into believing that they would act as opposition members in the parliament! We as a right-thinking nation cannot allow 150 plus individuals to hold the nation of 20 plus million as hostages!

Believing it would be unfair to the readers as well as to Mr. Gotabaya if the title of this article is not explained, I hope the following will shed more light on this elusive and the most-feared character of our time.

Living in a country where anyone charged of a crime is guilty until proven otherwise, there are serious allegations and over-whelming evidences of war crimes committed by Sri Lankan armed forces on direct orders from the Defense Secretary Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa. While he claims credit for coordinating and directing operations and winning the war, wouldn’t it be equally right for him to own up to any breach of ‘rules of engagement’ occurring especially at the last stages of the war? And yes, your guess would be good as mine.                              Read More