Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is set to become Sri Lanka's next President, is a name the country associates with the defeat of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Supporters hail him for his role as Defence Secretary in ending the cycle of violence witnessed during the rebellion by the separatist group.
This very same 'achievement' however, cast a shadow over the Rajapaksa clan as detractors and activists stressed on the gross human rights violations allegedly ordered by the then government to bring the island nation's civil war to an end in 2009.
At a time when Sri Lanka is still reeling from the horrors of the terror attack on Easter that left over 250 people dead, the citizens of Sri Lanka have turned back to the Rajapaksa family who campaigned fiercely, promising security and an end to religious extremism.
The military route
Gotabaya Rajapaksa hails from a well-known political family in Sri Lanka. He was born the fifth of nine brothers in 1949 and belongs to the majority Sinhalese community. While his father DA Rajapaksa was an MP, Deputy speaker and Cabinet Minister, his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa has been the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka between 2004-2005 and President of the Island nation for two terms. Two more of his brothers have also held important positions in the Sri Lankan government.
Gotabaya however first went the military route, by joining the Ceylon Army in 1971, when Sri Lanka was still under the rule of the British. He steadily grew within the ranks. He served in the military for 20 years and received awards for his gallantry from multiple presidents.
Following two decades of service however he moved with his family to America, where he did a degree in Information Technology. He eventually migrated to America in 1998 and only returned to Sri Lanka in 2005, to assist his elder brother's presidential campaign. He then obtained a dual citizenship from Sri Lanka, and kept his American citizenship.
This however proved to be a problem for him ahead of the elections as he was unable to provide documents to prove that he had renunciated his American citizenship. The Rajapaksa clan however claimed that all documents had been submitted to American authorities and that he ceased to be a citizen the moment he turned in the papers.
Role as defence secretary
When Mahinda became the president of Sri Lanka in 2005 and 2010, Gotabaya was appointed as the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence. During this time, he and his brother oversaw military operations against the LTTE. The civil war had lasted 25 years and saw the deaths of over one lakh people in Sri Lanka. And while Gotabaya was declared a 'war hero' for masterminding its end, the disappearance of people, violence, murders and torture seen in its final stages and even after the war ended, led to several questions and criticism against the Rajapaksas.
The alleged shelling of a hospital in the war zone, sexual assault of Tamil women, disappearance of journalists and murders of human right activists further damaged Gotabaya's reputation internationally.
In fact, an editorial in The Hindu in 2016 titled 'A brother out of control' said: "President Rajapaksa would be well advised to distance himself swiftly from his brother's stream-of-consciousness on sensitive issues that are not his business. This includes an outrageous comment that because a Tamil woman, an “LTTE cadre” who was a British national, interviewed in the Channel 4 documentary was “so attractive” but had been neither been raped nor killed by Sri Lankan soldiers, the allegation of sexual assault by soldiers could not be true. For this statement alone, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa must be taken to task."
And while his ruthlessness has put minorities on the edge once again in Sri Lanka, for India another concern is now looming larger than before.
The China fear
It is no secret that Gotabaya's win is a victory for the entire Rajapaksa clan. Mahinda was largely present during his brother's campaign and the family's political aspirations are out in the open. And the elder Rajapaksa is seen as pro-China. Multiple developments over the last decade have only deepened this impression, despite denial from the Rajapaksas.
India sees China's activities in Sri Lanka as part of its 'String of pearls' strategy to secure a foothold in South Asia. Beijing’s decision to dock two submarines in China has been perceived as a desire to gain increasing maritime access through the Indian Ocean. And not just strategic, China's economic interests and efforts to gain Sri Lankan assets too have made India wary. During his time in power, Mahinda Rajapaksa had got $8 billion in loans from China for infrastructural projects in Hambantota district and the Colombo Port City.
When questioned about this, Mahinda's son Namal Rajapaksa had earlier told TNM, "We first offered the port and the southern highway to the Indian government. But for three years, they did not deliver. We instead gave it to people who were ready to take on the projects. If China's economic interests in Sri Lanka trouble India, then they should take up more projects too."
However, while Namal's argument offers another perspective, reports suggest that other countries stayed away from the project because of the notoriety the Rajapaksas had earned in the manner in which they subdued the LTTE. The war crimes and the government's refusal to acknowledge the violence was internationally frowned upon.