Gota and Mahinda will fight over every bit of power at the country’s expense – The Economist

Sri Lanka sinking

The Economist international magazine says it seems that Gota and Mahinda will fight over every bit of power at the country’s expense. “Mahinda, the oldest brother, is a sun king, his chair in his meeting room a hand-span wider than the others. He says the post of prime minister will be the crucial one in government. Across town, Gota argues for a strong executive presidency,” says the magazine

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The Economist published these views in an article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Forward to the past”.

Describing about Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s past, the international magazine says, “Gota wanted credit for winning the war, and bridled at claims of war crimes. He ran the security services during the era of white-van terror. He had a foul temper and a threatening tongue.”

The magazine mentions, “Both Basil and Mahinda are frank enough, when asked, to admit that Gota needs to keep talking about policies, not the past. Yet again and again he seems drawn back to that other country in which part of him still dwells, arguing that his achievements in ending the war and rebuilding the north have never been fully acknowledged. His greatest regret, he says, is not being properly understood. Even reports that he kept sharks in tanks are unfair: they helped to soothe his nerves and anyway, he says, stretching out his hands, they weren’t that big.

“There is another worrying aspect to Gota’s prospective return. It comes with the full Rajapaksa package. Basil is overseeing an efficient, high-tech campaign—dreamt up, he says, while serving time in prison for corruption. Mahinda, who sparked a constitutional crisis last year by attempting to supplant the prime minister in a parliamentary coup, now intends to win the post via parliamentary elections next year.”

Discussing about the alternate to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, The Economist points out Ranil Wickramasinghe is not popular while popular Sajith Premadsa does not really know what he believes in.

“The 70-year-old seems to have thought of himself as the ideal candidate. But after a dismal term as prime minister, no one in his party shares his view. He has not yet come round to endorsing the ally with the best numbers in the polls, Sajith Premadasa, son of Sri Lanka’s third president. Mr Premadasa’s chief backers admit that not even the candidate himself really knows what he believes in.”

Article can be read from here: An election campaign in Sri Lanka stirs old ghosts >>

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