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New Delhi a winner in Sri Lankan poll

By Graham Cooke - posted Thursday, 15 January 2015


New President Sirisena cobbled together an election-winning majority from the disaffected Tamil community, Muslims, Christians and a significant chunk of the majority Sinhalese who were alarmed at Rajapaksa's China policy, his increasingly autocratic rule, but perhaps most of all the rampant corruption and nepotism that plagued his administration.

As recently as an interview he gave last September, Rajapaksa could see no problem in having his brother, Gotabhaya as Defence Secretary, another brother, Basil, as Minister of Economic Development and yet another, Chamal, as Speaker in the Parliament. In addition, numerous other members of the extended family have received preferment to senior positions in the Public Service.

"They are all very talented people. Should they have to go overseas to find work just because I am the President?" he asked.

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The Rajapaksa family's domination of Sri Lankan national affairs is, for the moment at least, over and Sirisena is on record as preferring closer ties to India as a counter to the overbearing influence of Beijing.

The way is now open for the activist Government of Narenda Modi to take back some of the lost ground which political commentator Nitin Gokhale says was ceded to China through the previous Indian Government's preoccupation with domestic affairs and confusion over what kind of role it should play with its southern neighbour.

Finally many in New Delhi were relieved and surprised by what seemed to be a quiet and peaceful transition of power in Colombo. Now it appears it could easily not have been the case.

The Sirisena Government says it is investigating claims Rajapaksa contacted both senior military officers and police officials and ordered a military clampdown when it became clear he was going to lose.

Reports said that came to nothing when the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, flatly refused, saying the armed forces had no place interfering in politics.

The reports have been denied by a spokesman for Rajapaksa, and the Army has refused to comment, but a specialist in Sri Lankan affairs in New Delhi said he would not be surprised if they were true.

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"Rajapaksa is not the type of person to let go without a fight," the specialist said. "He and his family have too much at stake."

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About the Author

Graham Cooke has been a journalist for more than four decades, having lived in England, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, for a lengthy period covering the diplomatic round for The Canberra Times.


He has travelled to and reported on events in more than 20 countries, including an extended stay in the Middle East. Based in Canberra, where he obtains casual employment as a speech writer in the Australian Public Service, he continues to find occasional assignments overseas, supporting the coverage of international news organisations.

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