There has been a debate among the ‘pohottuwa-loyalists’ over the past few months, especially in social media. The debaters clearly belong to two camps: those who champion Basil Rajapaksa as the best presidential candidate that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) can field and those who think his older brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, is the more suitable in terms of winnability and ‘presidentiality’.
The two sides traded barbs, extolled the virtues of their preferred candidate and vilified the perceived spoiler. While comments on competency and winnability were interesting, overall the debate could be described in this way: those who were close enough to the particular man obviously had a personal interest in promoting his candidacy whereas they stood to gain little nothing if the ‘other guy’ became president.
The media played up this ‘battle’. Very few made the most pertinent observation: neither has officially declared candidacy. Their political presence is of course obvious; both make public statements. Whereas Basil, in view of his role as the key campaign organizer of the SLPP, is overtly political, Gotabhaya is political mostly through proxy, especially the work of ‘Viyath Maga’ a forum of intellectuals focusing on policy development. They don’t say ‘It’s for Gota,’ but they aren’t fooling anyone on this.
Basil has a political history that’s several decades long and not all of it has been as adjunct to his Presidential brother, Mahinda. Gota was not a name associated with politics until 2005. Both are seen as ‘doers’ and both have claims to have been Mahinda’s Right Hand Man.
Not too long ago, responding to a question posed by a journalist, Basil said that under a Gotabhaya Presidency, he, Basil, ’would be an even more powerful president than he was under Mahinda,’ observing that Gota had far less political experience. That was essentially a remark about being ‘THE power behind the Mahinda’s throne’ and a hint at an even bigger role if the other brother became President.
The SLPP has not decided. The two brothers haven’t stated intention. Gota, just the other day, in fact said that younger brother Basil would be more suitable for the job. It would be safe to saw however that both are legitimate contenders and for this reason perhaps it is time to ask ourselves who these two individuals are, in and out of the shadow of their extremely popular brother, Mahinda. Let’s begin with Basil. Let’s try to answer the question, ‘Who is Basil?’
The man is, as mentioned, a mover and shaker. He got things done during the previous administration. Obviously, family ties helped, especially since Sri Lankan politics is marked by a strong strain of feudalism. He had the blessings and the official authority.
Sure, he was controversial. Former President, Chandrika Kumaratunga dubbed him ‘Mister 10 Percent’ alleging obviously that he was a taker. He certainly had access, for it is true that as the Minister of Economic Affairs, he controlled vast swathes of the economy. Developent was his baby, and it’s a rich little infant. The system has enough loopholes for the corrupt and greedy. On the other hand, allegations are easy, proof tough and a man is considered innocent until proven guilty. One thing is clear. He delivered.
Basil’s operations is one reason that there’s a lot of disappointment in this Government. Post-war development work during the Rajapaksa era makes the efforts of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe dispensation look sad, really. The highways, bridges, the development in the East and later the North, were his babies. Of course visibility is only one part of the story, but it’s what’s evident that usually counts.
He’s arrogant. Politically, it was he who blocked Maithripala Sirisena being made the Prime Minister, a decision that proved to be costly. He also blocked Berty Premalal Dissanayake being made the Chief Minister of the North Western Province. Berty’s son, Duminda, was one of the first to side with Sirisena. Such things happened. They added up. He didn’t suffer objection, even from senior ministers. That sidelining caused defection or at least secret joy at the fate suffered by the Rajapaksas. He is also ‘credited’ with the rise of Rishard Bathiudeen. His name always comes up and not without reason when the brazen destruction in Wilpattu is discussed.
So, Basil was and is controversial. He disappeared after his brother lost the Presidential Election. He wasn’t too involved in the General Election later that year. Perhaps he was biding his time. After the second defeat in 2015, he set up an office and did what he does best: organizing. Just as he had handled the election campaigns of the SLFP for a decade, Basil ensured a resounding victory for the SLPP at the February 2018 local government election. ‘The Strategist’ was back. Even those in the SLPP who were opposed to the idea of Basil contesting the presidential election, grudgingly acknowledged that the SLPP needed him. Indeed, Mangala Samaraweera, also a man who is thought of as a cunning strategist albeit with thin credentials recently described Basil as ‘a clever politician who should be in any Parliament.’
Much of this is known. It is important also to delve into the longer past, i.e. Basil in his various pre-2005 avatars.
He first came into the political conversation when he sided with Maithripala Senanayake, who tried (unsuccessfully) to wrest the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from Sirimavo Bandaranaike. It was her son, Anura, who was the de-facto leader of the SLFP (M) as the Senanayake Faction was called. Basil was the General Secretary.
The SLFP (M) went about building an alternative to the SLFP (S), just like the SLPP posits itself as the New SLFP. Then, as now, Basil played a key role. However, when Anura decided to reunite with his mother, Basil went along. That was the end of the SLFP (M).
Politics took a backseat thereafter for Basil. Perhaps he was shrewd. He probably knew that it would take some years for the UNP to be defeated. He joined the Japanese construction giant, Hazama Gumi which was contracted to do work in the Mahaweli Development Project. Basil, naturally, worked closely with Gamini Dissanayake, a fact which often make his detractors in the Rajapaksa camp dismiss him as a UNPer. When Chandrika took over the party and Anura defected to the UNP, Basil stood with Anura. He however supported his brother Mahinda and held positions that came under the portfolios he, Mahinda, handled.
In 1997 when his wife Pushpa, a lawyer by profession, won the US Green Card Lottery, Basil went with her and their three children Thejani, Bimalka and Asanka to the USA. He returned frequently and continued to be in touch with politicians, parties and political processes. It was he, along with Willie Gamage, who strategized Mahinda’s campaign in 2005.
We can conclude, then, that he’s a pragmatist. He is not fixated with party or logo. Ideology has never been something that concerned him. Power obviously matters to him and that’s the equation he understands best. The Strategist, after all, has positioned the SLPP to win the next election handsomely, so much so that the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regime is terrified of facing an election, with Sirisena now openly pleading for a hook up with the SLPP.
He holds his personal cards close to his chest. Reputed to be a family man, it is unlikely that he would be flippant about forfeiting his US citizenship (a requirement for candidacy). It cannot be ruled out though. What he would do if he runs and if he wins, is of course in the realm of conjecture. We could ask some question, however: What would Gota’s position be in a Basil Presidency? What will be Mahinda’s fate? Will not an arrogant man with increased power demonstrate enhanced arrogance? What of the corruption charges? If true, would President Basil be even more corrupt? As a man with a proven track record of delivering development (of a particular kind) would we see an accelerated development drive? What about Wilpattu? What kind of environmental policy would he have? What would be the fate of the UNP when the strategist consolidates?
We don’t know.
Basil is not a great public speaker. This we know. He’s shrewd though. There’s an anecdote about how he fixed votes in Gampaha that says a lot about his political acumen. If he attended a funeral or a wedding in some area, he would invariably inquire into the urgent needs of the particular community. Let’s say a road needed to be repaired. He would nod his head. Within an hour a team of workers would arrive. The job would get done. It was not ad hoc. He knew this ‘urgent need’. He knew the materials that were needed. In fact it was all ready to go. Only, the signal would come at the most opportune moment.
That’s Basil. He has things at his fingertips. He does the groundwork. He gets the job done. He is not to be underestimated.
So Basil is in the mix, that’s for sure, either as candidate or one of the key backers of the SLPP candidate and in the event of a victory would be one of the most powerful individuals in the government that would subsequently be formed, if not THE most powerful one. A man worth watching for a multiplicity of reasons, certainly.