Gota’s return

There were reports on Friday morning as this is being written that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa may be back in Sri Lanka over the weekend. No reasonable person will want to deny him his birthright of living here whatever the circumstances under which he ‘fled’ the country as has been stated ad infinitum since his departure. When he was forced to leave the country, caving into the massive ‘GotaGo’ demand, he did not find it easy to find a safe haven of refuge. It has been reported, though not confirmed, that he first explored the possibility of returning to the USA, whose citizenship he renounced, to run for president in Nov. 2019. Rajapaksa then as a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and the U.S. constrained by the then law from running for president while being a foreign citizen. Hence his renunciation of his U.S. citizenship.

 When he was forced to depart, he first flew to the Maldives by military aircraft and within hours by a commercial flight to Singapore from where he resigned the presidency. The Singapore government which extended his original two week stay permit by two more weeks said on the public domain that GR was on a private visit and had not sought asylum. He had not been accorded facilities (perhaps other than security) or hospitality, an official statement from the Government of Singapore said. From the city state he flew to Thailand on a private charter and was confined to his hotel for reasons of security.

 It has also been reported that he was exploring the possibility of returning to the United States where he had lived earlier following his premature retirement from the Sri Lanka Army holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. He returned to Sri Lanka following his brother’s election as president in 2005 and served as defence secretary until Mahinda Rajapaksa’s defeat in 2015, overseeing the end of the long war against the LTTE in 2009. He renounced his U.S. citizenship to run for president in 2019. Given his foreshortened tenure, he is reported to have explored the possibility of resuming U.S. residency. This, a former local employee of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, now resident in the U.S. has said in a recent article, may not be easy for GR.

 Although the former president renounced his U.S. citizenship, his wife retains her citizenship and his son and family live in that country. There may be reasons for allowing GR to return to the U.S. on grounds of family reunion. Also, as has been publicly pointed out, former presidents of Sri Lanka and their widows have several legal entitlements enjoyed by many of GR’s predecessors and their widows. He too would enjoy such entitlements. These include pensions, security, vehicles, residences and possibly staff. Mrs. Hema Premadasa, President Ranil Wickremesinghe noted in Parliament recently, is enjoying these benefits. So is former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who has accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa of attempting to, or actually doing her down. Former President Maithripala Sirisena, since his departure from office, continued to live in two government bungalows joined together as a presidential residence during his tenure but vacated those premises following a court order.

 Although the actual date has not been set as this is being written, the former president is very likely be back in Sri Lanka in the short term. This has been discussed and facilitation requested by the SLPP. President Wickremesinghe, not long ago, expressed an opinion that the time was not right for Gota’s return. There is no doubt that the former president’s security, particularly, must be ensured. That is an obligation of the state. Like Presidents Jayewardene and Premadasa before him, GR chose to live in his private home at Mirihana rather than in President’s House for most of his tenure. Readers would remember that the Aragalaya gained momentum following an attack on this house, going beyond non-violent protest as was the case earlier. Although Rajapaksa as defence secretary lived in a government bungalow equipped with a giant tank in which sharks swam, he chose to continue living in his modest home as president. Once he is back, this may not be a suitable place for him to live on grounds of security considerations. His army pension too would be modest.

 We do not know whether former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena who continue in active politics as MPs, draw their presidential pensions in addition to their parliamentary emoluments. These, of course, would be entitlements. What we do know is there is massive adverse public opinion in the country about how our legislators look after themselves as incumbents and former incumbents. An MP, for example, is entitled to a life pension after a mere five years service in the legislature. Their widows/spouses continue to receive this benefit after their demise. Unlike the Widows and Orphans Pension in the public service, these benefits that parliamentarians enjoy are non-contributory. A magnificent gesture by two former Central Bank Governors, Mr. Sunil Mendis and Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy declining their pension entitlements was recently reported. But such gestures are all too rare in this country. In fact it was a self-serving maneuver in the Central Bank that created the entitlement that has been declined. It will be good to know whether former Governor Arjuna Mahendran, accused of culpability for the bond scams during the Yahapalanaya regime, is being paid a pension under the new rules despite his refusal to come back and face due process.