"Everybody knows who killed Lasantha" -- Gotabhaya

"Everybody knows who killed Lasantha" -- Gotabhaya

After Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, brother of Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother gave clues last week that he is ready for the next Presidential Election; he has detailed out about the work-procedures for the future in connection with that short statement by participating in an interview given to a weekend newspaper. Published below is the interview published in Sunday Aruna newspaper. 

 You mentioned at 'Eliya' organisation public rally some days back that if masses are ready ... you too

are ready. Everyone understands that it is a very decisive decision. If you are preparing for the Presidential Election, shouldn't you free yourself from American citizenship?

Yes. I am quite ready for it. There's no question. If I do not want American citizenship, when I notify American government about it ... within two weeks the American government invalidates that citizenship. In short, that topic is not relevant now. (smiles)Most people thought that you have no chance in invalidating the American citizenship. 

Yes ... many people think that way. There is a reason to think that way. They think so because of actions of the government. 

What is the action of the government. 

The Yahapalana regime was established with a particular objective. That was a change of the Rajapaksa regime. The government even after acquiring power, did the same thing and that was to sweep the Rajapaksa's away. What this government did was not develop the country, protect the country. Whatever bill was brought in parliament ... what was in it was remove the Rajapaksa's from politics. It is for that reason the Special Police, Special Courts were established. Look at the 19th constitution amendment. What is the democracy that this country get from the 19th amendment?

The 19th amendment was introduced with the idea of blocking the path for Mahinda Rajapaksa becoming President again. Then, laws were introduced to block those with dual citizenship being chosen to parliament. Was that law introduced for the sake of democracy? No. Its motive was to stop us from coming into politics. When the government was heading in those lines ... the masses thought that this government take action to prevent my dual citizenship being repealed. 

The Rajapaksa regime was toppled on the date ... January 8th. Lasantha Wickramatunga murder too happened on an 8th January. This January 8th his daughter had written a letter to the government. What was mostly emphasised in that letter was that with Lasantha writing against you ... he was killed. Really, what have you got to say about the Lasantha killing?

I need not say anything about it. It was Ranil Wickremasinha who first of all spoke about it in parliament. What he said very clearly that day was that former Army commander was connected to the murder. Then, what did Mangala as well as Chandrika Bandaranaika who now appears in favour of Lasantha say when Lasantha was among the living? Chandrika said that the person called Lasantha is a 'thakkadiya'. 

Lasantha wrote in the Sunday Leader about the channel 4 media in 1995   institution and that was during Chandrika's time. What happened to Lasantha? He and his first wife was going home when an assault was launched on the way. Lasantha told newspapers and international media that Mangala and Chandrika were planning to murder him. It did not stop there. When a certain transaction was revealed ... Lasantha's home was shot at in 1998. When it was said tat "Lasantha is at the background of the 1999 Town Hall bomb blast and Chandrika government is looking out to murder Lasantha" ... Lasantha tried to flee the country. Next, Mangala filed legal action against Lasantha over a credit card issue. Can't you understand that both these two wanted to murder Lasantha, when considering these attacks?

Actually, all these people know who killed Lasantha. Lasantha's daughter who is supposed to have written a commemorative letter on Lasanthatoo is aware of it. Lalith also knows about it. But nobody wants to go into it, to expose to the country or punish the offender as such. These people only want to get some gain from Lasantha's murder. Lasantha's first wife, second wife, daughter, brother and Fredericka Janz who later became the editor ... all are abroad. 

Even journalists who wrote to Lasantha's newspaper are living overseas. Only Lasantha's dead body is here. All these people know who the murderer is. But nobody is interested in carrying out an investigation. During their regime a good opportunity was available to conduct an inquiry and mete out punishment to the wrongdoer. But these people are beating about the bush. If Lasantha's daughter wishes ... ask her to come to Sri Lanka and meet me and thus find out who the killers are. I will tell what happened. But I have no evidence to prove it in court. Even today investigations launched by us are at a standstill at the juncture where we stopped investigations. 

What analysts consider as the block in winning the Presidential Election is votes in the North. If you wish to be victorious in the Presidential Election ... you should get North-Est minority votes. Do you think that you will get North-East votes like that? 

That statement is not right. It was not because of North-East votes that we lost ... but because the voting structure we anticipated declined in Gampaha, Colombo and Kurunegala districts. It can be seen when analysing 2015 election results very carefully. When looking at votes acquired at both last Presidential elections it can be noted that votes acquired from the North were not adequate to change Presidential results. For instance, we got 4530 votes in 2010 from Kopai, Jaffna. In 2015, we got 6211. In 2010, the common candidate gt 13,151 and in 2015 it was 2716. Such was the gap even if people in Jaffna gave their total votes. But when we got seven lakhs eighteen thousand votes in 2010, in 2015 we got six lakhs sixty and sixty four thousand. There itself there was a deficit of 60,000. This situation we should study. The other thing is, at the 2015 polls, a massive number of people went to the polling station against the government. Seventy, eighty percent go to the polling booth in that manner when they want to topple the government. This government too will have to face that fate at next polls. 

Even if victory is gained at the Presidential Election, trust and co-operation of the minority is required to proceed. 

Yes ... exactly. This government should realise that. Why does the Tamil, Muslim community of this country pin faith on this government? The country has changed now. The way people think has changed. The Tamil and Muslim people anymore do not wish to think on racist terms. What they want is to develop their area ... to uplift their mode of income ... their businesses. Now not one of those things are there in those countries. What they have now are only the roads we made, electricity given, hospitals, water and resettlement. The development progress of their area have come to a standstill. What they want is their own progress. These two communities now know that it could be effected by us. The suspicion and anxiety they had at that time have now to a large degree left both parties. Therefore, even anyone nominated from the Opposition comes forward at the Presidential Election and the number of votes he claims ... I also can acquire if I contest. 

What are the reasons for you to entertain such confidence? What are the reasons for you to say that racism has distanced from them?

I never though in a racist, religious-oriented, Colombo - rural perspective. Those who wrote books on Sinhala racism; about the behaviour of other races or communities are to be found in this cabinet. In the same way, the common candidate who came forward in 2010 is a person who said that this country does not belong to the minority. I of course have never said so. Just collect the statements these racist groups have made in history against other communities. I have never spoken against other races like that. While speaking against minorities ... what they did was hoodwinking the majority. I have not done that. That truth ... the Tamil and Muslim folk are quickly realising. 

An allegation against the Rajapaksa regime is that fraudsters, cheaters destroyed that government. Won't that same old set try to get close to you if you come into power?

What masses asked from the government of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 is to bring the war to a close. Having finished that, we proceeded to the Presidential Election again. What was asked for at that time was to install democracy once more and bring up the country that has collapsed. We started progressing at a rapid rate. But the strong request of the middle class in Colombo was none of those ... to take steps against fraud, corruption. None of the things we launched to restore development of the country was appreciated. The value of that work was covered by howls over frauds committed and corruption activities. In any case ... those belonging to the group involved in corruption or fraud were not round me. I am a person who was trained with Army discipline. All the same I involve myself with groups who work efficiently, accurately, with plans employed. So not only with people linked to corruption ... there is no place with me people who are lazy. But, most persons labelled corrupters when Rajapaksa regime changed are now in the Yahapalana regime no.

Western countries gave much support for the change effected in 2015. In the future how will these countries have their relationships with you?. 

2005, till 2010 we worked with massive foreign intervention. By that time there was laying down of arms which the whole world endorsed. The problem of Sri Lanka had turned into an issue which had entangled races in the world as an international problem. Even India was directly affected by this issue of our country. However, we managed to encounter all such international intervention quite well by even abolishing the laying down of arms. We managed all those countries very well. 

Even after that we carried out a massive part of work in the field of construction with funds from China. But we took care not to bind ourselves beyond bounds with China, India or the West. However the UNP agreed to change this non-alligned policy which we engaged in and thus implement the agenda of those countries and thereby hand over to other countries that which belongs to this land. In the present what all such countries have understood and are considering is the patriotism and attitude of the people of this country. Now the world knows how people of this country think. The best way to face foreign countries is to place trust in a regime by placing the burden on the masses.

But then foreign countries intervened against Rajapaksas for what happened on October 26th.

That was not an instance of opposing the Rajapaksas. There was something which they expected from this regime. The revolution that took place before it was fulfilled ... those countries did not imagine. But even to fulfill that objective ... people of this country will not leave an opportunity for them.

You told in Viyath Maga that what we should look forward to is not 2020 but 2030?

Yes ... now even Western countries question about Liberalism by keeping the West on top of their head. At that time, political critic Francis Fukuyama wrote a book called 'End of History & Last Man' and said that Liberalism is the last thing that will remain in the world. That concept of 'personal freedom' born in the West is the final human target. But what happened by going behind that liberal freedom? When each person tries to live under 'personal freedom' ... disagreements and conflicts took place. Laws were brought to establish freedom by stopping those conflicts. Laws were introduced to  protect animal rights, protect various sex rights, legalise abortion. In the end ... it was the very same 'personal freedom' that was lost because of laws. After providing that 'personal freedom', Americans realised that they are losing their own country, America. 

In the meantime, Donald Trump came and turned all this upside down. Fukuyama who authored 'End of History & Last Man', later authors a book titled 'Identity'. In it he says ... "not personal freedom; what is important is identity of the races. We should join hands with the world which respect the identity of each race". 

This Liberalism as a concept itself ... did not pay attention to man's poverty. Under 'personal freedom', freedom was obtained saying it is the best thing in the world. The other fellow fell into poverty without a dollar a day. The gap between the poor and the rich increased. Ultimately, what every media spoke about was problems of the rich only. Democracy, freedom of expression, animal rights etcetera. There was not even a dog to speak about the destitute. That is what is happening in Sri Lanka now. How can concept for freedom of sex, right to information, establishing a non religious state get prominence over man's essential necessities such as right for food, housing and sanitary facilities? This story has been explained by political analyst John J. Mearsinem in the book 'The Great Delusion'. 

A poster campaign was to e seen on the road during the past in a manner that created fear as 'Gota - baya'. At the same time, the statement that this country needs a dictatorship Hitler was heard from the mouth of Asigiriya Anunayaka Thero. That statement also was a gain for your rivals?  

Yes ... I saw it. After that statement, the ITN company showed films of Hitler's brutality for many weeks. Didn't people who wear black face masks today and going in front of the media see this? But people know that 'Gotabhaya' is the person who dispelled fear in this country. If someone created the poster 'Gota - baya' ... even he would have been in fear before 2010. Government parliamentarians who gave the idea and planned it out those days went with hundreds of Army and Police round them with fear of death. I remember, the day we opened the road to go to Jaffna with confidence ... a certain person told me to erect a massive advertisement hoarding at the spot where the barrier leading to the North as: 'You are now entering in confidence to a region where lakhs of landmines were buried and feared to keep a foot'. I am a person who dismissed that fear. Was it I, terrorists, those who gave support to terrorism or those who spoke about the rights of coming into agreement with terrorists for ceasefire? What we did was put an end to the war which the UNP started. All these people talk as if we started the war. 

I can remember how awesome the underground was at that time. There were highly prominent areas where groups armed with weapons were living. Obeysekerapura, Suriyawewa ... those were underground kingdoms. How many business communities in Colombo gave bribes to those underground elements! It was we who clamped on their weapons. What we did was freeze terrorists and underground elements who brought fear of death to people in this country. What did those who took reigns over this government do? Just release the underground and terrorists from fear. Now they have brought domination over the whole country and thus instilled fear of death in the North and South. But I have one regret over that particular poster. It is the underground, garbage, posters, banners that were used in a city that has been cleaned up that in the end where the walls became covered and messed up that way. 

Only two days elapsed ... your elder brother also said that he is ready for the Presidential Election.  

Our father would take all of us near him when we were small and used to tell us a story. Bring a stick each of you one by one. When all those sticks are bent separately ... they break. Make those sticks into a bundle ... then it cannot be broken ever. It is because that story which runs mixed with mother's milk running in our veins that our family is strengthened more than any other political party in this country.  

You have never got on a political stage. Can you handle politics of the masses?  

 As a developed country ... there is a manner in which business should be transacted with the masses. We should not look at 2020 ... but 2030. I know, what we do is things belonging to the old society. Youth of this country are those who look at 2030. They see that overseas countries are more developed than our country. They are efficient, disciplined, lawful. Are equipped with a sense of free mentality. That there are no conflicts. The country should be developed to a stage where they do not think that way anymore. There is no necessity to reach a position which warrants asking. 

I am building up people who are suitable for administration, leadership. Through Eliya Viyath Maga I am attempting and gathering a crowd of that nature. My politics is directed to build a kind of politics which portrays a peaceful type of behaviour where people do not fight on the roads, where everybody shares truth ... build a type of politics of love and emotion. To build a public that looks at the rival without any hatred. Is it not the politics that the whole country is looking forward from us.

- Kavinda Wijeywardena -