Now we wonder, will we be punished for it? For nearly a decade, the Rajapaksa dynasty β then-president Mahinda, his brothers and a band of family members β had burrowed into the heart of politics, wielding wide powers.
Mahinda Rajapaksa installed his younger brother Gotabhaya as secretary to the ministry of defence and urban affairs; his older brother Chamal as the speaker of the parliament; and another younger brother Basil as economic development minister. The constitution was changed during that time, allowing Mahinda to serve a third term. With the three brothers placed in such key posts, there were accusations that many development projects funds were going directly into the Rajapaksa family purse.
The Bodu Bala Sena, or the BBS, a Buddhist extremist force responsible for several anti-Christian and anti-Muslim riots that went unchecked, is alleged to have the protection of the Rajapaksas. Mr Rajapaksa defeated Mr Premadasa in a close-fought battle and secured a victory with He led a strong Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist campaign, promising to provide better national security and crush terrorism.
But since the beginning of his campaign, the schism between the minority communities and majority Sinhalese has further deepened, with mistrust brewing. Similar sentiments run through the people of northern Sri Lanka, the former home of the Tamil Tigers which Mr Rajapaksa helped crush in He and his brother still face war crimes allegations for abduction, torture and extrajudicial killings of rebels and civilians including journalists, rights activists and people who spoke out against their government.
The Rajapaksas have denied all allegations. More than 87 per cent of the votes in Kilinochchi went to Mr Premadasa. The Tamil votes around the country went almost exclusively to Mr Premadasa, especially after the Tamil National Alliance TNA , the main Tamil political party, decided to back him a week before elections.
