Analysis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s authoritarianism and incompetence ended the family’s political reign
This was duly, and brutally, delivered. The Rajapaksas sought to channel and intensify the resultant wave of support among Sri Lanka’s Sinhala majority. A surge of chauvinism was one consequence. Another was the sense of empowerment that moved the Rajapaksas to spend enormous, borrowed sums on huge infrastructure projects of dubious value. A second win for Mahinda came in 2010.
What no one expected was the sheer incompetence of his increasingly autocratic rule. Taxes were cut, interest rates reduced, vast new loans sought, money printed – all at exactly the wrong time. Covid brought a collapse in tourism and remittances, both big sources of foreign exchange. A decision to make agriculture in Sri Lanka fully organic – largely an effort to greenwash an inability to afford fertiliser – crashed the entire sector. Soon, Sri Lanka was in a full economic meltdown.
This may not be a revolution – Sri Lanka has a long and established tradition of democracy, albeit one that has been strained in recent years – but it is an immense upheaval. The likelihood of a return of the family to power is unlikely, at least for many years. Others worry that years of majoritarian rhetoric have had an effect. Both Mahinda and Gotabaya exploited resurgent Sinhalese nationalism in different ways. A new methodology could be equally effective. It is obvious to everyone that there is no political or economic quick fix for a very troubled country.
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