Sri Lanka presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been a polarizing figure...
BERUWALA, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been a polarizing figure for much of his political life. It is an image he is trying to change.
In 2013, he was chief guest at the opening of a leadership academy run by a hardline Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena . Groups such as BBS see the minorities as a potential threat to the Sinhala Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. Some Christians say they are looking for stronger security policies, even if that means going with a hardliner like Rajapaksa.
As a politician who respected all communities and religions, Rajapaksa was doing the “right thing” by visiting houses of worship, Rambukwella said.Rajapaksa’s office declined a request for an interview with him.He has yet to tour the Tamil-dominated north and east of Sri Lanka but has said he would work toward fulfilling their aspirations, including more regional autonomy.
The political calculations are clear. While Sri Lanka is 70%Sinhala Buddhist, some Buddhists support current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s rival center-right United National Party .Hardline Buddhist monks enjoyed impunity during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government, antagonizing minorities who voted overwhelmingly against him in 2015, said Hilmy Ahamed, vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka.
Inside the mosque, a cleric sought blessings for Gotabaya Rajapaksa so he could ensure “unity and equality for all ethnicities in Sri Lanka”.Rajapaksa is also trying to win over Sri Lanka’s Catholics, many of whom have traditionally voted UNP.
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