Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today launched his new book detailing incidents related to the protests to oust him from the Presidency in 2022.
In his book, titled ‘The Conspiracy’, Gotabaya Rajapaksa reveals the ordeal he went through during the anti-government protests, especially, the storming of the President’s House in Colombo, his evacuation, and the measures taken to address the economic crisis and restore normalcy in the country.
Revealing details on the day protesters took over the President’s House in Colombo, Rajapaksa says; “On 8 July 2022, I instructed Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne to shift the Operations Room from the Defence Force Headquarters to President’s House. I took the precaution of getting all the defence chiefs to the President’s House because of the bad experience we had at Temple Trees on the night of 9 May 2022 where there was an inordinate and unforgivable delay in the induction of troops to evacuate the Prime Minister. At 8.00 am on the morning of 9 July 2022, the police curfew imposed in parts of the Western Province was lifted.
“At around 10.30 in the morning, the defence secretary and service chiefs told me that I should leave the premises immediately. It had not been even an hour since the mobs had started gathering in the vicinity of the President’s House. Earlier, officers in my security detail had told me to keep some things packed as a precaution and we had prepared two suitcases with some clothes, toiletries etc. We came downstairs with the baggage and just as we were getting into our vehicles. The crowds broke in through the front gate. Basil was also at the President’s house when this happened and he too got into our vehicle. We took the rear exit into the Navy Camp next door where the Navy Commander had made preparations for the evacuation,” he said.
The former President also revealed that the Navy had kept two vessels on standby in the harbour for his evacuation and that they used one and the other vessel was sent in the opposite direction so that nobody would know in which they were travelling.
“After leaving the Colombo Harbour, we went to Trincomalee and after spending the night at the Naval base, the next day I returned to Colombo to the Katunayake Air Force Base by helicopter and spent the second night there. The following night, I flew to the Maldives in an Air Force plane and reached Male at around 3.00 am on 12 July 2022. The Maldivian government had arranged for me to stay at an island resort about 200 km from Male and it was morning by the time we reached the hotel by boat. The plan was to fly to Singapore in a private plane but the Indian authorities had not allowed this private plane to fly to Male. So I gave instructions that tickets be obtained on a commercial flight to Singapore. And accordingly, I took a Saudi Airlines plane to Singapore. The Maldivian government had made all the arrangements necessary for me to travel from the hotel to the airport and to board the plane to Singapore. I was accompanied by my wife and two security officers. While in the Maldives, I appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe as the Acting President since I was out of the country.
“In Singapore, I was received at the airport and taken to a hotel where all arrangements had been made to secure the floor on which I would be staying. After reaching Singapore, I informed the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that I would step down from the Presidency in the coming few days respecting the request made of me by the political party leaders,” he said.
The former President says after reaching Singapore he had made up his mind to hand over the mantle of President to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, who he thought was the only person capable of restoring law and order in the country at the time.
“I had by this time, made up my mind to hand over the mantle of President to Prime Minister capable of restoring law and order in the country. Ranil Wickremasinghe, because I saw him as the only person.
“However, If law and order were restored, the foreign exchange needed by the economy would come in automatically. The combined meeting of political party leaders and the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on 13 July 2022 had decided that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also should resign from his position to defuse the prevailing situation by appeasing the mobs. PM Wickremasinghe however did not resign. He had stated earlier that he would remain in his position until a new government takes over. On 14 July 2022, I sent my letter of resignation to the Speaker of Parliament,” he said.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa further revealed that after the mobs broke into the President’s House, a group of 16 SLPP parliamentarians wrote a letter to him requesting that he resign from the presidency.
“The letter was signed by Dullas Alahapperuma, Prof. Channa Jayasumana. Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Prof. Charitha Herath, Wasantha Yapa Bandara and Dilan Perera among others. In the meantime. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe had summoned an emergency meeting of leaders of political parties represented in Parliament. I informed the Prime Minister that I would respect any decision taken by the party leaders. My departure from the President’s House precipitated the resignation of Ministers Bandula Gunawardena, Mahinda Amaraweera and Dhammika Perera from their Cabinet portfolios.
Speaking on the anti-government protests, he further said that mobs took over the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office and the official residence of the Prime Minister Temple Trees in rapid succession.
“The private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe was burnt to the ground by mobs. I was the President of Sri Lanka for something like two years and nine months. For two years and five months of this period, I lived in my private house. It was the demonstration in front of my private residence on the night of 31 March 2022 that forced me to take up residence at the Presidential Palace for greater security. When leaders try to effect change, the public has to support it or things will go in reverse. After the events of 2022, no leader will continue to live in their private residences after assuming office as President Prime Minister or Minister due to concerns about their neighbours’ safety if not their safety.
The former President also pointed out that, ironically, while the protest was supposed to be over shortages of essential items, shipments of many of these items were due to reach Colombo either on 9 July 2022 itself or in the days following.
“A ship carrying over 3,700 metric tonnes of LP gas which had been delayed finally reached Colombo on 9 July. A ship carrying 44,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer bought under the Indian credit also arrived in Colombo on 9 July. Yet another shipment of gas arrived on 10 July. On the morning of 9 July 2022, the Defence Secretary, Commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the IGP and the Director of SIS were all present in the Operations Room that had been established at the President’s House. The plan was to prevent the protestors from arriving in Colombo by blocking all the approach roads. But no such roadblocks had been established and the crowds converged on the President’s House virtually unopposed,” he revealed in his new book. (NewsWire)