Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has urged his eldest son, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, to place his trust in the judiciary and refrain from exacting political revenge, in a letter addressed to the latter while he remains in remand custody.

In the letter, Mahinda Rajapaksa recalled that Namal had sought his permission to enter politics in 2010 and that he had advised his son to be prepared for imprisonment and hardships if he chose to pursue a political career.

“I had no objection to that,” the former President wrote, explaining that he had offered the advice based on his own experience of being imprisoned on what he described as baseless allegations shortly after entering politics.

He said that, at the time, his trust had only been placed in the judiciary, urging Namal to follow the same principle regardless of what others might say.

Reflecting on the current circumstances, Mahinda Rajapaksa noted that both he and his wife were hospitalised at the same hospital, where Namal was also born. He added that Namal’s brothers, Yoshitha and Rohitha, are continuously looking into their parents’ well-being.

The former President also referred to the legal case involving Yoshitha, stating that his second son was facing legal proceedings because he had joined the Sri Lanka Navy.

He claimed that thousands of young people had been provided with employment opportunities under his administration, including the children of individuals who are now part of the government.

However, Mahinda Rajapaksa urged Namal not to target those individuals when he eventually holds power.

“It is my view that children should not be held responsible for the actions of their parents,” he wrote, adding that “refraining from seeking revenge is the method—the tradition—of the Rajapaksas”.

He further stressed that this society “does not hold the Rajapaksas guilty for the offense of liberating the country for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of suffering people within it.” 

The former President highlighted that although they were defeated at the polls, his son should bear in mind that the people of this country belong to a society that remembers and values acts of gratitude.

The letter concluded with a blessing: “May the Triple Gem bless you!”