President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he invites world powers to invest in Sri Lanka without leaving it all for another country and come grumbling later.
Speaking to Nitin A. Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief of BharatShakti.in and SNI, President Rajapaksa says Sri Lanka does not intend to get involved in any geopolitical rivalries.
In his first-ever interview after taking over as the President of Sri Lanka, President Rajapaksa talks on Indo-China relations with Sri Lanka, reconciliation with the minorities, and international perceptions of him.
President Rajapaksa says that Sri Lanka will work with India as a friendly country and will not do anything that will harm India’s interests.
He favored Sri Lanka to be neutral as “we don’t want to get in between the power struggles of superpowers. But we want to work with all countries”.
The President asserted that Sri Lanka’s involvement with China during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa was “purely commercial”.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that handing over the control of the Hambantota Port to China in a 99-year lease was a mistake of the past regime and that he will be looking into renegotiating the deal.
Rajapaksa pointed out that the reality is that the world powers such as India, Singapore, Japan, and Australia are scared of Chinese involvement in Sri Lanka.
Therefore, these world powers are to welcome to invest in Sri Lanka instead of allowing only China to dominate investment in the country and then come grumbling later.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he will create an investment-friendly environment in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on the reconciliation process with the minorities, the President said that development is the answer to this.
He says that both Tamil and Sinhalese political leaders make promises that are not practical to fool the people. However, the focus should be on what we can do, the President added.
President Rajapaksa said that he will give everyone an opportunity to live as a Sri Lankan – to get an education, get a job, live a better life and live in dignity. While creating this environment, he will let the other political matters go on, he said.
The President said that his focus would be on developing these areas to give them equal opportunities in life.
Gokhale inquires President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the narrative of him being ‘authoritarian’ and ‘racist’ and queries how the new President will reassure the Muslims in the country.
President Rajapaksa says that it is a wrong perception and that it was created during the conflict period against the LTTE.
“I am a disciplined person but that doesn’t mean I am racist. I have nothing against the community. I have proved through my actions that I am not racist and that I don’t work for only one section of society. That is why I invited all – Tamils and Muslims – to join him in developing the country.”
The President says that although the Opposition may paint him as a dictator or an authoritarian, people will be able to see that it wrong in his actions.
He requests all international media not to go by the rumors.
“Understand me. Speak to me. Meet me. See how I work. Give the correct picture of me.
We are a small country. People should help us and not put obstacles in my way. That will not help anybody.”
Responding to a question on allegations against him, President Rajapaksa said, “War is not a rosy thing – whether you fight internally or whether Americans come to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not everything goes smoothly.
We are a poor country, a lesser power. So our issues are highlighted more. Big powers can get away with a lot. It is very unfair to do that.”
He says that he would like the Tamil diaspora to forget about these things and that nobody benefit will benefit from such things.
“The minority has to understand that the majority will react only if the minority will act in a way that creates suspicion.
No matter how much advanced the society is these suspicions and issues will prevail and these issues still exist in even much more advanced countries, he added.
