By As the Singapore airlines plane touched and the former President and his wife embarked at the Katunayaka International Airport many rushed to greet them with cheerful smiles. Gotabhaya and Ayoma would have been relieved to see some ground support after the ordinal they have been thru.
Mahidananda Aluth Gamage and Prasaaanna Ranathunga were among the politicians were prominently featured the politicians. Businessmen and members of the Viath Maga (the group of intellectuals and professionals who supported the former President) were in the gathering.
The gathering was an indication that there is a group within the ruling alliance that wants Gothabhaya Rajapaksha to active in politics. Said, political commentators.
Within hours of the landing of Gotabhya Rajapaksha’s return National list parliamentarian, Seetha Arambepola announced that she is willing to step down to make room for him to enter parliament.None of the immediate Rajapaksha family were present at the airport to receive the returning sibling. It is speculated that the return to politics of the former president is a heavily debated matter within the Rajapaksha family.
Understandably the legal challenges against Gothabaya Rajapaksha will have a bearing upon the decision to enter politics or not.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksha has been spared from court proceedings as he was protected by constitutional immunity as president. A corruption case against him was withdrawn soon after he was elected in 2019.
The returning president may be served a summons next week to appear at the Supreme Court, where his immunity from testifying on the forced disappearance of two young political activists is challenged, said lawyer Nuwan Bopage, who represents the victims’ families.
The disappearances took place 12 years ago when Gothabaya Rajapajsha was Defense Secretary.
Certainly, the protesters who forced him to leave the country are not with him but most of them have no objections to him returning as they believe that Gothabhaya Rajapaksha is a Sri Lankan and has the right to live in this country.
