SHEHAN DANIEL 
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Namal says being Mahinda’s son shouldn’t disqualify him from being a politician
Colombo, August 24 (Daily Mirror) - The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna's Presidential Election candidate, Namal Rajapaksa, responded to nepotism allegations against the party, asserting that having a politician as a parent shouldn’t disqualify someone from pursuing a political career.
He also suggested that the party was about more than just the ‘Rajapaksas,’ with many young politicians being groomed at the grassroots level.
“I personally believe that for the child of a politician to become a politician, it should not be a prerequisite (that their parent is a politician). But at the same time, it shouldn’t be a disqualification either,” Namal said during a live question-and-answer session streamed on his social media pages.
“Even in most of the Western countries that are pointing fingers at us, the next of kin of leaders and their relatives have always come forward to contest elections.”
He also reiterated claims that the party had another candidate lined up for the election, but a change of heart at the eleventh hour left Rajapaksa with the challenge of taking up the candidacy.
“We were going to put forward another candidate, but circumstances were such that I had to come forward. We have always believed in policies, and those policies have been there for generations, starting from SWRD Bandaranaike. We always believed in nationalism, and we need to protect that. We believed the policies that suit our country were not addressed by the government we were backing for the last two years. As a result, we had to make sure we put a candidate forward,” he said.
Several senior party members who were approached about contesting for the Presidency as an alternative turned down the request, which Rajapaksa says compelled him to take up the “challenge.”
“Most of the senior leaders didn't want to take up the challenge, and I think when you are young, you must take the challenge,” he stated.
“I don't want to give up the policies that we have had in our country, which I think are suitable for our country, just because we are to face an uphill task or risk. The party is open, and we have a massive network in the grassroots of young politicians. Look at the SJB, UNP—those leading their campaign are products of Mahinda Rajapaksa. He created them and let them have the freedom to make their political decisions.”
“We'll be building more leaders, more young leaders coming up,” he stressed.
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