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Dynastic rule helped war victory: Namal
MP Namal Rajapaksa in an interview to NDTV has said that his family's dynastic rule led to the military victory over the LTTE.
He said the close knit ties between his father and his uncle, the Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was responsible for Lanka's military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE.
"The war was ended because of this bond within the family," Namal said at the office of his law firm in the heart of Colombo. "Any leader needs someone they can trust as secretary of defence. My father was able to take strong decisions as an individual along with the leaders of the government but the leader needs someone they can trust," he added.
When asked whether this was a feudal argument in a modern democracy, where an elected leader needs to trust their colleagues regardless of family affiliations, Namal said, "We always trusted each other, but can I ask you is it a crime that I became the President's son?"
The new government has filed a criminal case, alleging that in the early hours of January 9, when it became clear Mr Rajapaksa was losing the election, he called a secret meeting at his residence attended by top officials to plot the declaration of Emergency in Sri Lanka.
Namal denied any such meeting, but acknowledged that officials may have come to see him.
"Various people came to speak to him right throughout the night. It's normal at the end of the election, the government officials always come and talk."
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