“Mandela wasn’t jailed for corruption”: NPP MP takes aim at Namal

NPP MP Dr. Najith Indika has criticised SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa for quoting former South African President Nelson Mandela in a message sent from prison, saying the circumstances surrounding the two men’s imprisonment cannot be compared.

Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody, quoted Mandela in a message read out at the SLPP’s rally in Anuradhapura on Saturday. The message referred to Mandela’s words about difficulties breaking some people while making others stronger.

Responding to the message, Indika questioned the comparison, pointing out that Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his struggle against South Africa’s apartheid system.

“Who is quoting Nelson Mandela? Namal Rajapaksa,” Indika said, before contrasting Mandela’s imprisonment with the allegations currently faced by the SLPP MP.

Indika said Mandela was imprisoned for his resistance to an oppressive and racist system and later became South Africa’s president, helping lead the country through its transition from apartheid.

He also criticised the Rajapaksa family’s record in government, referring to the period during which Namal Rajapaksa’s father and uncle held the presidency, and argued that invoking Mandela under the present circumstances was unfair to the late South African leader.

Rajapaksa was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption on Sept. 4 and remanded until Sept. 18 in connection with an investigation into an alleged bribery incident linked to the procurement of wide-body aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

CIABOC has alleged that Rajapaksa received Rs. 100 million through a businessman in connection with funds linked to the aircraft transaction. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Indika is a National List MP representing the NPP and serves as chairman of Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection.(Newswire)

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