By Ifham Nizam
Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was not a superman, said Water Supply and Urban Development Minister Rauff Hakeem yesterday, in response to the challenge made by Rajapaksa during an interview that no one could do what he had done.
Answering questions after a media briefing, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader stressed that being the President’s brother and Defence Secretary he could use force to evict people as he wanted and an inquiry was going on in that regard. The recommendation of the inquiry would be revealed to the public soon.
Asked whether he meant to say Rajapaksa had done nothing, Hakeem responded saying Defence Secretary had given leadership to the military efforts successfully. “But then his leadership in Urban Development had certain darker sides to it. What people see on one side is only the issue related to efficiency which should not mean forcibly evicting people from their houses. Our approach is different. We don’t want the urban dwellers undergo more suffering; actually we have appointed a committee to look into it.”