Human Rights
From the beginning of his career, Rajapaksa adopted a centre-left political stance. He undertook with responsibility and enthusiasm the hard and unforgiving work of a human rights activist long before such advocacy constituted a promising career option.
He was a leading member of the Parliamentarians for Human Rights, and in the days of grave human rights violations under the UNP government in 1988/89 took the lead in agitating in defence of human rights, taking the issue before the international community.
He came into prominence as a leader, together with Dr. Manorani Saravanamuttu, of the Mothers Front, which organized the mothers of the “disappeared” in what was described as the white terror of 1988-90. The Visva Bharati University of Calcutta in India conferred on him the title Professor Emeritus for his record on human rights. He played a major role in mobilizing people’s action against the then government, especially in defence of the democratic rights of the people that were being gravely endangered. Among the campaigns he led was the hugely successful “Paada Yaathra” – a pilgrimage of protest on foot from Colombo to the southern shrine of Kataragama, which saw massive participation by the people; he also took the lead in organizing several other public protest campaigns which laid the groundwork for the defeat of the UNP government in the General Election in August 1994, and the later election of Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga of the SLFP as the fourth Executive President in November the same year.
Rajapaksa was Minister for Labour & Vocational Training and of Fisheries in President Kumaratunga's Cabinet from 1994 to 2001. He brought his experience in trade union activities to good use as Minister of Labour and helped settle many a labour dispute both in the public and private sectors. His close understanding of issues involving the working people helped in the preparation of the Workers’ Charter, presented to the Government of President Kumaratunga. He brought a new lease of life to the field of Vocational Training by establishing the Vocational Training Authority with over 300 training centres at the village level.
