Gotabaya Rajapaksa
A former defense secretary whose hardline presidency collapsed under economic ruin, forcing the first-ever resignation of a Sri Lankan president.
Born 1949 (age 77)·President of Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022·Birthday: June 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gotabaya Rajapaksa built his reputation as the steely, technocratic defense secretary who helped his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, brutally end Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war in 2009. A former military officer, his 'with us or against us' approach to security defined the postwar era. After a period out of power, he leveraged his strongman image and nationalist base to win the 2019 presidency on a platform of national security and efficiency. His tenure, however, swiftly unraveled due to a series of self-inflicted crises. Deep tax cuts, a disastrous overnight ban on chemical fertilizers that crippled farming, and depleted foreign reserves led to Sri Lanka's worst economic meltdown. Facing monumental public protests that occupied government seats, he fled the country and resigned in disgrace, marking a stunning fall from grace.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gotabaya was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gotabaya Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Gotabaya's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 8th President of Sri Lanka from 2019 until his resignation in July 2022.
- As Defense Secretary (2005-2015), he was a chief architect of the military campaign that ended the Sri Lankan Civil War.
- Oversaw major urban development projects in Colombo, including the construction of the Lotus Tower, during his time as Defense Secretary.
- Won the 2019 presidential election with a significant majority, capitalizing on security fears after the Easter bombings.
Did You Know?
He renounced his US citizenship in order to run for the presidency of Sri Lanka.
He worked in the information technology field in the United States during his time away from Sri Lankan politics.
He is the first Sri Lankan president to resign from office mid-term.
He served as a lieutenant colonel in the Sri Lankan Army, seeing combat in the early stages of the civil war.
“I am not a traditional politician. I am a doer.”
