Lt Col (Retd.) Anil Amarasekera.

There have been a few Generals who took up to politics in the recent past after retirement from the Sri Lanka Army. Major General Lakshman Algama, Major General Sarath Munasinghe and Major General Janaka Perera are three of them that I can recall to my memory. Major General Sarath Munasinghe after retirement from the Army contested as a PeopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Alliance (PA) candidate, won the election and was appointed as the Deputy Speaker. Major General Lakshman Algama and Major General Janaka Perera on the other hand joined the United National Party (UNP) after retirement from the Army and were assassinated by LTTE suicide bombers.

Major General Lakshman Algama may have even had the opportunity to become the Defence Minister had the UNP won. Major General Janaka Perera who contested for the post of Chief Minister in the North Central Province on the UNP ticket obtained the highest number of preferential votes that any opposition candidate has ever won at a Provincial Council election and was appointed the Leader of the Opposition in the North Central Provincial Council.

Soon after his appointment as the North Central Provincial Council Leader of the Opposition he was preparing himself to serve the people in this Province with the establishment of a new political office when he, his wife and many of his supporters became victims of a LTTE suicide bomber. The attack took place on the 6th of October last year and it was a day on which we lost a true patriot, a war hero, a great military leader, an illustrious diplomat and a very popular UNP politician that the people of this country will never forget.

Major General Janaka PereraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s victories in battle against the LTTE were many and each time he commanded a military formation and went into battle with the LTTE either in the North or the East, the enemy had to withdraw with substantial casualties. Operations planned and executed by him also resulted in the minimum of casualties to his own troops. A good example in this regard is the battle in Weli Oya where the LTTE losses were approximately 500 carders while only one soldier and a Home Guard were killed from his own troops. I do not think there is a victory in the history of warfare where such a ratio of enemy casualties to own troops has ever been achieved.

I met him last at my sonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s homecoming held at my estate on 28th of June 2008, when he attended that ceremony. There were rumors floating around at that point of time that he may contest for the post of Chief Minister on the UNP ticket. I questioned him in this regard and requested him not to take such a decision. I knew that the security situation in the country was such that as an opposition candidate he could never expect to receive the type of security that he had enjoyed while serving in the Army. I told him on that day not to take such a decision because I feared that he would become an open target for the LTTE to eliminate. I also reminded him that though he was in retirement the LTTE still considered him as a prime target in their list for assassination. He did not give me a straight answer on that day of his intentions. However he subsequently decided to contest on the UNP ticket for the post of Chief Minister and the rest is history.

As the Sri Lankan ambassador for Australia he worked tirelessly to improve the image of Sri Lanka not only among Australians but also among the diplomatic community visiting and living in that country. When he was posted to Indonesia he cultivated a close friendship with the President of that country who was also an ex Army General by playing golf with him. This friendship therefore gave him even better opportunity than in Australia as a diplomat not only to improve the image of our country among both the citizen and the diplomatic community in Indonesia but also to take necessary action to end any surreptitious activity by the LTTE such as transfer of funds for purchase of weapons through that country.

Major General Janaka Perera once told me that his golfing friend the President of Indonesia was the most popular retired Army General before he took to politics, contested the Presidential election and became the President of that country by popular vote. Major General Janaka Perera greatly admired this Indonesian President and perhaps believed he could emulate his friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s success in Sri Lanka. That was not to be because unlike the Indonesian President who chose the correct political party at the correct time, Major General Janaka Perera chose the wrong political party at the wrong time. Had he been a little bit more patient and learned to swim with the current instead of trying to swim against it, perhaps he may have had a better chance of success in the years to come.

However our country should never forget the service Major General Janaka Perera performed with distinction both in the Sri Lanka Army and in the diplomatic service. All of us should be thankful to him for his tremendous contribution towards protecting and preserving the unity and territorial integrity of our nation for posterity. Therefore as his first death anniversary approaches, let us wish him the bliss of Nibbana.