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View(s):Defence Secretary says many countries are still unaware of positive developments taking place after the war
By Shaveen Jeewandara
“This is not so much about Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Defence Secretary, but Gotabaya Rajapaksa the soldier,” said well-known planter and author Malinga Herman Gunaratne, delivering the introduction last Monday at the Lighthouse Hotel, Galle, to ‘A discussion on Gota’s War’, one of the highlights of the Serendib Coast Festival 2013.
Mr. Gunaratne recalled the days, 20 years ago in the thick of the war, when Colonel Gotabaya Rajapaksa gun in hand, rubbing shoulders with his fellow comrades, was battling his way through the jungles of the North. “The forces were engaged in the Vadamaarachchi operation and were about to capture (LTTE leader Velupillai) Prabhakaran, just when Indian intervention brought the operation to a full-stop,” he recalled.
It was a crushing blow for the soldiers who were actively involved in the operation, as they were just days away from tasting the sweet scent of victory that would replace the blood, sweat and tears. “My close friend Ravi Jayawardene, who was the National Security Advisor at that time, had flown to the North to congratulate the dejected troops. They landed at the helipad and were greeted by Major General Vijaya Wimalarathne and his boys who were fresh from battle.”
This, Mr. Gunaratne said, was when Major General Wimalarathne had told Ravi Jayawardene about Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the soldier, who had thrown everything he had into the battle and said he deserved the commendation more than himself. “Gota had emerged from the thickets, mud-caked, blood splattered and white knuckled from firing the gun. Indeed he had given the battle his all.”
Twenty years later, Gotabaya Rajapaksa continued the battle – this time as the Defence Secretary, but his humility was the same as the soldier who came back from war many years ago.
Mr. Gunaratne recalled an instance where the President had asked his brother whether he could command officers in the troops holding much higher ranks than him – ‘Gota, oyata puluwanda oya major general-la palanaya karanna?’, being his exact words. Gota had a heart-wrenching answer to this – “This is a rank that I earned in the Jaffna Peninsula, the same grounds where so many officers have fallen. It would be a dishonour for me to ask for a higher rank without earning it,” Mr. Gunaratne told the audience, as the Defence Secretary looked on, visibly moved.
“Heroes are the children of history, and I believe that he is one,” Mr. Gunaratne concluded, as he invited the Defence Secretary to share his views on the war. In a speech that ran an hour, Gotabaya Rajapaksa meticulously highlighted the technical and emotional aspects of the war, and our lives before and after (See excerpts on this page). It was not so much about his personal experience during the conflict, but about what the book ‘Gota’s War’ by journalist C. A. Chandraprema has detailed.
Speaking at length, the Defence Secretary urged for cohesive action that needs to be taken in reconciliation, especially given the darkness of vested interests that loom around the nation at this point of time.
“Positive messages need to be translated across to the international community. I think it’s the community, Sri Lankan expatriates and people who visit Sri Lanka who can help these efforts. We ask them to go to Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu to see the change and developments. Unfortunately I know some of the representatives in countries that voted against Sri Lanka have unofficially told us that they know what our country has achieved, but because of their compulsions they can’t vote independently,” he said.
“During 2006-2009, the military lost 6000 soldiers, only for this period. As of today we have nearly 3000 families who did not receive the bodies of their loved ones. You can take allegations from here and there and point fingers, but take the whole picture into account. Compare the two eras, before making a judgement.”
Herman Gunaratne
“Just over a month ago, I had the opportunity to accompany his Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa on his official visit to Jaffna. During this, he presided over the inauguration of the Chunakkam power plant, and the opening of a new wing in the Jaffna hospital. He travelled throughout the peninsula and made a number of unscheduled stops. I particularly remember that on the last day, he travelled from Karainagar to Palaly. This is the president of Sri Lanka travelling by road across the breadth of the Jaffna peninsula. A few years ago, I don’t think even a military convoy could have travelled from Karainagar to Palaly without being confronted by terrorist attacks, yet today the head of state is able to make such a journey. Unfortunately some people seem to have forgotten how the situation was in Sri Lanka before the dawn of peace, they seem to have forgotten how horrific it was,” the Defence Secretary went on.
Not turning a blind eye to the areas that the country could have done better in the context of international relations, Mr. Rajapaksa said, “There’s more we can do to tell our story to the world and we have to work hard at it.
It’s true that there are many countries that we have neglected, like the countries in South America. I’m sure that we can lobby with these countries. I think we have only one embassy in South America, and that’s in Brazil. All other countries like Chile, Argentina, Peru voted against us but I don’t believe they know anything about the situation. We have to identify these countries and educate them on the real picture and get their support in future.”
Explaining the reasons for holding the event, Mr. Gunaratene said, “There are some foreign individuals, not that they love their countries any less, but they love Sri Lanka more. There are instances where they would come forward to say that there’s no problem in Sri Lanka, when their countries impose travel restrictions. This is heartening, but at the same time we must solicit their support. That is the purpose of this event.”
Hotelier and event organiser Geoffrey Dobbs said the Serendib Coast Festival was a programme to bring foreigners and local tourists to this part of Galle. “This coast is the new Riviera, it’s all those rivieras in Europe, the Costa Esmeralda and Cote D’Azur put together. It’s Sri Lanka’s turn to be a centre of tourism in South Asia and this is us playing our part,” Mr. Dobbs added.
That the event had a positive impact on the audience was evident. Some of the expatriates present even asked the people not to judge their thinking by the actions of their governments – pledging their fullest support to Sri Lanka.
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