Sunday Times 2
Colombo city, the War and Gota
I recently had some well-endowed friends from Ireland visiting Sri Lanka for ten days. To see Sri Lanka through Irish eyes was indeed a happy revelation to me. Simply because we in the country take everything for granted.
It was their observation that the City of Colombo was not only one of the cleanest cities in this part of the world but also the reconstruction of the old buildings maintaining the old colonial architecture gave Colombo a unique flavour. A country is judged by visiting eyes from its attention to detail and its standard of cleanliness and of course its people. On all these counts, Sri Lanka comes out on top.
The credit for this achievement must go to none other than Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.
Defence Secretary Gatabaya Rajapaksa at the recent opening of Arcade-Independence Square, one of the landmark buildings that showcase his city beautification project. Pic courtesy defence.lk
Even the late Ranasinghe Premadasa with his penchant for cleanliness could not achieve this. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not a politician, he may ruffle many feathers but for crying out aloud he is the only man who has been able to make some tangible achievements in a country of sanctimonious do-gooders and sweet-talkers who never got any results.
This applies also to the 30-year-war that we fought with the LTTE. It cannot be won, we have to concede a separate state albeit in name was the swan song of some of the NGOs and the United National party, which poured scorn on military operations by calling Alimankada Pamankada etc.
We gave the LTTE a radio station where it could broadcast messages of venom to the Tamil people. In other words, they succeeded in building in the minds of the people of Sri Lanka that the LTTE was invicible. Gotabaya shattered that myth.
He did not do it alone but had the able assistance of the security forces and General Sarath Fonseka, the GOC commanding the ground troops. I am personally aware of the manner in which he kept the warring factions within the security services together in the unified effort to win the war. When Sarath Fonseka came under the spotlight for some disappearances, it was Gotabaya who came to his rescue.
Gotabaya did so because he did not want Sarath Fonseka distracted from the war effort. The battle to overcome the enemy overrode all other considerations.
Today Gotabaya is the subject of bashing from most quarters in regard to his supposed association with the Bodu Bala Sena. ‘Even eye of a fly looks horrible under the microscope’. This government is at fault in allowing all kinds of demonstrations to take place, some inevitably ending in violence. The argument of the Government is that ‘all this is part of the noise and chaos of a democracy’ we let anybody demonstrate for and against the government is their answer.
I asked a senior officer in the Defence establishment why the Secretary of Defence does not refute these allegations. This was long before the antics of the BBS.
His answer perhaps throws light on Gotabaya. ‘Ignore what people say. We are not searching for popularity; let them say what they want. However, if the security of the state is imperiled, bring it to my notice and we will take action immediately’.
Sometimes tactless, always forthright, by no means perfect but he is a man. He has all the faults and foibles of humankind. He must, however, understand that we are all working within a highly charged geopolitical climate’ where Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion’.
In regard to the NGO issue that is making world headlines, we could perhaps evaluate and scrutinise the errant NGOs and take action against them. Some may be engaged in activities to destabilise the Government and the country but all NGOs may not be at fault. A careful scrutiny of the NGOs will reveal the errant ones.
Gotabaya may be oversensitive to the security of the state. He is perhaps privy to information not available in the public domain. However, Sri Lanka cannot take the eye off the ball as a threat to the country from outside forces is ever present.
I can think of no one who could be entrusted with the security of the state other than Gotabaya with faults, foibles and undoubted strengths and deep commitment to the Sovereign state of Sri Lanka.
(The writer is co-author of “For a Sovereign State”)