Will you bat, bowl, or field, Marshal?
View(s):Some folks are born great. Some achieve greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them. With a few, it is a measure of all three. With a few, it is a combination of two factors or so. This weekend, two or three people come to mind.
The most immediate candidate is the erstwhile common candidate, a military man who had a measure of greatness thrust upon him when the then coalition alliance picked him. Now he has achieved the greatness that is arguably his by being appointed the country’s first field marshal. A rank “which never retires” (say the press reports, whatever that means), this premier field marshal of ours holds a position of privilege equivalent to that of a cabinet minister. But unlike a lowly cabinet minister – of whom we now have an embarrassment – this most-senior ranker in the triune security forces has not to bow nor kowtow to anyone, save saluting the head of state who is still (even after the 19th Amendment comes into effect) commander-in-chief. Still for all the pomp and prestige attached to the rank, one cannot begrudge S or SF – as he is popularly known – this singular badge of honour. To all intents and purposes, the man is a brave soldier with a long and distinguished service record to underpin his most recent credentials with gravitas.
The next candidate is the man who would be king, a political creature who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and thus born with the potential for greatness. And of late he has been seen to be achieving a measure of greatness that is demonstrably the best credential of leaders who believe in good governance – and speak its name loudly and frequently. A technocrat “who never won” (according to his detractors, who are many), this mandarin and premier of ours holds a position of privilege over and above that of the average cabinet minister. But unlike a lowly cabinet minister – of whom we now have an embarrassment (do I repeat myself?) – this most-senior ranker in the cabinet does not have to bow nor kowtow to anyone, save seemingly nodding to the head of state who is still (even after the 19th Amendment comes into effect) the head of state (if not head of government). Still for all the power and influence attached to the rank, one cannot begrudge R or RW – as he is widely known in his circles – this place in the sun, this so-far all-too-brief sojourn in the spotlight. To all intents and purposes, the man is a wily leader with a long and undistinguished-by-corruption career in the House to convince us he’s Mr. Clean all right – and might soon be Mr. Powerhouse, too.
The third candidate who comes to mind is the lady who once was queen, another political creature who was also born with a silver spoon of sorts in her mouth and was thus born, again, with the potential for greatness that comes from being born into a family with a local habitation and a name. Of late, while she has not been seen to be achieving much except, perhaps, brokering the most cutting-edge of deals, she has sallied forth from relative obscurity into the limelight with enough oomph for even her sharpest critics to sit up and say, “Ooh la la, cherchez la femme!” A political widow “who once won big” (for those of us who remember the landslide of 1994), this formidable and not-quite-spent force of ours holds a position in the public imagination over that of either a premier field marshal or marshalling premier. If and when the 19th Amendment comes into effect, not even the emergence of a strong executive prime minister will make Mother Lanka forget how this Iron Lady was once the head of state, head of government, and head of armed forces. Still for all the weight she carries, one cannot begrudge C or CBK – as an entire media industry dubbed her – her place in the shade, for this wilier politico has perhaps discovered the biggest secret of greatness. To all intents and purposes, the lady is a deceptively docile mover and shaker who has discovered that true power and influence lie in anonymity.
Now each of these figures is a politician of no small standing. They have each waged war for Sri Lanka; they have each faced hostile as well as friendly fire from across the well of the House. If only they would learn to bat and bowl and field for the country rather than their respective parties or agendas or vested interests, the arena of star players aspiring to true greatness would be all the more blessed for it. There is merit in achieving greatness, shame in having it thrust upon one, and guilt for having been born in to it. However, the memory – and gratitude – of a nation is not likely to be bestowed on the players (no matter how star or how many star) who bat, bowl, and field for themselves; but those who play the game for country, state, and nation.
In the final analysis, when the Great Scorer comes to score against their names – call Him God or Vox Populi, Vox Dei, if you will – it won’t matter a whit whether you were born great, achieved greatness, or had it thrust on you. It will matter whether and how you made the country great.