Editorial

7th November 1999

War, waltz and worries

Political animals in the city may have been in a state of euphoria last week , but in the backdrop of what happened in the war front, they should probably be hanging their heads in shame instead. While the kiribath parties and dances (the Access group, which makes it money mainly in the weapons business, had their gala dance in Colombo last night) went on with gay abandon in the city, the soldiers in the Wanni were begging for food on the streets. They had deserted their positions in the face of a severe assault by the LTTE, which had within a space of a few hour set the forces back to square one in terms of territory held in the Wanni theatre.

It was a setback of gigantic proportions, but the blow was so swift and almost so effortlessly accomplished, that it was galling to the forces that were ostensibly on the advance. If military top brass had been bamboozled into neglecting intelligence reports and continuing with gung-ho policies of gaining more territory without 'guarding the rear', as is reported, then the political brains behind such moves should be held accountable for their buffoon — like interference in military matters.

Serious setbacks of this nature, which make a nonsense out of claims that the forces were in possession of 96 per cent of the territory in the Wanni, maybe taken casually by indifferent political actors who seem to plan war with their monumental egos. But, this kind of arrogance will soon bring the war effort to some disastrous pass — and of course this last disaster is already big enough.

The entire symbolism that is being created at the top of the command, is representative of the crassness with which the war effort is being directed. General Ratwatte, who despite the tag before his names is for all intents and purposes a civilian politician, goes to battle territory with two to three hundred men guarding his person. As if that wasn't enough, there is all hoopla that is created by accompanying television crews who tag along when the General visits hospitals and battle scarred areas while the war rages. This sort of behavior is cheap and can only be described as grandstanding, but more importantly such publicity stunts distract the real generals from the war effort . Heavy demands are also placed on the resources of the troops, indicating that there is a good deal of insensitivity to the reality on the ground, which demands a more responsible approach from all actors involved in the military effort.

This sort of irresponsibility was again evident when a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter was used to drop flowers at the funeral of late Mr. Thondaman, while injured troops were waiting to be airlifted to hospitals from the theatre of war where the battle was intense.

It shows that the Sri Lankan military establishment is generally 'asking for it,' to put it mildly in the colloquialism that is just about apt to describe these kinds of situations. When, if ever, will we get our priorities right?

The Political Column

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