Captain O My Captain

"The resentment on entry of such politicians was demonstrated earlier. Major General Lucky Algama on retirement joined the UNP and it was widely believed that he would be the next defence secretary if the UNP came to power. A few days before the elections he was assassinated."
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by Sonali Samarasingha

O Captain my Captain! Our fearful trip is done
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear. The people all exulting…
But O heart! heart, heart!
O the bleeding drops of red
Where on the deck my Captain lies
Fallen cold and dead

(October 08, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The tragic death of Major General Janaka Perera (retd.) by a human robot on Monday morning brought to our mind the above lines of Walt Whitman of the lamentation of a boy over the death of his father and captain.

Major Gen. Janaka Perera was not the ‘captain’ of the ship because he had to leave the army before his appointment as army chief which he justly deserved. Extension of the period of service given to far less successful officers was not his privilege. The paradox in Sri Lanka about success is that success breeds fear, enmity and jealousy unlike failure which generates confidence, sympathy and prospects for future promotions.

Yet the successes of Janaka Perera in his 36 year long military career undoubtedly contributed to the success of the voyage that is now being claimed. He won all the battles he commanded but unfortunately not ‘The War’ which was being commanded by his chiefs at that time. His battles in Weli Oya preventing the completion of a nexus between the north an east earned him immortality with the area being named Janakapura, his leadership in operation Riviresa that drove the LTTE from the Jaffna peninsula into the Wanni jungles and his heroic defence of the Jaffna peninsula when the barbarians were assailing the gates endangering the lives of about 45,000 troops while no help was coming from the outside world – except weaponry from Pakistan – is now a part of Sri Lanka’s history.

Janaka Perera in death, in his blood splattered white national dress, proved himself as powerful as he was when in his battle fatigues striding the fields of war. He was a mere provincial councilor when that human brainwashed robot exploded himself killing the brave soldier as well as many other civilians. The fact that he was killed was proof that he was no ordinary politician but was a threat to terrorists of all kinds and possibly the careers of many politicians.

He abhorred politics and said so at the Anuradhapura meeting a few minutes before he was assassinated. He had shifted from the military to diplomacy but took to politics probably because he felt that he could contribute to the improvement of the country now in the doldrums. The entry of this soldier into politics scared most politicians in other parties as was evident from their reactions. The stories spread about him were legion. He had a more than generous quota of mud being slung at him.

But it became apparent that an entirely new breed of politician untainted by corruption and scandals, a fearless man who had nothing material to gain but his life to lose had entered the field. And above all a person who had over the years fought to save the people from terrorism and protect the integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka had entered politics.

He won in the Anuradhapura Provincial Council election convincingly, polling well above all other candidates even though his party failed to capture power. A powerful ex warrior turned politician’s entry into politics was anathema to both terrorists and corrupt politicians.

The resentment on entry of such politicians was demonstrated earlier. Major General Lucky Algama on retirement joined the UNP and it was widely believed that he would be the next defence secretary if the UNP came to power. A few days before the elections he was assassinated.

There could have been many reasons for the many terrorist and political groups to eliminate him. One reason could have been revenge. He was anathema to those who wanted to terrorise the people both in the north and south by bombs and guns. The other was that he was being looked upon by many UNPers as one who could help rejuvenate the party. His removal from the political scene would no doubt be a bonanza to those who want to make merry with corruption and by terrorising the people.

The armed services as well as political parties both Sinhala and Tamil have in the past two and a half decades lost the best available talent. The main reason for the present state of affairs in the country is that terrorism had accounted for the cream of the country. One of the last of the Mohicans was Major General Janaka Perera. He did not quit the armed forces at the age when he could have collected his pension and sought greener pastures in the Lands of Hope and Glory. Janaka Perera stuck in the armed forces till the last even though he had sufficient means to retire in comfort. Such gentlemen and officers are hard to find these days.

Another tragedy of the Anuradhapura bomb blast was that Janaka Perera’s wife to whom he was married for long years, too perished in the blast. She had been a soldier as well being in the first batch of the army women’s corps but retired soon after marriage. It would have been a nerve wracking task for her to look after the family while her husband was risking his life in the battlefield. It is such women that help to win wars.

Another tragedy was the killing of Dr. Raja Johnpulle and his wife who was also a doctor. Dr. Johnpulle was a rare Sri Lankan who as a Tamil worked actively and openly for the UNP in a predominantly Sinhala area. His humanism and care for human beings irrespective of race or religion endeared him to the people. A gutsy man, he acted on his political convictions and carried on regardless working for his party even though goons burnt his home, vehicles and dispensary a few weeks ago, on the eve of the provincial council elections. Such individuals are rare finds.

The practiced knee jerk reactions are taking place. President Rajapakse has condemned the attack in the severest of terms and assured the country that Sri Lanka is being held up as a model in fighting terrorism. It would certainly not have been reassuring as intended to the friends and relatives of those killed, the large numbers wounded nor the general public who are not sure when or where the next tragedy would strike. The IGP would no doubt, as usual, assure that ‘security would be tightened and a full scale fair and impartial inquiry will be held.’ What will happen is predictable since even the killers of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar have not been successfully prosecuted.

Life in Sri Lanka however will go on as usual.

(The Writer is Editor of the Colombo based weekly the Morning Leader) - Sri Lanka Guardian