Janaka the committed diplomat

Panduka SENANAYAKE

The need for unorthodox action to combat the LTTE propaganda war was not lost on Maj.Gen.Perera as he pushed back boundaries to state the case for Sri Lanka.

“They were the golden years of the Sri Lanka High Commission,” Phillip Stonehouse, a senior Australian Official of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) used to comment when speaking about the period when Major Gen. Janaka Perera held office as the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Australia.

And Phillip would have known, because he as Director, Asia Division of the DFAT, kept tabs on the goings on in Sri Lanka and provided his superiors with information that led to the formulation of Australian Government policy towards our island nation.

And we, as members of Gen.Perera’s `Dream team’ were immensely proud to be part of that small group. That pride stemmed from being allowed a free hand to use our initiative in the service of the country and knowing that we were guided and led from the front by a national hero to whom the game of diplomacy did not prove too big a challenge.

“I shall back and stand by anyone of you as long as the motive for your actions are above board, but I will not tolerate any nonsense,” he said at his first staff conference. He made himself clear and kept his word backing and guiding us all the way.

And those were challenging times. His arrival down under was in itself a challenge. The LTTE lobby which failed in its attempt to prevent his appointment as the High Commissioner to Australia (the then Foreign Minister Mr. Alexander Downer preferring to listen to his learned Sri Lankan counterpart the late Lakshman Kadirgamar) had conducted a campaign of vilification against him. Egged on by the LTTE hype some of the media had cast aside the rules of journalism and preferred to be biased.

Tackling the situation proved to be difficult, not because as Sir Winston Churchill said,’ that a lie is halfway around the world before truth has pulled on its pants’, but because Maj.Gen.Perera proved to be too good a disciplined soldier.

Without permission from the Sri Lanka Government he did not wish to appear on a popular TV programme to counter the allegations against him, even if it meant not being able to clear his name. The late Minister Kadirgamar felt it was only right and gave permission to Maj.Gen.Perera to front the Western media. Some in government felt that Janaka Perera’s shoulders were broad enough to carry such a burden even though it was unfair on him. Many of our arguments fell on deaf ears and the General carried the cross.

However, he soon proved himself to the Australian Government, businesses and fellow diplomats as he tirelessly worked with the mission team and Consul Generals to improve the relationship between the two countries and showcase Sri Lanka’s potential.

With the assistance of his second officer, career diplomat Esala Weerakoon, he established the Australia Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group whose members such as Senator Nick Minchin remain strong friends of Sri Lanka and espouse Sri Lanka’s cause.

Using his personal contacts he sought to twin the city of Brisbane with Colombo.

Several Australian business delegations visited Sri Lanka to carry out feasibility studies on projects. Sadly oiling the palms of local politicians proved anathema to the Aussies.

He did not shy away from meeting those who believed the human rights accusations made against him by the LTTE. He welcomed a meeting with the then Amnesty International head in Australia, Ms. Robyn Kilpatrick who was featured in a TV programme directed against him. After politely listening to Ms. Kilpatrick, whose knowledge of the country was mainly based on the propaganda of LTTE lobbyists and reports of representatives in the island, he set out to demolish, point by point, her arguments as he presented the case for the Government of Sri Lanka.

It was a much thoughtful AI representative that left the meeting, which stretched on long after the scheduled time.

Knowing the people of Jaffna and the ground like the back of his hand, he never avoided a chance to expose the lies spread by the LTTE lobby.

Once, at the Australian National University, some lobbyists in order to leave the hall, to avoid exposure by the Maj.General, had to resort to the excuse that their vehicle parking meters would run out. He took every opportunity to expose their lies and state the facts at forums across Australia.

The need for unorthodox action to combat the LTTE propaganda war was not lost on Maj.Gen.Perera as he pushed back boundaries to state the case for Sri Lanka. He joined hands with Sri Lankan organisations in Australia to get the Government to ban the LTTE. However, he brooked no interference when some in these organisations tried to tell him how he should operate.

He did not forget the men he once led. At a fund raising event to assist the families of dead, wounded and maimed soldiers, an unprecedented sum was raised for the construction of several houses. When the funds were directed elsewhere a disappointed Maj.Gen.Perera felt he had broken the people’s trust and did not get involved in such activities thereafter. The exception was in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Many passengers on board a flight due to land at the Katunayake airport during the LTTE attack on the airport would remember Maj. General Perera as the person whom they turned to relay messages to their loved ones after the plane was diverted to India. The diplomat was returning to the island briefly and gladly acceded to the requests, running up a massive private telephone bill in the process.

Finally when the aircraft landed the next day, he was given the honour (reserved for politicians) of being the first man out of the aircraft by a senior politician who was also on the plane. At the time there were still suspicions that the attackers may be in hiding and snipe at the first person to emerge from the doorway.

In spite of LTTE sympathisers and lobbyists trying to portray him as a communalist he had many friends among all Sri Lankan communities and made many new ones in Australia. They are deeply saddened by his death and believed he was one who could have brought a solution to the crisis in the country.

He loved his family and respected the rights of others and was always willing to help those who served with him.

Not one to be corrupted by position, power or money, he remained true to his ideals and the responsibilities of high office that he held. He would not devalue that responsibility from whatever quarters the pressures came.

The chink in his armour was perhaps his ambition for higher office which had been sparked by an astrologer predicting a `higher position’ for him than when he left the Army.

Conversations indicated his expectations of a military post that would lead to the crushing of the LTTE. He firmly believed that only by crushing the LTTE that a solution to Sri Lanka’s crisis could emerge.

May he, Mrs.Perera and the countless other victims of terror attain Nibbana.

It was a rare privilege to serve with him.