The ‘I’ disease

Whatever the adjectives that may be used by friends and foes of Fonseka to describe him, one that could never be used by anybody is “modest”.

The hyper-inflated ego of Fonseka (the “I” disease) was made manifest by paragraph 2 of his letter of retirement wherein he stated.

Eradicate terrorism

“During my command of three years and seven months, the Sri Lanka Army managed to eradicate the terrorist movement having apprehended an unbelievable stock of arms and munitions and decisively defeating the LTTE and its murderous leadership, which Your Excellency is obviously aware of. I would not be exaggerating to state that I was instrumental in leading the Army to this historic victory, of course with Your Excellency’s political support, which helped to materialize this heroic action. Though the field Commanders and all members of the Army worked towards this goal, it is with my vision, command and leadership that this yeoman task was achieved.”

The sum and substance of this paragraph is that it was the Army under the leadership of Fonseka, acting in accordance with his vision and under his command and leadership that achieved victory over the LTTE.

The necessary implication of these words is that the Navy, the Air Force, the Special Task Force and other members of the Police Force and the Civil Defence Force acting in accordance with the vision, and under the command and leadership of their Commanders made no contribution to that victory. It is also of interest to observe that Fonseka’s passing reference to the assistance given by Rajapaksa.

“....of course with Your Excellency’s political support which helped to materialize this heroic action.......”.

Political decision

Ignores in its entirety, the salient fact that not one shot could have been fired at the LTTE, no operations could have been recommenced against them, and the victory could not have been won but for the fact that Rajapaksa took a political decision to go ahead with the ‘war’ and refused to succumb to the overwhelming pressure brought to bear on him by certain affluent Western States (to whom Fonseka’s political sponsors/patrons such as the UNP pay obeisance and refer to respectfully and in awe as the “International Community” to declare a ceasefire etc. to which the UNP would necessarily have succumbed.

A few days after tendering his letter of retirement, Fonseka, in a letter to the troops he had formerly commanded in the Army, (Sunday Times 22.11.09) deviated somewhat from the above position taken up by him and acknowledged briefly the fact that the Navy, Air Force, Police and Civil Defence Force had contributed to the victory. Thereafter, however, he reverted repeatedly to his stupid contention that credit for the victory must go to him and the Army he commanded alone.

Thus, to take but one example, as reported in the Daily Mirror (a paper sympathetic to Fonseka) of the 2nd December 2009, he has said, at the Matara District Convention of the UNF on the 20th December 2009 that “just as he saved the country from LTTE terrorism he would save the country from the dominance of the Rajapaksa family as well” and, that “just as I won the Military Campaign I would win my campaign against nepotism and corruption...”

Political will

Ready as Fonseka has been to grab credit for the victory for the war to the exclusion of the other service commanders and personnel of the other forces and even his Commander-In-Chief, one searches his speeches in vain to find any acknowledgement of the fact that the victory over terrorism would have been wholly impossible but for the political will of Rajapaksa to continue military operations until victory was won, whatever the obstacles may be that were placed in his way and whatever pressure might be brought to bear upon him by foreign or local forces including those perfidious Western countries whom Fonseka’s sponsors call the “International Community”. This is hardly conduct becoming of a responsible statesman, or an officer and a gentleman, to whom truth and fairplay are sacrosanct.

While considering Fonseka’s evidently unquenchable thirst for credit for the victory over the LTTE, it is also pertinent to consider his demands for himself even in retirement. In his letter of retirement (Sunday Times 15.11.09) he has, at paragraph 5, requested President Rajapaksa to provide him with.

Sufficient protection

“Sufficient security which includes trained combat soldiers, a suitable vehicle with sufficient protection (bullet proof), escort vehicles and dummy vehicles for my conveyances (sic) due to the fact that I am considered as one of the highest priority targets by the LTTE, which they are yet capable of achieving. (sic)”

Thereafter Fonseka refers to the security provided to Admiral Karannagoda after retirement, from the Navy ignoring however the fact that Karannagoda still functions as the National Security Advisor to the President and the Secretary to the Ministry of Highways and is not, like him, a retired officer with no official standing but only a thirst for power, and goes on to say.

“I do further request that a suitable protected government resident (sic) be made available for me to live in. Also it is requested that approval be granted for me to continue occupation of the present official residence of the Commander of the Army - ‘the General’s House” in Bauddhaloka Mawatha until I am provided suitable married quarter” (sic).

Having made these demands, Fonseka later made evident what he meant by “sufficient security” by claiming an entitlement to 600 soldiers and 12 security vehicles including 2 bullet proof vehicles as well as to having roads closed when he passed for the sake of his security!! In short he demanded that an official residence be provided to him in retirement, that over approximately Rs. 20,000,000 of public funds be expended per month to provide him with security, and that the general public whom he pretends to want to serve should be inconvenienced no end by the roads being closed each time he steps out of such residence!!!

Principal contributors

None of these matters enure to the benefit of Fonseka or his credibility. While it is not disputed that he is entitled to a reasonable amount of security having regard to the fact that he was one of the principal contributors to the defeat of the LTTE, and that his life would therefore be under threat, there is no way in which one could justify the demand for 600 troops to guard him, 12 government vehicles inclusive of 2 bullet proof vehicles, the right to occupy the house of the Army Commander (leaving the Army Commander without the house to which he ie entitled), the closure of roads and demand that he should have an official residence provided by the Government even after retirement.

Liberal values

Fonseka’s inability to be frank and forthright about those who contributed to the victory in the war, and in particular, the contribution made by Rajapaksa just because he now wants Rajapaksa’s job, and his exorbitant demands for himself, to my mind bespeak an almost wholly self centered man who believes that nobody other than he matters, and that whatever he wants must necessarily be given at the expense of the public.

These are hardly the qualities of one who could be a responsible democratic leader with liberal values.

Indeed when these are his demands on the public purse while holding no office, one dreads to even imagine what his demands would be if he is elected President!!!

The above is an excerpt from S.L. Gunasekara’s a recent book ‘Fonseka Vs Rajapaksa’ - The issues Before Us.