Exemplary military leaders of Sri Lanka:

JED: The Doyen of military officers

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

PERSONALITY: The younger generation is the most valuable asset in any country that will takeover its responsibilities in the future.

However it is the responsibility of the present generation to set an example to them so that they will be inspired, educated and become resourceful people to lead the country. Because, "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"

This is the first of a series of articles on military leaders who have set an example to the country in the past by excellent leadership qualities, management capabilities, integrity and efficiency.

The character of Lieutenant General Deshamanya J. E. Denis Perera VSV, D.Litt (Honaris Causa) FCMI, FMgt,(SL) ndc, psc is portrayed as the first because he is the Doyen of military officers now living, having joined the Army on the day it was formed on 10 October 1949 and having been the first Sandhurst trained officer to command the Sri Lanka Army from October 1977 to October 1981.

Above all he is an admirable character with unique personal qualities who has set a great example in all aspects modestly to all responsible citizens in this country.

In the Army all his predecessors as Commanders were officers of the Ceylon Defence Force who joined the Ceylon Army when it was formed in 1949.

Two officers of the British Army - Brigadier the Earl of Caithness DSO and Brigadier Sir Francis Reid CBE were the Commanders of the Ceylon Army in its formative years until 1955.

Lt. General Perera was relaxing at his home in Etul Kotte when I stepped in there one evening and told him my wish to write a series of articles on great military leaders of Sri Lanka for the benefit of our younger generation. I was warmly welcomed with his usual affectionate smile.

Lt. General Perera was born on 10th October 1930 in Colombo which co-incidentally happened to be the Army Day later. His father was the Mudaliyar of Siyane Korale who reported to the British Government Agent of the Western Province. They lived in Gampaha at that time.

He and his only sister elder to him studied at St. Peter's College and Holy Family Convent. He studied up to Advance Level at St. Peters College and left school when he was selected for Sandhurst.

It was when he went to Diyatalawa in 1949 to the Ceylon Cadet Battalion Camp, that Denis got interested for the first time to join the Army where the then Defence Advisor Earl of Caithness came and addressed the cadets revealing that there will be vacancies for youth to go to Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst UK.

When the advertisement appeared in the paper he was working ways and means of convincing his parents because both of them said "NO" to his idea in the first place.

"I had an uncle who was a senior Police Officer who intervened in the matter and got my parents consent. So I applied at the last minute. Ten youngsters were selected including myself and we signed on 10th October which was my 19th Birthday" recollecting the memorable beginning of his career he said.

"Three days after the Army was formed we were sent to UK by Air Ceylon Sky Master which took two days to reach London.

Those days there were few commercial flights unlike today so we stopped in Bombay for lunch and in Karachchi for dinner, Cairo for breakfast, Rome for lunch and reached London late that evening," he said.

The training for a batch of 300 cadets including 10 Sri Lankans and few Malaysian and Thai cadets started at Sandhurst in January 1950 which was very tough but productive.

On completion of training some cadets returned to Sri Lanka by sea. They were commissioned and Second Lieutenant Denis Perera was posted to the Engineering Regiment and sent to the Royal School of Military Engineering in Kent to follow a Young Officers Course.

He later was attached to a Royal Engineering Regiment in Germany which was part of the British Army. He returned to Sri Lanka when his unit was just formed in Diyatalawa.

During the entire years of service he was a regimental officer, a staff officer at Army HQ. He attended several courses in the UK including the Staff College Courses.

General Perera married Ranjini Perera in 1958 from a family known to his family whom he knew from his childhood. Then he served for few years in Ampara school of Military Engineering.

He became the second in command of his unit. After a short spell in this appointment, he was posted to the Army Training Centre at Diyatalawa and was required to commence an officer cadet school as training of cadets overseas was stopped due to foreign exchange difficulties.

Many of the senior officers in the Army today were his pupils. Then he returned after a four-year spell as Military attach‚ at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. It was up graded to Regimental standards.

His appointment as Director Plans at Army Headquarters with special responsibility to organise and coordinate the three Armed Forces for the Non Aligned Conference became a significant event in his life.

General Perera was appointed Chief of Staff in August 1977 and then became the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army in October 1977 at the age of 47.

During his four-year tenure of command he has proved himself to have foresight and organising ability of the highest standards.

He believed that the Army's primary role was "Conflict Prevention" and to this end troops were deployed islandwide and though there were threats, conflict was prevented.

He also ensured Personnel Management and Administration and carried out systematic inspections of units.

He raised a number of Regular and Volunteer units such as Rajarata Rifles, Vijayabahu Regiment, and a Commando Unit. He established a Combat Training School in Ampara and two cadet training institutes including the Officer Cadet school in Diyatalawa was upgraded to a Military Academy.

Identifying the importance of joint operations and the need to bring the education level of the three armed forces officers to a higher standard he established Kotelawala Defence Academy in Kandawala by negotiating with Sir John Kotelawala for the Kandawala property of 50 acres to be donated to the military after his life time.

Although he initiated this to fulfil a national requirement he took a personal interest to form the General Sir John Kotelawala Memorial Society to commemorate his death anniversary and made it a point to participate at the event every year as a mark of respect to him.

The Government has now approved the Kotelawala Defence Academy as a Defence University.

Father of three sons, General Perera is affectionately remembered as the "Father of the Women's Corps" when he established the Army Women's Corps for the first time in order to relieve male soldiers to the battlefield from administration duties.

With this, new doors were opened to young and brave women in Sri Lanka while empowering them to face new challenges. Navy and Air Force also recruited women later on having seen its success.

Allocation of land was also given in Narahenpita adjoining the Royal Colombo Golf Course for the Army Hospital, Doctors and Nurses Quarters and five acres for a stadium.

Unfortunately this project was abandoned after General Perera's retirement. General Perera recommended a Pay Commission to the Government and ensured a system by which officers and other ranks would receive various allowances to compensate for their disturbed way of life and also established a principle whereby periodical revisions of salary would be carried out.

This is happening. Rent allowance was also introduced for the first time. He also recommended to the Government that Awards and Honours for the military should be introduced and this scheme was approved in 1981.

He retired from the Army at the age of 51 years the youngest Army Commander to retire and his period made full of creative activities and praiseworthy changes for the betterment of the Army and the country.

He was then appointed High Commissioner to Australia and all the South Pacific Commonwealth States which was seven in all.

He returned after four years in diplomacy in 1986 and was appointed Chairman Reserve Affairs Council which comprised the Service Commanders, IGP and others for the purpose of raising auxiliary and para-military forces to supplement the armed forces to meet the threat of insurgencies in the whole country at that time.

In 1990 he relinquished this appointment and joined the private sector. He was Chairman of internationally connected companies such as Blackwood Hodge (Engineers), GTE Directories (Ceylon) and British American Tobacco (Ceylon) and some other local companies.

In 1993 he was elected President of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association during which time a benevolent fund for destitute Ex-Servicemen was built up and the Veterans Home at Katana was provided with more buildings.

It was significant that Ex-Army Women's Association also was formed under his guidance as the President of Ex-Servicemen's Association.

On a request by then Army Commander General Rohan Daluwatta he undertook the daunting and onerous task of producing the Army History book, in time to coincide with the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Sri Lanka Army in 1999.

He was Founder President of the Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers and Founder President of the Outward Bound Trust of Sri Lanka.

He was an active member of his school's Old Boys Union of which he was President for three years and is now a Vice Patron.

He holds office in the Badminton Foundation and the Sports Shooting Association. For two years he was appointed Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka.

He was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Letter by the Kotelawala Defence Academy in 1990 and has been Chancellor of the Academy for many years.

In 2005 he was awarded the title of Deshamanya by the President of Sri Lanka.

It is worthwhile to mention about some of his unique personal qualities which the people whom he associated with in different capacities will never forget.

His pleasant habit of sending personal hand written thanksgiving to anybody, who sent him an invitation or greetings is a very rare quality that could be expected from a person of that calibre.

According to Quarter Master Jayarathna of Work Services Unit, General Perera as the Army Commander had wanted to sign the handing over certificate for his official residence by himself at retirement. When Jayarathna tried get the signature from the officer in charge for the document General Perera said "NO".

"I lived in this house and I must sign this" and he signed it himself. He always signed documents pertaining to him and did not delegate. He always used his private car for his private journeys.

His fatherly quality was admired when the first batch of Army Women officers were recruited. They were accompanied by his beloved wife to meet designs of uniform items to various places taking care of them.

He never stuck to the powerful positions he held for longer than the stipulated time and never had an extension but performed his duties in a very patriotic manner paving the way to his juniors and creating opportunities for the benefit of the future generation and the country.

The beauty of his character is that he has been able to spend a very successful family life equally shining as his career. Today he and his beloved wife are proud parents of three sons in high positions and grand parents of seven grand children.

When I asked him what he thinks about the present situation he said "It is sad... the purpose of an Army is to prevent conflicts. But conflict had been there from 1983 and it has developed, retarding the progress of our motherland and making life uncertain for many, specially those in the Armed Forces" he said.

This six foot tall person looks the very embodiment of a leader. He was an athlete, ruggerite and tennis player. His leadership in the military, in diplomacy, and in numerous organisations is certainly an example to be emulated by the younger generation.

It is appropriate to end this article with a quote from "Serve To Lead" an anthology compiled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for the young officers:

Simple Maths

"Ten good soldiers wisely led, will beat a hundred without a head"

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