Major General Janaka Perera – Meaningless political end to a meaningful military career

A war hero and great son of mother Lanka, Major General Janaka Perera has fallen due to a wrong decision that has cost his own life together with number of innocent people. In his distinguished career in the army, he has served the nation as a heroic, but his tragic death is meaningless end in a contradicting path.Major General Janaka Perera is one of the distinguished generals serving our mother land. As a Colonel, Janaka Perera took a significant role suppressing the JVP insurrection of 1987-89 and this earned him both praise and blame in the South. In the following years he played a significant role in combating the LTTE terrorists in the North, especially in the Jaffna and Welioya areas. LTTE terrorists faced their most pathetic military debacle in their long futile struggle when they attacked Welioya Army camp which was then under the military leadership of Major General Janaka Perera. It was reported that almost all the tiger carders who engaged in that attack were trapped in and killed in the battlefield with minimum destruction to the government forces. Later, Brigadier Pererea played a major role during Operation Riviresa which led to the liberation of the Jaffna peninsula, during which he commanded the 53 Division.Following the fall of Elephant Pass in April 2000 which forced the SL Army units in Jaffna to fall back due to lack of fixed defense positions, Perera was appointed Overall Operations Commander (OOC) and tasked with countering the LTTE offensive, along with Major General (now Lt. General) Sarath Fonseka. When immature political leadership (CBK government) was appealing for foreign intervention to flee, the military leadership of Janaka Perera and Sarath Fonseka counter the terrorist offensive effectively serving thousands of Sri Lankan youth who are now battling the final war against terrorists.While then UNP politicos were busy distributing Sirrens to lead the fleeing the Sinhalese from then so called border villages, Major General Janaka Perera had a clear vision and therefore provide not only security but also development to the Weli Oya area so that the people of the area has no reason to flee in fear of terrorists.Major General Janaka Perera ended his elite military career as a war hero who devoted his military life for integrity and freedom of mother land. However, he became a victim of bankrupt political leadership of Ranil Wickramasingha. He was previously offered the post of UNP organizer for Maharagama electorate that is renowned for patriotic and heroic people, but wisly Janaka Perera rejected the offer.When indifferent UNP leader Ranil Wickramasingha was desperate for some avenues for his political survival, he was looking for people range from Sannasgala (who is infamous for exam cheating, copyright violation, INGO links) to Ranjan Ramanayaka ( a petty sookiri star), it is unfortunate that Major General Janaka Perera accepted the offer to contest for the chief ministry post for North Central province.It was not only a contradicting political decision, but a risky one too. UNP leader Ranil Wickramasingha is known to be a feeble character who will never even think of fighting against terrorism. Ranil is only renowned for holding the white flag for his mere survival. It was very evident that Major General Janaka Perera has no political role to play in UNP government under Ranil Wickramasingha, but merely a part of last minute survival drama of indifferent leader. However, battle hardened Janaka Perera was not matured enough to understand this reality. Major-General Lucky Algama has already paid his his price when he was assassinated in UNP political rally in Ja Ela when he was canvassing for Ranil Wickramasingha in presidential election in 1993.It is pity that former war hero has lost his life while trying to serve a political movement which has trait this country. It is even more shame that at this tragic death of former war hero, there will not be a single person in his political party (UNP) who will call his assassinators as terrorists. UNP will try to get even the last opportunity to point fingers at all the parties other than the true enemy (the terrorists) to cement their traitorous political path.It is sad that there are still handful of followers to this political party which has not identified its enemy in the form of terrorist even after they have completely prune their potential political leadership starting from R. Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayaka, Ranjan Wijayarathna, Weerasingha Mallimaracchi to Janaka Perera and many more.Ranil Wickramasingha got the UNP party leadership because LTTE killed all the senior UNP leadership. Still he does not have the slightest leadership quality to fulfill his goal by convincing the public even at desperate times. More and more secondary UNP leaders will sacrifice their life while this feeble character enjoying the dignity of ‘leader of UNP’ and ‘leader of opposition’ posts. Those who lost their life while serving the UNP leadership will not even get justice for their death because the UNP leadership has no guts even to point the finger directly towards the enemy and call him by its due name (Terrorist) !( News from-Lanka Rising)