FROM THE DEFENCE MINISTRY TO TRINCOMALEE

by Eric. J. de Silva

Sometime during the early part of 1976, the Defence Secretary asked me whether I could suggest a suitable person to be recommended to the Prime Minister to be sent as G.A. Trincomalee, as the then incumbent (Tissa Devendra) was seeking a transfer to Colombo after having served in that position for five years or so.

The appointment of Government Agents was normally a matter for the Home Ministry but in respect of a few districts where security considerations were a matter of special concern, the Prime Minister’s approval had to be obtained for the appointments. I made a few inquiries from persons I thought were suitable, but no one was prepared to risk moving out of Colombo with a General Election not too far away after which many changes were likely to take place, particularly in the districts. The stalemate in the meantime continued in respect of Trincomalee.

In April 1976, the Prime Minister was due to attend a Passing-out Parade of the Air Force at China Bay and Mr. Jayasinghe, the Secretary, was due to go along with her. A couple of days before the event, he called me up and said that he had to stay back in Colombo due to some urgent official business, and asked me to proceed to China Bay with the P.M.

He added that she had given her approval for the change, and that I could go along with her in the SLAF aircraft which she used on such occasions That, surely, was an exciting proposition, and I was only too glad to agree. I got his approval to stay a day or two more in Trinco after the Air Force event, and get back to Colombo later by train as there was a week-end intervening.

I phoned the G.A. and asked him whether he could reserve a room for me at the Rest House for the duration of my stay. He said I could easily stay with him at the Residency (GA’s bungalow), and added that he was its only occupant at the time as his family was away in Colombo. I was naturally happy to accept his offer.

There were not too many traveling with the PM that morning other than for a couple of senior Air Force officers and one or two members of her personal staff. She appeared quite relaxed inside the aircraft, and engaged in friendly conversation with her co-passengers. My seat (originally meant for the Secretary) was diagonally opposite hers across the aisle, and she chatted with me very freely. During our conversation, she was glad to hear that I was quite happy working in the Ministry, and had nothing to complain about.

On arriving in China Bay and after the arrival formalities were over, the PM left for the Navy House where she usually stays during her visits to Trinco, and I accompanied the G.A. to the Residency where he had offered to host me. I had not been there earlier and realized what a wonderful place it was, straight from the picture book as it were. I had a lot of time to walk around and enjoy the surroundings and the sea breeze, and in the evening he took me to dinner at a captivating location on the Nilaveli beach which looked like paradise on earth.

Back at the Residency, we chatted late into the night with Tissa highlighting the many pluses that Trinco offers a prospective G.A. apart from the additional income that he earns as the Deputy Collector of Customs for the district. Tissa was also reasonably proud of the fact that he had been able to put the District Political Authority, who had tried to arrogate to himself the powers of the G.A., in his place. By the time I got out of bed the next morning I had come to the conclusion that I should not let go the chance of working in Trinco for a few years. Tissa no doubt sensed this while we were having breakfast in the morning, and seemed glad that he had found his successor.

The Prime Minister had asked Tissa to come to China Bay well ahead of the Air Force event for a brief discussion of matters pertaining to the district. Tissa had made use of this opportunity to bring to her notice the request he had made to the relevant authorities that he would like to get back to Colombo after five long years in Trinco.

The P.M. had said she is aware of it and the delay has been in finding a suitable replacement. Finding that she was in a very relaxed mood, Tissa had not wanted to let go the opportunity, and had said that I appeared to be interested in having a stint in Trinco. She had expressed her surprise and said that I had traveled all the way with her to Trinco and had not said anything of the sort to her, which was indeed true.

I did not know whether to take offense with Tissa or to thank him, and ended up doing neither. At the conclusion of the Air Force event around mid-day, the Prime Minister flew back to Colombo in the aircraft she came in. I had already mentioned to her on the way up that I had obtained the necessary permission to spend a day or two more in Trinco making use of the intervening week-end, and get back to Colombo by train.

The train ride to Colombo the next day gave me ample time to mull over things carefully, and I came to the conclusion that I should not let the opportunity go without trying. More than anything else, I felt that its dry climate would help my wife who had developed a tendency to get attacks of asthma in relatively damp and wet conditions, and have no such problems in dry climate.

Back in Colombo, difficult as it was, I was able to get the Secretary to agree to my release when I described to him the personal circumstances that compelled me to make the request. He was not too hopeful however of the Prime Minister agreeing, and said that he would however take it up with her. A few days later, he called me up to say that when he spoke to her on the matter she said that I had not uttered a word about it while accompanying her to China Bay, which was in fact true.

As would by now be clear to the reader, if not for that trip the question would just not have arisen. The Secretary suggested that I meet her and speak to her ‘one-to-one’ and wished me good luck. He was not too hopeful, however, of the Prime Minister agreeing.

When I got an early appointment to meet her and sought my release, she flatly turned down my request saying that she did not desire any change as I was doing very well in the position I held. However, when I mentioned to her the most compelling reason behind my request – namely my wife’s health – the gracious lady changed her stance and said “alright I will let you go provided you find someone like you to take your place in the Ministry.”

For someone who had been unceremoniously ‘kicked out’ of his previous job, these words of the Prime Minister were no doubt worth their value in gold. That was a tall order because I did not know how to find someone just like me. After spending a couple of sleepless nights on the job I thought of someone whom I could unreservedly recommend to the Prime Minister. At the first opportunity I got, I met the P.M. in her office and mentioned the name of the person I had in mind.

She said she has heard of him but did not know much about him. I assured her that he would be even better than me, and added that he would be quite non-political just like me.” She looked at me over the half-glasses she was wearing, and said firmly and with conviction “who wants political public servants in this type of position? They are the people who lead us up the garden path!” These were memorable words indeed.

When I mentioned the name of the official I had in mind it was found that she had already approved his elevation to a higher position in the Finance Ministry where he was working. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister was gracious enough to let me take up the new job, having given her approval to an alternative arrangement that the Secretary had worked out to be able to release me, much as he would have liked me to stay.

When she finally bade me good bye she did not forget to ask me to keep the District Political Authority in his place.

(Excerpted from A Peep Into the Past, the writer’s memoirs)