President at Ananda College:

Serve country with dedication

Through our planning and strategies to defeat the terrorism of the LTTE we have now endowed the world with the true art of humanitarian operations, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a ceremony to commemorate war heroes who were former students of Ananda College, Colombo.The President said that when the troops were making their battle plans they also had to make plans in the political view to win the attention and confidence of the public.

Following is the text of the President’s address at the ceremony to commemorate Anandian war heroes held at Ananda College, Colombo 10 on Friday.

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Today, we pay our tribute to the heroes who successfully accomplished a military mission that amazed the whole world in achieving great victory. The people call their mission the second freedom struggle of the nation. As all schools that produced heroes in this mission receive deserving praise, we can see that Ananda College, Colombo, deserves exceptional recognition.

Leaders

The Prime Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence, Rathnasiri Wickramanayake, Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa , Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the Navy, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Director General of the Civil Defence Force , Sarath Weerasekara, are all products of Ananda College.

Similarly, a large number of second row commanders including Major General Jagath Dias, Major General Kamal Gunarathne, Brigadier Prasanna Silva, and Brigadier Chagi Gallage, too are products of Ananda College. Just as our humanitarian mission amazed the world, it is amazing that the majority of its commanders are products of Ananda. Yet, when looking at the history of the Ananda College, I believe that it is how it should be.

Friends,

Our history contains many decisive events. The arrival of the Arahat Mahinda, the war fought by King Dutugemunu, the arrival of King Wijayabahu, the work of Weliwita Asarana Sarana Sri Saranankara Maha Thera, are the most important events in the history of Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Panadura debate and the establishment of the Ananda College are key events that took place after Sri Lanka became a colony of the British Empire in 1815.

Ananda was first established in 1886 at the Buddhist Hall at No 61, Maliban Street, in Colombo. I have heard that now there is a private shop there. The attention of the nation should be drawn to this. Ananda was then established as an English medium Buddhist educational institution. We know that C.W. Leadbeater was chosen the first principal of Ananda under the guidance of Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera. In 1895, Ananda was shifted to this place in Maradana owned by Mudaliyar Tudor Rajapakse.

A nation cannot be built only with pounds, dollars and rupees. The lost freedom cannot be restored only with force or political means. We must work with foresight towards the goal. It was with such foresight that Hikkaduwe Sumangala Thera acted when he established a Buddhist school at that time. Instead of sowing seeds of anti- imperialism by only shouting slogans, they established a school. Today that school has breathed more life and strength to the nation than crores of protest slogans. There were a number of other Buddhist schools established in the country in the wake of Ananda. Thinking was blended with the flesh and blood. The founding of Ananda is an important historic juncture in this country.

Multi-racial

In those days, like a shade of Sal Trees, Ananda became a shelter for all people that were repressed by imperialism. Burgher teachers like Leadbeater, Muslim teachers like T.B. Jayah, Sundaralingam, Mettananda, and the like, teachers belonging to all religions and ethnicities taught in this college. Ananda treated all these nationalities and religions as a common heritage of our country.

We understand that the war heroes engaged in the noble mission were instilled with this value. From the inception, they acted with understanding that the Herculean mask given to them was not one conducted against a particular race but against a group of terrorists. Because of this leadership, not a single brick, or a roof tile belonging to any cultural or religious institution suffered damage in hands of our forces. That is the kind of leadership given by this educational institution.From its inception, Ananda produced the best for national leadership of our country. They were as varied as Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe, Philip Gunawardane, Dr. N.M. Perera, and Balangoda Ananda Maithree Thera. Though all these leaders excelled in different fields and political streams, they all possessed one common quality. That is the love for their motherland, the love for their country. Thus, it is no wonder that today the leaders like those who dedicated their lives for the country were also from Ananda.

The best weapon we had to defeat the world’s most ruthless terrorists was good leadership. This mission was an innings played by the leadersTherefore, these war heroes not only become the pride of Ananda, but also teach a lesson for all schoolchildren in the country on how to be good leaders. To be a leader one required a good aim or goal.

The leaders in this mission had a goal. Having goal is not enough; it has to be a just and righteous one. You all know that most leaders in the world like Hitler, Pol Pot and even Prabhakaran had their goals. But, their goals were not just or righteous.All you loving children know that just as your fathers and mothers had to guard the gates of Ananda, the gates of all schools in the country had to also be guarded by parents. They did that to save you from the terrorists who butchered little Buddhist samaneras at Aranathalawa and children at Kebethigollewa.

The whole world accepted the correctness of the aim to rid the country of those savage terrorists. The selection of a righteous goal is not enough.

One has to stick to that goal despite all odds.

Prominent heads

You all know that these officers here are not those who joined the forces during last three years. The persons here are those who have engaged in operations against the terrorists for decades.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka were there in the Vadamarachchi Operation. Wasantha Karannagoda was the commander of the Navy in the East for a long time. Director General Sarath Weerasekara served on board DvoraFast Attack Craft for many years. It is same with the other officers.In the decade of the 90s they were comrades on the battlefields. Yet, these warriors were not led by those with a singular and clear goal... Having a righteous goal is not enough for a good leader, one has to stick to it and dedicate one’s life to realize of that goal. The leader, who abandons the goal when facing difficulties, destroys both lives and the nation.

Achieving the target and goal needs intelligent planning. We were required to protect Colombo city; the villages located close to terrorist bases; country’s main cities, power stations, fuel stores and refineries, and also the huge reservoirs. Therefore, we had to prepare well before we began our march to Mavil Aru. We increased the strength of the armed forces, police and civil defence force. We trained them well. Their firepower was doubled and tripled.

Planning needs the consideration of possible challenges and difficulties that lie ahead. Some said that attacks with poisonous gasses would turn our forces back. Others predicted that our forces would meet their face difficulty during the monsoons in the Vanni. Yet, as we foresaw these challenges and planned pro-actively we could turn them for our own advantage.

Instead of being scared and retreating, we marched ahead even in the monsoon season, making the terrorists helpless. Therefore, good planning not only helps to overcome the challenges but also to exploit them for own advantage.

When these warriors were making their plans on the battlefield, we also had to make plans in the political field to win the attention and confidence of the public. The terrorists had built a colossal propaganda network throughout the world. At each step we took forward, we knew the terrorists were ready to accuse us for human rights violations. No matter how many air strikes were launched or long range weapons used, we planned all such attacks to ensure that no civilian would get hurt. Hence, this mission was called a humanitarian operation. Through our planning, we have now endowed the world with the true art of humanitarian operations.

A plan cannot be implemented alone. It needs a team. Remember, that there is no team without a leader. Therefore, there are number of points to be considered when a leader selects a team. When we commenced our war on terror, we focused our attention only on the capabilities of those who should lead the battle. We did not take one’s age or affinity towards us into account. The Buddha did not offer positions in the Sasana only because of being elderly in the order. Minister Channa expected a high position in the Sasana just because he came behind the horse of Prince Siddhartha who was journeying to attain Enlightenment.

Yet, the Sasana did not confer positions on such basis. It is the team that makes the leader. Thus, when selecting an exceptional team, the leader has to select those who can bring him excellence. If positions are given on age or affinity, that leader will not last. The reason we achieved this unparalleled victory was because we stuck to the policy that the positions must be given only to those who suit best for them.

My dear children, when selecting a team for any purpose, one cannot always have the perfect match. Perfect people cannot be found. Yet, the leader should have the ability to train and develop people who share his vision and goal. When we were recruiting soldiers to expand the force, the majority of the youth who came to join were from poor remote villages. The schools they attended did not have cadet corps or special facilities for sports. But, we trained them. These armed forces commanders have developed a high class of professional soldiers that can serve in any armed forces in the world.

Structure

You may remember the Home Guard service we had those days. That Home Guard service had no organized structure. We appointed a director general for this service. We institutionalized it and organized it. We gave them a systematic training and made them a special team. The service rendered by the Civil Defence Force in this battle was exceptional. A leader will never ditch his followers, or go looking only for the best. A leader should be able to develop supermen out of ordinary people. From our village youth, we have now developed warriors who can fight in any armed force in the world.

A leader must always motivate his team. There are many ways of motivating a team.

Do not expect only the performance of the duty from your subordinates.Their welfare must be looked into. We developed the “Api Venuven Api” concept; we went to their homes and looked after their problems. We are building 50,000 houses for them, and we are building Ranaviru schools for their children. That is one way of motivating your team.

On the other hand, the genuine commitment of the leader to one’s goal is another factor that increases the strength and motivation of the team. We enrolled our children to the armed services.

The Secretary Defence did not forget his duty even after he was attacked by a suicide bomber. Having suffered severe injuries from a suicide blast, the Army Commander returned to service within three months. Wasantha Karannagoda and Sarath Weerasekara were always in the frontline. Not a single fraud was allowed in the forces.

That integrity is another way that a leader can increase courage in his team.

Also, a leader must always represent his followers. You should not evade them. They should be protected. Therefore, I said, criticize me, sling mud at me, but do not criticize the forces, specially the officers and soldiers in the northern front. The Secretary Defence went to the courts to defend the honour of the armed forces.The Deputy Minister of Defence always stood for the forces during heated parliamentary debates on the Emergency Regulations.

Likewise, when the leader stands for his team, the followers would be ready even to sacrifice their lives for the cause.In victory, always give the credit to the team. In defeat, the shortcomings must be accepted by the leader. Thus, leader should be able to keep the team spirit alive in his team. The team spirit must always prevail in any team.

In order to do this, the leader must not succumb to hatred. If mistakes or even enmities are avenged, the team spirit cannot be preserved.Nothing is impossible in this world. The reason for our failures is the abandoning of good goals by considering them as unattainable. There are only difficult tasks ahead of us, and nothing impossible.

It is not the way of a good leader to give up the effort to achieve something, just because it is difficult. Therefore, never give up an effort towards a good objective, just because it is difficult.

When these leaders dedicated themselves for their objectives they never felt the difference between the night and the day. They not only made use of the daylight but also the darkness of the night. Some great victories were achieved by operating in the dark.Leaders see no difference between night and day. There are no good times and bad times for them to do the needful. There is only the right time and the wrong time for something. That is how time should be managed.Remember that you will not be able to achieve personal success without achieving the common good. That is the truth taught by the heroic troops.

They worked 365 days of the year. Not only fighting, they also performed all other duties. They never circumvented any of those duties saying that they do not fall in to a soldier’s job. They did everything from being midwives to caring for children. Yet, they did not demand workers’ rights, or higher salaries. They did not think of their own personal lives.

They took their job as a duty for the country but not as a job.What is a profession? It is a duty performed for the country. Whether the selected job is in the armed forces or not, one should be determined to serve the motherland and all humankind by performing that job.

Any professional must be dedicated to serve the country. Before being a leader, and before being a professional, one must be a good citizen. We should hold in our hearts a verse penned by Ven. S. Mahinda Thera of Tibet, the great poet of our independence struggle who taught at Ananda College:

* Part of the life you have

* It for the nation, the people,

* You do not give, my son,

* You give this world nothing.

Part of your life belongs to this nation. If you are to pay tribute to those who were ready to lay their lives for this nation, then I ask that you prepare yourselves to offering part of your lives to this country.

I wish you a bright and successful future.