• Lack of ‘a seniority gap’ between the two heads detrimental
• Army Commander and Defence Secretary were working against each other
• Intelligence completely missed the build-up of politically motivated mobs
• Questions psychological impact on Shavendra Silva
• Visits by foreign ambassadors to military installations must stop

by Kalani Kumarasinghe
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has acknowledged his shortcomings in appointing key defence personnel, including General  Shavendra Silva and General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne in his tell-all  memoir “The Conspiracy to Oust Me” launched yesterday (March 7).  Rajapaksa recounts the dramatic circumstances which led to his ousting  in 2022, describing it as a first-hand experience of an internationally-sponsored regime change operation.  
Rajapaksa who recalls several of his failures, most notably  the organic farming initiative, also interestingly points out failures  in the national security apparatus under his own administration.  
“I appointed officers with long years of experience whom I  had worked with for many years to the most important positions in the  law and order and security apparatus.
 Some structural shortcomings in  the placements I made which did not show up when the armed forces were  preoccupied with disaster relief operations during the pandemic, later  obviously caused problems in the command and control structure of the  defence establishment. However, by that time it was too late to address  these issues.” he wrote.   
The former President, referring to Defence Secretary Kamal  Gunaratne and the Army Commander at the time Shavendra Silva noted the  lack of ‘a seniority gap’ between the two heads which he asserted was  detrimental to national security.   

 Some structural shortcomings in  the placements I made which did not show up when the armed forces were  preoccupied with disaster relief operations during the pandemic, later  obviously caused problems in the command and control structure of the  defence establishment. However, by that time it was too late to address  these issues.” he wrote.   
The former President, referring to Defence Secretary Kamal  Gunaratne and the Army Commander at the time Shavendra Silva noted the  lack of ‘a seniority gap’ between the two heads which he asserted was  detrimental to national security.   

“Both of them were divisional commanders during the war and  had got used to seeing themselves more or less as equals. Whether the  two got on well was doubtful,” Rajapaksa said. He also alleged that the  Army Commander and the Defence Secretary were working against each other  at times, with the Army Commander disregarding the instructions of the  Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne. He added that Gunaratne may not have  had the same control over the armed services that Rajapaksa once had as  Defence Secretary.   
In stark contrast to Rajapaksa’s presidential election  campaign which was built around the themes of national security, and his  status as a war hero, the memoir notes of the various failures of the  defence apparatus in containing mass protests which led to him fleeing  the country. One reason, Rajapaksa attributes is the fact that both the  Defence Secretary and the Army Commander were facing human rights abuse  allegations, which he says prevented the duo from taking necessary  action.   
Rajapaksa notes that the inability of Silva’s daughter to  travel to the United States due to these circumstances, ‘obviously’ had a  psychological impact on the General.   
The former President asserts that visits by foreign  ambassadors to military installations must stop, and strict protocols  must be introduced to monitor interactions of the armed services.  While Rajapaksa maintains that his ouster was the result of  a major international conspiracy, the failure of intelligence was also a  key factor in preventing his ousting.   
“Intelligence services performed well in pandemic-related  duties, they completely missed the build-up of politically motivated  mobs on social media,” he wrote.   
The former President also shared some of his frustrations  in being a novice politician, detailing the dilemmas he was forced to  deal with in appointing members of the Rajapaksa family to powerful  portfolios. “The fact that I was not leading the party meant that I did  not have much political power,” Rajapaksa wrote.   
In a historic ruling in November 2023, the Supreme Court  determined that the Rajapaksa brothers, — Gotabaya, Mahinda, and Basil —  as well as senior officials in their administration, played a  significant role in the economic crisis of 2022, breaching the public’s  trust.   
Nonetheless, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s book reiterates his  refusal to acknowledge any accountability for the nation’s financial  downfall, and continues to attribute his ousting to “conspiratorial  forces.”