With the announcement yesterday (21) of a three-point policy with regard to the procedure to be followed in making appointments in the Army, the senior most officer in the Army, Maj. Gen. Krishantha de Silva, was appointed by the president as the 21st commander of the Army.
The three-point policy as announced by the prime minister’s office is:
1. Appointing officers and running the Army as per the Sri Lanka Army constitution and protocol.
2. In appointing a successor to the Army commander, the next senior-most officer is given the chance.
3. Making appointments in the Army free of political or non-political basis, such as personal friendships or enmities.
2. In appointing a successor to the Army commander, the next senior-most officer is given the chance.
3. Making appointments in the Army free of political or non-political basis, such as personal friendships or enmities.
The previous regime posted him to Russia as the deputy ambassador in order to appoint Daya Ratnayake, who was after him in seniority, as the Army commander. Ratnayake is to retire on the 22nd of this month.
Army & AF chiefs are Royal College classmates.
Maj. Gen. Silva is a former student of Colombo’s Royal College. Born in 1961, he had a classmate in former Air Force commander Air Vice Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama. Others in the class were Central Bank governor Arjuna Mahendran, former presidential advisor and People’s Bank chairman Mano Tittawella, Neth FM owner Nihal Epa Seneviratne, BBC Sinhala Sandeshaya former head Priyath Liyanage and Tiran Alles, the owner of Mawbima newspaper who has set a record by speaking the least in parliament as an MP.
Some say that the contest between Colombo Ananda College and Royal College for the position of the Army commander was won by Royal College, and that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe being an old Royalist has had a big influence in that result.
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