Anusha David spotlights the hottest styles and statements in and around Sri Lanka – from political leaders to celebrity CEOs, masters of the game to fashion icons and stars of the silver screen and stage. Here are society’s leaders talking about the determination, vision, smarts, competence and professionalism. Today, she speaks to Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka needs no introduction. Under his command the army performed the near impossible task of ending the 30 year old war. Hailing from Ambalangoda, where his parents were teachers, he has two brothers and two sisters. He joined the army at the age of 18 and met his wife Anoma when he was a Second Lieutanant in 1972. The father of two daughters Apsara and Aparna, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is determined to wipe out corruption and firmly establish good governance.

Excerpts from the interview:

Name three books that had a profound influence on you.

The life of Eisenhower when I was a junior officer, Mandela’s autobiography when I was in prison; it helped me through that ordeal. Aung San Suu Kyi’s biography, Benazir Bhutto's experiences when her family was under tremendous pressure, their experiences were similar to mine but they still managed to survive.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the fact that I managed to command the army that achieved victory and brought an end to the 30 year war. I commanded the army, I planned the operations, I changed the battle concepts, tactics, I trained the army, resulting in a huge change in their performance and finally I succeeded in ending the war. I have performed the highest service any army officer can, for their country.

What were the greatest difficulties you faced during your time in the army?

Actually when we joined the army there were no battles to be fought or insurgencies, it was a ceremonial army. But as time went on, from 1970 with the insurgency, the army became more operational. We were then confronted with the LTTE and all the problems in the North and East; those were the most challenging moments. Apart from that, army life was mostly administrative.

In March of this year, you were promoted to the rank of Field Marshal – the first in Sri Lanka’s military. How much did this mean to you?

To any military officer it’s a dream come true. It is the highest pinnacle of achievement in the military. For anyone who has loved the uniform and the military it is the greatest achievement. Anywhere in the world, becoming a Field Marshal is a huge achievement, there is nothing greater. To have finally reached that distinction, well it gives me great pleasure. It also means that I have been rewarded for my contribution to this country and for having secured the security of this country and its people. A Field Marshal’s rank is not easily come by. It means my achievements have been recognized and I am happy and proud about it.

Considering everything that has happened to you, do you regret contesting the 2010 Presidential election?

No, not at all because when I entered politics I had a goal, I had an aim. We achieved victory but our victory was stolen... counting centres were attacked, all our agents were chased away, the results they produced without the signature of our agents could not be accepted, it was not official… five years later we achieved our target.

Your wife, Anoma Fonseka, stood beside you and fought for your release. Tell us about her and how you felt about her courageous stand.

She was very courageous and determined. She had to go through a lot of harassment, injustice, ill treatment. For instance when I was in prison, we were not even allowed to take a house on rent. My children were harassed, charges were being framed against my children; it was a very dangerous and difficult period. My wife had to withstand all that alone as people were too scared even to give us any assistance as if they did, they too would have incurred the wrath of the Rajapakses. So in a situation like that, for a woman to fight back with hardly any support from outside was no easy task. I was incarcerated in prison and could do nothing, but she never gave up. She continued the fight until she won the battle.

How much faith do you have in President Sirisena’s and Ranil Wickremasinghe’s leadership?

I see them as people who genuinely want to do good for the country. They are trying to achieve what was promised on the stage; good governance, preserving and enforcing law and order, fighting corruption, changing the political culture; they are doing their best, they are a thousand times better than the Rajapakses, they are a thousand times cleaner than the Rajapakses, they respect democracy, but the problem is that the whole political system is corrupt. It is full of corrupt politicians, so they too are going through difficulties. For example President Maithripala Sirisena is not getting the cooperation he needs from certain ‘strong men’ from within the party. Those who enjoyed all the perks and privileges of the Rajapakse regime do not want to lend their support to the present government. Therefore against that backdrop these two gentlemen are doing a good job.

Do you think the interim government did enough to address and correct the corruption issue?

I don’t think it was humanly possible to achieve everything they set out to achieve in such a short frame of time, especially considering the fact that they did not receive the cooperation of most of the ‘strong men’ from within their parties. It was not practically possible for them to address all the main issues, but achievements like bringing forward the 19th Amendment, reducing the Presidential powers, distributing some of these powers to the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet; these are significant achievements. They have to be recognized as steps taken in the right direction. Unfortunately there has hardly been any time for them to develop the economy of the country, having said that I feel they should have outlined a proper plan to develop the economy. I myself am disappointed with their lack of a clear economic plan and policy. In that respect they have not done enough. Also they have not taken sufficient action against corruption, against the fraudsters, those engaging in corrupt practices; the steps taken by them so far are not good enough. The people are not satisfied with their performance in this respect. The people expected much more from them in this respect and they have been let down.

Why were you overlooked for the Defence portfolio?

I was not in parliament to begin with. To be a Minister or Deputy Minister you first have to be in parliament.

What are the key points of your election campaign?

Our policy statement was published during our last May Day celebrations. We are not in the habit of releasing new policy statements from election to election. Justice for the people, democratic rights, instilling a new political culture, economic development, addressing the issues of the youth and unemployment.

What are the chances of the Democratic Party joining the UNFGG?

We will contest the election on our own as both the main parties, the SLFP as well as the UNP have some corrupt people. We expected both parties to rid themselves of these corrupt elements prior to the elections but unfortunately this did not happen. Similarly there are so many other problems which the respective parties have not been able to correct or control. Therefore we decided to contest separately, but if we are to align ourselves with any party, we will consider it, provided we can create a meaningful impact.

Do you think President Sirisena is an effective leader?

He is an effective leader who has his own way of handling matters. He has control over certain issues but then the corrupt activities within the parties, clearing them, had I been there I would have done it differently. However he being a veteran politician with  over 40 years experience, he said he had to respect the democratic system which prevented him from taking certain harsh decisions. Well that is the way he thinks, he looks at things differently, however the fact that Mahinda Rajapakse has been able to stage a comeback and influence affairs within that party; we do not accept that.

Do you have a message for the citizens of Sri Lanka?

My message is, now I am a politician because I want to see this country develop and prosper and take its rightful place among the world’s leading nations and keep pace with the developed economies. I see two areas which have held our country back; firstly the political culture where our people are happy with what they have. They have been used to their families' generation on generation voting for one particular party and going to those politicians to obtain favours, whether it be employment, a suitable school for their children, to obtain a loan from a mortgage bank or the BOI, they feel that unless they go behind a politician they cannot survive. That is the thinking in this country. This is not just particular to the downtrodden masses, but even of the so called elite and the educated, where they feel that without the patronage of a politician they cannot survive.  This thinking must be changed.

People must understand that it is they who control the politicians, not that the politicians control them! If people vote wisely and vote only for upright and honest politicians, this vicious cycle can be broken and politicians will have to do their job and perform their duties. The other is that people vote for the party that their families have voted for generations on end. Hence the politicians really don’t have to earn their vote, it is instead handed to them! They don’t bother to work for the good of the people but instead serve their own ends. People have to stop voting in this manner and instead cast their vote wisely, not through habit. They need to understand that they should vote for people who will serve the people not themselves. They have to select sincere candidates, those who are honest and hard working and vote for them, not blindly vote for the party of their ancestors. This is something I am trying very hard to instill in the minds of the people. The day I achieve this I can say I have performed my duty in politics.

Interviewed by Anusha David