CAMILLUS ABEYGOONEWARDANE LIVED UP TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS

Camillus and I were contemporaries at St. Peter’s College, Colombo in the 1950s, though in different classes. After passing the SSC. exam, he chose the police for a career at a time the service attracted talent in sports and studies. Many other outstanding Peterites, some in sports, some with leadership skills, joined the police in the 1950s. They included Muni Gomes, Sivendran, Navaratnarajah, Lakshman Jayawardene, Maxie Fernando and Nissanka Dharmatillake.

It is to the credit of the school which nurtured them that these stalwarts held not only the school but also the police flag high, and with pride. Camillus and his band without exception were honourable men who respected values and ethics. Their careers embraced standards and principles. What mattered to each of them was not the rank but the way it was held.

A recurring theme in my recent book, Perils of a Profession was the irreparable harm caused to the service because self-seeking officers found space and scope to climb over those ahead of them in seniority with the backing of powerful patrons. I had also pointed out that those without such patronage suffered in the hands of such cheats because seniors in the highest police echelons stood mute without offering resistance.

Camillus Abeygoonewardena and Muni Gomes were on President J R Jayewardene’s security detail. But they did not seek backdoor promotions, increments, lands or houses. Such honourable conduct deserves the highest praise for they resisted greed and selfishness in an emerging environment conducive to aggrandizement through dishonourable means. Camillus and others of his ilk were above such knavery. He at all times respected fairplay and discipline and in his own persuasive style often held his ground when having to disagree with his superiors or the establishment on professional matters.

The police as a career has much to offer by way of temptations not consonant with ethics and values expected of the profession. At no point of time in an illustrious career did Camillus succumb to these. He joined the service with modest means and left the same way. Nor did he seek benefits by being close to powerful patrons. Many others who joined the police in the 1950s’, including his Peterite colleagues, were no exception. Their professional lives were exemplary with virtues including honour, pride of the service, simplicity, respect for the law and honesty. It was an era when such role models were aplenty. Excess and subservience were not for them. This breed which is now extinct stands in sharp contrast to the police of later days.

I remember the time somewhere in 1960 when I met Camillus after we left school. I was then an undergrad in the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, while he was a Sub Inspector. I was in the gymnasium when he walked briskly up to me to renew our acquaintance. I was impressed by the friendly manner in which he spoke to me. Despite being a Sub Inspector, a rank highly respected in bygone times, he displayed modesty and simplicity.

We next met after I joined the police. Camillus came into prominence for his outstanding work in the Traffic and Transport Committee which performed admirably at the Non aligned Summit of 1976. He was the ‘anchor’ to late Senior DIG Leo Perera who headed it. They together handled the complexities of innumerable motorcades of a galaxy of VIPs’ with excellent timing, precision and panache. Being then in the Security Committee for the conference, I saw Camillus’ efficiency.

He chose traffic work as a career. It is my view, as I have said in my book, he was the best in that field in my time. I saw his stellar performance during the Pope’s visit in 1995. Let me quote from my book (page 80) – ” I must make special mention of DIG Camillus Abeygoonawardane who as Director of Traffic of the Colombo Range won the appreciation of the public for his excellent traffic plans. He was probably the best traffic enforcer in the country at the time.”

Camillus’ advice was regularly sought to untangle as best as possible the bedlam on the roads as a result of too many vehicles. It was my firm opinion that his skills were not adequately harnessed. While serving as an Advisor to the Defence Ministry I proposed that he should serve in a Project Ministry for traffic, given the traffic complications particularly in Western Province. I did not even receive an acknowledgment of my proposal!

He displayed drive and initiative in whatever he undertook. He was a key member of the Committee of the Senior Police Officers Mess of which I was the president in 1992-93. I took over when the facility was poised to undergo a major revamp. We together achieved a virtual miracle transforming the Mess to provide the highest standards. His enthusiasm and innovative suggestions were remarkable. He produced an acquaintance who for a mere two bottles of arrack provided two beautiful paintings for the bar. Sadly they are now missing, together with the valuable carpets which adorned the bar and the “IG’s Lounge”. What happened to them remains a mystery. Far worse, marble floors replaced the carpets. What looked awesome became awful.

He was an excellent organizer, administrator and coordinator holding many positions where such skills were in demand. He was a president of the Old Boys Association (OBA) of St Peter’s College, President of the Retired Senior Police Officers Association (RSPOA) and a president of the Nondescript Cricket Club (NCC). He also played a leading role in the emergence of St Peter’s as a formidable presence in inter-school rugby. His sons were excellent players doing the school proud. Sadly one of them passed away two years ago.

Camillus did not join the post-1977 scrum for promotions, positions and ill-gained loot. He stood tall when the decline in the police began to worsen as a result of outside interference assisted by the inertia in the highest echelons of the police. His wife Mali, and sons Sanjeewa and Dilan, have every reason to be proud of Camillus who has left them unforgettable memories together with an honourable name and goodwill earned for extraordinary efficiency and the observance of the highest standards.

MERRIL GUNARATNE