President Mahinda Rajapakse should not succumb to political obligations of the Foreign Affairs Minister when making diplomatic appointments. Indeed the quality of recruitment in the last three decades may necessitate making political appointments. But these appointments made outside the Foreign Service must necessarily be of the best quality. They must be experienced and capable persons able to meet the challenges demanded of them.
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by Brian Ratnayaka
July 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian: It has been realised that just as much as the Sri Lankan armed forces underwent transformation from ceremonial forces to fighting forces, our foreign service too had to change from the wining and dining striped pants brigade it was, to an effective diplomatic service performing functions vital for the survival of this nation. The armed forces had no option other than to leave their drums and bugles on the parade grounds and march off to the battlefields, but the diplomatic service is still regarded as a dumping grounds for political supporters and political discards, ambitious but not qualified progeny of ruling parties and of course girl friends and relatives.
According to informed sources, with the appointment of Rohitha Bogollagama as the Foreign Affairs Minister a long queue of aspiring diplomats of dubious qualifications is forming and pressure is on the government for appointments to be made on the basis of political obligations incurred during the run-up to the elections. It appears that the Minister is keen not only to appoint his kith and kin but also many of his supporters from the Yapahuwa electorate which he nursed for a long time to lower ranks in Sri Lankan embassies and high commissions.
Demands of office
The demands placed on the Foreign Service today far outweigh those of the balmy times where this country was of little consequence to the outside world other than being Lipton’s Tea Garden. Primarily, Sri Lanka is being taken into consideration by big powers not because of achievements we can be particularly proud of, but because of the problems caused by terrorism. A main reason for flourishing of terrorism in this country has been the financial assistance the terrorists have been drawing from developed countries as well as the sympathetic attitude of these countries towards terrorist groups while being apathetic or even hostile to pleas of Sri Lankan governments.
It took a sustained effort by former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and the shift in world opinion against terrorism, masquerading under the guise of liberation movements, to pull the teeth out of the terrorists. While the eloquence of Mr. Kadirgamar and his policies were outstanding, the same cannot be said of the selection of some diplomats to key ambassadorial posts.
Some of the political gerontocrats appointed by the previous government have already returned home and others will be back by March this year. But reports say that political double-crossers, nincompoops are in line for ambassador posts.
President Mahinda Rajapakse should not succumb to political obligations of the Foreign Affairs Minister when making diplomatic appointments. Indeed the quality of recruitment in the last three decades may necessitate making political appointments. But these appointments made outside the Foreign Service must necessarily be of the best quality. They must be experienced and capable persons able to meet the challenges demanded of them.
Meet challenges
As the President himself had explained to the members of the Foreign Service at a meeting he had with them some time ago a Sri Lankan diplomat today has to meet the challenges of combating LTTE terrorism and their propaganda, influence foreign officials and the media, promote investment and trade, keep the militant Tamil and Sinhala expatriate communities under control in addition to other multifarious duties. All this calls for much more commitment and hard work than even diplomats of big powers, say our diplomatic sources.
It is said that in this age of globalisation and the information highway, the role of traditional diplomacy has been completely outmoded and new vistas have been created. From the musty, creaky building of the Foreign Ministry, Bogollagama has to survey these new vistas and transform the ministry accordingly.
All this is known to the new minister and his senior bureaucrats. What is called for is the political will to carry the out the reforms.
To do that there must be the will to resist temptations to yield to political commitments and obligations.
Not clear-headed
According to reports the way the Foreign Affairs Ministry has commenced under the Foreign Affairs Minister, Bogollagama, does not reveal clear-headed thinking. Recalling Foreign Service diplomats, some of whom have not even completed a year at their stations will cause much hardship to these diplomats as well as be detrimental to government interests. If a fresh batch of diplomats is to be posted to these stations they will have to go through the process of cultivation of their contacts once again while the time and energy and funds spent by the former diplomats would have been in vain. This is an instance where the minister should attempt to remedy the situation.
An essential point to remember is that the Foreign Service is not a home-for-the-aged or a house for rehabilitation of the progeny of the political wheeler-dealers. It is not a place for rest and recreation.
It is noteworthy that some of the journalists who criticised the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Tyronne Fernando regarding some of the political appointments he made have been appointed to various embassies as Press Counsellors today.
A clear case is a former editor of a Lake House newspaper who day in and day out cried aloud about such appointments is today the Consular General in a capitol city in Canada.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
__________________
by Brian Ratnayaka
July 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian: It has been realised that just as much as the Sri Lankan armed forces underwent transformation from ceremonial forces to fighting forces, our foreign service too had to change from the wining and dining striped pants brigade it was, to an effective diplomatic service performing functions vital for the survival of this nation. The armed forces had no option other than to leave their drums and bugles on the parade grounds and march off to the battlefields, but the diplomatic service is still regarded as a dumping grounds for political supporters and political discards, ambitious but not qualified progeny of ruling parties and of course girl friends and relatives.
According to informed sources, with the appointment of Rohitha Bogollagama as the Foreign Affairs Minister a long queue of aspiring diplomats of dubious qualifications is forming and pressure is on the government for appointments to be made on the basis of political obligations incurred during the run-up to the elections. It appears that the Minister is keen not only to appoint his kith and kin but also many of his supporters from the Yapahuwa electorate which he nursed for a long time to lower ranks in Sri Lankan embassies and high commissions.
Demands of office
The demands placed on the Foreign Service today far outweigh those of the balmy times where this country was of little consequence to the outside world other than being Lipton’s Tea Garden. Primarily, Sri Lanka is being taken into consideration by big powers not because of achievements we can be particularly proud of, but because of the problems caused by terrorism. A main reason for flourishing of terrorism in this country has been the financial assistance the terrorists have been drawing from developed countries as well as the sympathetic attitude of these countries towards terrorist groups while being apathetic or even hostile to pleas of Sri Lankan governments.
It took a sustained effort by former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and the shift in world opinion against terrorism, masquerading under the guise of liberation movements, to pull the teeth out of the terrorists. While the eloquence of Mr. Kadirgamar and his policies were outstanding, the same cannot be said of the selection of some diplomats to key ambassadorial posts.
Some of the political gerontocrats appointed by the previous government have already returned home and others will be back by March this year. But reports say that political double-crossers, nincompoops are in line for ambassador posts.
President Mahinda Rajapakse should not succumb to political obligations of the Foreign Affairs Minister when making diplomatic appointments. Indeed the quality of recruitment in the last three decades may necessitate making political appointments. But these appointments made outside the Foreign Service must necessarily be of the best quality. They must be experienced and capable persons able to meet the challenges demanded of them.
Meet challenges
As the President himself had explained to the members of the Foreign Service at a meeting he had with them some time ago a Sri Lankan diplomat today has to meet the challenges of combating LTTE terrorism and their propaganda, influence foreign officials and the media, promote investment and trade, keep the militant Tamil and Sinhala expatriate communities under control in addition to other multifarious duties. All this calls for much more commitment and hard work than even diplomats of big powers, say our diplomatic sources.
It is said that in this age of globalisation and the information highway, the role of traditional diplomacy has been completely outmoded and new vistas have been created. From the musty, creaky building of the Foreign Ministry, Bogollagama has to survey these new vistas and transform the ministry accordingly.
All this is known to the new minister and his senior bureaucrats. What is called for is the political will to carry the out the reforms.
To do that there must be the will to resist temptations to yield to political commitments and obligations.
Not clear-headed
According to reports the way the Foreign Affairs Ministry has commenced under the Foreign Affairs Minister, Bogollagama, does not reveal clear-headed thinking. Recalling Foreign Service diplomats, some of whom have not even completed a year at their stations will cause much hardship to these diplomats as well as be detrimental to government interests. If a fresh batch of diplomats is to be posted to these stations they will have to go through the process of cultivation of their contacts once again while the time and energy and funds spent by the former diplomats would have been in vain. This is an instance where the minister should attempt to remedy the situation.
An essential point to remember is that the Foreign Service is not a home-for-the-aged or a house for rehabilitation of the progeny of the political wheeler-dealers. It is not a place for rest and recreation.
It is noteworthy that some of the journalists who criticised the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Tyronne Fernando regarding some of the political appointments he made have been appointed to various embassies as Press Counsellors today.
A clear case is a former editor of a Lake House newspaper who day in and day out cried aloud about such appointments is today the Consular General in a capitol city in Canada.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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