Many people worked in our diplomatic missions and elsewhere tried to define the problems of this country through the ideologies imported from the schools of thought in West. No state policies introduced to redesign and reengineer those ideologies to address the local realities and get the best out of them.
Editorial
The administrative change made in the Ministry of Foreign Relations by the President is commendable. The appointment of Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage to the post of Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Relations is very important as many changes need to be made in the Foreign Relations Ministry and its diplomatic missions abroad with no more delay. As a country, we cannot move forward without making all these fundamental changes immediately. The country ever than before needs true diplomats and intellectuals who can stand with the national interests to protect the national identity.
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| Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage |
To make such changes, it is essential to have a basic knowledge of the subject as well as to empower someone who does not abuse his/her knowledge. Accordingly, the appointment of Admiral Colombage is important.
We hope that the new secretary will find a path to hold accountable every person working in the ministry and diplomatic missions to ensure the efficiency and reliability of the foreign policy outlined by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. We hope that the Secretary will carefully select the men and women who can support him to spread the vision of the country’s foreign policy. We hope that the new secretary will find a constructive approach to curtail unnecessary expenditures on many missions. We hope that he will introduce a merit system to evaluate every person working in the institute, so then the based on an independent evaluation, each diplomat will have the clear path to go upward and serve the nation better. We hope that he will introduce a rotation system to have all skilful diplomats to serve as many countries as possible for an equal period. It will eventually eliminate the “diplomatic kingdoms” maintained by a group of people and their family members in the institute at the expenses of the public.
However, some who are accustomed to looking at Sri Lanka with scepticism will interpret this new appointment as just another military appointment. False eulogies will be made about those who previously held the post of Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Relations. But, the bitter truth is that some officers used their position and knowledge only to achieve personal desires. Due to their activities, the institutes to ensure and strengthen the foreign policy in this country have become a playground for womanizers and fraudulent officials.
This is so interesting; sources confirm that the official who was the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Relations before Admiral Colombage is requesting to be re-appointed as the Ambassador to France. Do we need to substantiate the comfortable nature of diplomacy they followed?
This is why the appointment of Admiral Colombage is important at this moment. He has a very heavy task to do. We are confident that he has a good understanding of the responsibility as he has actively proved that he is well versed in the development of friendship between nations for the betterment of this country.
We have lost the essence of our foreign policy long ago due to petty political games played by various governments came to power in the last few decades. Many people working in the Ministry of Foreign Relations, unfortunately, do not know what the foreign policy of this country is. Most of them do not have a deep understanding of it. It is a very dire situation.
Meanwhile, many people worked in our diplomatic missions and elsewhere tried to define the problems of this country through the ideologies imported from the schools of thought in West. No state policies introduced to redesign and reengineer those ideologies to address the local realities and get the best out of them. Therefore our intelligentsia turned into a toothless tiger. As a result, many important concepts and principles that originated in the west and east were ridiculed and nation-states were collapsed. That is, we believe, a root cause of the failure of Western-style democracy in most of Asian, African and Latin American countries.
Only a few nation-states were able to overcome this. In particular, Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew and modern China under Deng Xiaoping are good examples. These two leaders understood exactly what administrative system the country needed. So they were able to create the environment they needed to overcome the challenges.
Let us recall serge words of the late leader of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, “You’re talking about Rwanda or Bangladesh, or Cambodia, or the Philippines. They’ve got democracy ... But have you got a civilized life to lead? People want economic development first and foremost. The leaders may talk about something else. You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes, medicine, jobs, schools.” ( Lee Kuan Yew, The Man and His Ideas, 1997 ). By consenting the Lee Kuan Yew’s ideology, Henry A. Kissinger, former United States Secretary of State, once noted that “had Singapore chosen the road of its critics, it might well have collapsed among its ethnic groups, as the example of Syria teaches today.”
Today, for the first time after decades, Sri Lanka is enjoying political stability. This is a very valuable opportunity for this little beautiful island. Most importantly, the Ministry of Foreign Relations has a huge responsibility to make the most of this opportunity. Let’s recall the old thoughts of diplomacy, “this is quite a game, diplomacy. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent national interests.”
Wish you all the best, Admiral!
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