Sanga for Ambassador – What Makes a Diplomat?

by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

We can’t all play a winning game
someone is sure to lose
yet we can play so that our name
no one may dare accuse
That when the master referee
scores against our name
it won’t be whether we won or lost
but how we played the game ~ Anon

( August 25, 2015, Montreal, Sri Lanka Guardian) It has been reported that President Sirisena has offered the much celebrated Kumar Sangakkara the post of High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom.  At the time of writing, there was no indication that Mr. Sangakkara had accepted the offer.  The writer hopes he does, not merely for the reasons that this cricketer who brought Sri Lanka much pride and dignity is both articulate and educated (qualities that are essential for a diplomat), but also because he has the reputation of bringing to bear the best of our country with his sincerity, integrity and empathy both on and off the field.

Sanga for Ambassador – What Makes a Diplomat by Thavam Ratna