Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry is in Disarray

by Our Foreign Affairs Editor-Dec 27, 2018

Dec 27, 2018

Like many other ministries in Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry is in disarray. During the Rajapaksa regime, it was politics that destroyed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time the primary purpose of the Foreign Ministry was to support the political agenda of the Rajapaksa family. When the government was changed in 2015 this chaotic situation turned into a nightmare for many Foreign Service officers. They wanted the new government to revamp the Foreign Ministry to cater to the needs of the country and project Sri Lanka in the international arena as a responsible member of the international community. For that, it was a prerequisite to position capable officers in the Ministry and the Missions abroad. However, the political leadership failed to bring about the necessary changes.

Any officer who joined the Foreign Ministry has been looking forward to working in a Diplomatic Mission and at the peak of the career serving as an Ambassador. At present, there have been no significant political barriers for the officials to reach their professional goals. However, since 2015, the officials heading the top-most positions at the Ministry have been using this golden opportunity to serve their favourites rather than addressing genuine grievances of the Foreign Service Officers. As a result, fair treatments at the Ministry, transparent system on postings and taking action against officers who are responsible for misdeeds could not have been expected. It was the Senior Officers who do not follow the rules and regulations and the Sri Lanka Foreign Service minutes. As a result, today, the junior officers have to resort to legal actionsagainst the Ministry to prevent misusing of the Service Minutes and for their rights.

After 2015, some officials who licked the shoes of Rajapaksa family consolidated their positions under the new administration too and began to abuse power and illtreat some officers who stood against cronies of Rajapaksa regime. For the first time in the history of Foreign Ministry, the entire Foreign Service batches of 1984 and 1986 were able to secure Ambassadorial posts. In 2015, the cronies of  Rajapaksa family at the Ministry prevented some officials who received step-motherly treatment during the previous government receiving Ambassadorial posts. They even helped those who were responsible for misappropriation of public funds during the Rajapaksa regime to evade being punished. Instead of punishments, such culprits received good Ambassadorial and other postings while some senior officials had to serve in the Ministry more than three years to get a posting to a Mission. Pussy-cats of the top officials and some politicians receivedpostings to the Missions not serving in the Ministry at least six months after their previous assignment abroad.

Previous Secretary of the Ministry controlled the entire affairs under weak political leadership. He used his position to treat his girlfriends and others who licked his boots. He created a posting list before his departure mainly consisting of Rajapaksa cronies, his girlfriends and a group of so-called elites in the Ministry. Also, most of the favourites got extensions in the service beyond three years, which is the usual period of work abroad. At present, almost all the Ambassadors appointed in 2015 have completed their three-year period, but no action has been taken to replace them. Even some Diplomatic rankers in the Missions have got several extensions. It has made the officials who do not belong to the “elite club” disappointed.

It is also a fact after the 2015 government change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been able to make a significant contribution to protect and promote the interests of Sri Lanka abroad. For example, since 2015 the Embassies and High Commissions have not been able to help bring in at least one hundred million dollars worth of investment to Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister openly criticised certain officials including the present secretary of the Ministry on their failure in theinvestment promotion drive. The Prime Minister in vocally mentioned that his team in Colombo, not the officials in the Missions, were organising investment promotion events abroad and bringing investors to Sri Lanka.

In the case of punishing the officials misappropriated the public funds, the Ministry has been inactive. The famous officer who got all his promotions by licking the back of Rajapaksa family and later became an additional Secretary was hurriedly sent away by the good governance promoters to protect him from arrest. Similarly, another infamous lady officer and a male officer responsible for a financial scam in Geneva were also given postings disregarding all the opposition against them being posted abroad. The present Ministry authorities ensured to keep her away from Sri Lanka to protect her further from the judicial authorities. It was the genuine demand of the impartial officials of the Foreign Ministry to conduct investigations on some culprits in the Foreign Service.

For example, one of the officers who served in a Mission in the northern Hampshire was accused of illegally filling the tank of his official vehicle assigned to him with 550 litres per month to be used for personal activities before his departure to that post. His official quota was 120 litres per month. No action had been taken against him. The writer was informed that a foreign law enforcement agency has been conducting an investigation on another foreign service officer for sending athreatening email to a senior Foreign Service officer.

It is the view of Foreign Service officers that the present secretary will not be able to be impartial because of his conducts in the past. When the Minister Kadirgarmer in power he was dismissed from the post of Director information for publishing wrong war map of the north. He was also reprimanded for harassing a lady officer. Recently, a lady Foreign Service officer has told her colleague that she would divulge a case of forcibly having sex with her.

The Prime Minister of the country usually does not allow the Foreign service officers to accompany him during his official visits mainly because most of them are still spying for Rajapaksas and they lack professionalism. An officer serving in London was chased away by the Prime Minister for highlighting donating cows as the main point to thank the Indian government during the PM’s visit to India.   Also, the chief of the protocol was barred from entering the office of the Prime Minister and participate in official meetings with foreign dignitaries.

The officers are of the view that the senior officials of the ministry should respect the service minutes, follow Financial and administrative Regulations and be transparent. Officials provided information to this writer informed that they have ample evidence to take legal actions against present senior officials of the Foreign Ministry.