Circular battle at Foreign Ministry

Minister Bogollagama, Secretary Kohona in clash over recruitment

By Chandani Kirinde

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona are embroiled in a battle of circulars over the recruitment of staff for Sri Lankan missions abroad.

On February 22, Mr. Kohona laid down the procedure in a circular to heads of Sri Lanka missions overseas. The circular said the ministry had decided that all recruits in the respective countries would be taken in by the relevant heads of missions and that no persons would be sent to missions on Home Recruited Contractual (HRC) basis in the future.

However, just nine days later, Minister Bogollagama cancelled the circular. Acting Foreign Secrtary T.B. Maduwegedera sent out a new circular on March 2 to heads of mission stating that the minister had given orders that the earlier circular be cancelled.

The minister’s circular also overturned the previous instructions of the secretary which empowered the heads of missions with the selection of suitable local recruits for the approved cadre vacancies and granting extension of services to the existing locally recruited staff.

The minister instructed heads of missions not to extend the contract period of locally-recruited staff and to ensure that the staff from Sri Lanka should return on completion of their term.

The minister also asked the missions to provide details to the ministry of the locally recruited staff who would be completing their term this year and next.

The employment of locally-recruited staff from the host country saves on the expenditure that government has to bear on airfares, accommodation and other overheads for those sent from Colombo.