A diplomatic IDP
Sri Lanka’s Diplomatic Missions abroad, especially those in Europe are facing a major crisis with staff, from ambassador and high commissioner downwards, severely hit by a recent cut by Colombo on their salaries and allowances.
However, one particular mission and its staff are facing double-trouble. It also trickles from the head of mission down to the lowest staffer – the cook.
Not long ago, the head of mission brought down his cook, an entitlement of his. After all, someone has to cook his meals and serve his guests. Yet there were some security concerns about the man.
The head of mission swore by him and even the food he cooked saying he had been ‘security cleared’ by Colombo. Now one is left wondering whether the head of mission has cooked his own goose after he decided to bring down the cook’s pretty-looking wife as well.
The First Lady of the kitchen was promptly given a job in the mission itself so that she could have some pocket money. She found handling a day job and a night job too much when she became pregnant. There is commotion in the official residency now over the pregnancy, and the cook and his wife have been thrown out, bag and baggage.
The kind-hearted head of mission has, however, found them temporary shelter in a flat reserved for staff members. Defending, as he is, the role of the Government on the issue of the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in Sri Lanka, only he knows his own plight in having IDPs under his own watch. A wag in his establishment remarked somewhat sarcastically that he is also an IDP, but a different kind – an Internally Disturbed Person.
“I am the government”
It all happened on Wednesday night. A mother, desperate to take her sick daughter to hospital asked a three-wheeler scooter driver to come over. He said he would turn up only after 8.30 p.m. When he did, to her dismay, she found that the doctor had left his clinic.
An anxious father was biting his nails at his daughter’s wedding reception. Most of the guests, who accepted his invitation, had not turned up even after 7.30 p.m, the appointed hour for cocktails. They were to sit down for dinner at 8.30 p.m. Thereafter they began trickling in, most of them angry and swearing away.
A wealthy but superstitious businessman was acquiring his latest property. He arranged with his lawyer to sign the deed at the auspicious time of 7.58 p.m. An hour earlier, the lawyer telephoned to ask him to come over at 9.00 p.m. He had no choice and turned up there at the appointed hour to hear the lawyer castigating the Government.
These are just three of numerous instances where people heaped curses on the UPFA Government. The reason? A widely distributed SMS message had said, “Tune into any local TV channel this evening at 8.05 p.m. and watch as Sri Lanka makes history. A message from the Govt. of Sri Lanka.”
Many believed that the Government had an important message to be conveyed to the public. After all, the message was coming from “the Govt. of Sri Lanka.”
Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said he was inquiring into the matter, but Transport Minister Dulles Allahapperuma defiantly took the responsibility for what was by all accounts, a hoax.
Many years ago, Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake told Parliament “I am the Government”, and his Minister of State at the time, J.R. Jayewardene good humouredly butted in, “And I am the State”. Now, President Mahinda Rajapaksa could proclaim “I am the President”, and Minister Allahapperuma could well say “I am the Govt. of Sri Lanka”.
On the trail of a train ad
The "historic" event was nothing but a damp squib -- an advertisement depicting the re-opening of the Jaffna-Colombo railroad.
Triad Advertising created the advertisement but denied any involvement in the SMS campaign. Joint Managing Director of Triad Varuni Amunugama Fernando confirmed that Triad did the ad campaign and the TV commercial. However, it was the Minister who instructed the SMS be sent, she said.
The outrage from the public was palpable the day after.
One person described the SMS as pathetic and causing unnecessary attention. “In the future, people might ignore the more serious notifications about tsunamis which may also be broadcast in this manner.”
It so happened that there was a tsunami alert in the neighbourhood just about then. SMS providers seem to have capitulated to the whims of a mere minister.
TV stations said they were only made aware on Wednesday about the advertisement. Embarrassed news divisions later claimed they were unaware of what was going on as the advertisement was sent to their commercial divisions, though anchors kept the tempo up by urging the public to await the 'historic' announcement. By then, they could not have been unaware what the advert was all about.
All in the family
Sri Lanka’s diplomats – heads of missions, all staff officers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions overseas – have been placed with an unprecedented demand.
In a note dated September 26, acting Foreign Secretary Chitrangani Wagiswara, has called upon them to disclose information in respect of “children, parents, immediate family members (brothers, sisters, spouse’s immediate family members.”Ms. Wagiswara, who is to take up appointment shortly as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Canada, says the exercise is “to ensure clarity in the implementation of Government policy; it has been decided to assess all work carried out by Staff Officers both in the Ministry and in the Sri Lanka missions abroad.”
She adds: “…all officers of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, other All Island Services and Contract Officers who are holding Staff Grade appointments in the ministry or missions abroad are directed to furnish information and obtain the concurrence of the ministry for the employment, assignments including honorary positions etc. that are undertaken/carried out by their spouses.”
A form that accompanies her directive seeks details of family members including their place of employment, position, whether they receive remuneration and the relationship to the officer concerned.
At least in the case of a few, the relationship will be very clear. In the case of Singapore, the head of mission will have to say; Brother-in-law; employed by the Government of Sri Lanka as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In New Delhi, the Acting Head of Mission will have to say; again, Brother-in-law; Employed by the Government of Sri Lanka as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In other capitals, the relationship might go to even higher echelons of the Government of Sri Lanka.
But this knee-jerk reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs comes after the President slammed the Minister for making a mess of his job, and charged that some spouses of Ministry officials working in NGOs etc., were running the country down. The circular may sound a little Gestapo-like, but wouldn’t we love to have it made public knowledge as well.
IGP or Commissioner?
Will a new Police Chief, to be appointed when the current incumbent retires next month, function under a new designation?
Insiders say a proposal to name the office of the Inspector General of Police as Commissioner of Police is under consideration.
Mess in Malaysian
mission
A Sri Lankan diplomat on a three-year assignment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been re-called, shortly after she had served a stint as acting High Commissioner. On a three year contract, she had only served one.
The recall comes in the backdrop of a dispute over who should serve in an acting capacity when the High Commissioner was on leave. Foreign Office officials say it should be the senior most career officer. However, others disagree.
They point out that the Deputy High Commissioner should have officiated. The deputy HC in Malaysia is a serving military officer who has been seconded for service. “No matter, whether he is career officer or not, he is the DHC and should act for the High Commissioner,” argued one source.
Another Sri Lankan diplomat holding minister rank and posted on a thee-year assignment to Rome, Italy has also been recalled to Colombo. He had only completed a year in this post. No reasons, however, has been given for his recall.
Meanwhile Major General Sumith Balasuriya has taken over as head of the counter-terrorism division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He succeeds Dharshana Perera, a career foreign service officer, who has been moved out to another division.
Protests and polls
Members of the black-coated gentry are planning a walk-in protest today in Deniyaya.
Insiders in the UNP say a group of lawyers plan to walk towards a private house now under construction in a tea estate.
They allege that state property is being used to construct a road leading to this heavily guarded construction site.
The move is part of a campaign for the upcoming Southern Provincial Council elections on October 10.
Ratnasiri gets what Obama got
When US President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to explain his controversial health care bill last month, one of the Republican politicians rudely interrupted his speech shouting "You Lie." But subsequently, the Congressman was forced to apologize to Obama.
There was no such apologies at New York's Asia Society last week when an American woman in the audience, presumably representing an international NGO, shouted "Liar" at Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremayake.
The interruption, from the back of the auditorium, was prompted by a response from the prime minister who, in answering a question from the audience, vehemently asserted that not a single Sri Lankan military personnel had committed any war crimes during the recent battle against the LTTE. Perhaps the woman could have been more diplomatic if she used a Churchillian phrase and accused the Prime Minister of "terminological inexactitude."
Docs bypass PM, FM
A group of Sri Lankan doctors in the US were planning to meet Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake at the Ritz Carlton Hotel last week to offer their medical services and much-needed drugs for the 250,000 IDPs stranded in refugee camps in the North.
The appointment was scheduled for Sunday morning. But late Saturday night, one of the doctors received a frantic call from the Sri Lanka Mission to the UN advising the group that the appointment had been cancelled because of the Prime Minister's tight schedule (even though the appointment had been finalized weeks ahead).
The Mission offered an alternative: Could the doctors meet Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, instead of the Prime Minister? But the doctors, who assumed that Bogols was trying to hijack the offer, refused to meet him. Coincidentally, some of them who turned up at the hotel because they were not informed of the cancellation, accidentally bumped into Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who happened to be in the lobby of the hotel at that time.
They provided him with details of the offer and discussed with him the logistics of getting the drugs across to the IDPs (which in any case would have to get his personal authorization). As a result of this chance meeting, the doctors succeeded in bypassing both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. And thereby hangs a tale.
Ban bares Gota
movements
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's movements in New York were a tightly guarded secret. He apparently came under cover of darkness and left before the crack of dawn. To help cover his tracks, there were false reports of his date of departure.
The expatriate community was kept guessing. As part of a campaign of disinformation, some were told he had left New York on Saturday, while others were told he had left on Sunday.
But at a press conference Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unwittingly let the tiger-hunter out of the bag. Responding to a question, he said he had met Monday both with Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa.
The Defence Secretary also came into the UN's General Assembly hall and was seen seated along with the Sri Lankan delegation. No one knew where he was, but he seemed all over the place.
|
E-mail