President Mahinda Rajapaksa has rapped his Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama for his latest junket by air - a visit to the Jaffna peninsula two weeks ago.
The reason - he had flown with a coterie of his own political supporters at State expense. Bogollagama who wants to contest the Kotte electorate during the upcoming parliamentary elections thought the air trip would be a good investment.
His companions were Kotte Deputy Mayor Janaka Ranawaka, Council members J.M. Somadasa, Nandasiri Upali Botheju, I.V. Hemalal and some of their family members. For good measure, the globe trotting Bogollagama also took a group of media personnel to report.
What they reported was to cause another diplomatic irritant. Officials in the Indian High Commission were displeased that the Foreign Minister had to go to Jaffna, chair a conference with the Government Agent and direct remarks that Indian fishermen were harassing their local counterparts.
Bogollagama has been told in no uncertain terms that enough is enough. No more tamashas on Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircraft. But the ban doesn't seem to extend to international carriers as he took wing with the President to Moscow on Friday.
This must then be the beginning of the 'golden era in international relations' that the President promised the country on National Day.
Celebrations but few congratulations
The reason for the pledge to have a new beginning in international relations must surely have come due to the fact that many countries seemed coy to congratulate President Rajapaksa on his re-election, for reasons best known to them. While National Day messages came in as usual, not so congratulatory messages to the President.
The list of countries that sent the President messages were India, Pakistan, US, EU, China, Norway, Japan, Bhutan, Russia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Morocco, Myanmar, Azerbaijan and Iran. That's it.
Minister Bogollagama's Ministry was reported to be frantically making telephone calls to their diplomats in world capitals to give reminders to send these congratulatory messages, but they were to no avail.
In desperation, on Saturday they managed to get just one more - more than ten days later, and from the Prime Minister of Fiji - where a coup deposed the democratic government and has the backing of Sri Lanka.
Fonseka stripped of DPL status
Retired General Sarath Fonseka, opposition's common candidate at the last Presidential polls, has been forced to give up his Diplomatic Passport.
Since retiring as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), he used it once to make a hurried trip to Mumbai with a retired Army Major.
He has now been issued an ordinary passport though his name still remains on a list of people who cannot leave Sri Lanka. The list has been made available to officials at the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).
However, a few days ago, officials permitted his two daughters, who were in Sri Lanka for the election period, to leave Sri Lanka. No restrictions have been placed on them.
Foreign policy
outsourced to PR companies
The conduct of Sri Lanka's foreign policy nowadays is more expensive. Not only are the diplomats posted abroad for this purpose having to be paid for. There are other newcomers too. That is in the form of public relations companies.
One such company, Patton Boggs, made its debut in the United States. Some of its staff not only sat through conferences at the Sri Lanka Embassy in the US, but did most of the public relations, lobbying and legal work. Of course, the company collected a neat packet in dollars.
There is now an addition in Britain. They have hired Bell Pottinger. It went to work this week marketing President Mahinda Rajapaksa's address to the nation at Thursday's Independence Day ceremonies in Kandy. The company will now collect a packet in Pounds Sterling.
Poll cats and pole cats
With Parliamentary elections round the corner, a top runger in the Government approached a retired but wealthy Brigadier from Ambalangoda.
Why not contest the polls? We will give you all the support, the top man said. "I will do so if you agree to all my conditions," came the reply. The top man was elated and declared "name it. you will have it."
The one time Brigadier said, "pay for my campaign." There was a nod of approval. Then came the second request. "My symbol has to be a Kalavedda (pole cat).
The conversation ended there. The retired officer was alluding to Gen. (retd.) Fonseka describing a former Army Captain as a "Kalavedda" for making accusations against him. This was over alleged military deals by close members of his family.
Heads rolling in state sector
Heads of some state corporations and other statutory bodies are in trouble. All of them were called upon to resign their posts last week and some may find they are left out.
One such head turned up at the gates of "Temple Trees" only to be told that he will not be allowed entry. In the days past, the man's presence at the guard point was his passport to enter. He would be allowed in without question.
He has since quit his post but insiders say an investigation into how he acquired massive assets is to be launched. That includes a house he had reportedly purchased for Rs 160 million at Barnes Place.
Another is a top man whose job it was to generate more and more dollars coming to Sri Lanka. Whilst on a visit to Badulla, he had declared that retired General Sarath Fonseka would win the January 26
Presidential Elections.
The case of a few others in the business community who placed both "win and place" bets, giving millions of rupees to President Rajapaksa's as well as the opposition candidate's campaigns, have also come to light. They will be reviewed case by case, said an insider.
Do as I say; not as I do
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| Miliband (right) accused of hypocrisy at home too |
The Sri Lankan Establishment howled that he was a 'double-tongued duplicitous diplomat' for asking the Sri Lankan Army to stop killing 'innocent (Sri Lankan) civilians' while his country's Army was killing 'innocent (Afghan) civilians', but now his own people are calling him just that, for different reasons.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, George Pitcher praised British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, an atheist, for sending the elder of his two sons to a Church of England school. He says that it proved, what many people already knew, that most faith schools are very good.
Hypocrisy is the charge, he says, "but life's more complicated than pointing the finger at ministers who put their children's education ahead of their political principles".
For Julia Llewellyn in the Daily Mail, however, the case highlighted how many middle-class parents suddenly found God just in time for their children to be accepted into the local church school. Amen. |
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