All Ambassador posts of SAARC countries filled by political appointees - MP JVP

Every single ambassador post in SAARC countries is currently filled by political appointees, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Bimal Rathnayaka told Parliament today (26).

By Sandun Jayawardana

Speaking during the Committee Stage debate on the Expenditure Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Rathnayaka revealed that except for Bhutan, where Sri Lanka does not have a diplomatic mission, the ambassador posts of all other SAARC countries are currently being occupied by political appointees.

While ambassador posts of some 19 key nations are currently staffed by political appointees, Sri Lanka has not appointed an individual to fill the key post of ambassador to Washington for more than a year, he further revealed. 

Political appointees made under the former Rajapaksa Government, such as Udayanga Weeratunga and Jaliya Wickramasooriya, have made Sri Lanka’s Foreign Service into a “Fraud Service,” as they are currently fugitives wanted for fraud.

Meanwhile, political appointees under the current Government such as ASP Liyanage have made the Foreign Service into a “Porter Service,” Mr Rathnayaka remarked, referring to the now infamous photographs of Mr Liyanage carrying the travelling bags of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s sons during a visit to Qatar.

 He further said that, during proceedings at the Parliament’s Committee on High Posts, they opposed the appointment of Dayan Jayathilaka as Ambassador to Russia as he was a “political campaigner.”

While it’s unfair to dismiss all diplomats who are political appointees, the majority of such appointees are only concerned with ensuring their own comforts, the MP further remarked, adding that career foreign service officers should always be given priority when appointments are made.