Appointment
of Ambassadors/High Commissioners
The government’s ongoing move to fill up a good
number of Ambassadorial posts abroad with political appointees, as reported in
the media, points to a pattern that seems to be designed to overlook the career
diplomats in the Foreign Ministry who are eligible for such appointments. We
are watching with concern the way professional diplomats are being set aside
for appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners. Although these
appointments have not yet been officially announced except for one or two, it
is learnt that in appointment of Ambassadors/High Commissioners, career
diplomats have been totally bypassed. Even the Foreign Secretary, a career
diplomat, has not found favour with this Government and there are rumours that
he is being sent to the Foreign Service Academy as its Principal, a post
traditionally given to retired diplomats or to those in the active service whom
the Government of the day did not, for one reason or the other, wish to favour.
In 1987, when then Foreign Secretary Fakhruddin Ahmed was sent to the Academy,
he declined and spent the last remaining months of his service as an OSD
and later proudly walked out of the
Ministry with his head high, not allowing then President Ershad to humiliate
him.
The present trend will no doubt have a seriously
demoralizing effect on the professional diplomatic service of the country. The
trend is also in contravention with the rules of the foreign service as regards
appointment of heads of missions abroad form the cadre. There is no denying
that appointment of Ambassadors/High commissioners is the prerogative of the
Government. But both practice and rules within which the BCS (FA) operates
require the Government to appoint 70% of the Ambassadors/High Commissioners
from the BCS (FA) cadre just as the Government is required to appoint 90% of
the Secretaries of the Government from regularly constituted services.
There is also another very important element that
appear to have been overlooked by the
government in proposing some of the appointments, as per newspaper reports.
Some of the proposed appointees have dual citizenship. We are not aware of
other dual nationalities, but in case of those who have US nationalities in
addition to Bangladeshi one will run into legal problems. In a situation where
such a person in his/her capacity as
Bangladesh Ambassador has any
information that goes against US interest, he would be obliged to hand this
over to the US Government or else face charges of violation of citizenship
rules. We are not sure if the Government while selecting appointees with dual citizenship for
representing the country abroad has taken into consideration such appointees
may be exposed to the possibilities and risks of conflict of interest.
We do not question the Government’s right to
appoint non-career Ambassadors at some of the key capitals. All government does
this to varying degrees. US, that appoints very large number of non-career
ambassadors that differs from one administration to another, appoints on an
average about 33% non-career Ambassadors. We seem to be moving to a system
where we will be the only country to appoint the majority of Ambassadors from
non-career background and not-appoint any career diplomats to any of the key
capitals.
It seems the Government has a plan here for they
are breaking a system that has in the past brought the country significant
results in the past. Most of all, we need to be careful that we are destroying
a system of conducting diplomacy that is universal in nature. We cannot do so
without a well thought out plan. We would like to know about such a plan for
surely there must be one for such an innovation in the conduct of diplomatic
relations.
CFAS Editorial Board
COMMENTS:
I think the editorial on the
appointment of Ambassadors/High Commissioners is a very appropriate one.It is
clear that we have shown very little respect for the professionals.We hardly
try to understand that sending a non-career diplomat(e.g an army general) to a
key diplomatic position is more like sending a university professor to command
troops in a battle field.
I hope our government understands this before it is too late and stop the
malpractice of ploughing the field by goats instead of oxen.
Name: M Hossain
E-Mail: mash34th@hotmail.com