Point of View:

Why not a word about foreign policy?

BY DR. H. S. S. Nissanka

IT IS strange that neither of the two leading candidates, in the forthcoming presidential election has uttered a word about the foreign policy that he would follow after he became the President of Sri Lanka.

In the UNP manifesto (containing 17 points) issued at Sirikotha by presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe, there was no reference to foreign policy at all. This is a great lacuna.

The other candidate, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse too has not made any statement about the foreign policy that he would follow as the President. We have yet to see his presidential election manifesto.

In Sri Lanka, the President is the ultimate authority having powers to decide the country's home and foreign affairs.

The silence of the two candidates about their foreign policy does not mean that they have ignored this vital aspect of governance and even so it is not too late to issue public announcements on the issue of foreign policy.

Academic researches have revealed that a country should have a well-conceived and well-constructed foreign policy without which the success of its home policy is almost an impossibility. Students of history some times have to compare and contrast the home policy with the foreign policy of a given ruler.

One such a question that this writer had to answer was whether S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike's foreign policy was more successful or greater value than his home policy.

One conspicuous lacuna in the 2005 presidential campaigns as revealed in the print and electronic media, is that there is no academic or intellectual depth in the policy statements so far declared by either of the leading candidates.

Presidential campaigns are aimed at canvassing votes. They have spoken of issues that appeal to the stomach rather than to the head of the voters.

Compared with other countries particularly those in the Asian region, in Sri Lanka we have a public which is educated, experienced and intelligent which can see through election promises.

This general intelligentsia will understand that the country needs a foreign policy without which much of election promises cannot be realised.

Governing a country without a foreign policy is like trying to push a loaded cart which has only one wheel.

Therefore it is not too late even now for the leading candidates to include their foreign policy statements in their manifesto.

This writer has written two volumes and a large number of published articles on the premises that the Sri Lanka Government under different political leaders like D. S. Senanayake, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, J. R. Jayewardene and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, all had well-defined foreign policies.

What is meant by the term foreign policy? There is a general belief that statements on the world issues expressed by the ruler of a given country are his foreign policies. But such statements are nothing more than his ad-hoc responses to world issues.

This writer after nearly 40 years of research and writings, is now convinced that Sri Lanka from her independence to this date has had no foreign policy. No doubt, this is a shocking exposure.

Everybody in the foreign services will be up in arms against this writer and so will be the political leaders of both sides. The foreign ministry has no foundation or master plan, therefore there is no coherence in its actions.

There was and still there is in the Foreign Ministry, too much of spirit which gives its place to self interest and the second or third place to the country's interest. Of course, there are a few distinguished foreign ministry officials to whom this statement does not apply.

The Sri Lankan foreign service needs radical changes so that the image of Sri Lanka produced abroad will be one of which we can be proud of. We need a foreign service with vision and a sense of mission.

The Sri Lankan foreign service has deteriorated and is deteriorating mainly due to a lack of consistent long term foreign policy. What do we mean by "Foreign Policy"? It is a plan of action with specific objectives and targets to be achieved or reached within a specific time frame.

In other words a foreign policy should be a legal document drafted by experienced foreign service men and approved by the President in consultation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Everybody in the Foreign Ministry and officers manning the diplomatic missions abroad should have a clear understanding of the foreign policy which has been approved by the President of this country.

The foreign policy document should provide guidelines on policy implementation and policy assessment.

Some countries follow the stereotype assessment systems such as periodical reports. Sri Lanka should evolve new techniques of evaluation of achievements or failures in the implementation of her foreign policy.

Some people have mixed up principles and policy. For instance non-alignment or friendship with all nations are not policies but principles or guidelines whereas policy is a well-developed course of action directed towards serving national interests of Sri Lanka.

The present practice of taking up issues of foreign affairs on an ad hoc manner should come to an end.

Decisions must be in keeping with the policy which we call the legal document approved by the President.

This policy document must be an achievement oriented one which serves the best of national interests.

Finally, it should be pointed out that our Foreign Ministry must be restructured to establish efficiency and get the best out of everybody in the Foreign Service of Sri Lanka.

It is hoped that who ever becomes the president of this country at the forthcoming presidential election, will have to follow a dynamic "Foreign Policy", well-designed and well-constructed plan, with worthy objectives, targets and a set of alternative strategies.

In the implementation of foreign policy, Sri Lanka has to utilise lot of diplomatic skills set to achieve the targets. The development of a new foreign policy and restructuring and revitalising the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka is a must!