New dimensions in Lanka-Italy ties

Sarath Malalasekara

Italy is a dear friend of Sri Lanka and is continuing to grant funds on a large scale for tsunami rehabilitation and other projects, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Italy President's Counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya said in an exclusive interview with the Daily News.

"I have been able to impress the Italian Government about the gratitude with which the Sri Lankan Government and its people remember Italy and its people specially after the tsunami disaster. The Italian Government has collected nearly 59 million euro for Sri Lanka and Italian President Giorgiogio Napolitano was then a member of the Committee.

The Italian Government has successfully completed 59 projects which they undertook in Sri Lanka," he said.

Ambassador Warnakulasuriya now on a short holiday in Sri Lanka speaking to the Daily News said this year the employment quota has been increased from 3,000 to 35,000 and many people in Sri Lanka and Italy have applied for work permits. Many Italian businessmen have also expressed interest in investing in Sri Lanka.

Following are excerpts from the interview......

Q: At a media briefing the President has commented that he has got several calls from Sri Lankans domiciled and working in Europe requesting him to appoint Ambassadors like you to their countries. These calls have come from UK, Germany, France and other European countries.

A: As soon as I returned to Sri Lanka I heard this from a media person and later when I met the President, he told me so the same. I believe it was the best New Year present I received.

Q: How did you earn such praise from the President, within a short period?

A: The President before he gave me the letter of appointment told me to treat the Sri Lankan people in Italy as my own children and not to treat them callously, not to disregard their tales of woe and treat them as much as a father would do and take the consular service to the population centres concentrated in Italy.

I was able to achieve all that within a very short period. I conducted three Mobile Consular Seminars one in Milan even before I assumed office and thereafter one in Veronica and Lichchi.

I also hold a Public Day for any Sri Lankan or any other person to meet me in my office. So the Sri Lankan expatriate community seems to be happy with the innovative changes I have brought about.

Q: When you talk about innovative changes, I remember the period 1989-1991 when you functioned as the Secretary of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.

You brought about innovative changes like the monthly BASL News Letter, Identity Cards for lawyers, every lawyer being appointed as Commissioner of Oaths and Neethi Ranga which has become an annual feature in the Bar Association calendar since and most members of the Bar Association say that your period as the Secretary of the Bar Association was the golden era of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. How did you achieve all these within a short period?

A: I took my office seriously. My election as the Secretary of the Bar Association with a large majority showed that the membership had a lot of faith in me. I virtually sacrificed my lucrative practice for the Bar Association.

I do not think any person who aspires to become the President or the Secretary of the Bar Association could do so efficiently and effectively by being a practitioner. I learned this from Dr. H. W. Jayawardene Q.C., how he gave up his consultations on Fridays and Saturdays to work for the Bar Association.

Q: But how did you bring these novel ideas like Neethi Ranga - the annual concert of lawyers?

A: I spent much time thinking about new concepts. When I took a delegation of lawyers to China I was invited to a variety entertainment to greet me. The members of the Chinese Law Society, Judges and Court officers including police and prison officers participated in this concert.

The popular Sinhala song "Olu Pipeela" sung by Sunil Shantha, was the best second rendering I have heard and at the conclusion the National Anthem of Sri Lanka was sung by them to classic musical nuances which haunts me even today.

When I returned I had discussions with the members of the Bar Association and requested Judges and staff of the Attorney General's Department to participate. It became one of the most important events of the Bar Association.

Similarly when I assumed duties as the Vice President of the Bar Association I introduced the "Neethi Heethi Ugenuma" in Sinhala which has become the most sought-after monthly event of the Bar Association. I am sorry to note that the monthly BASL newsletter is not published regularly now.

Q: But how did you change from a very busy criminal lawyer engaged with the Bar to a diplomat which is usually the exclusive preserve of the Foreign Service?

A: The President for whatever reasons best known to him changed this position and made political appointments like in my case and also career officers. I was rather hesitant about accepting this portfolio, but this is a natural trepidation in taking up a new appointment.

If you are honest, sincere, dedicated to the cause and bestowed with practical wisdom, you could be a successful diplomat.

Q: But most political appointees have become failures?

A: Yes hitherto Senior Government Servants, people in the Armed Services and Police were appointed as diplomats more or less as a reward for the contribution they have made to the nation - a graded retirement scheme.

But the President has changed that concept. When I was nominated I had to sacrifice a financial remuneration which is no comparison to the benefits I receive as an Ambassador.

Q: Then why did you give up your career and accept this appointment which has less financial benefits?

A: Whenever the cream of Sri Lankan professionals meet our favourite pastime was criticising the Government in power. Most of the professionals feel that the Government in power refuses to give professionals the responsibility of sharing governance.

When The President offered this appointment to me I took up the challenge. Otherwise I would have been a hypocrite who had run away from responsibility and be a cynic to criticise the Government.

Q: But there had been innumerable articles in the print media from retired career diplomats on the appointment of people like you as career diplomats. What have you got to say?

A: I Believe any Government institution would consider it as their preserve. This is very common among Judges. When eminent lawyers were appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court there was resentment. Former Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon, PC was one such example. He came out to be one of the best Judges in recent times.

Similarly when Justice Mark Fernando, PC was appointed some said that he was a UNPer and held a post in the Bank of Ceylon. But today everyone accepts the greatness of Justice Mark Fernando.

When appointments are made to the Judiciary from the Attorney-General's Department career Judges were not very happy. Similarly members of the Foreign Service and their trade unions are quite unhappy when the President using powers vested in him under the Constitution appoints other persons as diplomats.

I do not believe that a political appointee cannot be a diplomat or all Foreign Service appointments are bad. It depends on the individual concerned.

You yourself said that within a very short period of time the President's Secretariat has been inundated with calls from Sri Lankans in other parts of the world requesting the President to appoint person like me.

But I think the greatest tribute was paid to me by John Amaratunga, MP a former Minister of the UNP who is a Catholic who said that many of his constituents are living and working in Italy. He has traced my mobile number and spoke to me in the morning and congratulated me for what I have done which he has heard from his constituents in Italy.

In fact when I came to Sri Lanka for a short holiday he called me and was very keen to convey to me personally what he has heard.

Q: But other than treating the Sri Lankan expatriate community differently, what have you done to strengthen the relationship between Sri Lanka and Italian Governments?

A: I have found that the Italian Government is friendly and very well disposed towards Sri Lanka. The Italian community respects Sri Lanka as a country. I have been able to impress the Italian Government on the gratitude with which the Sri Lankan Government and its people remember Italy and its people specially after the tsunami disaster.

The tsunami was a great tragedy, but it also helped to bring the global community together to help Sri Lanka and other affected countries. The Italian Government has collected nearly 59 million euro for Sri Lanka and the Italian President, Giorgiogio Napolitano was then a member of the Committee.

The Italian Government has successfully completed 59 projects which they undertook in Sri Lanka.

On the 17th of this month an impressive ceremony will be held at the President's Palace, where the Civil Protection Authority will present the successful completion of projects in Sri Lanka and they will also donate seven million euro to Sri Lanka to establish a Tsunami Warning System and the balance money will be used to maintain schools and hospitals in the tsunami affected areas.

On January 25, the Italian Foreign Minister and Director General will conduct a Seminar on Terrorism and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has been invited by the Italian Government. This year the employment quota has been increased from 3,000 to 3,500 and many people in Sri Lanka and Italy have applied for these work permits.

We have also made room for trained nurses fluent in Italian conducted by the Italian Government to recruit them as Caregivers in addition to the employment quote. Many Italian businessmen have expressed their interest in investing in Sri Lanka.

There are also inquiries to establish a Cement Factory and an Exchange House with banking facilities which is under negotiation in Sri Lanka. The Mayor of Lichchi a province in Southern Italy has already accepted the suggestion made by me for a cultural exchange.

Within the next two months a cultural exchange programme will take place with the concurrence of our Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

The Bank d'Italia has lifted travel restrictions imposed on Italian businessmen visiting Sri Lanka on my request. Arrangements have been made for the Bank staff to visit Sri Lanka this year during their annual holidays. In February this year another group of business tourists will visit Sri Lanka.

Q: So your record for two months is certainly impressive. Any comments?

A: I must say that every single officer specially diplomatic officers worked tirelessly to achieve our objectives. They never treated me as an outsider, but treated me as the Head of Mission and defied the common belief that in Government offices no work is done.

If you come to my office in Italy, you will see the staff of the Embassy continuing till 8 O'clock in the night without any benefit. I am extremely proud of my staff. They have given me their utmost cooperation.

Q: But you have been accused by some tabloid that you have got your staff to address you as "Your Excellency"?

A: I was only amused at this news item. What happened was one of two members of the Italian staff did not address me directly and the Sri Lankan staff complained to me of the manner that one or two of them addressed me.

Then I summoned the most senior member of the staff who has served nearly 25 years at the Embassy and questioned him as to how they addressed the previous Ambassadors. The following letter signed by every single staff member addressed to the Editor of the tabloid clearly explains the situation.

"We the undersigned members of the diplomatic staff together with all the staff members of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Rome, Italy vehemently express our displeasure and concern for publishing in indirect and evasive news item, which makes the public understand that the newly appointed Ambassador to this Mission demanded at a staff meeting that he be addressed as "Your Excellency".

This is absolutely false. We are the members of the staff who were present at the meeting and we are witnesses to what the Ambassador said."

He said "Your Excellency" is too long to be used in informal times and hence addressing him as "Sir" was quite good enough. We were surprised to read just the opposite of what the Ambassador said in your paper. In fact the accepted traditional way of addressing an Ambassador is "Your Excellency". What we are unable to understand is how this trivial news item found its way and space in this newspaper.

What we understand by this unethical media policy is that it will have an adverse effect on the good and innovative work done by the new Ambassador in his effort for enhancing our Sri Lanka image abroad.

We therefore confirm that what the paper published is totally false and hereby subscribe our total support to the Ambassador, rejecting the incorrect and unwarranted information published in your newspaper. We were the members who were present at the staff meeting."