Sri Lanka has not effectively identified national priorities and formulated policy priorities in accordance. Taking stock of where we are at present as a nation, and charting our way forward in a very complex world will require Sri Lanka to draft national policies which have a strong bipartisan support to meet medium-term and long-term national objectives and interests.
Today, the National People’s Power (NPP) Government stands at a fork in the road with a strong mandate to bring change. As such, the NPP, although lacking in governance experience, can be the turning point for Sri Lanka’s future trajectory, if it is ready to move beyond its ideological and narrow political objectives. If the NPP can shed the JVP-era mindset, and work in broad consultation with the wider polity, that would be the beginning of a ‘true system change’.
A few areas where the NPP Government has been lagging is foreign policy, transparency and effective communication. The gag-order type of iron fist Maoist control of the NPP law-makers when it comes to speaking to the media, bar a few who have been pushed before the public eye, does the Government no favours. Clear communication, both strategic and operational, is vital for small states to effectively govern and be understood by their people, the region and the world. When the ministers and deputy ministers are not responsive, and their staff equally hesitant to respond to questions raised by the media organisations, it does little to improve transparency and fails to keep the public informed. Such failures leads to outcomes which are disruptive and should be avoided. The Government must always be approachable and communicate effectively.
On foreign policy, ironically, Sri Lanka has not had a written policy since independence. There is an increasing call for that to change. A robust foreign policy is one of the cornerstones of statecraft. The NPP needs to have a better understanding of geopolitics and formulate a foreign policy with a strategic outlook. To do so, the Government must first carefully identify foreign policy priorities and develop a whole of government approach to advance them, while being diligent in observing and adapting to the changing geopolitical environment. Unfortunately, the NPP seems to have missed the bus on restructuring Sri Lanka’s foreign policy practitioner branch – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) – which has over time due to politicisation, under resourcing and poor management, is today, in an alarmingly weakened state. Many diplomats in Colombo have highlighted the slow, almost lethargic response for diplomacy from the MFA and a lack of understanding by its senior leadership on critical bilateral and multilateral issues. The same message comes from senior officials in other line ministries, with many claiming the support they get from the MFA is insufficient. In the MFA’s defence, all line ministries have similar allegations. However, such foreign policy and operational shortcomings have already cost Sri Lanka dearly and will continue to do so, until the situation is put right.
Fixing this situation without letting "Pelawatta" flood the MFA with ideological ‘yes-men’ and ‘yes-women’, is the need of the hour. Sri Lanka does not need a JVP ideological foreign office or service, the only other nations that have it are the DPRK and Cuba, neither of which are glowing examples of what Sri Lanka wants to evolve into. The Foreign Ministry needs an injection of professionals and young blood (not from a personal list that calls the ministers or MFA senior staff ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles’) following a thorough vetting process to weed out those who do not meet the cut. An investment in a new crop of capable young persons to fill the ranks of the Foreign Service would be a worthwhile investment in the island’s future. Lastly, the senior leadership of the ministry needs to be staffed with subject matter experts, who are willing to work in the ‘national interest’ and not be agenda pushers, or those who are looking for a comfortable seat just before retirement. Along with such changes, Sri Lanka should publish a foreign policy whitepaper which outlines a clear foreign policy which is in the pursuit of the defined national interests and priorities. Sri Lanka must move away from ‘reactive’ foreign policy to a proactive one, where the island’s stance is well known in advance and is known for its longitude.
The need for this change and revamp of the foreign policy focus and effort are urgent and paramount given the turbulent nature of geopolitics in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Sri Lanka will fall behind and be more vulnerable if we don’t get this fixed, and fixed right, soon. Institutionalising good governance should also happen at the MFA; as a small littoral nation, diplomacy is vital for our stability and sustainability.