• MFA seeks 30-40 Foreign Service candidates
• Process may take till July 23: Minister Sabry

 By Asiri Fernando  Sri Lanka’s crisis recovery efforts will require significant changes to governance and the use of diplomacy. Sri Lanka is currently engaged in a complex process of negotiations with bilateral, multilateral, and private creditors to restructure debt and seek assistance. The troubled island is also keen to revive trade agreement discussions with many countries and expand its exports whilst regaining the volume of its $ 4 billion tourism industry.  If Sri Lanka is to regain international recognition and improve its position in the global order, the national foreign service and foreign policy will need to be prioritised.   Lack of trained professionals   However, some diplomats have raised concerns about the lack of trained professionals in the ranks of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) to carry out key functions and head missions overseas, given that recruitment for the service was frozen in 2018.  According to some SLFS officers, the SLFS cadre should have had more than 250 officers in 2022, had recruitment not been frozen in 2018. “We are going to face serious problems relating to human resources in the coming years. By 2027 or 2028 the SLFS may only have one batch at Grade One level or in Special Grade if no recruitment is done before that. Already, a number of key missions are headed by political appointees; we have seen the repercussions of such placements. How can we operate missions with all the officers like counsellors and those above? What about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)? Will we staff it only with additional secretaries and director generals? The Foreign Service officers already work long hours,” a senior diplomat said, speaking to The Sunday Morning on terms of anonymity. The MFA had frozen recruitment to the Foreign Service in 2018, with no qualified personnel being added to the Foreign Service cadre since then.   Govt. must take issue seriously    Speaking to The Sunday Morning, former Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bernard Goonetilleke said that if the Government was serious about creating a robust foreign policy and revamping the diplomatic apparatus to help Sri Lanka recover and position itself better, it would have to ensure that there were enough professionals to carry out the required duties.   When asked about the freeze of recruitment to the Foreign Service, Goonathilleke said: “Yes, it will. If the Government is serious about diplomacy, foreign policy, and our national interests, the Government must take this issue seriously.” “What is actually happening is that people who are not properly recruited are being appointed due to their political affiliations, which is not in the interest of the country nor makes for good diplomatic practices. Such practices erode the professionalism of the diplomatic service and will create gaps that may not be easily filled,” he added. The Sunday Morning earlier this month reported that the MFA had initiated a foreign policy review which would see a committee established under the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI) draft a range of recommendations in this regard. They are expected to be first put to Cabinet and then Parliament for approval, once complete.   MFA ‘managing’ with current cadre   When The Sunday Morning contacted the MFA regarding the shortage of Foreign Service officers, the Ministry said that they were managing with the existing number of officers. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, the recruitment of a new batch of Foreign Service officers has begun and the process is likely to be completed in June next year (2023). Minister Sabry acknowledged that the shortage of Foreign Service officers was a matter of concern and that 30-40 new recruits were needed. “The first stage exams were conducted and the process is ongoing. We have to do it in consultation with several State entities. We hope to conclude the next levels of exams and complete interviews by July next year. There is a debate about how many new Foreign Service officers we need; we think we need 30-40,” Minister Sabry told The Sunday Morning. According to the MFA, the last batch to the SLFS was recruited in May 2018.  When asked about the ongoing recruitment process, the MFA said: “Part I of the entrance exam for the SLFS was held on 19 June 2022 and Part II is scheduled to be held during the first week of January 2023 as informed by the Department of Examinations.”   Institutional memory loss   Another diplomat The Sunday Morning spoke to blamed the lack of SLFS officers, poor administration, and the practice of political appointments for the critical loss of institutional memory from key departments and missions. “…ad hoc transfers, sometimes of an entire division’s leadership, leave the MFA at a loss of subject knowledge, as well as leaving long-established networks with other diplomats, foreign states, and agencies in shambles,” the diplomat said, adding that many in the serving SLFS ranks were disgruntled about the priority given to political appointees. “Imagine the money we spend on each mission. Will we get a good return for it with a disgruntled Foreign Service – which will only do the bear minimum to get by – while the missions are being headed by incompetent people?” the diplomat questioned. Goonetilleke also echoed the serving diplomats’ concerns, pointing out that specialised subject matter competencies could be affected due to the shortage of SLFS personnel and ad hoc appointments. “On institutional memory, you are right, when the seniors retire and others have to step in to fill the role, if well-trained professionals are not there to do so and people from outside are parachuted in, the efficiency and experience gained over the years cannot be passed down. For example, if we ask new staff about Sri Lanka’s stance and arguments at Geneva in the ’90s or about Sri Lanka’s contribution to the Law of the Sea, there will be no memory. If this (lack of recruitment) is allowed to continue, it may end up like the blind leading the blind,” Goonathilleke warned, adding that it was a policy matter the Government should take seriously. “If we take the medical profession, it takes years of practice – going through the mill, doing exams, and proving their skills – for doctors to become specialists or surgeons. No one would want someone with little experience to suddenly drop in and play that role, would they?” Goonetilleke questioned.    Training and placement   According to the MFA, officers who have been selected for Grade III of SLFS attend an induction training programme for around two months. In addition, officers who have been selected to the SLFS are assigned a foreign language. The officers are given opportunities to attend foreign training programmes, seminars, etc. to develop their competencies and improve language skills during their entire career. It is learnt that approved performance appraisal methods for the Executive grade officers of the Government are used to assess the performance of SLFS officers routinely.  However, there is no performance-measuring mechanism to assess the performance of politically-appointed persons, even those at heads of missions. This, despite there being many such political appointees to head a number of missions overseas. Although SLFS officers are expected to be assigned to relevant divisions of the Ministry and overseas missions based on the service requirement, a senior diplomat told The Sunday Morning that favouritism, professional jealousy, and external influence often overruled meritorious and service-dependent postings. Further, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that once a diplomat is assigned to an overseas station, they need to return after a three-year stint, many political appointees and ‘favourites’ in the service continue to remain at their posts well past the normal tenure due to preferential treatment, which limits the opportunities available for young SLFS officers to gain experience at such postings. One key area the foreign policy review can look at closely is to ensure that the professionalism and calibre of Sri Lankan diplomats remain high. Failure to do so may invariably leave Sri Lanka’s national interest in a disadvantaged position as the island nation struggles to find its footing and rebuild credibility in international forums.     Box  The Foreign Service today   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the Foreign Service today (November 2022) stands at 166 officers, with nearly 100 of them women. Ministry sources indicate that those recruited were selected based on strict criteria:

• Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree from a university recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
• The candidates must sit for a competitive entrance exam. 
• The candidates who have obtained eligible cut-off marks will be called for an interview conducted by the Public Service Commission. 
• Appointments will be made by the Public Service Commission on merit order and depending on the number of vacancies.

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