Do our officials in the so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation have much substance to write home about?
We don’t think so. In the first place the Ministry is more interested in nomenclatures than the nitty-gritty of work.
It was alright to have the Ministry labeled Foreign Affairs, but to add International Cooperation is tautaulogous.
That is a sign that there are lots of sinecures and deadwoods in the Ministry that are compensated because of their loyalty to the SLPP.
Unfortunately for the creators of jobs for the boys, we live in a global village which is increasingly causing physical contact to be less and less.
There are so many developmental projects to be carried out at home and there is little need to be having a bloated foreign service in an attempt to do as the Joneses.
Here we are sitting as the third hungriest nation out of 193 countries in the world with all our natural and mineral resources and yet we cannot cut our coats according to the cloth.
We bite much more than we can chew and we become choked in the process gasping for help unnecessarily.
Technology has improved to such an extent that it is not absolutely necessary for President Bio to have physically gone to India before getting the Indian Vice President to come here.
They can talk face to face on the social media. After such talks, it may be necessary for the Vice President to physically inspect areas where help is needed.
President Bio’s visits as a human being may have the supplementary motives of sightseeing and human glory of rapturous welcomes and receptions.
Don’t blame him but our economy suffers while there are more pressing issues at home and diplomatic staff on the ground who can handle relevant issues.
Have the imitators of developed countries ever wondered why they have roving Ambassadors?
It is plainly because they knew how to use tax payers money for which they would be held to account.
And talking about reckless establishments of embassies the new missions in Turkey, Morocco and Kenya are not absolutely necessary, save for prestige and again keeping up with the Joneses.
What the lay person or tax payer does not know is that the expenses of establishing any Embassy or High Commission can almost amount to that of a Department at home.
Time was when the Ambassador to Ethiopia was also accredited to Tanzania, Zambia and far away Israel and it worked.
With an embassy in Saudi Arabia dealing with Hajj affairs why should it not take care of Morocco and Turkey?
Is it because we are expecting to get more investment in the mining sector and have no other use for the incomes they generate?
It was good news for realists when the former Foreign Minister was removed to the United Nations because he was poised to establish more embassies for prestige reasons.
The foreign service office should stop wasting our resources.