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Parliament and discuss their grievances and sought remedies.
The Dictionary of American Government and Politics defines lobbying as “any individual, group or organisation that seeks to influence legislation or administrative action. Lobbyists can be trade organisations, individual organisations or public interest groups… The term arose from the use of the lobbies, or corridors of legislative halls, as places to meet with and persuade legislators to vote a certain way. In the US the right to attempt to influence legislation is based on the US Constitution which holds that the Congress shall make no law abridging the right of people to petition the government for a redress or grievance.”
The lobbying is now more about the art of lobbying the congress and this extends to creating a positive image, advocacy journalism and through public relations (PR) and public diplomacy (PD).
Meaning of lobbying
With the advent of electronic media and the accessibility to tools of mass media, the lobbying industry has revolutionised the style and methods of lobbying. There are thousands of media organisations, newspapers and other periodic literature. It would be impossible for an individual, organisation or even a country to access the legislature, bureaucrats or policymakers unless engaging a professional lobbyist.
The image of an individual, organisation and a country could be tarnished through adverse media and this has a direct bearing on the US foreign policy. The damage control would require experts in the field and political influence would be required to effect changes in official policy on certain issues of concern. US foreign policy is linked with other legislative controls such as US export control laws and congressional monitorin
g of foreign assistance.
The Government of Sri Lanka is not alone in hiring lobbyists in Washington; there are other countries which have actively engaged in lobbying US policymakers on various issues such as getting a bigger slice of US foreign aid, on technology transfers and securing more investments, etc.
The most notable lobbying firm is Patton Boggs LLC, which has been enlisted by 
foreign organisations and governments where the efforts, resources and diplomats employed by official diplomatic mission in Washington DC have been found inadequate to deal with the massive organisational structure of the US Government.
There are various interests and pressure groups trying to push through their political agendas through political influence and advocacy. Though Washington DC is the epicentre of lobbying in US, the industry also thrives in other parts of the world such as London, Brussels (matters relating to the European Union) and in other countries where representative democracy is practiced.
Power of money
Since the US is the economic power in the world, the power of money plays a dominant role in shaping legislature and government policy. The annual US budget provide details of public expenditure figures in trillions. Lobbying issues rank from gun control, automobile industry, and aviation industry, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, labour unions, armaments and munitions industry, construction, agriculture, banking, and a host of other issues of concern to individuals, organisations and associations and even foreign countries.
Since the success of lobbying is to a large extent centres around the money that can be fed for a cause, it has its negative impact in US politics. There have been massive scandals surrounding the lobbying industry and other corrupt deals with legislators. The professional approach to lobbying however does not involve money; it is about the art and skill of conducting public affairs and bringing pressure on the legislators and government policymakers.
US politics is very responsive to public opinion and it could persuade policymakers to think twice before implementing policies. Money would of course be required to access the mass communication channels which have become very powerful in setting political agendas. There are critics who are concerned about the undermining American values and basic tenets of representative democracy through the process of lobbying where private interests, pressure groups, special interest groups might tend to capture the political decision making process at the cost of general public. This would distort the public mandate over which a government is elected.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the most effective lobbying organisation in Washington DC and it maintains a fully-fledged office in the US to garner support for Israel. It has succeeded in securing US support through a professional approach to lobbying.
The influence of AIPAC is remarkable and no other lobbying organisation is as powerful as AIPAC. The Washington Post reported that “much of AIPAC’s influence lies in the extensive civic participation of its supporters, the high profile role of board members in making and raising US election campaign contributions, the strong ties of AIPAC to the Government of Israel, the strategic importance of Israel to US interests. Every two years AIPAC offers each new member of the US Congress a trip to Israel.”
Lobbying by Lankan Government
There have been media reports that the Government of Sri Lanka too had retained professional lobbyists in Washington DC to influence US foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. There are powerful pro-separatist lobbies trying to secure US support for their separatist agenda.
Success of lobbying in US depends on the strength of money that one party can throw to dilute the influence of the other. Being a poor country with a massive debt burden it would be very costly for the Government to hire professional lobbyists to advance the cause of Sri Lanka amidst a hostile foreign policy towards the US.
There is nothing wrong in hiring lobbyists in Washington DC but it should have been aligned and complemented with a sound foreign policy. Some public utterances of key players of Government policy also send wrong signals, thus alienating Sri Lanka from its traditional allies.
There should also be a yardstick to measure the success of lobbying. Money spent on lobbying in Washington DC could produce results if domestic political actions are made in keeping with our international commitments.
The US has been a key ally of Sri Lanka and has been instrumental in providing military and political support to fight the war against ruthless terrorism. The Government was successful in persuading the US to ban the LTTE as a terrorist organisation thanks to the effective diplomacy of former Foreign Minister late Lakshman Kadirgamar. The Government must now keep a close watch over separatist agendas overseas.
In order to garner US support, the Government is now bound by international commitments to transform domestic political issues such as establishing rule of law, ensuring the independence of the Judiciary, transparency in public expenditure, nurturing political dissent and protecting media freedom.
The most important task of the Government is to find a political solution to the ethnic issue where minorities could live with dignity. Any attempt at resolving the domestic political issues would certainly enhance the battered image of Sri Lanka.
(This writer is a Freelance Journalist and a Political Lobbying and Government Affairs Consultant. He is also a member of the American Association of Political Consultants.)
