The pro-separatist lobby overseas and diplomacy

With the post war scenario unfolding overseas in a different form, Sri Lanka seems to be at the receiving end of a diplomatic quagmire.

Most of the issues that beset the Government on the international front are of its own making. The Geneva resolution could have been avoided if there had been an effective diplomatic manoeuvre. Economic sanctions in the guise of cancelling GSP+ concessions could have been averted a long time ago, had the Government made a genuine effort to maintain good governance in the country.

Violent suppression of dissent and media freedom seems to have blighted the Government’s standing and credibility drastically. The pro-separatist lobby is making their presence felt all over the world through public protests and demonstrations.

UNP dropped the ‘federal solution’

Diplomacy is about the art and skill of conducting foreign relations and positioning and safeguarding the interests of Sri Lanka in a world where internal issues of Sri Lanka have come under the microscope of the world.

Sri Lanka was able to militarily annihilate the world’s most ruthless terrorist organisation thanks to the joint effort by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka. The People of Sri Lanka should equally be thanked for the grit and tight belts they wore regardless of the envious fact that the Government was maintaining a 110+ jumbo cabinet along with other luxuries, whereas the basic needs of people had to be contained as the military campaign had to take precedence.

This had been the litany of the daily propaganda churned out by the State media. As far as victory was concerned, the Karuna faction had a crippling effect on the LTTE on the Eastern front. As far as foreign policy was concerned, victory was possible because the LTTE had been banned in most of the countries due to the excellent diplomacy of previous governments.If the UNP had a semblance of intimation from the Government of India that it would remain passive at a time when the LTTE would be cornered, UNP Governments too would have relished a military solution. Military advances on the battlefront also sent shockwaves through the UNP hierarchy to drop its stance over a ‘federal solution’. No doubt President Mahinda Rajapaksa re-demarcated the political landscape of this country.

Lessons from Israeli lobby

Sri Lanka received excellent support in the form of materials, training and intelligence from United States, Israel, India, China and Pakistan and none of these countries has been sent a message of gratitude for having stood by us at the critical moment in our history.

With the decimation of the LTTE military wing, there is a clear convergence of forces lined up against Sri Lanka. Now the war on the battlefront is over and we need to wage a Public Diplomacy (PD) war on the international front, which is complimentary to official diplomacy.

The Foreign Ministry needs to harness the skills of experts in this field. This is a new phenomenon to Sri Lanka. Israel seems to be the only country with expertise in mobilising public opinion and PD programs through various Jewish Diaspora organisations. Israel has the professional touch in political lobbying which is unparalleled in world history. The upshot: The creation of the State of Israel and the dismantling of Saddam’s regime with 5,500 battle tanks to overwhelm Israel.

There are various organisations carrying on parallel efforts along the lines with official diplomacy of Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a premier organisation based in Washington DC to lobby the US Congress on behalf of the Government of Israel. This is in addition to the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC, which is well-staffed and well-funded.

Countering pro-separatist lobby overseas

It is estimated that 25% of Sri Lankan Tamils are now domiciled overseas. The Tamil Diaspora had already made mammoth strides in lobbying governments all over the world and they have even gone ahead with the establishment of the Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGTE).

It would be a mistake to lose sight of the fact that the Tamil intellectuals and internationally recognised ‘non-Tamil’ university professors with international repute too had been mobilised at the time the Advisory Committee on the formation of PTGTE was formed.

The trend that is set overseas by the pro-separatist lobby is a force to be reckoned with for small groups of Sri Lankans who have not been properly guided or assisted in countering the adverse propaganda disseminated by pro-separatist lobby.

Sri Lankan associations overseas need to be converted to Political Action Committees in line with the laws of the respective countries with the active coordination by the Ministry of External Affairs. There should be a PD strategy for each country along with official diplomacy.

There should be a central co-originating body within the Ministry of External Relations to study the individual activists, structure and functions of all Tamil organisations and must give direction to Sri Lankan associations. It would also be advisable to garner support from other Tamil Diaspora organisations with moderate views.

Obviously the ugly incidents that are perpetrated by Sinhala supremacists in our backyard too would provide added colour to the pro-separatist lobby. Let’s be careful in mobilising our emotions as it would be to our detriment.

Need for a National Strategic Intelligence Agency

The Government must streamline spending habits, as Sri Lankan organisations overseas require financial assistance to deal with the unfolding scenario overseas by producing PD-related literature and other targeted PD programs. This is a new game and requires new strategies.

It is also high time the Government got rid of its egocentric conduct such as holding cabinet sessions in Kilinochchi. Prabhakaran or Pottu Amman are not there to hear that the Government is holding cabinet sessions there; this can even be misinterpreted to give a different version that the Sinhalese-dominated Government is showing its hegemony over Tamil areas.

There are other priorities where public money could be spent meaningfully. The Ministry of External Relations might even have to scale down non-active diplomatic missions overseas and perhaps it would be better to open additional consulates in countries where PTGTE is active.

This author highlighted the need to revamp the intelligence apparatus in the wake of the military victory (National Strategic Intelligence, A New Reality for Sri Lanka) and Sri Lanka needs to mobilise its intelligence assets overseas to wage a new PD battle. There were reports that LTTE, or sleeper cells are active in Eretria and Venezuela and these activities must be kept at bay by mounting intelligence operations to neutralise such cells overseas.

Public Diplomacy efforts

PD is a public relations effort aimed at areas where official diplomacy is minimal or absent and this should be carried out in conjunction with official diplomacy. We need to exploit every available opportunity to demystify adverse propaganda through international print and electronic media as well as organising cultural and educational events overseas and by closely monitoring the activities of pro-separatist lobby.

The Government seems to have lost the credibility due to its track record in suppressing dissent and other democratic rights. These are mounting hurdles for the Government. Implementation of the 17th Amendment and media freedom has had an impact on the Government’s credibility. The JVP seems to be right that the 17th Amendment is non-negotiable as it was an all party effort and there was explicit unanimity vis-à-vis the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

Geneva and the aftermath

War crimes allegations have reached the highest level of international foray and this requires diplomacy to neutralise any inquiry which might entail from the Resolution adopted at the last UNHRC sessions in Geneva. Sri Lanka needs support from all the countries and this highlights the need for effective diplomacy.

Once again it is important to muzzle the loose cannons once and for all and let the Foreign Ministry deal with foreign affairs. As a measure to gain lost credibility, it would perhaps be time to form a national government with the UNP. A political alliance with the UNP at this juncture would tend to augment the Government’s standing; however the Government must display pragmatism in finding solutions to the crisis.

(The writer is a freelance journalist and a political lobbying and government relations consultant.)