Editorial
Under-staffed missions
Skilled, competent diplomats needed
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni states that as many as forty three Bangladesh missions abroad are faced with a shortage of manpower. Her assessment is simple, which is that such a shortage is impeding the provision of adequate services to non-resident Bangladeshis. The manpower structure under which the missions have been operating, the minister reminds us, was approved way back in 1982. Obviously, in today's circumstances there needs to be a change in the structure, as Dr. Moni appears to be suggesting. We do not disagree with her where revising the structure is concerned.
But then comes the issue of whether this shortage can be cited as an excuse for the poor services our missions have provided to Bangladeshis in dire need. Over the years, there have been regular complaints about the inability or sheer reluctance of our diplomats to come to the aid of distressed Bangladeshis abroad. Not long ago, loud protests were voiced about the mission in Kuala Lumpur failing to help our migrant workers in trouble. Most recently, the plight of Bangladeshis in crisis-torn Libya has reminded us yet once again of the serious failings of our missions. The point, therefore, is not so much whether our missions are under-staffed as it is of whether they are manned by skilled and accomplished personnel able to respond to the needs of Bangladeshis and are capable of projecting a positive image for the country through diplomacy. For a fairly long period, successive governments in Dhaka have emphasized the importance of economic diplomacy on the part of our missions. To what extent such a policy has been successful remains a question.
Clearly, our diplomatic establishment is in need of refurbishing through placing the right people in the right places. In recent years, appointments of diplomats, professional as well as political, have raised a good number of questions about their ability to do the job. Diplomacy cannot flourish on the strength of political loyalty. It can do so on the basis of professional and intellectual competence.
Of course, we are all for providing our missions, where needed, with adequate staff. Simultaneously, there are missions abroad that are surfeit with manpower which is a drain on meager national resources. Must austerity as well as efficiency not come in here?
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