Tamara Kunanayakam, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva rejecting the request to resign from her position at the UNHCR after only 9 months of service to accept another appointment has written a letter to Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris giving a lesson on how matters should be resolved in Foreign Service.
She states, “Your proposal to move me out only nine months after assuming duties as PR in Geneva, will suggest instability in our diplomacy and an ad hoc character, when, in a multilateral Mission, it is essential to display cohesion, unity and stability if we are not to be continuously on the defensive. If I were to accept your proposal, Sri Lanka will be the only country to have had four Ambassadors in three years, which is normally the minimum period of postings for envoys of other countries”
She states Sri Lanka has paid a heavy price for the lack of cohesion as it was essential to project an image of unity rather than that of discord as the country prepares for important appointments at the UN Human Rights Council.
In her letter Ms. Kunanayakam states, “It is inevitable that my removal from Geneva will be interpreted as a sanction by the Sri Lankan people and also by the diplomatic community in Geneva. It will send the wrong signal to our friends and allies in Asia, Latin America and Africa, who have expressed their support and solidarity toward Sri Lanka. They might think that the decision was the result of external pressures, a punishment to those in Geneva who dared resist.”
She adds, ““Removing one of the very few Tamils heading diplomatic missions abroad will allow questioning of the bona fides of the Government’s commitment to reconciliation, will reinforce extremist elements on all sides, and validate the argument that mine was only a token appointment.”
She also states her removal would convey the impression that those loyally carrying out instructions of the President and his Minister of External Affairs are being penalized precisely for their loyalty, whereas those responsible for compromising on principles, creating divisions, and undermining unity were rewarded.
She expresses her surprise at the proposal to transfer her stating that it was only on 23rd April that the Ministry of External Affairs, in a media statement, had affirmed that no decision had been made to change the posts of officials of the Ministry or Missions abroad, or to transfer them.
Ms. Kunanayakam concludes her letter stating, “I believe I have acted consistently with loyalty toward our people and our country, and that I have worked on the basis of principles rather than devious schemes and maneuvers, pettiness, and mediocrity. Mine is not a personal agenda, and my motivations are not career, fame, or fortune related. I have carried out my duties conscientiously, with the best interests of the Sri Lankan people at heart and to the best of my abilities, placing at their service my long experience and knowledge of the UN System, more than 10 years of which was spent within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
External Affairs minister Prof. G.L. Peiris contacted Ms. Kunanayakam directly on the Telephone on Saturday April 28th 2012 and informed the Lankan envoy that she was to be transferred out from her station in Geneva to Brazil or Cuba in Latin America. While no plausible explanation was given by Prof. Peiris for this sudden decision to urgently transfer her, the External Affairs minister had indicated that Ms. Kunanayakam could help establish wider and closer links External Affairs minister Prof. G.L. Peiris contacted Ms. Kunanayakam directly on the Telephone on Saturday April 28th 2012 and informed the Lankan envoy that she was to be transferred out from her station in Geneva to Brazil or Cuba in Latin America. While no plausible explanation was given by Prof. Peiris for this sudden decision to urgently transfer her, the External Affairs minister had indicated that Ms. Kunanayakam could help establish wider and closer links between Countries of the Latin America and Sri Lanka by relocating to the region from Geneva.
Tamara Kunanayakam who was earlier stationed in Cuba as Sri Lanka’s ambassador was hurriedly transferred to Geneva last year on a personal directive issued by President Rajapaksa.It was felt that she would be the ideal person to fight for Sri Lanka at the UN in Geneva at a critical time when powerful western nations were engaged in efforts to penalize Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.
Ms. Kunanayakam has extensive experience and knowledge about the UN system in Geneva as she has worked there in several capacities including a stint of over 10 years at the office of the Human Rights Commissioner.
http://www.lankatruth.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2232:be-a-fool-but-dont-be-an-idiot--tamara-tells-gl&catid=36:top-stories
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