My purpose was to use these events to create public debate because today discussions on foreign policy have been left to academic institutions and a few professional bodies, if at all, that still take an interest in such issues.

There was a time when the media was in the forefront of foreign policy debates and discussions. But sadly the media-or much of it- appear to have abandoned that role and abdicated its responsibility to inform and educate readers in an increasingly important area of government activity- our relations with our neighbours and the rest of the world.

Largely, what we find today in the way of foreign policy discussion is the annual committee stage debate in parliament on the votes of the foreign ministry.
That is often a waste of time for what passes for serious debate on international affairs and Sri Lanka's own position relative to global developments, is individual grouses being raised for or behalf of people in the service or their relatives. Or it is some aspiring diplomats who have failed to make the grade and find an obliging MP to provide the slant they want.

Or it revolves round some gossip in one of our diplomatic missions or how many air miles have been clocked in by the foreign minister or some such trivialities that often bring discussions slightly above the level of the sewer. Understandably the public tends to be concerned with more mundane issues as the price of rice and bread than President's Bush's failure to name the Pakistani leader despite been afforded several opportunities to do so.

That is all the more reason why the media should take on the strain of engaging in public discussion such weighty issues as certain one-sided decisions of the WTO and their impact on developing countries such as ours. Unfortunately few of the new generation of journalists seem to think that foreign policy is sexy enough to engage in and win admiring fans.

But it is a service that needs to be done, particularly in an ever-shrinking world in which events and developments far away still have a telling impact on us.
A more recent example is how the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US prompted a deadening effect on international tourism including our own tourism industry.

Sadly I find that in the political climate that prevails in Colombo, it is not possible to discuss matters of principle and policy without been seen to be engaged in vindictive criticism of individuals. My questions on Sri Lanka's position on Zimbabwe at the Commonwealth summit, and efforts to promote a reappraisal of our foreign policy in the light of the fast receding influence of non-alignment-if it still retains any influence that is-and the growing importance of global economics and other observations on several diplomatic faux pas in recent months, have been misconstrued to be personal criticisms of Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando, my informants tell me.

Some of these things I have referred to certainly happened under his current stewardship of the foreign ministry. But issues such as rethinking our foreign policy to attune it to current needs rather than continue to wrap it round shibboleths such as non-alignment, are questions of principles and policy that pre-date Tyronne Fernando.
It is not my intention to denigrate individuals unless their actions impinge on my area of concern, It is a perennial problem in Colombo society, so enamoured of a class of individuals and so obsequious to politicians and political hangers-on that observations cannot be made without being seen to belittle or abuse somebody.

Let's admit it, there are serious lapses in our overall information policy- foreign as well as domestic- that need to be studied, understood and corrected. If one pinpoints shortcomings and offer ways to avoid them or improve services, the answer is not to see them as personal attacks however highly such a person might consider himself. The question to ask oneself is whether such criticism is justified or not.
Let me cite one example that exposes the abject failure of our information policy- domestic and foreign.

Most readers will recall the incident concerning Marie Colvin, the American journalist from The Sunday Times London, who was wounded by grenade shrapnel as she crossed from LTTE to government lines in the Wanni. Immediately after the incident a government media statement accused Colvin of a "secret agenda", but offered no proof to substantiate it.

Having already painted itself into a corner, the government should have tried to buttress its accusation against an award-winning journalist by carefully studying her subsequent articles on Sri Lanka. Did anyone either from the office that initially made the unproven charge or the foreign ministry do so? No. In fact even after it was pointed out that Colvin had made damaging errors of fact that should have been promptly corrected, no ministry or person in Colombo or elsewhere did so. Neither our vociferous politicians nor our diplomats moved a mental muscle.
Need I say more.

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