‘Goya Queen’ Wagiswara carries on as Foreign Secretary and the rot continues 

Jun 13, 2016

On reaching sixty years in September last year Chitrangani Wagiswara’s term as Foreign Secretary came to an end. If she had any self respect she would have left office and given the opportunity for one of her colleagues to become Foreign Secretary. The next in line to be the Foreign Secretary was much respected Foreign Service officer Jayantha Palipana.  However, Wagiswara who is known amongst her batch mates as ‘Goya Queen’ (after the Goya talcum powder) for always lobbying and getting western postings had other ideas. She lobbied and got an extension upto end of May this year effectively ending the chances of Palipana becoming Foreign Secretary. She got together with Director General Overseas Administration R. L. Ratnapala and made sure that Palipana did not get a posting last year though there was ample vacancies. But knowing that she is to go home end May this year she put Palipana on the list of postings and made sure that he goes on posting in May before she completed her contract. Palipana could have been the Foreign Secretary for a few months and retire in September and go on a posting. But Wagiswara wanted to prevent Palipana from becoming the Foreign Secretary even for a few months.

Wagiswara who even by the most optimistic terms has always been known as a very mediocre and an incompetent officer started to work on her next western posting. With her attempts to go to London coming a cropper she was looking elsewhere in Europe. She successfully lobbied and got Germany. But the current Ambassador Karunatilaka Amunugama is putting up a fight lobbying very hard to remain in Germany.  It was in this background Prime Minister handpicked Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Esala Weerakoon to become the Foreign Secretary. Wagiswara was chosen to replace Weerakoon.  

Knowing very well that after May if she goes home she can miss her posting she started to undermine next most senior additional Secretary Rnajith Uyangoda, who is known to be a balanced and a reasonable person. She convinced Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to extend her term until Weerakoon assumes duties to the surprise of everyone. As Wagiswara does not like to go to India this will give her time to lobby and get another western posting.

Wagiswara is doing all these undercutting activities together with Ratnapala. It was she who appointed Ratnapala as Director General Overseas Administration against lot of opposition within the Ministry. She was smart knowing that Ratnapala will join her in undercutting others as his survival depended on her. Ratnapala supported Wagiswara to undercut Palipana as he knew Palipana did not like his appointment and he would not survive under Palipana if he became the Secretary. Ratnapala was also more than happy to undercut Uyangoda as he has problems with him. Ratnapala has a cheaqured history as a juvenile missing going to school for sometime as he was involved in a chili powder grinding business and trading in jewellery. To his credit he mended his ways studied and made it to the university. During Sajin Vaas time he carried tales against his colleagues and undercut them. Knowing that after Wagiswara goes he will have a tough time in the Ministry and to have an access to Samaraweera he has become buddies with Thusitha Halloluwa, the self important Coordinating Secretary of Samaraweera. He is well known to be carrying tales and going to Halloluwas room many times a day. Halloluwa who has been sidelined by the government and is not taken notice in the Foreign Ministry has welcome Ratnapala and has started interfering in Ministry work supportef by Ratnapala and Wagiswara much to the disgust of Ministry staff. Halloluwa has gone to the extent of accosting Ministry officers in the corridors of the Ministry building and questioning them on postings. Ratnapala is banking on Halloluwa to get him a posting.

Lanka News Web reliably understands that Wagiswara and Ratnapala are the ones supporting the appointments of political kith and kin to Embassies. The level of interference by Ratnapala and Wagiswara in postings has resulted in one member of the transfer board already resigning and the Chairman having second thoughts about continuing. Cabinet papers are prepared in secrecy by-passing the transfer board and other officials. Wagiswara and Ratnapala are welcome to give the exact number of political appointments made under the Secretaryship of Wagiswara with their qualifications from Heads of Mission down to KKS level so people will get a clear picture how widespread the political appointments have become. So much for Yahapalanaya people expected.