Appointment of UK High Commissioner: work of Yahapalana Monitoring Governor!
Oct 19, 2015
It was Lanka News Web that broke the news of the appointment to London High Commission of Manoj Warnapala, son-in-law of Austin Fernando, Eastern Province Governor. Lanka News Web exposed how Austin was using pressure to make way for the son-in-laws appointment. We also reported that Foreign Secretary who has retired was hoping to go on a posting and did as Austin asked her to do so she will not get in the bad books of the President as Austin has threatened.
Sunday print media news says that Foreign Secretary Chitrangani Wagiswara has been appointed Sri Lanka High Commissioner to UK. Lanka News Web learns that this is a part of the deal Austin stuck with the Foreign Secretary to make sure his son-in-law was appointed. Lanka News Web has got most of the details of Austin’s plans to make sure the appointment goes through with the help of some sections of the media.
The main reason why Austin is fighting hard to get his son-in-law appointed as a Counselor to the High Commissioner is because he is without a good job in the UK. He has been insisting that Warnapala should be appointed as the head of the Consular section. He has been giving the appointments made under the infamous Rajapaksa regime, Indika Karunajeewa, Chaminda Kularatna and Sepala Ratnayaka to justify Warnapalas appointment. He has been saying that they were lawyers and so is his son-in-law. What he did not say is that Warnapalas family has a struggling law firm. By getting Warnapala appointed as head of consular section Austin and Warnapala are hoping that the family law firm will flourish.
For over half a century service officers ran the consular section without major issues. They need not be lawyers. Just because you are a lawyer it does not mean that you know consular work. Karunajeewa. Kularatna and Ratnayaka were working at the Presidents office during Rajapaksa regime. Karunajeewa was appointed to do Namal Rajapaksas university assignments and to help his studies. Karunajeewa also ran the high commission and the consular section as a SLFP party office. After his term Karunajeewa was appointed as a Secretary to President Rajapaksa and was doing Namala Rajapaksas work. Both Kularatna and Ratnayaka was appointed to help Rohitha Rajapaksa and the family of Gamini Senerath, Chief of Staff of President Rajapaksa. They also ran the High Commission like a SLFP party office. Kularatna on his return became the coordinating Secretary to President Rajapaksa. Ratnayaka never returned to Sri Lanka. He disappeared in UK and is now wanted by INTERPOL and Sri Lankan authorities. It is a disgrace to Sri Lanka. People voted for the January 8 Yahapalana government to change things. What Austin Fernando is doing is to continue with the Rajapaksa regime style of doing things for his benefit. He is defending Rajapaksa regime decisions.
Austin’s first move was to get Foreign Secretary to appoint a person who will look after his son-in-law until Wagiswara is appointed the High Commissioner. Wagiswara gave the ‘nanny’ job to S. Gunaratna who is known to change his colours to suit the occasion and is desperate to go on a posting. He has been having political dealings with extremist parties as well. After getting favours from the Rajapaksa regime and going to Canada on leave so that he and his family can apply for PR he wanted to work in the Toronto Consul Generals office as a local recruit. Only those who are citizens, has PR or valid work visas can work as local recruits and not students. For a Foreign Service officer to work as a local recruit is a disgrace. A source who was in Canada during this time told Lanka News Web that lot of political pressure was brought to employ him but the Consul General himself had good political connections and did not give in.
For a service officer with over thirty years Wagiswara should know the problems that will come up when a citizen from that country and a person from the community is appointed as a diplomat to the UK high Commission. But thinking of her own future after retirement she has been doing as Austin says. According to her own batch mates and colleagues she is mediocre at the most. But she is good at smiling and doing as the political masters say making sure she is rewarded. One of the now Governor colleagues of Austin who was a senior colleague of Wagiswara recently told a gathering of current officers that ‘a motor will need to be fixed to her if you’ll want to get your Secretary moving.’ But in Warnapala’s matter she did not need any motor. She did exactly as Austin wanted for her own benefit.
The Sri Lankan community in UK is watching whether the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister will give in to Austin Fernando. There is a joke in the UK that Austin Fernando has become the Yahapalana Monitoring Governor of the Foreign Ministry.
