For getting more out of the Bangladesh missions abroad
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Niaz Morshed
BANGLADESH has diplomatic missions in over 50 countries. But are they enough to advance the country's trade and economic interests? In the vast and highly resourceful South America, for example, Bangladesh has its lone embassy in Brazil, the continent's biggest country. Can this mission in that country promote Bangladesh's interest in the rest of the continent? Would it not be relevant to have fully fledged missions in several other resourceful countries of the continent including as Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia?
Experts think that considerable commercial contacts -- beneficial for Bangladesh -- could be developed if Bangladesh had embassies in those countries. Bangladesh has no need to have lavish presence with large staff strength. For concentrating on commercial interest, the embassies can be housed in modest premises.
Bangladesh is, however, represented in some of the East European countries, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark and Norway in Scandinavia and some of the countries in Africa. Except in Uzbekistan, Bangladesh has no mission in the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent Sates (CIS), though all of them, in varying degrees, are prospective from the perspective of Bangladesh's economic interests. But for Egypt and South Africa, Bangladesh has no full-fledged mission in any other African country. The country's Africa policy is difficult to understand as it can gain much by having economic relationships with many of the countries there including Madagascar, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Mozambique.
What is more puzzling is that not all the Bangladeshi missions abroad, though limited in number, have commercial wings. Only 20 out of the 60 missions have, what can, at the best, be described as apologies of commercial wings, functioning with insufficient staff strength.
Clearly, the imperative is to strengthen the understaffed commercial wings at the earliest. But it should be done by discontinuing the practice of posting loyal bureaucrats. Only dynamic and efficient officers should be posted on merit. Traditionally, civil servants from the ministry of commerce man the commercial wings, many of whom take the posting as sinecures. This has to change. There is no reason why the practice should not be broken to post the right personnel at the right place.
The government may as well recruit talented officers, with the needed knack, from outside the civil service, for posting at the commercial wings. They can be posted on renewable annual contracts with set targets to achieve. Trade openings, establishment of contacts between Bangladeshi exporters and importers of the host countries, holding of fairs of Bangladeshi products abroad they should take more seriously than they now do.
The continuation and renewal of the contracts should depend on fulfilment of the set targets. For surpassing the targets, they could be rewarded. In other words, there should be a new policy to appoint the competent to serve the commercial wings. The new motivation should require them to work under a framework that does not allow them to spend time abroad without objectives at the cost of the public money. They should be up and doing. They most understand that to retain their jobs and the perks they need to achieve the set targets. With accountability, goals, penalties and rewards, the economic and commercial diplomats posted abroad would remain committed to promoting the country's economic interests.
The functions of the commercial wings can be widened to cover the employment markets abroad also. Some of the Bangladesh embassies abroad have labour attaches, drawn from among the civil servants in the relevant ministry. More often than not there are serious allegations against many of them; they spend more time hobnobbing with foreign manpower importers for personal gains ignoring their defined responsibility to promote the legal opportunities for increased export of Bangladeshi manpower with transparency. The functions of the two wings can be merged to promote economic interests of the country. The labour attaches can also be recruited from outside the civil service and on merit. The background and efficiency of the officers should be the only consideration. They also can be appointed on contracts with well defined responsibilities.
The Bangladesh missions abroad have limited functions of issuing visas and attending to protocol duties. The commercial wings in the 20 missions abroad function below their capacity. As such, they are a drain on the nation's resources. Each of them should function on full capacity to justify the expenditure on them. Now they lack this motivation. Bangladesh cannot and must not maintain white elephants in its missions abroad who feel that they have little to do but for spending time abroad at public expense. The Bangladeshi diplomats should change their image of 'nothing doing busy bodies' with hard work. They must be knowing well the work culture, dedication and commitment with which the diplomats serve their countries. It is time for Bangladesh to reform its foreign service as well to promote national economic goals and interests.
BANGLADESH has diplomatic missions in over 50 countries. But are they enough to advance the country's trade and economic interests? In the vast and highly resourceful South America, for example, Bangladesh has its lone embassy in Brazil, the continent's biggest country. Can this mission in that country promote Bangladesh's interest in the rest of the continent? Would it not be relevant to have fully fledged missions in several other resourceful countries of the continent including as Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia?
Experts think that considerable commercial contacts -- beneficial for Bangladesh -- could be developed if Bangladesh had embassies in those countries. Bangladesh has no need to have lavish presence with large staff strength. For concentrating on commercial interest, the embassies can be housed in modest premises.
Bangladesh is, however, represented in some of the East European countries, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark and Norway in Scandinavia and some of the countries in Africa. Except in Uzbekistan, Bangladesh has no mission in the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent Sates (CIS), though all of them, in varying degrees, are prospective from the perspective of Bangladesh's economic interests. But for Egypt and South Africa, Bangladesh has no full-fledged mission in any other African country. The country's Africa policy is difficult to understand as it can gain much by having economic relationships with many of the countries there including Madagascar, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Mozambique.
What is more puzzling is that not all the Bangladeshi missions abroad, though limited in number, have commercial wings. Only 20 out of the 60 missions have, what can, at the best, be described as apologies of commercial wings, functioning with insufficient staff strength.
Clearly, the imperative is to strengthen the understaffed commercial wings at the earliest. But it should be done by discontinuing the practice of posting loyal bureaucrats. Only dynamic and efficient officers should be posted on merit. Traditionally, civil servants from the ministry of commerce man the commercial wings, many of whom take the posting as sinecures. This has to change. There is no reason why the practice should not be broken to post the right personnel at the right place.
The government may as well recruit talented officers, with the needed knack, from outside the civil service, for posting at the commercial wings. They can be posted on renewable annual contracts with set targets to achieve. Trade openings, establishment of contacts between Bangladeshi exporters and importers of the host countries, holding of fairs of Bangladeshi products abroad they should take more seriously than they now do.
The continuation and renewal of the contracts should depend on fulfilment of the set targets. For surpassing the targets, they could be rewarded. In other words, there should be a new policy to appoint the competent to serve the commercial wings. The new motivation should require them to work under a framework that does not allow them to spend time abroad without objectives at the cost of the public money. They should be up and doing. They most understand that to retain their jobs and the perks they need to achieve the set targets. With accountability, goals, penalties and rewards, the economic and commercial diplomats posted abroad would remain committed to promoting the country's economic interests.
The functions of the commercial wings can be widened to cover the employment markets abroad also. Some of the Bangladesh embassies abroad have labour attaches, drawn from among the civil servants in the relevant ministry. More often than not there are serious allegations against many of them; they spend more time hobnobbing with foreign manpower importers for personal gains ignoring their defined responsibility to promote the legal opportunities for increased export of Bangladeshi manpower with transparency. The functions of the two wings can be merged to promote economic interests of the country. The labour attaches can also be recruited from outside the civil service and on merit. The background and efficiency of the officers should be the only consideration. They also can be appointed on contracts with well defined responsibilities.
The Bangladesh missions abroad have limited functions of issuing visas and attending to protocol duties. The commercial wings in the 20 missions abroad function below their capacity. As such, they are a drain on the nation's resources. Each of them should function on full capacity to justify the expenditure on them. Now they lack this motivation. Bangladesh cannot and must not maintain white elephants in its missions abroad who feel that they have little to do but for spending time abroad at public expense. The Bangladeshi diplomats should change their image of 'nothing doing busy bodies' with hard work. They must be knowing well the work culture, dedication and commitment with which the diplomats serve their countries. It is time for Bangladesh to reform its foreign service as well to promote national economic goals and interests.