MoFA has little to say over top jobs in foreign missions

FE Report The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) does not have much say over appointments in foreign missions and often wrong people are chosen for the top jobs, speakers said at a seminar Saturday. "When it comes to the foreign policy with India, the MoFA is sidelined. The past governments showed the same sort of indifference. Individuals, not the foreign service cadres, are posted at important missions. The MoFA has lost its say over appointment of ambassadors to the missions," said retired ambassador M Serajul Islam at a seminar on Foreign Policy of Bangladesh: Recent Approaches. The seminar was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) at CIRDAP in the city. Speaking on the occasion, former ambassador Humayun Kabir said, "Our foreign policy is mainly India-oriented". Though the Indo-Bangla relationship has seen some progress in regional connectivity, "we need to push it forward further," he added. He said Bangladesh's foreign policy should be focussed on the economic development in India, China and other Asian countries as in the next few years those economies will cross the $100 trillion mark and Bangladesh could be a regional hub. Mr Kabir said India started listening to Bangladesh. "We need to develop it further and articulate our economic diplomacy with India with a clear mindset. We need to involve all stakeholders in the foreign policy." Professor Amena Mohsin of Dhaka University, former Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, CFSD President ex-ambassador M Anwar Hashim and Secretary General Mahfuz Ullah, among others, spoke on the occasion. Mr. Islam in his keynote speech said the government did not maintain the foreign policy in a structured and transparent manner. It should deal with the important function of the government as others did, he added. He insisted on more involvement of the foreign office in dealing with important issues and involving the professional cadres in the process. If there was strong coordination between the government and the foreign office, the remittance flow and business could grow at least three times. Professor Amena Mohsin of the Dhaka University said Bangladesh is a classic example of mingling foreign issues with domestic politics. Former Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan said the MoFA became the government's step-brother. It was also facing the shortage of manpower, he added.