Most Belizeans are as comfortable with the foreign affairs business of our country as they are with the concept of “the peter principle”. Belizeans are at a loss where matters of our international relations are concerned. This will have to change, but it will take some time and some doing. We hope to accomplish this with a series of columns.
There has always been an air of mystique about what that Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually does, other than handling the protocol aspects for visiting dignitaries and developments dealing with the border we “lost” to Guatemala.
In the recent past, the government has neglected to inform the populace of who our representatives were in the international arena. And, while we have been kept posted, in piecemeal fashion, of who our key ambassadors were, we in the media know very little of these people.
As a matter of course, all ambassadors and diplomats who are under contract are expected to resign whenever the government changes. This is standard international practice. So unless the new Government re-appoints the existing representatives, they are all considered “recalled to capital.”
We can expect to see a comprehensive list of newly designated representatives as soon as the new Minister settles in. We hope he reconsiders the Musa practice of appointing ambassadors based on the individual’s ability to cover their mission’s expenses, as was the case of the Michael Ashcroft appointment as Belize’s Ambassador to the UN and others.
In the recent past, the Ministry did not have ambassadors in key posts, but instead opted for “acting ambassadors”, for want of a better description. These good folks who have been left at post to represent the Government as “Interim Representatives” don’t need Senate clearance, and they can be left in place to act for years without scrutiny at the local level.
I am sure the new Foreign Minister, Hon. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, will do away with that practice, as well, as he assembles his new team and “tweaks,” or validates existing foreign policy and practice.
There is also the big issue of who we chose to have relations with, and the level of coziness the new Government chooses to have with the likes of Venezuela, Taiwan, the UK, Palestine and of course the “managers of the universe,” the USA.
There are many other aspects of the foreign ministry that are foreign to many Belizeans, so I will continue this thread next week to look at remuneration packages, credentials of appointees, and responsibilities of our diplomats abroad.