Latest
Nonis has fallen prey to his own political masters: Karu
Oct 07, 201403:06 PM
The United National Party (UNP) today called on the Government to hold an impartial inquiry into the assault on Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Britain Dr Chris Nonis, which it termed as a “shameful incident” which has brought “utter disgrace” to the country’s Foreign Service.
The High Commissioner was allegedly assaulted by Sajin Vass Gunawardene, Monitoring MP for the External Affairs Ministry, on the 24th of September in New York.
Dr Nonis had said that he had tendered his resignation from the post the very same day and that it was accepted by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday (Oct. 03).
“The physical assault by Sajin Vass Gunawardene, MP is a clear reflection on the country’s tragic situation,” UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya said.
He stated that it is the first ever time since Independence that a parliamentarian has resorted to such demeaning behavior of attacking a diplomat who was on a State-related visit to another country.
“The matter is even worse in that, the attacker happens to be the Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs,” the UNP Leadership Council chairman said in a statement.
“This is total collapse of our Foreign Service and its handlers.”
Charging that out of 49 diplomatic positions created by the current government no less than 35 have been filled up by “stooges of the regime” who have chosen to treat Foreign Service like a “tool” for own social and financial advancement, Jayasuriya claimed that the only credential that is required is “blind loyalty” to those who govern.
“Even the victim in this particular incident happens to be a political appointee,” he alleged.
“Even though we might have very legitimate and credible misgivings about Chris Nonis, we believe that he made an attempt to advance the cause of Sri Lanka as a diplomat,” he said, adding, that although it looked utterly politically-motivated, Nonis could be classified as a person who tried to ‘do his job’.
The Diplomat’ magazine once named Chris Nonis as the ‘diplomat of the year’. He was capable of achieving that singular honor from amongst 164 diplomats in Great Britain. It is indeed a rare honor for a Sri Lankan. “It is such a person that has fallen prey to his own indecent political masters,” the Parliamentarian said.
Karu Jayasuriya stated that what is even more humorous is the way in which the “masters of Nonis” reacted to this tragic incident.
“Instead of holding an impartial inquiry about an incident in which a loyal supporter of the Government was manhandled in a foreign land, the regime has decided to investigate some unfounded allegations made by the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs.”
President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday (4) ordered investigations into the alleged incident as well the complaint against Nonis by the Secretary to the External Affairs Ministry, Kshenuka Seniviratne.
“As in all other instances, the accuser has ended up being the victim and convicted,” he said.
He stated that the UNP’s emphatic appeal the Government is to hold an impartial inquiry into this “shameful incident” that has brought “utter disgrace” to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Service.
He said that the incident had taken place where there were well-known witnesses present and that alone should enable the Government to hold a clear and impartial investigation.
The statement further says that: “It is well known that, although there is a legitimate Minster of External Affairs, it is Sajin Vass who controls the Ministry and its mechanics.
“While taking the controlling switch into his grasp, this person has been behaving as if the Ministry of External Affairs is his personal heritage. If this is the way this Government is treating our Foreign Service, then God save our Foreign Service!”
