JO - Retired politicians don't always make good envoys

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Retired politicians don't always make good envoys

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A certain prime minister of Jamaica, who shall be nameless, is reported to have said that it is not important who is appointed ambassador because he had a telephone.

Read the whole editorial here.

Snippet(s):

"Although this is patently absurd, it has become an axiom of an approach to foreign policy by succeeding governments since the 1970s. Most unfortunately, it has been practised with disastrous results in the capitals of some of the countries that are most important to Jamaica, namely Washington, DC; London; and Ottawa."

"This dumping policy is not received well in foreign capitals because the "host" country knows what is being passed off and is insulted. The fog that engulfed United States-Jamaica relations has not yet cleared in Washington, DC.

Ambassadorial postings cannot be a pension plan for retirees or for politicians with other infirmities such as health problems. Even undistinguished backbenchers have become ambassadors if they are willing to accept less attractive postings. We have seen some who acceded to the diplomatic life without any aptitude, and even when they do not perform they are retained or offered another prestigious posting.

Some of these appointees regard their positions as a reward for work already done and do not exert themselves, to the detriment of Jamaica. Their verbal incontinence is an embarrassment to their country and their sartorial eccentricities a source of derision among their countrymen in the Diaspora. These retirees have not even been aware of their shortcomings while "enjoying" the privileges. They conflate the ceremonial with the cerebral and confuse the deference given to the office with respect for their person.

They are disparaged in dispatches to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by their own staff who file demeaning reports critiquing their conduct and work ethic, disregard for proper procedure and an ignorance of protocol."

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"We are looking to Prime Minister Bruce Golding to put a stop to these types of appointments and to refrain from rewarding or condoning failure with inappropriate appointments. One bad term does not deserve another. There must be some other form of pension or local sinecure for retired politicians. Jamaica will not be taken seriously or get on any country's foreign policy agenda if we do not have effective representations.

The persons appointed as ambassadors/high commissioners, especially in Washington, DC; London; Ottawa; and at the United Nations, must be suitably qualified persons who could include competent politicians but not those in need of a pension."

JO - Right on the mark, Wignall

Jamaica Observer

Right on the mark, Wignall

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Dear Editor,



Mr Mark Wignall, in his article carried in the Sunday Observer of April 5, 2009, has made some very solid points as they pertain to, members of the Diaspora (myself included).

Read the whole letter here.

JG - The irony of the diaspora discussions

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

The irony of the diaspora discussions

published: Sunday July 13, 2008

Errol Hewitt, Contributor

"And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound." - Luke 15 verse 27

The nation has been enthused with the series of annual conferences held with representatives of the Jamaican diaspora living in countries such as Canada, United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa, etc.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Jamaicans in the diaspora have faithfully and consistently stood with us through the years, and their loyalty to family, as attested by the impressive remittances sent home, is a testament in general to the sanctity in which the family is held.

In net terms, this tangible means of family support is Jamaica's leading source of foreign exchange and remarkably, when weighted by population, is one of the highest levels of remittance per capita internationally."

TJDF - Proudly Israeli, Even With a Second Passport

From my archive of press clippings:

The Jewish Daily

FORWARD

Proudly Israeli, Even With a Second Passport

The Strategic Interest

By Yossi Alpher

Thu. Jun 05, 2008

One of the less talked-about aspects of Ehud Olmert’s envelopes-filled-with-dollars affair is the unsavory picture it presents of Israel-Diaspora relations. Here is the sycophantic Diaspora shnorer sucking up to his Israeli hero, buying a piece of Zionist glory by slipping him money. And here is the Israeli politician, turning with a mixture of disdain and envy to wealthy American Jews for the support that, perversely, validates his Israeli identity. Olmert and Morris Talansky hardly invented this paradigm of Israeli-Diaspora relations; The Diaspora was sending money to the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. But the sordid affair has served as yet another reminder that Israelis, for all their Zionist ethos, have been unable to detach themselves from the Diaspora.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"A recent survey by the Jerusalem-based Menachem Begin Heritage Center found that 59% of Israelis had approached or intended to approach a foreign embassy to ask for citizenship and a passport. (Interestingly, though, only 22% acknowledged actually considering leaving the country for even a limited period of time.) "

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"(I)mmigrants to Israel in recent decades from places like Russia and America have been allowed by their countries of origin to maintain dual-citizenship and hold two passports.

Most countries no longer zealously insist on the exclusivity of their citizenship. In the E.U., in particular, European identity here and there appears to be as important for some in the younger generation as national identity.

This points to another explanation: globalization. Insofar as Israel is very much a part of the global economy, it is no longer unusual for Israelis to commute to work in Europe and even the United States. A European or American passport renders the commute that much easier.

A second-generation Israeli of Polish extraction might want a Polish passport so she can study and work freely throughout the E.U. for a few years. And an Israeli doing business in the Arab world would definitely need a second passport. And then there’s this: Despite the aspirations of Zionism to create a safe haven for the world’s Jews, Israel is hardly the safest place in the world."