By Sarath Dissanayake –

Sarath Dissanayake

Introduction

Communication has undergone a profound, rapid transformation – evolving from slow, physical methods (letters, telegraphs) to highly sophisticated digital interactions, and creating new norms, impacting everything from business to personal relationships. Back in the day, communication was not a way of life for the majority, who often relied upon basic stereo-type skills, habits and tools for communication and transmitting information. In fact, true, effective communication is a difficult, intentional process, rather than an automatic, everyday occurrence. According to George Bernard Shaw, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 – “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place,” suggests that people often believe they are communicating when they are actually just speaking.

Drawbacks in the good-old-days communication norms and tools

If my memory serves me right, it was through telex and telegraphic-coded messages (cypher and de-cypher) and later on, by fax transmissions that the Foreign Ministry and Sri Lanka Missions abroad maintained all communications back and forth, until the turn of the 21st century. At the height of LTTE insurgency, I was at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London handling media and propaganda work, thus keeping British interlocutors and Sri Lankan diaspora abreast of matters of interest and concern. The challenges we endured were monumental in the face of LTTE’s die-hard Tamil diaspora sympathisers, who openly canvassed and lobbied the British parliamentarians and the like-minded for its cause. Of course, the LTTE was perceived as the underdog across much of Europe then, as a result of which, the Tamil diaspora enjoyed a carte-blanche to operate at will on British soil at full steam. On top of all, the UK’s duplicity viz-a-viz  LTTE, had unfortunately emboldened the Tamil diaspora sympathisers to continue their all-out propaganda mill unabated, sans any hindrance. The irony was that the government of the day lacked a cohesive communication strategy to deal with LTTE terror and crimes against humanity. In the circumstances, our missions had to fight tooth and nail with a hostile Tamil diaspora abroad to stay afloat, let alone countering its propaganda, which remained a major drawback across the board throughout 1980s’ and 1990s’.

Coming of age in the digital era

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) employed a mix of sophisticated and highly effective strategies to fight for its so-called Tamil Eelam homeland, evolving from a guerrilla outfit into a conventional military force before its ultimate defeat in May 2009. Back in the days, the LTTE through its International Secretariat in London, and vast international network of diaspora sympathisers abroad, spearheaded a well-orchestrated propaganda campaign targeting Sri Lanka. The LTTE’s clandestine network included TV and radio stations, fronts and lobbyists, sophisticated strategies and tactics, including round-the-clock news bulletins, hotlines, multilingual websites, photo galleries, fundraising events and activities, with a strong online presence to promote its separatist agenda.

The Sri Lankan High Commission on its part spared no time in launching a seamless counter propaganda campaign across the UK, with the help of anti-LTTE diaspora and lobby groups. Our modus operandi had been a cocktail of online, print, selective and targeted strategies of winning over the moderates and those on the margins, within and outside the LTTE fold which really paid off well in the end, despite resource constraints. At one point, we had to record voice messages in Sinhala and English on a dedicated 24-hour telephone voice recorder as part and parcel of our campaign tactics. Besides that, dissemination of news, information was done through regular news bulletins and updates, meant to sway Tamil moderates’ mindset from hardcore diaspora and those that mattered. Of course, we could not possibly have accomplished what we did at the time, if not for the visionary and farsighted leadership of our High Commissioner, late S.K Wickremesinghe, Deputy Head of Mission, Gamini Munasingha et al, and the officers of the calibre of Ravinatha Aryasinghe, then DG/PC of the foreign ministry.

Government’s stated policy of data-driven digitized economy – Akin to SSN in the US

At an informal discussion I had with Chief Adviser to the President on Digital Economy & Chairman ICT Agency of SL, Dr Hans Wijesuriya, and Deputy Minister of Industry &  Entrepreneurship Development, Chathuranga Abeysinghe in Colombo recently, I was able to grasp their insight and vision to promote digital economy and infrastructure through innovative reforms and digitized platforms as in the case of other developed and NECs’ including Singapore, Vietnam, India, Japan, ROK, to name a few. An emphasis was made on GovPay, government’s national digital payment platform and similar initiatives that came into force in recent times in order to bring all such novel concepts / platforms on par with government’s policy perspectives as set out in the NPP manifesto. Accordingly, much has been accomplished on income generation and revenue collection in order to maximize tax and revenue collection from all sources at its disposal, including key government institutions such as Inland Revenue Department, Department of Customs, Department of Excise etc, which fall under the ambit of the Finance Ministry.  Furthermore, the introduction of a digital ID, akin to the Social Security Number (SSN) in the United States deserves praise which would help the authorities to make use of the much-sought-after digitised platforms seamlessly in the best interest of all. Naturally the Foreign Ministry ought to fall under the stated policy of a digitized economy and get its act together sooner than later, in so far as committing itself to usher in a new era for all.

Revamping ministry domain and public diplomacy interface 

During my stint at the ministry from Jan 2011 – Feb 2013, as the Foreign Ministry Spokesman cum DG/Public Communications, strenuous efforts were made to revamp the ministry communication networks, systems and strategies so as to fine-tune and update them on par with advanced, data-driven innovative concepts. Of course, we didn’t not succeed in implementing all of what we intended to, and in persuading all staff to come on board due to a variety of reasons, ranging from lack of interest and foresight, knowledge and capacity problems, attitudinal and behavioural issues etc. This lukewarm scenario unfortunately held back the foreign ministry and missions abroad from going forward with the proposed sought-after reforms to the digital and communication platforms, which arguably would have made a huge difference in that day and age. Regardless, vital changes were introduced replacing archaic systems and strategies in place at the division which, inter-alia, resulted in the upgrading and automation of the ministry domain and interface for the benefit of all. Invariably, the foreign ministry and missions abroad continued to lag behind peer government ministries and departments as regards  implementing the government’s overall action plan. It was a pity, certain senior officers too seemed averse to the proposed system change and reforming the ministry and missions digital platforms to the detriment of those in favor of modernizing and revamping.

Automation and digitalization of the Foreign Ministry  –  A mystery

When I was back in the ministry from 2016-2018, in the capacity of Senior Director General, Overseas Administration Division, which inter-alia, dealt with administrative, personal, regulatory and procedural matters involving missions and staff abroad, inter-alia, mooted the idea of reforming and upgrading the ministry and missions digital platforms and IT networks. I did so, following in the footsteps of the then Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Harsha De Silva who had already spearheaded and completed the reforming and upgrading the Consular Division’s long-awaited automation and digitalization plan in its entirety, to the satisfaction and benefit of those in need of its services. Though the proposed plan of automation and digitalization got off the ground to a good start with much hype and optimism, what happened in the end, remained a mystery. It’s so unfortunate, despite missions being apprised of the essence of going digital and urgency of automating all digital platforms and systems at both ends, there was no positive feedback from missions on the proposal to join the new initiative. The deputy minister, being IT savvy and a champion of digitalization and automation, later withdrew himself from the project due to seemingly backwardness and complacency of ministry and mission officials who were non-committal to reforming, despite the fact that automation of the consular division proved itself a resounding success. The fate of the automation process undertaken by the ministry remained hollow and a mystery, with no apparent initiative to revive it, let alone making it a reality.

Automation and digitalization – Game changer and the order of the day

Lately, I was also instrumental in getting the foreign ministry approval to replace and set up digitized internet platforms at our missions in Tokyo and in Havana, in 2003 and 2013 respectively, in place of monologue (dial-up) internet networks, which proved costly, inefficient and outdated for all intents and purposes. Following the introduction of the state of the art internet and automated platforms, the navigation became user-friendly, swift and effective thus enabling the staff to discharge duties to the best of their ability. As such digitalization of internet platforms and web applications became a game changer and the order of the day, laying a solid base for data-driven, fully-automated, digitized networks with adequate safeguards.

Incompatibility and inconsistency of missions’ websites

Upon a random check of the ministry and mission websites, it became abundantly clear that a large number of mission platforms seemed incompatible and inconsistent with the government’s mandated policy of uniformity and automation in terms of making the websites and platforms accessible to public and user-friendly.

Judging by what is visible in the mission websites, one cannot help but wonder as to why a fair number of websites remain incompatible, for want of a standardized template, and well versed web content. Notwithstanding, some mission websites are in good order, in tandem with ministry web and content. Yet it is anybody’s guess as to why certain websites remain outdated, contrary to the government’s stated policy of “going digital and remaining relevant” to the public in terms of promoting digitization and automation of all ministries, departments and institutions. However, it is unclear whether the ministry has deviated from its earlier stance, viz, all missions to go along and comply with a single window standard website to be designed by the ministry and then presented with a standard template and content in English, together with a translation in the official language of the host country so as to make all missions’ websites similar in outlook and content, which, I believe is the standard practice followed by like-minded countries.

Audit reports cast doubts on digitalization process

It is reliably learnt that audit reports compiled by the Auditor General’s Department cast doubts over the perceived deadlock of digitalization process of the foreign ministry and missions abroad, despite budgetary allocations granted by the Treasury in the past. In particular, the audit reports, understandably have underscored the Foreign Ministry falling in line with the government’s digitalization plan and taking advantage of the novel initiatives including the GovPay, which may benefit overseas Sri Lankans in servicing their needs. The sources familiar with the AG’s reports, have cited inherent weaknesses, structural deficiencies as well as lacuna in the ministry digitalization and automation program as bottlenecks in taking the process forward, thus calling on the authorities for course correction.

Key Takeaways and Key challenges

1. In this age of digitized platforms of communication, AI has revolutionized the way in which the world has evolved itself in leaps and bounds as a global village, reshaping the destiny of each and everyone within.

2. We have no choice but to embrace the “system change” with open arms. A majority of people have begun navigating the new world order and made vast strides with enormous potential and prospects for greater connectivity, growth and prosperity. 

3. Those who will miss the bus and be left behind, may find themselves utterly helpless and completely out of tune. Most probably, they may not get a second chance to join/ navigate the system, since it is a seamless process with no stopping or turning back.

4. It is to the advantage of all and sundry that those already lagging behind the rest, must pick up pace and move forward with courage and resilience.

5. At a time when the government has committed itself for a digitized economy, those on the front line must take advantage of the offer for wealth-creation, opportunity to thrive and prosper together in unity and harmony

6. This is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity that we cannot afford to miss. Unless the rich and the affluent in the system take charge and look after the hapless and the poor, the system may find it untenable in the long term. Therefore it is of crucial importance to make the system sustainable, viable and navigable

7. The Foreign Ministry and missions abroad cannot afford to live in isolation amid unprecedented calamitous times. Needless to note, the better it is for the ministry and missions abroad to get on the “digitalization and automation bandwagon” sooner, so as to stay connected and remain relevant.

“Science may have found a cure for most evils, but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings.” – Helen Keller

*The writer is a retired Ambassador and Foreign Ministry Spokesman. He can be reached at schandrad@hotmail.com