Diplomacy is not for neophytes

ALONG-overdue Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippines and Kuwait was signed over the weekend by senior officials of the two countries. The MOA governs the employment of Filipino domestic workers in the oil-rich state, with mechanisms and specific provisions intended to secure their welfare and protect their rights.

For its part, the government announced that skilled workers will now be allowed to work in Kuwait, partially lifting the total deployment ban imposed a few months ago.

The signing of the agreement is certainly welcome news to the over 200,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait. For them, the past three weeks have been marked by anxiety after a diplomatic crisis that erupted between the two countries put their jobs and the future of their families at risk.

The crisis threatened to break the very warm and cordial relations between the Philippines and Kuwait.

It was a crisis that could have been prevented had some senior foreign affairs officials acted with a modicum of maturity.

By now, much has been written, overwhelmingly unsavory, on the trigger event: a rescue operation of distressed domestics conducted with stealth by a supposed crack team deployed by an undersecretary – a political appointee – safely holed out in Manila.

The rescue operations were conducted without the knowledge of Kuwaiti officials, a break from previous practice. What made matters worse was the uploading of videos of the rescue on social media, again reportedly with the imprimatur of the Manilabased undersecretary.

Kuwaiti officials who saw the videos naturally felt insulted by such a brazen act. It was not only a breach of diplomatic protocol it was a violation of Kuwaiti laws.

To the defenders of the indefensible rescue in Kuwait, those who criticized the ill-planned caper were uncaring and callous. Unable to establish reason and logic behind the act, they have taken the convenient route of name-calling.

They also railed against “cocktail reception diplomats,” a derisive term for diplomats who, they claim, prefer to attend diplomatic social events rather than assist our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). I can say that this is an inaccurate and unfair generalization.

In the years I was concurrent adviser for OFWs, I have had the privilege to meet and work closely with embassy and labor officials and staff abroad. They work tirelessly and without fanfare, providing help to our kababayan the best way they can within the laws of their host countries.

Workers were rescued and repatriated, clemencies secured, and lives were saved not through dramatic videotaped rescues but by quiet diplomacy.

After all, quiet diplomacy, says Indian statesman Atal Bihari Vajpayee, “is far more effective than public posturing.”

It is a reality we have to face: our workers are covered by the laws of the host countries. Our embassies work not only within these laws but also the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which governs the conduct of diplomats and staff. One rule in inviolable: respect for the sovereignty and laws of the host country.

Observers, however, were quick to point out that the DFA caper in Kuwait merely extends to the international stage the administration’s predisposition to break the laws at home.

Colin Powell, the soldier who became US secretary of state, said it best: “Diplomacy is listening to what the other guy needs. Preserving your own position, but listening to the other guy. You have to develop relationships with other people so when the tough times come, you can work together.”

That was hardly the case in Kuwait.

It has been an unspoken tradition to appoint senior diplomats or senior statesmen to the foreign affairs portfolio. They bring to this highly prestigious and sensitive office the accumulated years of wisdom and experience in making informed, well-thought out decisions on foreign policy matters.

These are men and women who possess gravitas, described as “a strength of purpose, sense of authority, depth of character, and commitment to the task at hand.”

Gravitas is indispensable when one is mandated to advance the national interest while promoting goodwill with the host countries and the international community, and ensuring the protection of Filipino workers.

The men and women who have been appointed to the foreign affairs portfolio since our inception as a republic possessed gravitas. Prior to their appointments, they have distinguished themselves in foreign relations, the academe, and statescraft. The present one, sadly, sticks out like a sore thumb.

The conduct of our relations with the rest of world requires a steady, mature, and experienced hand. Diplomacy is for seasoned statesmen and diplomats, not for impulsive and immature neophytes.