When Diplomats forget their perking order, The Case of US Ambassador Virginia Palmer

 

 

Virginia Palmer needs to be reminded that she is a diplomat among the hundreds that report to Secretary of State Kelly in the USA. In Malawi our diplomats report to the Foreign Ministry and can only carry messages from the Malawi Government to the countries they are appointed and accepted to serve.

Virginia Palmer has therefore no authority to carry her government’s disagreements with the Malawi Government on social Media. As a diplomat her government concerns with the Mutharika Government can only be done through diplomatic channels rather than public mediums.

Secondly any meetings Virginia Palmer has with anyone in Malawi including the opposition and Civil Society have to be sanctioned by the Peter Mutharika Government. She needs to let our foreign Ministry know in advance before she meets with any Malawian organizations including political party leaders and Civil Society Leaders many of whom get their funding from her Government and others in the West.

The fact that her meetings with Lazarus Chakwera are UN sanctioned show her lack of respect for the Peter Mutharika administration and directly insults our Elected President and our country.

It is by no mistake that she has been doing these things in the open. Most Western Ambassadors look at countries like Malawi through the eyes of colonial Masters. They still fail to appreciate that we are sovereign countries deserving to be accorded the same respect they ask from us.

Make no mistake if the Malawi Ambassador to the USA or United Kingdom took to social media to critic or expose our disagreements with these Governments they would find themselves on the next flight back to Malawi.

So we ask Virginia Palmer and other Western Countries please show respect to the Malawi Government. You might think you are equals to our President, you are not. You are a diplomat and going forward behave as one. Know your place in the perking order.

The Country you represent is not better than ours. Our Ambassador has shown deference to your Political leaders accord ours the same respect

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