Momadou Tangara made these remarks recently at the National Assembly, while answering a question put to him by the member for LatriKunda Sabiji, Yahya Sanyang, regarding lack of performance and disgraceful conduct of some staff at some embassies around the world.
To that end, the Latrikunda lawmaker asked the Minister to inform the Assembly whether his Ministry will consider the development of a code of conduct for all its ambassadors?
Responding, Minister Tangara stated that his Ministry “is currently preparing several policies and regulatory documents” aimed at providing the appropriate laws and regulations for its staff at headquarters and the foreign missions.
“This includes the Foreign Service Bill, foreign service regulations, the posting policy scheme of service, foreign service strategy, foreign service manual and code of conduct," he said.
On policy documents such as the act of service for the foreign Ministry, Minister Tangara maintained that they have been completed and approved by the public service commission in 2022.
Minister Tangara also stated that other policy documents such as the foreign service regulations and Foreign Service Bill are completed but yet to be validated, while the manual and Code of Conduct are at the drafting stage and expected to be completed soon.
He revealed that all the appointments made in the foreign service are based on the expectations that the concerned persons should be well comported, and their actions fully dictated by existing rules regulations and the dignified customs of the civil service.
"The foreign service does not exist in a legal vacuum as in addition to the existing foreign service regulations, there are the General Order and Financial Regulations. They set the overarching regulations parameters guiding the action and behavior of foreign service staff at headquarters and overseas missions including the officers from other ministeries and departments," he said.
He stressed that it is not acceptable that a foreign service staff member should behave in a manner that transgresses the rules and regulations of the civil service particularly when they are posted in their overseas missions.
"It is for this reason that the Ministry where it is confirmed that a diplomat behaves dismally against existing rules and regulations, takes strong and swift punitive measures against the concerned person as evidence by the recent incidents. I would also take this opportunity to highlight the important work and sacrifice of the hardworking members of the foreign service of the Gambia,” he said.
He disclosed that majority of foreign service staff have been steadfast in the discharge of their mandates and honoring the expectations attributed to their unique positions particularly when immediately responding to concerns of their citizens and playing the necessary facilitative and coordinative roles for their development agenda.
"Therefore the untoward actions of few members of the foreign service are not the full depictions of the behaviour of most of the members of our foreign service," he noted.
