Diplomatic passports: What's real, and what's rumour?

Last week the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda released a list of diplomatic passport holders, fulfilling a promise made by Prime Minister Gaston Browne in February.

But what benefits does a diplomatic passport give the holder, and why does the issuing of them seem to attract controversy?

WIC News spoke to a number of Caribbean diplomats from various islands to get their thoughts of the publishing of the list, and to explore a number of “essentially made-up Hollywood facts” – as one described it – about the passports. One important thing to note, however, is that they only agreed to talk to us on the condition of anonymity. The vicious and “underhand” attacks by people who “know a little but type a lot” was a factor in this decision, one said.

Concerning numbers?

“What we’re talking about here is a small number, a tiny number, and when I heard under 200 my first thought was: I was expecting more, perhaps even a thousand.”

[caption id="attachment_1555" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Prime Minister Gaston Browne.[/caption]

One diplomatic who agreed to talk to us was underwhelmed by Antigua and Barbuda’s list, which totalled 186 – of which 161 were issued to citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.

“USA, Canada, UK, Russia, India, China – you name it – they will have diplomatic staff in each embassy that could number 50 or more, and then their spouses, and then ministers, senior officers,” he said.

“You see what I mean? The list goes on.”

But surely this is because a country like Antigua-Barbuda has a population of less than 100,000 people?

This doesn’t hold weight, our diplomatic source said.

“Looking at it in percentages, they outnumber the Caribbean nations. You can just keep multiplying but you won’t reach those numbers."

While WIC News is unable to clarify the statistic at the time of publication, another source we spoke to said it’s a choice between putting people out there in the world or holding the country back.

“We want to establish relations with persons from states in Europe and Asia and everywhere. So we send what is actually a very small number out to spread the word,” he said during a telephone interview from his home in the Caribbean.

“But then we get abused for doing what bigger counties in the world would do. We cannot have it both ways. People need to see through smoke of ‘diplomatic passport equals bad, crime, criminal, dodgy’."

Target of criticism

Why is it that the giving out of diplomatic passports generates so much debate, and arguably negative coverage?

Generally – though not in all cases – it is by social media ‘commentators’ who may start with a valid point but tend trail off, falling into traps into somewhere between fact-based and fictional ‘reportage’.

A number of little known blogs use words like "proof" and "evidence" when actually its at worst opinion and at best circumstantial.

A lack of knowledge feeds those spreading misconceptions and false information, said one diplomat.

“We’re not living in a film, or the old, old days where you could flash a passport to get through borders,” he said, laughing at the “cartoon” view of a diplomat.

“How easy would it be to just walk in and out of a country? It’s nothing like that. I get the same hassle at an airport: normal scanning, shoes off, belt off. Sometimes they’ve never even heard of the small Caribbean countries so you end up having to wait longer while they search your background.”

As far as he is aware, only a prime minister or president gets waved through – and even foreign ministers get treated like a member of the public.

Another diplomatic passport holder said: “The only advantage I sometimes get when I travel is a separate line – that’s it! Some airports. I haven’t found that at all in England. Some in Europe do, some in America do. But still going through with my fingerprint, visas, and all that."

Pick and choose the laws?

But wait, everyone knows that diplomats have immunity, right?

Sadly, no – another rumour based on fact that has become muddled.

While it’s true that accredit diplomats of certain grades may receive immunity from a specific host country, their special passport status is not automatically conferred.

So any benefits regarding the law only apply when in the host country.

And as several high profile examples have shown – like that of former IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011, or Devyani Khobragade in 2013 – diplomatic immunity offers only fragile protection.

Even parking wardens aren’t scared off by a different coloured passport.

“I have had plenty of parking tickets in London,” admitted one diplomat.

“I was told in no uncertain terms that my car would be taken away had I not paid the fine.”

The Antigua-Barbuda decision

Prime Minister Browne’s reveal of his country’s diplomatic passport holders wasn’t a surprise. His hands were tied after he made the promise to do so in parliament.

The move was, overall, well received online and by campaigners pushing transparency in government.

What was surprising is the decision to do it at all, something all the diplomats we spoke to found strange.

“I don’t think this is a very clever idea. No country in the world will do something like this – at least not the big ones who understand why having diplomats are so important,” WIC News was told.

“Has Antigua and Barbuda been influenced by something we don’t know? I think local pressure may have led to it but internationally it does not send a very good signal.”

Another source agreed it was intriguing but added it showed a willingness to be open about a process that should have nothing to hide.

“It’s not like this is a list Gaston Browne sat in his sitting room making it up in the evening. We will have to see what happens.”

A number of discrepancies – such as missing names and designations – on the list released by Antigua and Barbuda is due to the implantation of a new policy, the prime minister said.