US Ambassador James Moriarty held a tete-a-tete with a select group of political leaders from AL, BNP, Jamaat and JP and some lawyers on Tuesday. Dignitaries of foreign countries may have views that they can express to politicians on one-to-one basis, to government leaders and to the media whenever they deem fit. But to have closed-door meetings with politicians is stretching the matter too far. Given the nature of issues discussed -- prevailing political situation in the country, dialogue between the government and political parties, emergency, national and upazila elections -- interspersed as the discussions were with comments by the US envoy, we wonder whether standards of diplomatic norm and decorum were not transgressed.

We have a culture of openness in which the diplomats can move freely and communicate with all strata of people. They get invited to our homes as honoured guests and appreciate our hospitality. They are highly regarded and respected in our society and their words evoke instant attention. But organising a political get-together of sorts couldn't but raise a question in the public mind about an attempt to influence politics in the country.

But the blame rests with our politicians in no small measure. Whenever there is a national issue, our politicians on both sides of the divide, fall for courting advice, even intercession of foreign governments and dignitaries. The syndrome became acute during the regime of elected governments. When the AL were in the opposition it spared no effort to take issues of domestic political concern to the outside world or foreign dignitaries and vice versa.

Basically our governments have lent their ears to words of foreign countries while perhaps the same advice had been put forward by local intelligentsia and media with little avail.

What cannot be lost on any observer is the increasing diplomatic trend in Bangladesh among ambassadors and foreign dignitaries of certain countries to publicly proffer advice on issues that strictly qualify to be called internal affairs of the country. Save a few countries, such acts of indiscretion are not committed by the majority of the diplomatic community, we are happy to note that.

What are our own political problems must be solved by us through our own collective intelligence and sagacity of which historically we have had no dearth. It is the mutual intolerance of each other feeding on confrontational politics over the years that has subsumed our indigenous capacity to solve our own problems. But this must change. We may be a small country but that doesn't mean we need compromise our dignity.