Collecting Data for Doing Business – “Imagination at Work”

Diplomatic protocol is not dead – it helped me obtain the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Swaziland!

“Diplomatic protocol is dying”. That is what I was told at my introductory university class of what had just been re-baptized “regional studies and diplomacy” where this fascinating word 'diplomacy' had been pushed to a timid second place, with “that kind of useless stuff, you know!”

Doing Business data collection can be perfect on-the-job training in Internet browsing, phone and face-to-face communication, psychology, cultural sensitivity, effective business letter writing… The highlight of this fall was a lesson in irony--seemingly straightforward, practically next to impossible. I needed to obtain the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Swaziland, which is fundamental legal material for the Doing Business transparency project. And what really made me succeed in this venture is my everlasting fascination with the magnificent elegant style of the old days’ diplomatic correspondence, carried by horseback couriers.

Doing business by diplomatic pouch?

In Doing Business, we obtain our information, to the best extent possible, from first-hand sources. One of the experts in the parliamentary legislation of Swaziland is the Electoral Institute of South Africa (EISA) in Johannesburg, which has an excellent library of Swazi laws. EISA kindly agreed to provide us with the necessary legislation, our only task being to provide carriage. No problem, or so it seemed. After all, aren’t we fortunate enough to have at our disposal the dependable World Bank diplomatic pouch mail system?

Alas! Our iron horseback courier, for whatever reason, took the precious collection of Swazi laws from Johannesburg to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they mysteriously disappeared for a while, until finally finding their way to me, thus concluding their two-month intriguing tour of three continents.

Doing business with a diplomatic envoy!

I eagerly opened the package only to realize that the collection of EISA did not include the Standing Orders of the Swazi Parliament! I called the Swazi Parliament – with no success in obtaining a copy. The EISA expert in Swaziland wrote to the Parliament on my behalf – with not much success either. Almost losing hope, I resorted to good old diplomacy. I called the Permanent Mission of Swaziland to the United Nations. After a few weeks, I was advised to address an official request to His Excellency the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Swaziland to the United Nations. I prepared the letter, full of reminiscence for the diplomatic world, still so dear to my heart. Four weeks after my letter departed, a phone call from the Mission informed me that the Standing Orders had reached New York and were now headed for DC!

And indeed, Doing Business received a copy of the Standing Orders of Swaziland on December 5, 2007. We probably are the only ones, except for the Swazi Parliament itself, to have such a copy. I dedicate this feuilleton to all involved in this curious episode of Doing Business data collection. I owe you, ladies and gentlemen, a great debt of gratitude.