Even former ministers are fighting to be an ambassador. Why?
The government hasn’t appointed chiefs at several constitutional and legal commissions, important educational institutions and diplomatic missions even after 8 months of its formation. Newspapers in Kathmandu are full of stories related to the delay in appointment and possible names for various posts. The most talked about names are for the ambassadorial positions. It seems the parties, Nepali Congress, CPN UML and Nepali Congress Democratic are going through tough bargain for the diplomatic posts. But the threat of CPN Maoist (“Don’t appoint anyone before we join the interim government) seems to have worked as well. It’s obvious that Maoist would also like to see some of their comrades holding the diplomatic positions and clarifying the world that what they did in the past 10 years was all for the poor and oppressed people of Nepal. Even the big names of Nepali politics are being floated as the possible candidates for the ambassadorial positions. Shailaja Acharya, former deputy Prime Minister and Sahana Pradhan, senior leader of CPN UML, are reportedly being considered for the Nepali missions in India and Russia respectively. Fifteen ambassadorial positions are vacant.
There is one interesting report in yesterday’s Nepal Samacharpatra by Lekhnath Adhikari with the title: Why people try hard to be appointed as ambassador? “After all, what’s there is the ambassadorial post?” the paper writes. “The answer, it is said, that the post offers prestige, good lifestyle, salary and other benefits, and foreign trip etc.” The ambassadorial positions have become such a job that there is no bar for anyone. We have seen former prime minister, former ministers, former chiefs of army staffs, and secretaries working as ambassadors in the past. Those whose name haven’t appeared in newspaper reports as possible candidates have started complaining with foreign minister KP Oli, says the report. And those whose names have been doing rounds in newspapers, an official tells Nepal Samacharpatra, have approached the foreign ministry to ask the officials there to “brief me about that country as my name is being associated with that. Shameless folks!”
The paper also lists salaries for the ambassadors for various countries. Ambassador in Japan will get US $ 5, 700, India: 1500, UK: Pound 1390, Russia: 1870, US (New York): 2200, Egypt: 2000. Plus, ambassadors also receive other benefits and allowances for family.
The ambassadorial appointments have been used as prize for loyal from Panchayat era and the tradition continued to some extent in democracy days. The king revived it strongly and now, some reports say, parties are doing the same. Those who can manipulate decisions and influence decision makers can always secure a position.
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Comments
54 responses to “Nepali Ambassador: What is the Attraction?”
I feel really sorry for the Nepalese Citizens who are quite stupid enough to claim of removal of King, Instead of that they could have kept King and keep Nepal as a Kingdom. Nepalese has pushed the country toward the civil war and in the hands of illiterate Parliament members… Shame to those who elected them and shame to those who support them and shame to those brainwash those public and gave hope to them to rule the country when they simply cannot rule their own life…. How a illiterate person can be the parliament member? Why those politicians who want to claim for the president ship for won benefit should claim to be the welfare of nation? well all these are will be still fine till the country will end up with no development and when Nepalese will kill Nepalese and a foreign country will take over nepal…
I wonder when some Nepalese were sluter brutally in Iraq so many Nepalese came on the protest and damaged so many public property then tried to kill own country brother muslims who have been to Nepal for centuries, now as other Hindu Nepalese are itself killing Nepalese then where those protest went where those affection when for brotherhood cast away? Now where the Nepalese revenge gone?… Please Nepalese brother and sisters search for the right path and follow.
I am not saying Maoist is bad but what good have you found on them when a son/brother works hard in foreign country earns money flowing his blood then a Maoist come and loot it ? Where the justice went? where the policemen went? When a person kills innocent kids and spread tiresome on the name of Maoist what the Maoist government look for? Where is this Prachanda who had promise the Nepalese to give justice and freedom and instead of that he is taking the freedom and justice from the lives???
“Hey Mera Dai/Didi/Bhai/Bhahini haru desh ko rakshya gara, desh lai afno mana afno hak ko lagi afulai hatarya nabanawu”… life is precious either its your or others… think how a mother can tolerate a loss of her children how a spouse can live without each other and still now many orphan will be create?
In all the times every intelligent people has claimed that politics is a dirty game and its a addiction when you learn so lets be a simple citizen if you are not good enough to be a ruler with a fair and clean hands and be there for justice and freedom. Don’t blame the king saying he is cruel, murder and unfair when you choose the new ruler of your country worst than that!!!
This is a nice blog. I found interesting stuffs on it. The story of Nepalese bureaucrat is realistic. I suggest Bhoj Raj to resign and go home. He is by not any means a professional bureaucrat. He is a very opportunist guy. He is not congress man. He is a corrupt man. It is a hidden fact. It should come forward and all politicians know. They should focus on professional and ethical people not the person who passed PSC by doing cheating.
NEPAL BECOMING A DRUG PARADISE
Nepal is fast becoming a drug paradise. Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Birgunj and other border posts are facilitating businesses for drug commuters. While the political bigwigs are busy dog-fighting and horse-trading for power, money and violence the new generation of youths is fast sliding into the drug hell. The families are being shattered and the communities are becoming more and more dangerous everyday because of the crimes induced by drug, politics of violence and ethnic hatred.
It is feared more than 30% of the youths between 14 and 25 are addicted to drugs like sedatives, marijuana, hashish, tdzesic and heroine. We can see a harrowing scenario – political parties using them for violence and crime, young generation (girls included increasingly) sliding into addiction and the few sensible and carrying hope for future are leaving the country for job or for reason understood.
The situation in other countries is different. There is death penalty for drug dealers in Thailand and 2,819 people were executed between February-April 2003 alone for drug dealing charges. A guy, Nguyen Tuong Van was hanged at Singapore’s Changi prison in 2008 being caught with 14 ounces of heroin at Changi International Airport during a stopover between Cambodia and Australia. Kevin John Barlow and Brian Geoffrey Chambers were hanged in Malaysia in 1986 for trafficking five ounces of heroin. Indonesian drug laws prescribe the death penalty for narcotics trafficking and up 20 years in prison for marijuana offenses. In Philippines the law prescribes the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with at least 0.3 ounce of opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana resin, or at least 17 ounces of marijuana. In Singapore the Misuse of Drugs Act is very strict and persons caught with at least half an ounce of heroin, at least 1 ounce of morphine or cocaine, or at least 17 ounces of marijuana are presumed to be trafficking in drugs, and face a mandatory death penalty. 400 people were hanged for drug trafficking in Singapore between 1991 and 2004 alone. In India 2008 Ghulam Malik, was sentenced to death by a special public prosecutor according to article 31-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). He was caught with hashish in Ahmedbad. There is death penalty for drug trafficker and distributer in the USA. The laws of at least fifteen states now require life sentences for certain nonviolent marijuana offenses. In Montana, a life sentence can be imposed for growing a single marijuana plant or selling a single joint. In BEIJING in June 25 (Xinhua) Eight people were sentenced to death for drug production and trafficking and were executed just last Thursday the day which was observed as International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking. (source: various publicly available documents)
These comments tell only a small part of what is being done to curb drug trafficking and drug use in their countries. While we could not all agree on the method of how they deal with the problem this, however, affirms the fact that the countries in the world are serious about saving their people and their coming generation from going to hell.
The condition in Nepal has been a matter of great concern over the years. Things have only worsened in the recent years as the parties with their criminal motivation do not hesitate to groom the drug dealers and users. Dangerous drugs like hashish and heroin are available just like anything. There are wholesalers, retailers and door to door distributors. It would be simplistic to assume that they are able to hide from the police. The police just turn their heady away from them. Even when somebody is arrested red hand through reliable leads the police has a tendency to linger on the cases in the name of collecting evidence what actually is done is destroying the evidence. Therefore, one should not be surprised if there are police personnel doing their duty and the drug users consuming drugs beside each other. There are occasional cases of drug arrests in the airport. Rare is a case of arrests bringing in. The arrests in Hanuman Dhoka Police station have the same story. Sporadic arrests end up with under the table deals. Rarely can people hear the stories of legal actions for such culprits. So who is the real culprit ?
Who is going to save this country ? Why is nobody serious about this ? Drug dealers are the big part of the problem our country is facing.
really very good debate, I just want to share that Nepali bureaucrats are incapable from the past and they do not have adequate capacity to deal with foreign diplomats in-terms of setting goal,visioning and professionalism as well. we can find many Government officers those selected for ambassador making country image dirty. They never intended to return back and intentions found to postpone even the position time frame is over. recently two news I saw in the online that France and other country name I forget, both ambassador were out of contact and one is intentionally postponing. The question arises.. If they are representing country than where is the country moral..? where is the Nation pride. Why we only go for these disqualified bureaucrats even they are unable to pronounce English properly. Why we are not promoting professional such as from the Social Development, Professor, Legal expert they can understand Nation pride and have quality to deal in any matters but they are always isolated. Finally, Our new generation is capable to deal in any matters so, my feeling is we should not repeat such a disqualified bureaucrats in any position.