Partisan politics has destroyed all important organs and systems including Nepal’s foreign policy.
The ambassadorial appointment through political sharing has destroyed our diplomacy and foreign policy on the whole. The government decided to recall 11 ambassadors assigned by the previous coalition government, mainly those who were appointed from the Nepali Congress’ quota and recommended the names of eight ambassadors to different countries. Out of the eight ambassadors recommended by the government, five members are from the UML’s quota, two from the Janata Samajwadi Party’s quota and one named from the Maoist Center’s quota. In the remaining three vacant posts, the Rastriya Swatantra Party is going to get two ambassadors and one from the Maoist Center, according to reports. Among those who are recommended for the post of ambassador are retired civil servicemen, NGO activists and manpower businessmen. It seems the retired officers have been recommended to spend their retired life in foreign countries. Also, NGO activists would get the opportunity to develop contacts with the INGOs in the country they have been assigned.
An ambassador should represent the nation, not a particular political party, or his personal business, nevertheless, the Nepali ambassadors are loyal to the political party which had appointed them and then they are promoting their own business. Since politics is unstable and there is frequent change in the government, although an ambassador is assigned for four years, will be recalled immediately after the concerned political party is ousted from the government.
In such an appointment, party leaders’ nearest and dearest ones will get first priority and then those who can pay cash in advance will get the opportunity. The minimum price to get an ambassadorial position is 60 million rupees, although, it is not sure that an ambassador can enjoy his full tenure. Even though, people are crazy to get an ambassadorial assignment even by paying cash in advance. Immediately after their appointment, ambassadors’ first priority will be to get back the invested amount, therefore, they will be involved in the money-making business. The government pays salary, allowances and other facilities for an ambassador to work on behalf of the nation, however, by enjoying such facilities, an ambassador’s job has become either to do business or to spend the retired life in foreign countries.
Nepal’s diplomatic missions abroad have turned into a venue for the deployment of those useless and a venue for misusing government funds without any benefit for the nation. This trend of political sharing in the ambassadorial position has badly affected Nepal’s diplomacy and foreign policy on the whole.
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