While ambassadorial positions in four countries including in neighboring India, have been lying vacant for more than two years, over half a dozen other Nepalese missions are to be without any heads shortly. The government needs to expedite the appointments process to forestall that, as it takes a while for the agreemo process. [break]
“This is ridiculous. Nowhere in the world does this happen,” said former ambassador to China Rajeshwor Acharya. “Let alone other countries, we have not had ambassadors even in key countries like India for over two years.”
While the Nepal mission in New Delhi has been without an envoy since then ambassador Rukma SJB Rana was recalled in June, 2011 following some controversy, the mission in Thailand has been without a head for over two years after Nabin Prakash Jung Shah returned on completion of his four-year term.
Likewise, the embassy in Egypt is also without an ambassador since Dr Shyam Lal Tabdar died of a heart attack in December, 2012, and the embassy in Germany has been without an ambassador since two months ago when Suresh Pradhan completed his term. And it is now Nepal´s turn to name a new secretary general for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) who will assume office in March.
As per established diplomatic practice, the government needs to name ambassadors well before the completion of term of serving envoys to ensure that these posts do not lie vacant. “The government is already running short of time to nominate envoys in countries where the posts are due to fall vacant shortly,” Acharya said.
While the ambassadorial posts in the USA, Canada, Kuwait and Sri Lanka are falling vacant within two months, ambassadors at Nepalese missions in the UK and Brazil are due to complete their terms in January. As the UCPN (Maoist), which nominated Dr Maya Kumar Sharma as ambassador to Qatar, has asked her to return, that post is also falling vacant shortly.
The appointment of commissioners in constitutional bodies and ambassadors stalled after the dissolution of parliament in May, 2012 as the Interim Constitution makes it mandatory for nominees to these posts to go through parliamentary hearings. Apart from two cases, the appointments to long vacant ambassadorial posts have failed to take place even after the 25-point ordinance removed the mandatory parliamentary hearings provision.
Of late, Nepal has appointed 50 percent of ambassadors from among career diplomats and the rest under the political quota. Leaders participating in meetings of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) said the appointment process for ambassadors has faltered as the major parties differ over nominations to key countries.
The delay in appointments due to political wrangling has left ambassadorial hopefuls from among career diplomats hugely miffed. “The delay in ambassadorial appointments has not only affected our career prospects, but also the successor plans at the ministry,” lamented a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
The official, asking to be unnamed, said it is not fair to career diplomats to stall the appointments process. “Since there is already an understanding to appoint half the envoys from among career diplomats, it is not fair on the part of the government and political parties to stall the process altogether. It concerns the country´s image abroad,” the official added.
The government said consultations with political parties in the HLPC have started. “There were discussion at the HLPC about appointments at the National Human Rights Commission and diplomatic missions and the choice of SAARC secretary general during a meeting between Chairman Khil Raj Regmi and HLPC coordinator Jhala Nath Khanal [Friday],” Regmi´s press advisor Bimal Gautam told Republica.
Gautam said Chairman Regmi, while pointing out the urgency of appointing envoys and giving full shape to constitutional bodies, asked HLPC to expedite the process.
Except for the Election Commission, the government is also yet to give full shape to statutory bodies including the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Public Service Commission, the National Human Rights Commission.
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