Original article of "A National Disgrace" in Nepali language
There are more than 80 comments from readers all around the world. My honest feeling that every activity of VP Paramananda Jha represent Nation - Nepal and Nepalese people. He is public person, not a private bloke like me. Also is not matter of whom he meet but he need to follow the protocol of country. Also the organizer or any host need to respect that country particular culture and people sentimental toward public figure. Well, will write more later. For wider reader, please find english translation of this Nepali article as published on Oct 31, 2010, (Issue: 418, Magazine: Nepal Weekly)
Visit of the Vice-President: A National Disgrace
by Ram Bahadur Rawal, Nepal-National Weekly, Kantipur Publication
The Vice-President Paramananda Jha departed for South Korea with a team of 16 people on October 7 to participate in a program of a non-governmental spiritual organization. Till two hours before his departure to Korea, Nepal Government was not given any written information about Vice-President's foreign visit. The flight was at 1:00 pm, the office of the Vice-President looked for approval from the office of the Prime Minister as well as the Council of Ministers. Perhaps, the visit was categorized as personal, so the Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal did not think of any further discussion. On the basis of the information coming from the office of the VP through the Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire, the Prime Minister Nepal said, "As it is a personal visit, approval from the Council of Ministers is not needed."
That was more than enough for VP Jha. With one son, one daughter, one security office and one finance office of his office, he flew for Korea on the invitation of Universal Peace Federation (UPF). In the so called 'Interfaith Assembly' program held in Seoul, the capital city of Korea from October 8 to 12, besides VP, very important persons of Nepalese Constituent Assembly, political parties and security sector were also invited. Most of the invitees were kept in darkness about the other invitees till they arrived at the airport. Nilambar Acharya, Chairman of Constitution Committee of the Constituent Assembly, which has the responsibility of preparing the major draft of the constitution says, "I came to learn about the VPs' going in our team only at the airport."
Also included in the team were Mr. Acharya's couple; the couple of Mr. Prakash Kunwar, the Additional Inspector General of Police; Prakash Chandra Lohani, former minister and member of Constituent Assembly; Kiran Yadav, Constituent Assembly member from Nepali Congress; Lalit Bahadur Basnet, personal secretary of the President; Rameshwor Ray Yadav, Vice-President of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (Democratic); and Thakur Prasad Baral of Parliamentary Secretariat. For the necessary visa of the six members of the Constituent Assembly and the secretary of the Parliamentary Secretariat, the Legislative Parliamentary Secretariat had issued the recommendation. The responsibility of the coordination and management of the visiting team was undertaken by Ek Nath Dhakal, President of UPF Nepal Chapter and also the Constituent Assembly member from Nepal Family Party.
However, the foreign visit of VP Jha has raised questions over the issues of national prestige and diplomatic norms. The visiting team with VP Jha has travelled to Korea via Thailand. In Bangkok, after saying that Jha is the Vice-President of Nepal, Thai Government has provided him the corresponding necessary honor and security. Onward Thailand, he got neither honor nor security. According to one of the co-members of the team, the Vice-President Jha had to be in line just like an ordinary passenger while travelling from airport to the hotel. From security check to taking of food, he had to line-up together with any other ordinary people. Even sometimes he did not get any chair for sitting. In the formal programs he attended, he was kept on the floor, while on the highly elevated dais, were the authorities of the organization. To was to the extent that the VP had to fly from Kathmandu in the economy class of the Thai airline. Only on the way back, he was in business class. In normal circumstances, the head of the state and the head of the government do not travel in economy class. However, the coordinator of this visit, Mr. Dhakal claims that the Vice-President Jha was invited as the chief guest of the program and was honored accordingly. But, the authorized website of that organization do not mentioned anywhere that he was invited as the chief guest.
The visit of the Vice-President should have been managed by the government of Korea and the government of Nepal through mutual consultation; however, it was not in that way. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal was totally ignorant of the visit. It clarifies that it has sent recommendations to the Korean Embassy in Nepal for the visa processing of five persons according to the request of the office of the Vice-President; besides that, it knows nothing. After hearing the news that the Vice-President of Nepal is coming to Korea, the team of Nepalese Embassy in Korea had rushingly arrived at the Inchon Airport of Seoul with a flower bouquet. Though the Nepalese Ambassador to Korea, Amb. Kamal Koirala had been in the airport for welcoming, he was not seen during the see-off.
As the VP has gone to Korea without fulfilling the formal processing of Nepal government, Korean government too did not provide him the special security, honor and treatment. He arrived in the Hotel Renaissance just like any other ordinary tourist. On the way back from Korea, there was a program of local chapter of UPF in Bangkok. In that program too, Thai government did not treated the VP in the manner it should have done to the Vice-President of the countries with diplomatic relationship. The diplomatic norm that one should have at least one representative or the coordination of Ministry of Foreign Affairs while meeting and discussing with any foreigners was neglected by the Vice-President Jha. Without maintaining such standard, he just met and discussed with several political and social leaders of the world. He even had gone to 'peace palace' the residence of the founder of Universal Peace Federation, Dr. Sun Myung Moon, 92, and had taken lunch there. According to Constituent Assembly member Dhakal, he had talked with Dr. Moon for an hour. However, it is considered to be against the diplomatic norms if any high level persons including the Prime Minister and the President visit and have lunch in a personal residence of someone other than of equal status. The coordinator of the visit, CA member Dhakal says that the official process might have not been provided in the VPs' visit, because this was not formal but personal visit. However, according to the former Nepalese Ambassador to America, Mohan Man Sainju, any visit of the President or Vice-President can never be personal. He further says, "Whenever a person goes, his post also goes together, so for such person, it is always the matter of diplomatic norm."
Vice-President has already become controversial again and again because of his own behavior. He used to be controversial because he feels pain even in trivial matters, shows dissatisfaction wherever he goes and cannot go beyond the demands of his own party and community. He became controversial again and again because he insisted on taking oath only in Hindi language, publically criticized the court and demanded some important role in the formulation of constitution. His taking of oath in Hindi language not only politically blocked for long time, but also fueled the misunderstanding among the political parties of the Constituent Assembly. Many of his decisions made while working in the field of justice has also become very much controversial. Now, he is again surrounded by accusations of devaluating the national prestige showing greed of going to the foreign countries and violating the diplomatic norms. So, the political experts suspect that it might detoreate the respect he has received from the public. In the Western China International Fair held in Chendu, Situwan Province, China last month too, the VP Jha had gone there without considering the protocol of his position. That program was of the nature where just the joint secretary level participation was needed. In the last year's same program, the joint secretary of Labor and Transport Ministry Mr. Prakash Mohan Joshi and Mr. Bed Prasad Lekhak had participated on behalf of Nepal. The experts of diplomatic field have considered that visit of the VP as the disgrace of the nation.
The exports of the diplomatic field conclude that the visit of high level people like the Vice-President without meeting the necessary formalities would put down the national dignity. Former Ambassador Sainju says, "If the people holding such a high level position make foreign visit without considering their protocol, then that is the disgrace of the country. For the dignity of their own position too, such people should think what type of programs to participate and how to go.
Controversial UPF
Dr. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Mrs. Hak Ja Hak Moon are the founders of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). Its headquarter is in New York of United States of America. This organization proclaims that it is the biggest organization after United Nations and has the largest network in several countries. It has been working in the field of spiritual education. It is a controversial organization which has been successful in the past in influencing the great leaders as well as the high officials and in involving them in different programs. It claims to be an interreligious organization. However, it has been constantly accused as being evangelizing Christianity.
It has a chapter in Nepal too and its chairperson Ek Nath Dhakal claims that it has nationwide network the in Nepal. According to him, in the name of peace council it has formed district level committees and through that structure it has been organizing programs related to its spiritual and moral education.
On the foundation of this organization, Dhakal has opened Nepal Family Party. It was registered to the Election Commission just before the election of Constituent Assembly. On the basis of the votes received through the proportional election system, this party has won one seat in the Constituent Assembly and Dhakal himself has occupied the seat. Dhakal likes to say that the political Party and UPF are two different structures. However, he is doing several political activities through that very organization. According to him, it has provided opportunity to go abroad to more than one hundred members of the Constituent Assembly for their capacity development; altogether about one thousand people from political and social sectors have already received opportunity of going foreign countries.
Former Prime Ministers Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Girija Prasad Koirala, Manamohan Adhikari, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Lokenda Bahadur Chand, Nagendra Prasad Rijal and the current Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as well as several other leaders have visited Korea and other countries in the name of UPFs' programs.
Hyun Jin Moon, the third son of the founder Moon, has recently separated from UPF and established new organization having similar name and goals, the Global Peace Federation. This organization has also organized a controversial Global Peace Festival just before Dashain in Kathmandu. The President Ram Baran Yadav had declined to be the chief guest of the program.
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