Misunderstood Diplomat
In his four years tenure, British ambassador Keith Bloomfield has seen many ups and downs in Nepal
By KESHAB POUDEL
British ambassador Keith Bloomfield might have assumed that Nepal would have to pay a heavy price in case of confrontation between the constitutional forces – the monarchy and the political parties. Thus, he spared no time in trying to bring the two forces together to meet the challenges facing Nepal .
For best efforts of envoy Bloomfield , there were no takers and all the warring factions took his suggestions as weakness. Whether in the pro-Palace news media or pro-Loktrantrik media, Bloomfield, who carries a long tradition of British diplomacy in Nepal , had to often face negative views.
Pro-democratic populist media often distorted his version while pro-monarchist media used those distorted reports to criticize him. A section of powerful royalist media even went to the extent of demanding that he be declared persona non-grata.
In whatever manners the two warring factions projected him, British ambassador Bloomfield, who is very candid in his views and opinion, was hardly popular in both the camp. Even just before his departure from Nepal , British ambassador was complaining about the way a leading English media of foreign investment misquoted his opinion on the current political atmosphere.
When Bloomfield came to Nepal , there was a functional parliament and there was a government accountable to it but at the time of completion of his tenure Nepal does not have any accountable government and functional constitution. Bloomfield, a counter terrorism experts, had seen all four experiments of King Gyanendra, too.
Following the February 1, 2005 actions of the King, Bloomfield was openly critical of the move and his relations with senior palace officials soured. Thanks to his deteriorating relations, the monarch even declined to meet four important parliamentary delegations from the United Kingdom .
Finally, he met King Gyanendra recently at the Royal Palace not for any consultation but as a good bye call when King Gyanendra does not hold any state power. Having a long historical relations with Nepal , British government through its envoy Bloomfield tried to prevent the present political scenario when Nepal 's all political forces were, in one way or the other, in the fight to finish.
Finally, what the silent majority in Nepal and Nepal 's good friends tried to preempt came true. Following successful agitation there is now a huge rift between the traditional forces and modern forces.
At a time when Bloomfield was appointed as an ambassador to Nepal , the country was stable and there were instruments like elected parliament to bridge the gap between political forces. Now, slowly and gradually political institutions are in the process of destruction.
On Maoists’ question Bloomfield has clear view. "Maoists should be encouraged to join the peaceful political process. They should also be encouraged to give up weapons," said Bloomfield . "I love this country and its people," added the envoy who is departing for his home country.
SRI LANAKAN AMBASSADOR
Learning New Skills
Many diplomats come and go, but some of them really take memorable things with them. For most of the western diplomats, Nepal 's mountains and people are major attractions but for others there are more things to see.
Starting from Brian Hodgson, the first British resident representative to Nepal , all foreign envoys have made one or the other kind of contributions to Nepal .
Hodgson published a number of books documenting history and geography of Nepal . Former Indian ambassador Deb Mukherjee published a pictorial of mountains and rivers of Nepal . In his short tenure of about one and a half years, Mukherjee trekked to mountains where he took the breath-taking pictures. Along with British ambassador, Sri Lankan Ambassador Grace Asirwatham is also returning to her country after completing her three and half years-long tenure in Nepal. During her tenure, she polished her skills of painting. She painted a number of paintings about nature, culture, religions and faces of Nepal .
At a time when all other western ambassadors were busy settling the political problems of Nepal , Sri Lankan ambassador got the inspiration from the beauty of the mountains and tranquility of nature.
Although the intensification of Maoist insurgency was the main area of interest for western diplomats, the Sri Lankan envoy was impressed by the nature, culture and other surroundings of Nepal .
Displayed at the program organized to bid her farewell, the paintings are the perfect works of credibility. From temple to women and nature to other surroundings, Sri Lankan ambassador has expressed her inner feelings about Nepal in her works.
"Actually, I am not a professional artist, I have learned all these skills in Nepal . These collections are my own impressions taken during my stay in Nepal ," she said, adding, "Despite many ups and downs, I found time and setting to complete my works."
