There is a burning question in my mind about the recent appointment of Ambassadors to different countries. Out of the group of former army General appointments one in particular raises some serious questions on Nepal?s representation abroad ? Prajwalla Rana.
Victry Rana to Burma is fine.. insignificant. Tara Bahadur Thapa to Thailand, makes some sense because of his connections through Birendra to the Thai Royal family (although this man is also a notorious Panchayat figure). The General sent to the UN? he served under Kofi Annan and has good clout within the UN system? but what in the world is Gyanendra thinking by appointing Prajwalla as the Ambassador to France?
Here?s some refreshing background information on Prajwalla Rana?s history:
This individual was by far the most corrupt, most cowardly and most undeserving leader the RNA has ever had. Examples of his swindling are found in the re-modeling of his home in Lazimpat into a palace (while the new Army club was being constructed); his undisclosed commissions on the purchase of the Army?s Sky Truck and his wining and dining across Europe on a trip to buy arms while army soldiers were being slaughtered in Nepal. Not to mention his numerous palaces (one in Pokhara) and several others scattered around Nepal ? how is it that a government servant amassed such wealth in so short a period of time and no one every questioned it?
Should evidence of Prajwall?s illegal wealth be needed, one should question a Mr. Siddhant Pandey (Prajwalla?s relative) who as a wealth manager for Merrill Lynch (at the time) ensured the money got where it had to - overseas. Cut a deal with an agent in Nepal, the agent inflates the price on the books, the difference is sent to Pandey and deposited in Prajwalla?s account abroad. The auditor sees the official price since two invoices are made ? one for the auditor general and the other for the agent.
Some may recall Prajwalla as the man who defied Girja by refusing to commit the Army to a fight with the Maoists before a political consensus could be reached. Others probably recall that afterward, Prajwalla paid a visit to Girja to ?dhoko the Congress ko khutta ? by touching Prince Girja?s legs and begging for forgiveness.?
Not to forget that in any professional military, Prajwalla would likely have been court martialled on two occasions ? one when he refused to leave his pooja ceremony when Army barracks were being attacked (called dereliction of duty) and the second, when he was touring all over Europe during while the Maoists ran over the Mangalsen barracks. Where as the ?fearless? leader then?
Was Prajwalla not the same man who once had over 30 soldiers working at his private residence, answering to the whims and fancies of the real Army Chief ? Sindhu Rana? Was that not excessive?
How about Prajwalla ? the largest contributor to the Maoist extortion campaign? Is it not suspicious that the Maoists have not touch Prajwalla?s private property?
This is the same Prajwalla who was spit on by the mother of a dead soldier for pinching his nose while paying his respects to dead man. And this is the fool who lead the army during the most critical time in modern nepal?s history ? no wonder the army took one beating after another from the Maoists while Prajwalla was busy making drunk comments that the army could handle the Maoists in a month. What a truly idiotic fool.
Most interesting of all will be what Prajwalla does with his son while he is away. Us Nepalis may have very short memory but the British immigration (who now shares a common immigration platform with other EU nations) definitely do not ? it will be interesting how much money Prajwalla can spend to get his one time convicted and jailed son into Paris.
If this is the kind of man Gyanendra?s regime rewards with ambassadorship, the Army itself should have a coup and rid Nepal of the Maoists, the King, Girja and the likes of Prawalla and his kind in one go. Let Madhab Nepal have his deserved chance ? poor fellow has been denied with humiliation enough times.
It is insulting to every Nepali with a hint of memory that Prajwalla should represent Nepal. This is just unacceptable and with all the human rights lobbying that the EU does, when it comes to setting the record straight, the truth comes out ? even the French put business with the Chinese over human rights in Nepal.
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