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Pradip Kumar Nepal resigned as Nepal’s education and sports minister after his party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist and Leninist), lost the April constituent assembly election. He no longer holds any position that would allow him to represent Nepal officially on the world stage, and still he is heading to Beijing.
Nepal’s trip, no doubt, will be funded by Nepalese tax payers. He will lead a 32-member delegation, which includes just eight athletes competing in the Olympics and five coaches. Tagging along with the delegation are 18 government officials, most likely members of Nepal’s Sports Authority and the Education and Sports Ministry -- both organizations with a long history of ignoring the country’s athletes and their training needs and “being there” only when big events like the Olympics roll in.
There is no point wasting words and breath recounting the tales of corruption, favoritism and negligence plaguing Nepal’s Sports Authority and the Education and Sports Ministry, but what Pradip Kumar Nepal and the 18 others are doing in the name of the Olympics falls below previously set standards of petty behavior.
As it turns out, Pradip Kumar Nepal will not miss the big event, even though a row about his participation erupted after various newspapers reported on it. Well, maybe he will meet with President Ram Baran Yadav after his return and share his experience.
In a curious turn of events, Nepal’s newly elected president declined China’s invitation to attend the Olympics Opening Ceremony and an opportunity to meet China’s president and premier, citing his busy schedule.
China and Nepal have shared a close relationship for years. Beijing has helped Nepal fund various infrastructure projects over the years, provides Nepalese students with scholarships to study in China and has kept out of Nepal’s internal affairs -- most of the time. Close diplomatic ties with its neighboring country are vital for Nepal, to balance India’s influence and also with regards to the economy and security issues.
Attending the Olympics would have given President Yadav an excellent opportunity to get to know the Chinese leadership, hone his diplomatic skills and maybe push for more economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries. He would have had a chance to meet other world leaders.
Hosting the Olympics is a proud moment for China and as the country’s neighbor it would have been a friendly gesture from Nepal to send its president. Instead the country missed a great opportunity. The reason for this is that the president wants to stay back and push the major political parties to form a government as soon as possible.
A noble goal indeed, and Yadav must be commended for being concerned about his country’s situation, but judging by the speed of negotiations between the parties it will take a couple of weeks more to get it done. A day or two of meetings in Beijing wouldn’t have hurt the process.
Now the boat has sailed. Nepal’s president is staying home, and the country’s delegation to the Olympics is led by a man who has no official position. He has with him 18 government officials who represent the decades of incompetence and negligence Nepalese sports have suffered.
I don’t know how many, if any, medals Nepal will win at the Olympics, but the country’s government should definitely get a gold medal for negligence and lack of diplomatic acumen.
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(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published at OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor for News Front Weekly (Nepal) and Nepal Abroad (Washington D.C.) and writes about Nepal for Suite101.com. She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire)
