A shutdown that works by coercion and threats can never be justified. But last Tuesday, for once, the Maoists had a reason to be miffed. The manner in which the dominant parties of the ruling alliance divvied up ambassadorial assignments among their favourites deserved to be condemned.
Although it was called with little warning, there was an effort to make it manageable to the public by fixing the time from 10 to four. Burning tyres cause cancer, so they were discouraged. Exhortations to keep vehicles off the roads during shutdown hours were made politely. Although the Maoists made a show of force with their guns in the tarai and some vehicles were torched, violence was relatively light.
It seems as if the transformation of the Maoists into an electoral force has begun. In comparison, the SPA stalwarts lived up to their reputation of being incompetent, myopic, and self-centred. They squandered one more opportunity to redeem themselves.
More than the appointees themselves, it was the manner in which they were selected that caused the bitterness. After the agreement over the draft interim constitution, it is incumbent upon the present occupants of ministerial chairs to also consult the Maoists about major decisions.
Diplomats of the 21st century need to be media-savvy, flexible, friendly, and multilingual. They must get along with people, provide a sense of history to contemporary events, and have the capacity to assess risks in murky situations. Negotiating skills and a personality that inspires confidence are added assets. If these criteria are strictly applied, very few of Girija Prasad Koirala?s relatives or UML cadres will pass muster. But the qualifications were tweaked to suit the preferences of the foreign minister?s political bosses, and the result is a mixed bag of the worthy, the commonplace, and the odd.
There are some notable names. Hamid Ansari deserves to be an ambassador. A rare Marxist Muslim, he also has an enviable track-record of passionate advocacy for minority rights. But how a leftie diplomat will do in the Saudi theocracy remains to be seen. Tanka Karki for China or Surya Gurung for Russia are both amiable enough.
