After nearly 15 months the appointment of 18 ambassadors was finally carried out on the principle of bhagbanda between the three main parties. The message to the Nepali people is: loktantra means the monopoly on power of the NC, UML and Maoists.

Why this sudden efficiency in envoy appointments? What did we lose by not having ambassadors? With elections looming and the possibility that the power equations may change, the three parties wanted to divide up the ambassadorships right away.

Similarly, NHRC is going to get a new commissioner. But are these political appointees going to push Nepal's image abroad? How are these candidates who have minimum knowledge about Nepal itself, let alone about the countries they have been appointed to, going to do an effective job? Since they are all political appointees, it is a sad

reality that they will be representing the parties that selected them, not the country. Thee raw diplomats will be going to their new posts in a policy vacuum. The least we can expect of them is not to use their new positions for personal or partisan gain.

Other countries encourage career diplomats to specialise in the foreign country where there are strategic or economic interests. Let's hope Their Excellencies will do a minimum amount of damage in their new jobs. Let's hope they rise above personal interests, that is the minimum hope we have for these new appointees.