Anil Chapai
Chicago, America
Joe Widen has been elected President of the United States. President Donald J. Trump may not have readily accepted the outcome of the election, considering it unexpected. The United States, the world’s oldest democracy, has seen unnatural political activity in recent years.
However, the institutions of the countries established by hundreds of years of democratic practice are equally confident of overcoming this situation. The pace of politics is in place, what I’m trying to discuss is about our unexpected meeting with the current President-elect, Joe Widen, who will officially take office on January 20, 2021.
The meeting with the then Inspector General of Armed Police Sanat Kumar Basnet and IGP of Nepal Police Ramesh Chand Thakuri has been an unforgettable experience. In that too, the affection he showed towards Nepal and Nepali officials at that time can also be a guide for Nepal policy under his rule. Let’s start with the preparation and coincidence of the visit.
The date is not exactly remembered but it should be August 2010. I was representing the Armed Police Force at the ‘South Asia Workshop on Targeted Economic Sanctions Regime’ organized by the US Embassy at Hotel Yak & Yeti in Kathmandu.
In October, I received an invitation letter from Sanat Kumar Basnet, Chief Inspector General of the Armed Police Force and Ramesh Chand Thakuri, Inspector General of the Nepal Police to represent Nepal at the General Assembly of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Orlando, USA.
As he was working in the Secretariat of the Armed Police Inspector General, it was necessary to make all the arrangements for the visit schedule and program of Inspector General Sanat Basnet immediately.
As the event falls on the eve of Nepal’s biggest festival, Dashain, I did not have much time to coordinate with the US Embassy with the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs. However, I advised Sanath Sir to prioritize bringing in officers who have not yet visited the United States in the capacity of a staff officer.
I returned to Nepal in the second week of April after 18 months of service at the UNAMID headquarters in EL-Fasher, the capital of Darfur, under the intense responsibility of the Coordinator of the United Nations Formed Police Unit in Darfur, Sudan. While living in Darfur, the Sudan Darfur scandal was hot in Nepal.
As I was on the UN Mission HQ, it was my responsibility to coordinate between the Government of Nepal, the Nepal Police and the UNDPKO. As the corruption scandal spread in Nepal, my service period in Darfur was prolonged even though I did not want to. Even after 3 months of regular 1 year service, the investigation of Darfur scandal was opening new doors.
My term was extended for another 15 days after a high-level parliamentary investigation team from Nepal arrived in the Darfur Mission area for an on-site investigation. Despite my reluctance, I gave a necessary briefing to the parliamentary team and an on-site visit to Nyala (where the FPU of Nepal Police is located) to expose naked corruption.
Finally, on April 10, 2010, after completing my mission, I returned to Nepal and after a week’s leave, I was posted to the newly established Research & Development Directorate under the Human Resource Development Department under the headquarters of the force. But exactly one month later, an FPU of the Armed Police Force was decided in Haiti, and orders were received to go to Haiti and New York for a Reiki and MoU agreement.
We returned to Nepal after successfully performing our duties there. After that, my job was transferred to the Secretariat of the Inspector General of Armed Police and I expressed my desire to spend some time with the head of the organization, Sanat Basnet, with my family and my newborn daughter. But the destiny of time is different.
After concluding the seminar at Hotel Yak & Yat, I went to the battlefield for the visit schedule and approval of IGP Saab. I instructed the other staff officers working in the Secretariat to be ready to go to the United States.
As the Bada Dashain holiday was about to begin, I immediately assisted the staff officer to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs for the visa process. After all the preparations were completed, the US embassy suddenly received a report that a new visa could not be issued due to lack of time to complete the visa process.
When the Inspector General could not get any staff officer to go, I had to go because I had already arrived in New York for work and I did not have to process a new visa. Thus, after Inspector General of Nepal Police Ramesh Chandra Thakuri and the then Senior Superintendent of Police Hemant Malla Thakuri and Inspector General Sanat Basnet from the Armed Forces and my approval came from the House, we left for the United States.
The International Police Chief’s meeting was attended by more than a hundred delegates from other countries and thousands of police officers from the federal, state and counties of the United States at a grand convention center in the city of Orlando. The inaugural session of the symposium, which is held every two years, was inaugurated by the then Vice President Joe Biden (now President-elect).
Given the busy schedule of Chief Guest Joe Biden and the growing number of international police representatives, it was not uncommon for everyone to be interviewed in person. But after Sanat Basnet Sir expressed his desire to meet me on behalf of Nepal, albeit collectively, the expression became like an order to me and I accepted it.
The first session of the first day of the grand event. There was no question of crowds. The then Vice President Wyden was on stage. The arrival of the Vice President made the venue like an impregnable fort.
I spent the rest of my time thinking about the internal security arrangements at the venue, the personal security perimeter, and the sheer number of delegates present. But I could not reach any concrete decision.
Affiliated to the military organization and also the responsibility of the Chief of Staff Officer. There was no question of deviating from the duty of fulfilling the orders received. But for the first time, I found myself in a difficult position.
Because there was no pre-arranged meeting with Joe Wide and we didn’t have time to coordinate with his secretariat. But I was not distracted. He made up his mind and sat down in the seat assigned to him.
In Ajang’s hall, our seat management was almost in the middle. The main podium was about 100 meters away from where we were staying and about 25 meters more space for VIP security. At that place of 125 meters, between about 1,200 delegates and the security cordon, I could not find any departure point to fulfill the order given by Sanat Basnet.
The first session of the program, which started a little later than the regular time, started with the swearing in. After the formal session began, the chief guest was then Vice President Joe Biden. After a formal speech of about 15 minutes, she came in front of the stage and shook hands with the leading delegates.
The crowd gathered here and we had to walk. We couldn’t move even 10 meters when we saw him asking for leave after a 10 minute meeting program. It became difficult to see the meeting.
As President-elect Biden was about to walk out the door, I rallied and shouted, Mr. Vice president we have come all the way from Nepal ‘So Biden Pulukka returned and said… Oh! From Nepal, please come ‘We lost ourselves in the crowd with a hand gesture, we became like VIPs and everyone even opened the way for us. I ran to the front and said in unison, ‘I have chiefs from Nepal. Please allow me to ask for your permission to introduce them Sir. With that said, Biden said please.
Then I turned around and asked Sanat Sir and Ramesh Sir to come quickly. After Faizi’s greetings, a few minutes of talks between IGP Saw and Joe Wyden became possible. Then we captured that moment on camera forever.
One of Biden’s remarks is still fresh in my mind, against the backdrop of a moment that miraculously erupted. He said, “Nepal is a beautiful country.”
Today, a decade after that unexpected meeting, Biden is making history by taking over the reins of the United States, the world’s most powerful nation, since January as the 46th president. I have written this memoir thinking that there is no better time to share these expressions and moments captured on camera with the reader.
At the same time, while writing this, I have come to believe that good relations will be maintained between Nepal and Nepalis during the reign of Biden, who showed a very close relationship with Nepal and Nepali people. Congratulations to newly elected President Joe Biden on his successful tenure.
