I nearly cried in shame

Today (Fri 9^th November 2012) I almost cried though I am the same who was shocked to death yesterday to tell you the truth despite the fact that neither the episode relates to me nor I have any hand whatsoever into it but nevertheless the person who is being framed and defamed is none but an honorable ambassador of a country known to me and others as a true gentleman. 

I am referring to none but Philippines ambassador accredited to the State of Kuwait H. E. Shulan Primavera who is known to me for quite many years and I have never ever heard anything of the sort about him in any quarter neither before when he was posted here nor now since he is posted second time but all of a sudden it is the newspaper which broke the most shocking and distressful story. Yesterday, Thursday 8^th Nov, 2012 Arab Times, the most leading daily of Kuwait captioned on its front page ‘Envoy denies raping maid’ which was too shivering and alarming even to read what to talk of believing for the very simple reason that I know him though I do know many other ambassadors as well.  I was terribly awed to read something like that and that too for the person who represents none but Head of the State and flies the national flag of his country in the foreign and since the ambassador so I had to prefer this news over the other news in any case and believe you me the news to me was nothing short of hurling a hand grenade if not firing a bomb shell. It was quite but natural and spontaneous that I after reading just three lines, I stopped reading the news any further and took a deep breath and wondered how an ambassador and that also a seasoned career diplomat one could be accused alike. The more I thought, of him and the news, the more I was perplexed and did not want to believe it even a bit what to talk of in totality. I straight away picked up my mobile and called him on his mobile telephone but shockingly it was switched off though I always speak to many ambassadors on their Kuwait mobile numbers even when they are out of Kuwait so now I was more perplexed and worried as how to reach him and find out what could be the truth.

As a matter of fact I met H. E. in 1994 when he was posted for the 1^st time and perhaps he was here for about 3 years time and during those years very often we have chatted on different subjects on different occasions particularly national day receptions and I very well remember when he invited me along with some other elites of the town to his residence when a Minister had come from Manila. It was his greatness to get me introduced to the visiting VIP and I noted that he has gone to each and every invitee to ask if he or she is comfortable with the arrangements and if he or she is personally attended by his staff deputed to serve the invitees. The most striking thing which I found in him, which is rare with many other ambassadors, was that once I have been invited either through telephone or fax he will personally phone me to ensure that I have been invited which certainly spoke very high of him. He had very good time over here and had cultivated very good relations in all circles be official, political and or business. He had put in lot of efforts to be instrumental to bring most of Filipinos associations directly or indirectly under embassy umbrella. He always encouraged his nationals to form different societies and clubs and often one could see him in newspapers patronizing their various activities. He had won the heart of his beloved country men and most of them took his as their spiritual father or brother depending on the age of the individual. Luckily I have attended some of their gatherings.  Upon completion of his diplomatic tenure in Kuwait he was accredited as Philippines Ambassador to Egypt and I was one of those who saw him off at VIP lounge when he flew out from Kuwait.

This is really unbelievable and had it not happened with me I had not even believed it in any case.  It was precisely 26^th October 2011 when I was very truly more happy than surprised to meet him at the residence of Austrian ambassador where we both were invited to attend Austrian national day reception. He instantly addressed me as Mr. Zahidi (not Zaidi) which was a very pleasant surprise for me on two counts; firstly that I saw him again in Kuwait after somewhat 16 years and secondly he did not forget my name though there had been long gap of 16 years in between. I had told him that one way or the other he could not attend any of my ambassadorial evenings hosted earlier at my house during his 1^st tenure and therefore I told him that I will make sure that some day he too will be attending an ambassadorial evening at my house and he very happily agreed to it.  As my sheer bad luck had it, Mahboola, the area where I am living is under massive repairs and the works started somewhat in 2010 have still not been completed and perhaps another six months be required to give final touches so I could not host any ambassadorial evening since then and now he is off the country.

Coming back to H.E. again, it goes without saying that had he not been successful in Kuwait during his earlier posting as ambassador then quite naturally he has not been accredited in future to any other country as ambassador and instead had been grounded back home but, touch wood, it was not so with him. He instead has subsequently served as Philippines ambassador in Egypt and Indonesia as well and at both places he has earned laurels for the country and self which is a very big plus for anyone if I am not mistaken. His posting back to Kuwait was an intelligent move on the part of Foreign Ministry; Manila otherwise anyone either from foreign ministry itself or any ambassador from any overseas mission had been posted to Kuwait but H. E. Shulan was picked up instead. Such like move on the part of Manila itself speaks so high of him who has very clearly demonstrated and proved his extra diplomatic maneuvering skills which is of immense importance in any case so far as an ambassadorial assignment is concerned.

However, what a big twist, an unbelievable accusation being slapped against H. E. Shulan Primvavera that some days back he has sexually assaulted a maid servant at his residence during the period when his wife was away on vacation and the ambassador was living alone in the house. The details are that the maid named Mabel who had come from her home country to Kuwait to work as house maid and had deserted the house of her employer and instead took a refuge in Philippines embassy where may other such like run away maids are housed. However, out of sheer kindness the ambassador offered her an employment at her residence so that she can earn salary and live comfortably otherwise the runaway maids are housed temporarily by the embassy and then deported back to Manila. She upon return to Philippines instead of being thankful to the ambassador for his noble gesture appeared on television and accused him of sexual harassment which is nothing but a big white lie. Let me make it quite crystal clear at this point of time that and I am not saying it because I know the facts or I have spoken to either the ambassador or the maid but there is another side of the story which I will substantiate with my own experience. I had many maids servants working at my house both live-in and part-timers and a few of them indirectly indicated to have sex with me which I totally refused and sent them off from my house. Some of my friends have also reported alike so suppose just for academic discussion and not otherwise that if at all had ambassador such like bad intention then he could have got one who herself will offer rather than he asks her for it. Just for record purpose there are hundreds of runaway maids each time in Philippines embassy so if he was fond of girls then many would have initiated it at their own but I am pretty sure that H.E. Shulan had never ever even thought of it what to talk of asking for any such favor from his maid servant.

The latest update on the sad incident is that Foreign Ministry has called back the ambassador to face an enquiry in Manila. The ambassador has appeared on ABS-CBN television and has very categorically denied and refuted it and instead has said that his predecessor is the brain behind the scene that is pulling strings to damage the hard earned laurels he has earned during nearly 40 years of rendering meritorious services both in Philippines and overseas. I am pretty confident that in due course of time, truth rather hard truth will come out and the honorable ambassador will be absolved of all such cheap, dirty and filthy shit. There are thousands of people both male & female not only Filipinos but other nationals too in different countries of the world who totally agree with me in saying that His Excellency cannot stoop down so low and it is even absurd if not sin to think alike about him

I repeat that I nearly cried not in pain but in shame.