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ä nf correspondent

If the country goes to the polls in April - areiteration that the government has made timeand again - at least half the population will beboycotting it. That this elections will be owned onlyby the ‘other half’ became clear after the UnitedMadhesh Democratic front (UMDF), an umbrellaplatform of three Terai groups, declared, “we areout of the election process,” after their talks withthe government broke down.

Unfazed by the boycott, Koirala and the seven-party alliance that he leads, announced thatelections to the constituent assembly will be heldat any cost, and, “necessary force will be used todeal with those trying to obstruct it.” But the‘boycott’ has already brought in the debate, howacceptable will the poll outcome be. A prominentcivil society leader even suggested that ‘it is timethat Nepal army came forward as a defender ofdemocracy’ and stopped the current ‘misrule.’

In line with their declaration, the UMDF andits constituents skipped submitting the list of theircandidates under the ‘proportional representa-tion system’ on February 24, the extendeddeadline for the purpose. “We are not going tofield any candidates for the first past the postsystem as well,” said Upendra Yadav, leader ofthe Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).

Along with the UMDF, Rashtriya JanashaktiParty (RJP), headed by former Prime MinisterSurya Bahadur Thapa, would be boycotting thepolls. The RJP was firm that “there is no point inparticipating in the election if the issues raised bythe UMDF and ethnic groups are not addressedproperly.” The election commission was cautiouslywatching the development and appeared to be inno position to ‘guarantee’ that it will hold the pollson schedule. As this paper goes to the press, theelection commission is still waiting to see howsmooth the filing of nomination of candidates in240 constituencies under the first past the postsystem proceeds. “We are keeping our fingerscrossed,” a commissioner told Newsfront.

Half the population to boycott polls

More uncertainThe extensive dialogues between the

government and the UMDF following the onehosted by Indian ambassador, SS Mukherjee onFebruary 20, broke down three days later afterPM GP Koirala said, “I cannot accept the demandfor one Madhesh, one Pradesh (province).”

“We are out of the electoral process,” was theinstant reaction from Yadav who along with hiscolleague JP Yadav, set out to Terai to acceleratethe ongoing movement for more autonomy.Koirala had consulted Maoist Chief Prachandaand CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Nepalbefore he said ‘no’ to UMDF’s six-point demands.

The boycott by Terai groups will directly affectthe election in 125 out of 240 constituencies in thecountry. Together, these constituencies scatteredacross 22 districts along Nepal’s border with Indiahave more than 48 per cent of the total popula-tion. But PM Koirala is believed to have told hiscolleagues that a controversial lobbyist forgovernment of India cum academic who wasrecently in Nepal has asked to him concede thedemand for, “one Madhesh one Pradesh sincethe government of India wants that.” ä

Donors promised required support to carryout developmental works in Nepal butinsisted that elections in a free and fairatmosphere alone would transform thecountry into a peaceful democratic country.

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

2 25 Feb- 2 March, 2008 News

Embassy meetingDiplomatic indecency - says civil society

Leaders from political parties and thecivil society, both long time admirers ofIndia, for its role in restoration of peaceand democracy, have come out openlyagainst the Southern neighbour after itsembassy in Kathmandu hosted a meetingof leaders belonging to the UnitedMadhesh Democratic Front (UMDF) andthe Nepali Congress recently, ostensiblyto find a solution to the Terai problem.

The meeting that was held at theinitiative and hospitality of AmbassadorShiv Shanker Mukherjee on February 20broke down since neither the UMDFleaders agreed to call off the agitation assuggested by him, nor the Congressleaders could spell out what they couldoffer to the UMDF. But the issue has nowtaken a new turn with the civil societyleaders stating that the meeting wasclearly directed against the acceptablediplomatic norms.

“It was uncharitable and an outrightmeddling into Nepal’s affairs,” saidDevendra Raj Pandey, a prominent civilsociety leader who has been lying low forsome time. But the harshest criticismbordering on sheer frustration came fromVishwanath Upadhyay who told someprominent leaders of the ruling party aswell as the civil society that suchbehaviour was unacceptable. “If this isacceptable, then you must be ready tohand over Nepal to India,” said the formerchief justice of the Supreme Court.

The issue became a topic of discussionin the cabinet on February 21 whenMaoists, Janamorcha and UML ministersall raised the issue in chorus and lodgedtheir objection. “We will not be bound tothe deals clinched in the embassy,” saidInformation Minister and Maoist leader,Krishna Bahadur Mahara. But PrimeMinister GP Koirala tried to outsmart themall by feigning ignorance about such ameeting having taken place.

Jaya Prakash Gupta, UMDF leader,said it was clearly at the behest of the PM,“that we went there.” “We would nothave gone there otherwise,” he said.“This was done with two purposes anddesigns of the PM,” one of the five UMDFparticipants told newsfront. “Firstly,Koirala wanted to show the country thatUMDF was under effective control of theIndian embassy, and secondly, it wasdone to bolster the nationalist image of hisdaughter Sujata Koirala.” ”He wants toproject her as someone who refuses tobe dictated by Indian Embassy, and that iswhy he sent along with her othermembers or relatives of the Koirala familytoo,” he added.

Amod Upadhyay, Shekhar Koirala andMahesh Acharya had participated in theMukherjee brokered attempt in theembassy. “No matter who went there, itwas a disgrace to our sovereignty andnationalism,” the prominent studentleader, Gagan Thapa, said.

Ticket rowPrime Minister GP Koirala’s

agonies seem to have justbegun. He stands accused ofbeing anti-youth by his owncolleagues and camp followers.According to the officialassessment of the NepaliCongress which

Koirala heads, at least two thirdof the candidates have beendecided by him, while Deuba whoheaded the Nepali Congress (D)until the two parties united lastyear, was allowed to finalisearound 25 per cent of

the names. Except for case ofDr. Minendra Rijal, Deuba wasable to incorporate most of hisfollowers.

Rijal’s candidature fromMorang was vetoed by Koiralawho was determined to haveMahesh Acharya, his nephewfrom the place. Koirala however,was able to pacify Rijal that hewould be accommodated underthe Proportional Representation(PR) system. But this was only aminor issue compared to theswollen fury of the party youthswho demonstrated outside thePM’s Baluwatar residence on

Feb 23 and 24, demanding thatthe entire list be reviewed to givedignified representation to theyouths under the first past thepost system as well as the PRsystem.

The youths led and chantedthe slogans of the massmovement of 2006. “Denyingthem space while deciding onthe tickets was unfortunate,”Gagan Thapa, former GeneralSecretary of the Nepal StudentsUnion, the student wing ofNepali Congress told newsfront.According to the party sources,Tika Choudhary, former StudentUnion President of the PKCampus is the only one who hasbeen given ticket to contest theelection to the constituentassembly, although at least 30such names had been for-warded by the party’s respectivecommittees. Guru Ghimire,Vishwa Mohan Sharma, UmeshRayamajhi, Nirmal Pokhrelbesides Thapa were the namesrecommended by the respectiveparties.

Available data suggests that atleast 9. 2 million voters -

equivalent to 51 per cent of thetotal electorate constitutes theelectoral list. By denying themadequate representation, NepaliCongress has projected an ‘anti-youth face. The protestingyouths also accused theCongress leadership, mainly thePM and the Congress president- GP Koirala, of having floutedthe party constitution since theparliamentary board thatfinalises the candidates has notbeen duly formed.

“It is only the centralcommittee (CC) of the Congressparty that can form such aboard, and the CC’s last officialand formal meeting that washeld on Ashoj 20 did not formsuch a body,” a central commit-tee member said. Othermembers of the party’s centralcommittee also alleged thatmoney was being distributedfrom the PM’s official residenceto the candidates whose nameshave been finalised. “Eachcandidate was given Rs. Onelakh each as the first installmentof the undisclosed amount fromthere,” the member said.

PM - anti youth?

325 Feb- 2 March, 2008News

Nude protestA court in Bihar recently awarded life

sentence to India’s don parliamentarian,Pappu Yadav, for killing Ajit Sarkar, a CPI-Mmember of the Bihar assembly more thandecade ago. Sarkar, a popular multi-termlegislator from Bihar’s Purnea disrict had afunny habit

and still funnier explanation when the issuehe raised in the issue would go un-noticed.

He used to just rush up to the well of theHouse, climb on the reporter’s table there andstrip off all his clothes, saying, “If this housedoes not take note of the plight of the ordinarypeople whom I represent, the only way I canattract the attention of the government is bystanding naked in the House.” And that quiteoften brought the desired results.

No one knows if this is what exactly what aBadi woman tried a few months ago whileleading a protest demonstration outsideSingha Durbar as their repeated attempt toattract government seriousness to theirdemands went unheard. But the trend seemsto be catching up.

The latest to follow the Ajit Sarkar pattern inNepal was Swami Bikashananda who runs acult called ‘Manokranti.’ Angry that the mediawas not giving enough coverage to ‘the great

Newsbrief

things he had been doing for thecountry,’ he got a group of hisfollowers to parade naked in NewRoad recently. The police arrestedthem and is planning to lodge a caseof ‘obscenity and indecent behaviourin public,’ but Bikashananda is notscared. He is apparently busydevising more innovative methods toraise his points. But will he be able tohave media to follow him now?

Good-willNo matter what the standing of

Prime Minister GP Koirala’s is in his owncountry with his failing image, he has a reasonto feel ‘resourceful’ in the friendly countries.And he makes it heard loudly and clearly inthe early hours at his residence where themembers of his ‘coterie’ have access to hisbed room.

The message that these coterie memberscome out with is interesting, that it was at thebehest of Koirala that his Indian counterpart,Man Mohan Singh chose to extend the tenureof SS Mukherjee until April in Nepal. Koirala,they assert, told Singh that it would be a proofof India’s commitment to the polls if Mukherjeeis allowed to stay here few more months.

Singh, whose posting to London as India’shigh Commissioner has already been notified,will have less time to spend there. Whilewitnessing Nepal’s transition into a republicfrom a monarchy here, he will have to presenthis credentials to Her Majesty there.

Exit RAWChief?

There are intense speculations that India’sexternal Intelligence Agency - Research andAnalysis Wing, commonly known as RAW is upfor a major shake-up that could see replace-ment of its current chief A K Chaturvedi, soon.

In a recent write up in the Middle East Times,its editor Claude Salhani said if that happened,this will be the first time that an incumbent chiefwould have been shown the door. The write-upgives details of Chaturvedi’s personal manner-ism as well as ‘lack of knowledge on externalaffairs’ that could be responsible for his likelyexit before time.

Giving some details, it says Chaturvedidisplayed a coarse and abrasive mannerwhen he met with Afghan President, HamidKarzai, during the latter’s visit to India.“…Karzai even complained to Man MohanSingh over the way he was spoken to by theRAW chief. According to Afghan sources,Chaturvedi treated Karzai like a servant ratherthan a Head of State and spoke to him whilechewing and spitting out tobacco,” Claude’swrite-up - ‘India’s Intel Chief lacking intelli-gence,’ said.

The write up also attributes Nepali sourceshaving claimed that Chaturvedi forced theinterim government of Girija Prasad Koirala toaward a contract to an Indian firm for ahydropower project. “Questions have beenraised in India as to why the Head of an Indianintelligence agency was promoting a commer-cial company in Nepal,” the article said. It hasalso been alleged that Chaturvedi may havefinancially benefited personally from the deal.

Politicians in Nepal are also extremely upsetwith Chaturvedi, who made a number of visitsto the country last December which were allcaustically detailed by the Nepali press. Tohumiliate Chaturvedi, the media evenpublished the names of all the RAW officersstationed at the Kathmandu embassy.

Schoolvandalised

Vicki Subirana, the Founder Director ofVEDFON, Spain, who has been providingquality education to poor children of Nepal for

the past 18 years reported that one of the twoschools she has been helping run – at DalekiSchool in Samakhusi – was broken into androbbed of the jewellery the approximate costof which is 1000 Euros, on 18 Feb. Thejewellery project was in place to support theschool activities.

Soon after, on Feb 21, the school wasvandalised. A case has been lodged withMaharajganj police station. Police said they willlook into the case. The case lodged with thepolice alleged Tashi Dolma Sherpa (theprincipal of Daleki School and Chairman ofVEDFON), and her husband Nawa Raj Regmi(accountant in the administration office of theschool project) for vandalising the school. Theschool administration has also asked thepolice not let the accused leave the country.The allegations are made on the basis ofevidence provided by four witnesses.

Ms Subirana said she has also apprised thesocial welfare board about the incidentseeking the board’s intervention in the matter.

YCL’s safetyDespite Maoist party’s commitment to face

the electorate, it does not seem fully con-vinced that the election will take place. It hasasked its Young Communist League (YCL)cadres not to live in big groups but rather splitinto smaller units.

The verbal directive to the YCL from itsleaders follows Baburam Bhattarai’s movingaway to a new residence from Naya Bazarwhere he was living with Prachanda. After all,YCL activists are the most ‘precious’ musclesthat Maoist leaders will need during theelection, if at all they take place.

The party has already decided to post atleast 200 YCL activists in each of the 16,000plus booths across the country. The recentinstruction of the party also follows recent raidsby the government in five houses in the capitalwhich are under occupation of the YCL.

The election commission, acentre of hope to those who wanta fair election in the country, ismore vulnerable to attack by theanti-election forces, but thegovernment seems poorlyequipped to provide it with thenecessary security. The poorsecurity of Election Commission,and the recent attack on itshelicopter in Rautahat seems

to have dampened the spirit ofthe commission. Will it now be ableto match the expectation of thepeople?

Multiple failure and delay incompleting key election relatedworks has caused further erosion inthe spirit and confidence of thecommission. Printing of ballotpapers has not yet begun and islikely to get delayed as there aredoubts if the process of filingnominations and withdrawal, aswell as scrutiny will be on time. The

commission reviewed thesituation after the cabinet asked itto extend the date for receiving the‘closed list’ of candidates under theproportional representationsystem, from Feb 20 to Feb 24.

The attack on its helicopter inRautahat district on February 22was taken by the commission as aserious flaw on the part of the

Angry students vandalise a public transport on Sundayat Jamal, Kathmandu after they were denied concessionin fare, as fuel runs short.

EC seems less confident

AttackedState to provide adequate securityto the commission. The helicopter,that had gone there with someelectoral officers and the equip-ment for necessary training, wasattacked. But it managed to fly backin hurry without suffering anydamage. “Nevertheless, we havetaken into account the developmentthat took place and we are going totake it up with the government,” asenior official in the commissionsaid.

“Most parts of the country, mainlyTerai, are in flames and we have totransport election materials andofficials by planes….. and the attackon the helicopter in Rautahat sendsan ominous sign,” the official said. The commission is also worriedabout the huge expenditure it hasmet in transporting officials andmaterials already; since all that itspent the last time went a waste,after the government pulled off theelections slated for November 22.

“We spent Rs two lakhs intransporting materials and officialsfor the 240 constituencies underthe first past the post system, andeven this time, we have incurredhuge expenditure without beingcertain if the election will takeplace,” another official pleadinganonymity, told newsfront.

Indomitableä nf correspondent

Ignoring threats of political isolationand ridicule, KP Bhattarai, theoctogenarian leader of the NepaliCongress, does what he believes in.“This country as well as democracywill need a politics based on nationalreconciliation and any politics thatdoes not recognise this fact will onlybe a temporary phenomenon,” hetold newsfront.

A look at his guest list when heturned 84 on February 20 simplyproved he would do only whatbelieved in. King Gyanendra,accompanied by wife Komal, sonParas and daughter in law, Himaniwere his guests in Hotel Himalaya atKopundol. Other faces in the sameparty included most of the formerprime ministers - Kirti Nidhi Bista,Marichman Singh, Lokendra BahadurChand, besides all the formerspeakers as well as SubhashNembwang - the one chairing thecontroversial interim parliament, inaddition to UML General SecretaryMadhav Kumar Nepal and MinisterSahana Pradhan.

“I think this country needsconstitutional monarchy for another300 years,” Bhattarai told mediapersons who asked for his commentand the reason he invited the King.Prime Minister GP Koirala and NepaliCongress leader Sher Bahadur

Deuba cancelled their visit to HotelHimalaya once the news of the royalfamily’s presence reached them. Butboth the leaders had visitedBhattarai’s Bhainsepati residence aday earlier when an elaborate Poojahad been performed to mark theoccasion.

“PL, I am fine if the countrysurvives and democracy flourishes,”King Gyanendra whispered in theears of PL Singh, a former Mayor ofKathmandu and someone Bhattaraiseems to have a great liking for. Madhav Nepal said, “MaybeBhattarai still has his ‘old belief’ thatguides him politically, but the situation

has changed a lot now.” Yet for many,Bhattarai’s beliefs are not out ofplace.

Former Chief Justice and the keyarchitect of the 1990 constitution wasseething with anger over the news ofNepali leaders meeting inside theIndian embassy to find a solution toTerai problems. “Why can’t you handover the country to India so that youdo not have to feel ashamed aboutincidents as these,” Upadhyay askedthe people around.

There were many diplomatspresent, including UNMIN’s IanMartin; but the Indian ambassador,Shiv Shanker Mukherjee was notpresent when Upadhyay made theloud comment. The only group thatchose to turn down Bhattarai’sinvitation was the Communist Party ofNepal-Maoists.

Bhattarai, seated in a wheel chair,however, seemed to be in a high-spirit. “This is a great country withtremendous strength and opportuni-ties to tide over the crisis.” And toachieve all that, his recommendationwas but obvious – “We must followthe policy of national reconciliationpropounded by BP andGaneshmanji…..Constitutionalmonarchy and the democratic forcesled by Nepali Congress should worktogether to save this country’sindependence, nationalism anddemocracy.”

Nira

j Sap

kota

Editor & Publisher : Yubaraj GhimireExecutive Editor : Sushma AmatyaNews Coordinator : Manoj DahalDesign: Sunil Khadgi, Kishor Raj Panta & Ramkrishna RanaAddress : PO Box: 8830, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NepalTel : 4443888, Fax : 4421147 (Edt.), 4411912 (Mkt.)Email: newsfront@bhrikuti.com, marketing@bhrikuti.com (Mkt.)Printed by: Express Color Press, Buddhanagar, Tel.: 4781810, Distribution: Kasthamandap, Tel.: 2010821

25 Feb- 2 March, 20084 Editorial

LettersPM and India

How dare our currentPM Girija Prasad try to sellthe sovereignty of Nepalto India? Just to remain inpower and to perpetuatehis dynasty? What elsedoes the involvement ofIndian current and formerambassadors in resolvingour internal problems,signify?

Nepali people shouldcall for his resignation. Itseems that Madhav Nepaland Prachandha are alsono different from Koirala.Otherwise how could theyshamelessly remain quietwhile Girija’shenchmen sit togetherwith the Indian govern-ment agents and decide toeffectively ruin usNepalis? Has anybodyseen examples fromcontemporary historywhen an 18 day or 20 daymovement leads to theleader of the country voluntarilyagreeing to disintegration of thecountry?

ä Avantika RegmiKathmandu

Dictator KoiralaGP Koirala has proved that he will go

to any extent to stick to the chair; andfor us to believe that elections will befree and fair under him, is foolish. Hechose not to address any of the issuesthat are related with defining the modelof decentralisation or federalism. He

Private affairBy all indications, the GP Koirala led government is all set to

hold elections to the constituent assembly in April. It is likely tohappen not because a conducive atmosphere prevails for it, butbecause the power-thirsty politician, at 84, knows he can at leastprolong his days in power by a couple of months more, if electionof any type and at any cost is held.

Donors are skeptical about the legitimacy or acceptability of theoutcome as they have clearly stated that law and order situationneeds to be improved for free and fair polls.

The government which has lost its constitutional legitimacy by allaccount is running the country on its whims. It is a government of,by and for three parties, with citizens having no stake in it. It is notat all answerable to any institution for whatever decision it takes.

Such irresponsible decisions credited to the present governmentabound. The latest in the series is, forcing Election Commission(EC) to extend its deadline to accept the ‘list’ of candidates for thepolitical parties under the proportional representation system fromFebruary 20 to 24. An Election Commission that simply followsdictates from the executive is worthless; and in absence offreedom, character and courage to act independent from theexecutive, the commission can play havoc in the name of electionand democracy.

The EC’s claim that it has done all that to assist in the peaceprocess simply sounds hollow. It has only acted as a pliable tool inthe hand of the government which looks like

a privately run institution where just three individuals, GPKoirala, Madhav Nepal and Prachanda seem to matter.

It all might have been done under a good faith to facilitate theMadheshi group to submit the list of their candidates, as no one inthe right senses could imagine an election to the constituentassembly without Madhesh, home of 48 per cent of the totalpopulation, participating in it. But it will simply be an insult toMadhesh and entire Nepal to foist an executive decision over theElection Commission by herding Madhesh leaders and threerelatives of the Prime Minister, all belonging to the NepaliCongress, allegedly after they were asked to come to anunderstanding by a friendly country in its embassy premises.

The EC needs to derive its strength through constitution. Themanner it has acted is unconstitutional, and smacks of servility.Madhesh needs to be incorporated actively in the election process.Nor can Janajatis and other marginalised groups can be left outfrom the process. The political parties need to arrive at anunderstanding on the basis of defining decentralised administra-tive system and for that a well thought out machinery needs to beformed. Koirala does not want to go into the substance of theissues, and wants Madhesh and every other group to join electionprocess on his term. Such an election will just be a farce and thatwill not be representing people’s will in anyway.

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a secondand third time, till at length it becomes habitual.

- Thomas Jefferson

Point to Ponder

simply tried to show that he is the onlyone capable of solving all the problemsof this country, and any group, be itMadheshi or Janajatis or any other,should come to him.

He, like newsfront said in its latestissue, is a megalomaniac and in recentdays, he is behaving like an absolutedictator. He is doing everything to ensurethat his daughter inherits the post of PMfrom him. These are not things someonebelieving in democracy or fair electionwould want to do. That only proves thatKoirala is not at all keen to hold a free

No separation existsMuso Soseki (1275-1351) was an abbot of aZen monastery, an advisor to shoguns andemperors and a garden designer. He and thefirst Ashikaga shogun, Takauji, established Zenas the dominate Buddhist sect in Japan andhad Zen temples built in all 66 provinces.Soseki taught a large number of students,wrote an enormous amount of poetry, andbecame the most renowned Zen master of histime. He was given the title of a nationalteacher.

Muso Soseki’s poetry:Green mountains have turned yellow so manytimesThe troubles and worries of the world of things

no longer bother me.One grain of dust in theeye will renderthe three worlds toosmall to see.When the mind is stillthe floorwhere I sit is endlessspace.

A virtuous man whenaloneloves the quiet of themountains.A wise man in natureenjoys the purity of water.One must not be suspicious of the folks

Spiritual Cornerperfect enlightenment

A runaway son, will never come, into his ownMy treasure is the cloud on the peakthe moon over the valleyTraveling east or west, light and free, on theone roadI don’t know whether I’m on the way or athome

In the real world, the pure world, no separa-tion existswhy wait for another time and anothermeetingthe teaching on Vulture Peak is here todaywho else are you looking for to preserve theway?

who take pleasure inmountains and streams,But rather measure how wellhe sharpens his spirits bythem.

The mountain rangethe stones in the waterall are strange and rare.The beautiful landscape, aswe knowbelongs to those who arelike it.

The upper worlds, the lower worldsoriginally is one thingThere is not a bit of dustthere is only this still and full

and fair election.ä Mohan K C

Chabahil

Is this true?Being avid readers of

your paper, we arewondering if you couldverify this information wecame across - that duringhis tenure as PrimeMinister, Sher BahadurDeuba had signed anagreement with IOC(Indian Oil Corporation)which said that Nepal willbuy petroleum productsonly from IOC and fromno other party. In the lightof the present crisis,perhaps the governmentneeds to clarify the wholeissue.ä Ashok and ShreyaSherchan

Budanilkantha(Newsfront: As per the

information we receivedfrom government sources,

there is no such treaty thatexists.)

Readers, your reac-tions, criticisms,comments, sugges-tions are most wel-come. Please ad-dress it to:

newsfront@bhrikuti.com

25 Feb- 2 March, 20085Debating development

ä The wanderer

What is it about our politicians thatmakes it seemingly impossible forthem to follow democratic norms?For well over a decade we, thepeople, the demes of the D word,have watched while time after time allopposition has been on the streets.We have watched the capture offoreign media and foreignorganisations by elite who claim tospeak ‘for the people.’ The other dayan old ex-pat colleague, returninghere after a couple of years, told me:

“It’s unbelievable. Outside peopleare given to believe that all’s alright inNepal now that the Maoists havecome into the government. But it’s onthe brink of civil war it seems. Whathave all these foreign correspondentsbeen looking at?”

Well, it might be peaceful if folksare prepared to pay up to the YCLand give in to their threats: “Votefor our party or we’ll take care ofyou afterwards,” or if politiciansfrom other parties could get totheir constituencies without beinghounded out by the Maoists. Mr.Dahal will no doubt say this didn’thappen, but it is happening andnone of it is democratic. If he’s

truly serious, he should addressthat to the satisfaction of the silentmajority.

So what are all these partiesserious about from Koirala, to LotusBlossom, to MKN, to UNMIN, to theTerai separatists? Well, it certainlyisn’t democracy and they’ve left us allwide open to disintegration and civilwar. It rather makes one suspect thatthey, our foreign friends, don’tdemocratize their sources ofinformation, but restrict themselves toselected elite intellectuals whopontificate from their armchairs andposh living rooms.

What else to expect when, foralmost two decades now, the right ofthe Nepali people to a propereducation has been substituted byNGOs and INGOs doing ‘capacitybuilding? Had the money poured intothese elite groups been spent fromthe onset of foreign aid in thiscountry on education, we wouldn’tbe at the impasse we are now at.But education doesn’t channelmoney back to the source, norinformation, nor does it massage theegos of a ‘driven’ elite who don’tknow what it’s like not to have ameal every day. Now, with the Teraiburning, they might get a chance to

find out!So now is the time for the

democracy detractors. The stockarguments, beginning as always withthe premise: “Democracy doesn’twork in Nepal. People don’t under-stand it and they’re illiterate.”

To refute this argument is easy.What has literacy to do with intelli-gence quotient? Someone some-where is probably herding buffalo,and unfortunately he or she isilliterate, but would perhaps do abetter job of governing this countrythan the current leadership incarna-tions.

The second argument is alwaysabout Asian values. Democracy is notfit for our soil. Please read AmartyaSen a little more closely and you willsee that he writes of many demo-cratic forms of governance way backin history that took root in Asia andAfrica. Without liberal democraticnorms, how do you expect respect forother people’s cultures and tradi-tions? The first thing fascist totalitar-ian regimes do is impose a monocul-ture to which everyone has toadhere. What is a one-party state buta monoculture? George Orwell’s‘1984’ describes such a stateperfectly.

When liberal democratic ideas doembrace the community, whenpeople have inalienable rights, theyare more willing to include others inthese rights. Except that we are not.We don’t do this, we somehow can’tdo this.

Democracy isn’t a single system,like a chameleon it adapts to culturesand individuals: it takes on forms thatare compassionate and committed. Itis government by the people, not byan interim government or constituentassembly that has already decidedhow things are going to be! That iscertainly not democracy. It is nascentfascism. Unless the Alliance respectsthe right of the people to be free ofcontrol and vote according toconscience without fear or force, anyhopes this nation had of democracywill be crushed.

The last argument is that theeconomic situation and the continuingconflict mean the situation is not rightfor liberal democratic ideas. But we’llnever have healthy commerce andgrowth unless there is transparencyand that means democracy. Totalitar-ian states have never been transpar-ent, not over the last couple ofmillennia of recorded history anyway.

We don’t have clearly defined

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

What has ‘D’ got todo with literacy?

rights, there’s one law for politicalsycophants and another for thosewho are not. Our laws are out thereon the streets burning tires. Observ-ing that the interim government madea number of illegal decisions, it waslogical of Terai politicians to think theycould push for another illegal one.The Alliance has only itself to blamefor the current impasse.

Democracy is clear about a coupleof points: rule of law and all are equalbefore the law. We have never beenable to do this.

Looking back it was a mistake notto call a general election. This CAelection will be a farce without theTerai. Terai leaders should alsoreflect on their demand to separate.True they can cripple the valley andthe hills, but there are dangers inthis kind of game. The hills may wellbe forced to seek trade and supplyroutes north at great expense justto survive (our neighbor to thesouth may have to grin and bearthat), but our Himalayas are thesource of Asian water towers.Should the other half of this nationdecide to ‘undemocratically’ controlor delay this source, where will itleave the plains? Just think aboutthat! ä

What have all these foreign correspondents been looking at?

What else to expectwhen, for almost

two decades now,the right of the

Nepali people to aproper educationhas been substi-

tuted by NGOs andINGOs doing ‘ca-pacity building?Had the money

poured into theseelite groups been

spent from theonset of foreign aid

in this country oneducation, we

wouldn’t be at theimpasse we are

now at.

The last argument isthat the economicsituation and thecontinuing conflictmean the situationis not right forliberal democraticideas. But we’llnever have healthycommerce andgrowth unless thereis transparency andthat means democ-racy. Totalitarianstates have neverbeen transparent,not over the lastcouple of millenniaof recorded historyanyway.

25 Feb- 2 March, 20086 Debating Development

Rulersneed tochange

In practice, the ‘ShreePanch’ autocracy isreplaced by the ‘ShreeSeven’ autocracy. Thisis a sad reality.

One evening I was watching a TVtalk show with one of the key partyleaders. He claimed repeatedly thathis party was the ultimate saviour ofthis country. If his party performedpoorly in elections, the nation wasbound to meet with unexpecteddisasters. All hopes of the people forpeace and development would bedashed. New found Loktantra wouldbe lost. The ‘enemies’ of the peoplewould raise their ugly heads onceagain. So, it was important that hisparty get the majority in the Aprilpolls. Failure of his party would meanfailure of Nepal.

Sadly, he had no convincing factsor evidence to back his claims. Hehad no policies and programmesupon which people could take adecision on whether or not to vote forhis party. It was certainly not a cleverway of asking people for theirsupport. Probably, his party does notyet have an election manifesto. Theinterviewer carried a satirical smile onhis face, clearly indicating he hardlybelieved anything the leader wassaying. It was great fun to watch theshow.

I noticed one interesting characterof his statements. He defined all hisarguments and claims as “people’smandates” or “people’s directives” orpeople’s desires and aspirations.” Iliterally counted the number of timeshe quoted “people” – more than 100times in about 30 minute show.Almost all the sentences he spoke

began by stating that people of Nepalhad wanted his party to do this andnot that. Then suddenly, lights wentoff – the beginning of a four hourrolling blackout. I wondered if peopleof Nepal wanted this as well.

In fact, this is the common attitudeof the current ruling elite. They claimthat they have the ‘people’s mandate’to do whatever they like. They werenot elected to power but they believethey have more powers than electedofficials. Often they think of them-selves above the law of the land.They often do not follow theagreements they signed and the lawsthey enforced. For instance, thenominated interim parliament i.e.ruling parties made many landmarkdecisions including the republic.

They did not think it necessary totake public opinion on this and othercritical issues through elections or areferendum. People were deliberatelyand consistently prevented fromdecision-making. It has been quitelong since the people of Nepal werebarred from making their own choiceon their future and the future of thecountry. Sometimes the King didthings as he liked in the name ofuntested people’s mandates and nowthe ruling parties are doing what theylike on behalf of the people. Inpractice, the ‘Shree Paanch’autocracy is replaced by the ‘ShreeSeven’ autocracy. This is a sad reality.

Such a serious lack of accountabil-

ity on the part of the government andthe ruling parties has created theground for similar attitude andactivities by other individuals andgroups. This is one of the fundamen-tal underlying reasons behind themushrooming violent and non-violentgroups in Terai and other parts of thecountry. If one does not follow anyrules of the game, why would theothers bother to follow them?

Replicating the seven parties, manygroups have now come up claiming tofight on behalf of their people. Theyalso claim that they have the“mandates” of their people to do asthey wish. They have also begun totake law into their own hands. As aresult, the ruling parties are nowgreeted with strong opposition, mainlyin Terai areas. The anti-SPAmovement picked up so quicklyfollowing the Jana Andolan II. Do theparties in power realise that their ownactions were also contributing to theproblems? If they do not realise theirmistakes and weaknesses in goodtime, things will become worse.

Of course, it is important to holdelections at the earliest. The electionsmust be free and fair. Otherwise,Nepal could be in a situation whereKenya is now. Credible elections willcreate a common platform, hopefully,for everyone to raise and discusstheir concerns. But which party getsthe majority is not and should not bethe priority for now because it ismeant to be a one-off elected body to

formulate the new constitution anddraw up new structures for thecountry. It is not meant to act as aparliament and form the government.

The constituent assembly is mostlikely to be dominated by the rulingparties, which means the current topparty leaders are highly likely tocontrol the assembly. They will controlthe assembly, even if they are not inthe assembly, as party whips.Therefore, what will be achieved fromthe coveted body will be determinedby the positions and activities of thecurrent rulers.

So, it is important that they changetheir attitude and behaviour now.That change should be seen in theiractions right from now. If theycontinue with the same attitude, theelected body might not be able tosatisfy and engage all forces. Lookingat the current practice, there is noguarantee that the parties will honourthe spirit of the new statute. In thatcase, the country could face biggerproblems. The people’s aims forpeace, democracy and developmentmight not be fulfilled, once again.

However, our experience is thatcreating a wonderful constitutionalone is not a guarantee for thebetter future. The best safeguard to apeaceful, prosperous and new Nepalis not election per se, but the attitudeand behaviour of those in power.

(ud.pariyar@gmail.com)

ä Uday Pariyar

Replicating the sevenparties, many groups

have now come upclaiming to fight on

behalf of their people.They also claim thatthey have the “man-

dates” of their peopleto do as they wish.

They have also begunto take law into theirown hands. As a re-

sult, the ruling partiesare now greeted with

strong opposition,mainly in Terai areas.

25 Feb- 2 March, 2008 7Opinion

KP Bhattarai or Kishunjee (to thosewho know him well), one of the keyfounder members of the NepaliCongress, and its long time presidenthas faced many upheavals, includingexcitement and misery, in the 84years that he lived in Nepal. He hasthe single most distinction of a Nepalipolitical leader who preferred to fightfor democracy and peoples’ rightfrom within the country rather thantaking refuge in a foreign land.

His commitment and dedication todemocratic ideals is unquestionable.His distinguished career as the primeminister of a democratic Nepal cameto an abrupt end at the hands of hisclose confidants and party leaders.He left the party that he helped toestablish and develop in the difficultyears in Nepali politics after grandstanding a comeback for thereunification of the two factions of theNepali Congress on the eve of theearlier planned constituent assemblyelections.

One of the major reasons for hisretirement from politics for good wasattributed to the decision of the NepaliCongress to deviate from its coreprinciple, worked out by none otherthan the late BP Koirala, perhaps theonly Nepali leader who had all thequalities of a statesman. Thatprinciple called for Nepali Congress,to work in close cooperation withNepal’s founder institution, theinstitution of monarchy, for steeringNepal, a country of diverse ethnic

groups and religions into a stable,democratic state.

After having suffered twice in thehands of Nepal’s ambitious mon-archs, the latest being as recent as2005, the Nepali Congress decided todrop the two pillar theory (alsoespoused strongly by India until theking took power) and declared thatthe institution of monarchy did nothelp the party in anyway. In fact,some of its younger leaders saw thatthe institution was an obstacle ratherthan a support in the development ofNepal.

KP Bhattarai openly opposed thedecision of his party and appealed itsleaders to reconsider the decision. Atevery available opportunity he hasbeen making a case for the institutionof monarchy that he believes isnecessary for the survival of Nepal. Astaunch nationalist, he might have gotthe biggest jolt of his life last weekwhen his former party, the leader ofthe seven party coalition governmentas well as the legislative parliament,not only called Nepal’s close friend ofthe South, India, to help Nepalresolve the Terai problem, but alsoagreed to be mediated by an Indiannational within the Indian Embassycompound in the capital of Nepal.

Just a few days ago, the primeminister of Nepal, belonging to NepaliCongress, is reported to haveinformed an Indian delegation led by

the ruling Congress party that hewould accept everything in the Teraiconflict except intervention by the UNor matters regarding Nepal’ssovereignty and territorial integrity.

During his 84th birthday receptionat Hotel Himalaya in Kathmandu, KPstated in no uncertain terms that ashe expects to live for full 100 yearsand he also believes that theinstitution of monarchy should remainfor another 300 years in Nepal. Havethese expressions come out from anexasperated man? Has he lost hissanity or, are these simply his birthdaywishes?

KP Bhattarai’s track record inNepali politics shines brightly. It washe who first negotiated and coordi-nated an agreeable compactbetween the people of Nepal and theking in 1990 after peoples’ movementknown as Jana Andolan I. It is worthnoting that the 1990 constitution ofNepal was possible, and alsoagreeable to all parties including theyet to be born insurgents, which gavefull sovereignty to the Nepali people.

Considering the fact that the kingsof Nepal had been ruling over thekingdom for almost 30 years in aparty less format, it was no easy taskto transfer power from an absolutemonarch to the people in a poorcountry. KP performed a near miracleby succeeding in this endeavor withhardly any bloodshed and majorproblems at the time.

It does not help to simply brush offhis comment saying that he holds anold mindset and his thoughts areoutdated. In fact, the Nepalis wouldbe insulting the intelligence andcontribution made by one of theirown. For all the sacrifices andcontributions that he made for Nepal,KP deserves to be heard at theminimum. For the sake of a newNepal, and for a better understandingof the issues at hand, he mustelaborate on his stand. The least thepeople of Nepal could do to thisgrand old young bachelor would be tolisten to him patiently. ä

It does not help to simply brush off his comment saying that he holdsan old mindset and his thoughts are outdated.

KP Bhattarai’s birthday wishes

ä Binod P. Bista

KP Bhattarai openlyopposed the decision ofhis party and appealed itsleaders to reconsider thedecision. At every avail-able opportunity he hasbeen making a case forthe institution of monar-chy that he believes isnecessary for the sur-vival of Nepal.

news

front

25 Feb- 2 March, 20088 Opinion

ä Prakash Bom 

The current democratic process isabout to slip away with the extremistdemands of the Madheshi movement.The demand at this climax is not theone as originally sought for anautonomous Terai state with the rightto self-governance and right to self-determination under the federalsystem structures. It is the demandthat has been convoluted wishfullybeyond the norms of federalism thatcan violate the national integrity.

The demand for an 'autonomousMadheshi region' literally schemes toseparate itself from entire nation.None of the other 41 ethnic groupsincluding dominant ‘Khash-Pahadi’communities must back-up fromdefending their existence before itmakes way by dismantling Nepal'shistorical nationhood.

Nepali nationhood is composed of

different groups of people who haveshared common history of anindependent sovereign nation withmulti ethnicity, language and culture.That is the spirit of Nepali solidaritydespite the feudal oligarchic regimethat kept repressing people in thename of Hindu religion and its Hinduinstitution of the monarchy.

It does not mean that a secularstate with the federal democraticrepublic establishment won't be ableto defend its nationhood. Nepalis'nationhood does not just boil down tothe heritage of feudal Hindu institutionof the monarchy, but it reaches out tothe tools of neolithic Kathmandu, tothe teachings of Buddha, toLicchivian Buddhist culture and to thepagoda-style monastery of Arniko.

The word 'Nepal' does not derive

from 'Khash-Pahadis' but from'Newari' or 'Nepal Bhasa', one of theindigenous linguistic groups of Nepal.Therefore, to despise the word'Nepal' or its nationhood with theodium of Khash-Pahadis, who arerepresented partially by feudaloligarchic establishment, (byMadheshis movements – evidencesare flying literally all over - online,news media and on the streets ofNepal) – demonstrates no respect toNepal's historical nationhood.

Again Madheshis demand for anindependent Madheshi statehoodwith regional autonomy literally meantto dismantle national solidarity thathas been sustained with the mutualcare of all people of Nepal if not inperfection with the teachings ofBuddha – 'Learn to live together,love each other and help oneanother.' Defend Nepal therefore onthese facts of its nationhood frombeing crossed into pieces at thiscritical juncture.

All ethnic demand for the constitu-

tional provisions, which guaranteethe establishment of federal demo-cratic republic, full proportionalrepresentation electoral system forCA elections based on population,and federal republican state on thebasis of regional and historicalbackground of ethnicity and linguisticswith the right to self-determination,must be fulfilled as long as within allfederal states the local governmentunits are formed with the right to self-determination of resident electoratesof the constituencies that make a unit

of a local government without centralor state supremacy.

These demands are legitimate andfully comply with the norms andprinciple of federalism. Federalism isnot end to separate states from asovereign nation but is the means tosustainability and method for betterfunctionality of governmentalresponsibility. Madheshi movementshave wishfully convoluted the aspectof federalism by demanding 'anautonomous Terai state with theregional autonomy.

What may come, SPA (Seven

Party Alliance) leaderships mustdefend Nepal and its historicnationhood even at the cost ofelections that may be accomplishedphase wise if it is not viable in themost violent and anti-nationhooddistricts of Terai. The Prime Minister'sstand on Madheshi demand for 'anautonomous Terai state with theregional autonomy' that cannot bedecided prior to elections is the mostsincere, democratic and respectfulremark to Nepal's nationhood thathas become so fragile and anguish

by the Madheshi movements andregressive elements.

Madheshi movements' way is not

the way to establish the federaldemocratic republic of Nepal.Consensus of all people of Nepalmust be sought if the demand of suchas of Madheshi for 'an autonomous

Terai with regional autonomy' isgoing to be established either prior orafter elections. Under Madheshiintimidations if SPA leaderships makesuch a decision then politicalinstability is unavoidable in defense ofnational integrity.

In my opinion, Madheshi move-ments have really punctured theprospect of federalism for Nepal. Ithas tried to suck all at once with theself-contradictory proposals againstthe norms of federalism and thedignity of Nepali nationhood. Forexample, the demand of the fullproportional representation electoralsystem if approved its electoralsystem will make 100% representa-tion of all ethnic groups of peoplewho are the resident of an autono-mous Terai state.

If in a local unit of Terai state thereare 90% Madheshi and 10% Dalitunder proportional representationelectoral system 10% Dalit are alsorepresented both in local unit or stategovernments. Unless Madheshi haveplanned to create a homogenousTerai state, there are also residen-cies in Terai of other ethnic groups

either recently migrated or aboriginal.

The red shading in the map ofNepal is an ambitiously targetedMadheshi state 'autonomous Teraiwith the regional autonomy.' The mapis all over the internet posted by theMadheshi movements. The questionhere is about the 'red shading' thattargets non-Madheshi districts suchas Kanchanpur and Kailali, whichhave settlements, dominated byaboriginal Tharus and migratedKhas-Pahadis. By long shot Khas-Pahadis settlements are more inpercent in entire Terai than Madheshiin these two districts.

Every thoughtful Nepali individual

has supported Madheshi movementfrom its beginning. However, at thispoint with such an extremist demandfor 'an autonomous Terai state withthe regional autonomy' under thepressures and agitations against thenational integrity has set the red alertin the hearts and minds of everyNepali who has respect for theirnationhood.

There is no question about theother demands of Madheshi such asproportional representation of ethnicand indigenous groups. However, toimplement these demands nationneeds a new system of governance.Thus the demand of federal system ofgovernment has become a necessity.Nevertheless, this does not mean tointimidate nation for disintegration, bytaking advantage of the situation.

Without people's electoral right toself-governance to form their ownlocal government units thesedemands can never be implementwith proportional opportunities for allto serve the nation. Anti-Nepalinationhood agitations, anti people'sright to vote political tactics present nosolution. Ultimately, it becomes anti-democratic and encouragesregressive elements to take theunnecessary advantage of thesituation against elections, which is,people's right to vote for establishingessential institutions of democracy. ä

Nepal must

vowto defend its

nationhood

Consensus of all people of Nepalmust be sought

There is no ques-tion about the

otherdemands of

Madheshi suchas proportional

representation ofethnic and indig-

enous groups.

Rajendra Mahato & Upendra Yadav

news

front

25 Feb-2 March, 20089From the region

Almost all political parties in the Hillshave expressed solidarity with thepeople’s movement, spearheaded bythe pro-Gorkhaland Gorkha JanmuktiMorcha (GJM) against SubashGhisingh and his Gorkha NationalLiberation Front (GNLF). At themoment, the Hills are reeling underan indefinite strike called by GJMsince February 20.

On Saturday, BJP convened an all-party meeting at the Gorkha DukhaNiwarak Sammelan Hall to discussthe political situation in the region.Representatives ofthe All India GorkhaLeague (AIGL), theCommunist Party Of RevolutionaryMarxists (CPRM), the Congress, theGorkha Rashtriya Congress, theTrinamool Congress, the GJM and theBharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP)were present. CPM and GNLF stayedaway from the meet.

The meet adopted a resolutionasking the state to drop the SixthSchedule proposal and removeGhisingh as caretaker administratorof the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC). It condemned municipalaffairs minister Asok Bhattacharya’salleged communal remarks on theGJM agitation.

“We want the state government todismiss Ghisingh and not wait for his

term to expire. This is because he issolely responsible for all the trouble inthe Hills,” said G S Yonzon, chief ofthe BJP (hill unit). The demand wasmade after the state governmentdecided that Ghisingh would not beremoved before his term expired onMarch 24. AIGL attended the meetingthough it had skipped such gatheringscalled by GJM earlier. “It is a janandolan and we will support it whole-heartedly,” AIGL president MadanTamang said.

The parties felt that Bhattacharya’srecent pressstatement was aimedat inciting the plains

people against the hill people.

“How can a political leader give acommunal colour to a people’sagitation? We demand that heapologize or resign,” said K SRamudamu, GJM vice-president.

“His speech is most unconstitu-tional. If the state government reallybelieves in democracy, it shouldremove Bhattacharya and Ghisinghimmediately.”

“People here are against the SixthSchedule. Yet, the state governmentis bent on implementing it. If it isforced on the people, then the stategovernment should be ready to faceresistance worse than the one in

(PPP). So far, the PPP seems moreinclined to form a coalition with thePakistan Muslim League (N) withwhich Washington does not feel atease because of its political plank ofIslamic nationalism. There are similarconcerns about the Awami NationalParty (ANP), which is likely to formprovincial government in the troubledNorth-West Frontier Province(NWFP) and may enter into analliance with the PPP at the centre aswell. A secular, leftwing Pashtunnationalist party that advocates non-violence, the ANP has alwayscondemned the U.S. hegemony inthe region. Now, the party will have toaddress the terrorism issue,especially in the tribal areas borderingAfghanistan, and it is likely to stresson a political solution which would puta lot of American interests atstake.Until now, the U.S. policy forPakistani tribal areas is focused oncontaining al-Qaeda in this region andminimizing its global operationscapabilities.

If al-Qaeda and the Taliban aredriven out or if there is somehowpeace in the tribal areas, they couldshift their centres into Afghanistan,where NATO troops are alreadystruggling, and can scatter into otherparts of the world posing a biggersecurity threat for the United States.So, the main objective ofWashington’s counterterrorismstrategy in Pakistan has been torestrict and eliminate al-Qaeda’sepicentre by building cooperation withPakistan for intelligence sharing and

military operations. It is understand-able that after many years ofconcerted efforts and having spentbillions of dollars in pursuit of thismilitary option, Washington wants tosee continuity in Islamabad’s policy.President Musharraf is the best bet toensure that. At the same time,however, anti-Musharraf emotionsare very high in the country and nopolitical party can ignore the public’ssentiment.

In the election year, the Bushadministration has already beenfacing criticism from the U.S. mediaand Democrats over its unrelentingsupport to Musharraf. If the newparliament seems less responsive tothe demands from Washington, itwould create more trouble for theRepublicans in the Novemberelections. By giving a verdict againstextremism, the Pakistani voters havesent a clear message to the interna-tional community that the fears offundamentalists taking over Pakistanare exaggerated. It should alsoreduce the anxiety in the West aboutPakistani nukes as the new govern-ment will in likelihood be made up ofmoderate and secular political forces. What is worrisome is that the USanxiety over Musharraf may lead toinstability in Pakistan. If an unnaturalalliance between Musharraf anddemocratic political parties isimposed, or if the United States triesto build pressure on the newPakistani government on this issue, itwould not only create politicalinstability but would also prepare

ground for extremists.Apart from a rise in acts of

terrorism, the Taliban and their chiefmentors in Pakistan may once againbe able to stir up anti-US sentimentsfor political gains. In such circum-stances, the ability of the newgovernment to settle and govern willbe severely undermined.Pakistan willstill be an ally of the United States inits struggle against al-Qaeda and theTaliban. But the goals this policy canbe better achieved if democracy isallowed to flourish. The problem ofterrorism needs to be addressedmore broadly and strategically thanthe military-only tactics employed bythe United States and Pakistan.While the use of force to counter

terrorism is essential, it cannot beresolved only through militarymeans.It is in the best interest ofPakistan and the United States thatthe democratic process shouldremain on track. Pakistan’s newgovernment will have to take up thefight against terrorism as its ownwar. Terrorism is as much a threat toPakistan as to the world.

The country needs economic andmilitary assistance as well as politicalbacking from the internationalcommunity to counter extremism. Butinternational collaboration andcooperation should be based on thebasic principle of mutuality ofinterests. Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS)

Hill parties rally behind GJM

Gorkhaland

Pakistan-Post-Election Scenario

US frustration will benefit extremistsä Muhammad Amir Rana

A clear verdict from Pakistanivoters against pro-Musharraf politicalparties has stunned policymakers inWashington. The Bush administrationhas built its anti-terror strategy in theregion around a single person i.e.,President Pervez Musharraf. Inreturn, he has extended unprec-edented military cooperation to theUnited States. Now, after the electiondefeat, Washington sees its favouriteally losing ground without analternative to fall back on.

The American concern is obvious:who will pursue its policies if PresidentMusharraf is either not in power or nolonger in a position to do so? Will thenew government be able to advanceU.S. policies, especially in the war onterror? Will there be a paradigm shiftin the Pak-US relations, or a deal withthe new government can be made tomaintain the status-quo? How will theelectoral mandate of the peopletranslate into government policies:more cooperation with Washington ora change in the terms ofalliance?Much was invested inBanazir Bhutto by the Bush adminis-tration as a post-Musharraf politicalally. But, after her tragic assassinationlast year, it seems to have no optionbut to continue backing Musharraf.

Diplomats at the U.S. embassy inIslamabad are closely monitoringpost-election development andencouraging a deal betweenMusharraf and opposition parties,mainly the Pakistan People’s Party

Asif Ali Zardari(L), widower of slain former Pakistani premier and presidentialcandidate Benazir Bhutto shakes hands with former premier Nawaz Sharif aftertheir meeting at his residence in Islamabad.

Nandigram,” warned BGP presidentC K Shrestha.

He added that his party would siton dharna in New Delhi on February28 along with the supportersdemanding the formation ofTelengana and Bundelkhand states.

Though the meeting did notannounce any agitationprogramme, it has decided to senda delegation to West Bengal andNew Delhi shortly and is also likelyto approach the Sikkim governmentfor support.

(Times of India)

Sri Lankanrebelviolenceintensifies

A Tamil Tiger rebel campwas targeted by the Sri Lankanmilitary Saturday, resulting in51 deaths, as violence in theAsian country intensified.

The Defense Ministry saidSaturday’s assault in thenortheastern portion of thecountry included both aerialand ground military forces andleft 42 Tamil Tigers dead, theColombo Page Web sitereported. The death tollbrought the total number ofrebels killed since Friday to 51,Colombo Page said.

While government-led forcestargeted Tamil Tiger strong-holds, the rebel group wassuspected of bombing a busSaturday outside Colombo,leaving 18 people injured, theSri Lankan newspaperreported.

(UPI)

24 Feb- 2 March, 200810 Perspective

ä Acharya Mahayogi SridharRana Rinpoche

Vipassyana is to see or gain insightinto the fact that all Sanskrita Dharma(conditioned phenomena) areconstantly changing and aretherefore impermanent (Anitya/Anicca in Pali); and because they areAnitya they are Dukha (sorrowful orsorrow producing or better stillunsatisfactory) and because they areimpermanent and unsatisfactory(Anitya – Dukha) they are neither menor mine (Anaatma – Anaatmiya).

Kaya (the body), Vedana (thefeeling sensation), Chitta (the mentalcontinuum) and the Chaitta – dharmawhich are the four used in the

Smrityupasthaan Sutra as Alambana(objects of meditation to gain insight(Vipassyana) into the way phenomena(dharmas) exist). It is only such aninsight that can liberate and no othermethods of meditation can liberate.

We shall go into greater detailsabout Vipassyana and the differencebetween Shamatha type meditationand Vipassyana type meditation, later

when the time comes. ButPurvanivasanusmriti also helps in therealisation of the Four Noble Truth(Chatwari Arya Satyani), which is thevery foundation of Buddhism and itspractice and in itself is the wholeteaching of the Buddha in a nutshell.

The Four Noble Truths was thefirst teaching the Shasta (master/teacher) gave and it was in Sarnath

to the five who had abandoned him inthe middle of his endeavours becausehe started eating. When a personmoving on the Sraavakayana pathhas his first glimpse of enlightenment,he experiences in his own mentalstreams the sixteen aspects of theFour Noble Truths.

This is the first glimpse of enlight-enments according to theSraavakayana system likeTheravada. If one properly practicesthe Vipassyana of the Theravadasystem, this is what he will experi-ence. He will not experience the Atma– gyana of the Hindus or Jains norgod – realisation of some Hindus orChristians. An understanding of this isvery crucial to the correct under-standing of Buddhism.

This glimpse is technically calledSrotapatti and the person is thenceforth a Srotappanna. Srota meansthe stream, i.e. the stream that leads

to final emancipation (Mukti/Mokchhya) and Apatti is falling into orentering. So it literally means enteringinto the stream that leads to or flowstowards Arhathood which is the finalemancipation (Mukti/Mokchhya).

However there are still two morestations or degrees of emancipationcalled Sakridaagaami and Anaagaamibefore Arhathood is attained.Sakridaagaami means once returner.The person will return once more tothe human realm before he attainsthe Anaagaami or the higher Arhatstage. The Anaagaami is the non –returner. He will not come back to thehuman realm anymore but until hebecomes an Arhat he may be rebornin the Deva or Brahma realms and goon to attain Arhathood. But if heattains Arhathood here he has nomore birth. This becomes his lastbirth. (To be continued)

(Sridhar Rinpoche is a VajrayanaMaster)

Degrees ofemancipation

M A R S H L A N D F L O W E R S

The Four NobleTruths which is thevery foundation ofBuddhism and its

practice and in itselfis the whole teaching

of the Buddha in anutshell.

However there are still two more stations or degrees ofemancipation called Sakridaagaami and Anaagaami beforeArhathood is attained.

25 Feb- 2 March, 2008 11Society

ä Yuyutsu RD Sharma

The return of thehearth - smokeplumes, firewood,charcoal, soot, andthe livid flames singingin kitchens; this is

what happens in Kathmandu, themoment someone - a political party orsome natural disaster snoozes theneck of the road that only a fewdecades ago linked the valley to theworld outside. The valley turns into aghost town, reminding me of the pastmore vigorously.

Walking in the legendry squares ofKathmandu under the dark silhou-ettes of the pagoda mansions andtemples, sauntering in dusk in thespacious squares lit by lamps, onegets the feel of the a nation thatNepal has been for centuries without

The return

any invasion of the concrete, withoutmuch aid, assistance or intervention.

As you walk down the lanes ofhistory, it looks like a magical trick thatthe government could use to luremore tourists. Not only is the valley anideal location for the Hollywoodproducers, you must visit Katmandunow to get a glimpse of what the pastwas like. I still sometimes find solacein the memories of Kathmandu I sawtwo decades ago when in smallwooden shops people huddledtogether.

There were wooden houses inBaneshwor and some parts of thevalley smelled of the countryside.That smell of burnt wood and farmlife has lived on in my memories. Alsothe cups of tea the pretty Sahunismade and family feel these shopshad, unlike the dance bars and smartshops that have taken over the

Positive sides ofstate sponsoreddarkness…

FIREFRONT

humility of wooden shacks. Also Iseek bliss sometimes in the emptystreets free of traffic pollution andtraffic congestion.

An ardent optimist, I see bliss in allthese times of turbulence. In thesedifficult times you can go home andfind your children waiting for you. Ifind them at ease to discuss their lifeand dreams with me. There’s nothingto distract them from you. In thedarkness, we meet, close to oneanother. The television is silent like asilent monster, waiting to wake up,conserving energy. I try to dig deeperinto my children’s worlds. I wouldn’thave known them as well as I do nowin this state-sponsor darkness, Ibelieve.

They passionately discuss poetrywith me for the first time. They wantto know where my poetry questwould lead me. In the dim candle oremergency lights, they talk to memore intimately sharing the secrets oftheir lives. In the two decades of myconjugal life, I have never been ashappy as on the nights of totaldarkness fuelled by state-bestowedload-shedding distributed sodramatically.

(writer@yuyutu.de)

of the

hearthhearth

“Are WomenHuman?”

They may not leap off theshelves into the best-sellercategory, but the booksshortlisted for the oddest booktitle prize certainly grab theattention.

“I was Tortured by the PygmyLove Queen” recounts the tale ofa fictional U.S. World War Twofighter pilot who is captured byjungle pygmies led by a sadisticwoman.

Its sequel, which is not on theshortlist released by tradepublication The BooksellerFriday, needs no explanation:“Go Ahead, Woman, Do YourWorst.”

“How to Write a How to WriteBook” and “Cheese ProblemsSolved” are likewise self-explanatory as is the equallyeclectic niche tome “People whoMattered in Southend andBeyond: From King Canute to Dr.Feelgood” that strives to put theEnglish east coast resort on themap.

While none of the above maychallenge the sensibilities too

much, others are likely to provemore divisive. Try “If You WantClosure in Your Relationship,Start With Your Legs” or “AreWomen Human? And otherInternational Dialogues.”

“I confess: I have been anxiousthat as publishing becomes evermore corporate, the trade’squirky charms are beingsqueezed out,” said HoraceBent, The Bookseller diarist andcustodian of the prize.

“But happily my fears havebeen proved unfounded: odditylives on. Drawing up the six-strong shortlist was a fraught andwildly controversial process.”

Bent paid tribute to thosebooks that failed to make the list,including titles such as “Drawingand Painting the Undead” and“Glory Remembered: WoodenHeadgear of Alaska SeaHunters,” wishing them betterluck next year.

Literary enthusiasts wishing tocast a vote can visit the Web site.The winner will be announced onMarch 28.

Helping buds to blossomUnearthing, understanding and healing thestress and trauma of children through therapy.

25 Feb-2 March, 200812 ProfileCDO Regd No 93/063/64 Kathmandu, Central Region Postal Regd. No 46/063/64

Better education requires better infrastruc-ture, good facilities, good and motivatingteachers. But even in the best of conditions,some children do not do so well in theireducation since they live with problemsconcealed deeply within which impacts on theirgrowth and education negatively. Only byexploring children’s psyche and healing it at anearly stage can they be helped to develop intowell adjusted, happy adults.

Friends of Needy Children (FNC), and itsnew endeavour, Ankur, has made an effort tooptimise the potential of children by providingmuch needed counseling to groups as well ason a case to case basis. The project was namedAnkur, meaning a bud, signifying its intention tocreate the right conditions for a bud to blossominto a flower.

“Friends of needy children was a mission thatwe in the Nepalis Youth Opportunity Forum(NYOF) conceived of together, solely to work forchildren, most of them with their missedchildhood and it did wonders within a very shortspan of time,” said Sajani Amatya, President ofthe NFC..

The forum referred most of its problem casesto NFC to provide psycho-social counseling thatmotivated them to get deeper into the subject. Adetailed study of the cases referred to the NFCshowed that there were children who hadtopped in their classes, but they were undertremendous stress, an aspect altogetherignored by teachers and guardians.

The FNC’s Ankur programme at the momentworks with three counselors, Anita Shrestha,Chhori Maharjan and Anubha, with Anita as itscoordinator. It has in a short span of time

encouraged more parents to bring their childrenfor counseling with the realisation that; it isurgent to get children to ventilate or share theirproblems, and that concealing theirproblems would have far more disastrousconsequences, both for the children as well asfor the family.

“They reveal and share more once trust isestablished between the victim and thecounselor,” Anita told newsfront. In the children’shome that the FNC runs at Ekantakuna,normally children above three and below sixyears in age are admitted. The ‘sand-playtherapy’ has been found to be the most effectiveto understand their problems. The small childrenwho cannot articulate their feelings well, tell a lotthrough pictures and miniature they draw on thesand.

In the past two years of its existence, theFNC has attracted nearly 850 cases. Each caserequires first four to five sessions for initialunderstanding, and the number of sessions

might be more depending on the case.Through orientation, children are also helped toadjust. “According to the interest of each child,and on the basis of our evaluation and assess-ment, dance, art and plays are recommended tovarious children,” said Shrestha, adding,“observing children, understanding theirbehavior and identifying problems are the key toremedy such problems.”

Having teachers and parents understandchildren’s needs and problems is equally

important so that the children get these facilities;since counselors and counseling facilities are tooinadequate in number. FNC has involved theprincipal and vice principal of Ullens Schools inSatdobato, as both share the same value in

education and have similar approaches onchildren’s growth besides having a commonnetwork. “But we want to extend such interac-tion and enlarge the involvement,” Sajani said.

The causes behind stress and trauma ofchildren differ and challenges lie in helping themidentify the causes and to overcome the stress.“We need to respect the privacy of the childrenas well as their families but some of the caseshave really motivated us a lot,” Sajani added.She narrated a case of a girl who spent herdays begging around the Pashupatinath area

and was brought to the centre. The girl despitea tragedy in her family now displays tremendoussocial responsibility towards other children likeher. Children from her kind of background alsoget informal schooling.

The centre has also begun taking in somechildren who are HIV positive if they are underten years of age. All these services are free ofcost but the dearth of counselors is the majorhandicap in coping with the growing number ofsuch children in distress.

ä nf correspondentWe needto respectthe privacyof thechildren aswell astheirfamilies.

observingchildren,understandingtheir behaviorand identifyingproblems arethe key toremedy suchproblems.

Sajani Amatya

Anita Shrestha