#400 16 - 22 May 2008 16 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 401. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ. What should king Gyanendra now do?

Weekly Internet Poll # 400

Q. What should be the priority of thepolitical parties now?

Total votes: 4,355

I t was 2.32 PM on 12 Maywhen the tables in theoffice started rocking.

There was no panic, and it wasonly later that the full horror ofwhat was going on 500km awayin Sichuan became apparent.

The 7.9 magnitudeearthquake flattened manytowns in the central Chineseprovince, and by Thursday thedeath toll had risen to 19,500with a staggering 45,000 morestill buried under buildings.Here at the edge of the Tibetanplateau in Qinghai province,office and factories are donatingblood and organising help.

China has mobilised 50,000soldiers, deployed its searchand rescue teams and providedunprecedented access to themass media. Emergency relief

ARUNA UPRETY in XINING

It will happen hereand medical services are pouringin.

As a Nepali doctor who hasbeen involved in relief in Iranafter the Bam earthquake andpost-tsunami medical camps inSri Lanka, my thoughts turnedimmediately to Nepal and theunthinkable: a similar quakehitting Kathmandu. A Big One inKathmandu is not a question ofif. It is a question of when.

Even with professional rescueteams, mobility and resources,the Chinese have found itdifficult to get equipment andpersonnel to the epicenter. Manyhospitals and school buildingshave come down, killinghundreds of patients andchildren.

With Kathmandu’s urbandensity, shoddy construction,and no state-level emergencyplan, a future earthquake would

leave between 100,000-200,000dead. The last big earthquake in1934 was of 8.0 magnitude andkilled 5,000 people inKathmandu at a time when theValley’s population was only150,000 and most lived in two-storey houses. One-third ofKathmandu’s populationperished in the 1255 earthquake,including King Abhaya Malla.

There has been a bigearthquake in Nepal every 70years and the next one is longoverdue. Nepal’s planners muststart thinking about rescue,relief, rehabilitation, retrofittingseismic-resistant schools and

hospitals and enforcing zoninglaws.

Those who survive will facewater and food shortages. Withroads and the airport damaged,relief will be delayed and socialanarchy will spread. Nepal hasbegun to organise urban self-help groups for building safetyand emergency response.

“If a Sichuan-typeearthquake were to hit here itwould be catastrophic,” saysAmod Dixit of the earthquakesafety group, NSET, “we’ve justgot started, and there’s anurgent need to accelerate workon disaster preparedness.”

NOT IF BUT WHEN:A family stands infront of the remainsof their houseSichuan onTuesday morning.A Big One inKathmandu is longoverdue.

The Sichuan quake is awake-up call for Nepal

SAM KANG LI

2 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400EDITORIAL

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Eight years ago, Nepali Times startedwith promises. Promises to report thetruth with evidence every week.Promises to carry news from aroundNepal that is neglected. Promises toelevate design and photography.Promises to consistently offer contentof value to discerning readers andpremium advertisers.

Judging by the rising readership both in hard copyand online eSpecial editions, and the affection itreceives from advertisers, it is clear that Nepali Timeshas fulfilled promises it made in 2000. Building up onthat success, here’s what we promise to do in the next400 issues: Nepali Times promises to develop additionalbusiness, trade and finance content as the country’squality of life, employment levels and incomes rise. Itpromises to give Nepal’s sharpest young journalists thefreedom to explore issues that matter to you.

It promises to make full use of multimediaplatforms to deliver reliable news and viewsinteractively to you. And it promises to continueinforming and entertaining you through its trademarktone of lively language to address serious issues.

Ashutosh TiwariCEO, Himalmedia

The next 400

Week after week since the first issueon 6 July 2000, Nepali Times hasbrought you in-depth reporting andexpert commentaries on Nepalipolitics, business, culture, travel andsociety. All this within an attractiveand lively package that hascredibility and world-classproduction values.

In this 400th issue, we express our appreciation tothe valuable partnership we have had with you, ouradvertisers and clients. Your confidence in us andunflinching support has been a very important part ofthis success. We look forward to deeper cooperation inthe coming years as Nepali Times expands its contentand reach.

We will cover issues that matter to peoplewho matter.

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DIARY OF A NATIONThis is the 400th edition of Nepali Times. Flipping through theback issues in our electronic archives(www.nepalitimes.com/archive.php) is like reading a nation’sdiary.

When the first issue of this paper hit the stands in 2000,King Birendra was on the throne, the political parties hadalready lost their way, there were general strikes every otherweek and the Maoist war was intensifying. Fed up withpolitical instability, royal hardliners were pressuring Birendrato be more assertive.

The newly-elected Prime Minister Girija Koirala was off toDelhi and his main job was to restore ties with India that hadsoured after the hijacking of IC814. The page one story on our#1 issue of 6 July 2000 was Koirala’s India wishlist. It looksoddly familiar today: renegotiating the 1950 treaty,hydropower, signing an extradition treaty. Despite all thechanges of the past eight years, we see how little haschanged.

The reports, columns, editorials speak of opportunitiessquandered. Whenever there was a chance to do the rightthing, our rulers did the wrong thing. The media analysed,interpreted and dispensed advice, but leadership was trappedby greed, political ambition and inflated egos. We never hadillusions that the media could change much, but the past eightyears showed the limitations of media in improvinggovernance.

The 100th issue in 2002 warned about climate changemelting the Himalaya. But there was no time to worry aboutglobal issues: the royal family had been butchered, and theconflict had deepened as the army got involved in a dirty war.The issue of 4 July 2002 carried an interview with the Britishcharge d’affaires in which he said Nepal shouldn’t be allowedto become a failed state. He prescribed better delivery ofservices, governance, strong political leadership and acrackdown on corruption as the best way to combat“terrorism”.

King Gyanendra was in a vain quest to make his creepingcoup work, and famously said: “Those who are loyal are notcompetent and those who are competent are not loyal.”

Soon, he started clamping down on the media, and wewrote in the 200th issue: ‘Banning the truth doesn’t make itdisappear. Free speech is not truly free if you are onlyallowed to say nice things. The government may not like whatthe media says, but it must protect our right to say it.’

The warning went unheeded and the February First coupblacked out the media with direct military censorship. Afterthat, it took only 14 months for the whole authoritarian edificeto collapse and Gyanendra to fade into a lingering limbo.

By June 2006 parliament was restored, theparties worked on an interim constitution, theMaoists joined the government, left andjoined again. The whole processtook twice as long as it

should have, theMaoists found it difficult to make

a smooth transition to mainstreampolitics. We in the media were too

mesmerised by squabbles in the capital to correctly gaugethe anger and despair in the rest of the country.

In his State of the State column in issue #300 CK Lalwrote: ‘Unless we find jobs for this restive and angst-filledgeneration, it will be impossible to establish sustainablepeace. Many are internally displaced by the insurgency andcounter-insurgency. They have no family, no jobs and nohope. Now they have no cause either. The deprived have nostake in stability.’

The political parties didn’t see the writing on the wall, theycarried on with business as usual and got swept away by theMaoist storm surge. Has our leadership learnt its lesson?Going by the wheeling and dealing this week, it doesn’t looklike it. We hope the Maoists will not fall into the same trap,nor go off on vain attempts to enforce utopia.

One lesson from the past eight years is that the Nepalipeople will not tolerate totalitarianism even if it is justified bythe promise of “fast-track” development. For every successfulSingapore model in the world today there are disastrousBurma or North Korea models.

Let our future rulers be warned: don’t mistake yourelectoral mandate as a right to trample on rights.

316 - 22 MAY 2008 #400

LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Letters should bebrief and may be edited for space. Whilepseudonyms can be accepted, writers who providetheir real names and contact details will be givenpreference. Email letters should be in text formatwithout attachments with ‘letter to the editor’ in thesubject line.

Email: letters(at)nepalitimes.comFax: 977-1-5521013Mail: Letters, Nepali Times,GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal.

BILA

SH

RA

I

ELECTRIC HORSEPOWERIt is good to see the diplomats going electric(‘Flying the green flag’, #399). I myself have justbought a Chinese electric bike and it is great forKathmandu. But will it really benefit Nepal andthe Nepalis if the duty for electric vehicles arereduced? Nepalis can’t afford to discard the carsthat they have now and buy imported e-vehicles.Nepal should immediately ban importation of allnew vehicles and convert the taxis and smallvehicles to electric power. We could buildelectric mass transit systems. That could createa lot of jobs and help the economy. It willcertainly be a New Nepal that everybody willwant to come to or want to come back to.

Rajendra Khadga, Lazimpat

It is a great irony that the diplomats andambassadors who least need subsidies pay theduty-free price for their electric vehicles, whileNepalis who need a subsidy have to pay 140percent tax. You really have to admire theintelligence and foresight of the MoF and ourrulers. Bravo!

Gyan Subba, email

UNMINI absolutely agree with your editorial ‘Not out ofthe woods yet’ (#399) that UNMIN should remainwith a skeletal team after its term expires in July.Let's not be over-confident, the need of the houris to take everyone along in the peace process.Precipitous behaviour will not bring peace orprogress. It's high time Prachanda and hisfuture team show that they areimplementers.

Nirmal Ghimire,University Of Girona,

Spain

INDIA SHININGThanks to PrashantJha for his goodinsight into the greatIndian economicdivide (‘Moreunequal’, #399). Maybe our policymakers will realise that blindly copying thepolicies of a big economy doesn't guarantee thatwe will solve our economic woes. If unchecked,booming economic prosperity can lead to over-consumption and a huge gap between the havesand have-nots. However, too much control canlead to slow or even negative economic growth.Therefore the policies should be conducive torapid economic growth but at the same timeensure that the earnings trickle down to the poor.

Swagat R Pyakurel, Biratnagar

Only in Bihar does it happen that the dacoitsbecome revolutionaries (‘South of the border’,#398). The Maoists are worse than the UML andNC. They are looters and pillagers and the YCLhasn’t stopped doing what it does best. How canyou expect them to be better than the UML orNC?

Kamal Kishor, email

DRAGONSI really enjoyed reading ‘There be dragons’ byCK Lal (State of the State, #399). Based on theparanoia expressed in Delhi, the future primeminister/president Prachanda should take hiscue from this article as to how much South Blockworries about China and capitalise on it for the

economic development he has envisioned forthe country. Perhaps this could be a leveragealso to settle border and water disputes withIndia.

Dino Shrestha, email

I wonder what makes CK Lal overlook Indianencroachment into Nepali territory, theinundation of Nepali land by embankmentbuilding across the border (#399). There is hugeIndian interference in Nepali affairs, yet he saysChina needn't get alarmed with this. Does Mr Lalwant Nepal to agree to remain a playground forIndia?

Loken Bhatta, email

PARTY PALACEYour Ass’s brilliant idea to turn Narayanhiti intoa party palace (Backside, #398) ‘in stiffcompetition to the Garden of Dreams’ couldactually be a boon for this garden, which wasneither restored nor ever intended for such apurpose. As frequent visitors to this oasis ofpeace and tranquility in the busy heart ofKathmandu, we are worried by the increasingnumber of private parties, weddings and otherdisturbing events since the beginning of thisyear, and the concurrent lack of appropriatemaintenance and repairs. The central pond has

never been as dirty as now, norhave the previously manicuredlawns been so dismally dry andoverused. In clear violation ofits own rules, the garden

management allowscommercialadvertisements on itspremises, as well aspop concerts, and

without controllingsound volumes toreasonable levels.Only recently, we andall other clients of the

Kaiser Cafe left by 4PMdue to the unbearable

sound-checks for suchan evening event.

Geert Hildebrand(Germany) Bimal

Subedi, Biswa KhadkaFriends of the Garden

of Dreams

ASININE AGAINThe Ass got it wrong in ‘An awesome economy’(#399). FYI, in Animal Farm (in the movie atleast) the dogs Napoleon nurtured were notAlsatians but Doberman Pinschers.

Subodh, email

4 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400NATION

ncertainties about thecomposition of the newgovernment, and especially

about who is going to be financeminister, has put the new budget in acloud of uncertainty.

However, because the Maoists willcertainly lead the government they willbe setting out the priorities in the budgetestimates. And if their election manifestois anything to go by, their populistproposals all need fresh allocations.

The Maoists have promised freebasic health care, free education, writingoff small loans to farmers, allowancesfor the elderly and safe drinking water tothe entire population within five years.

In the medium-term, they have alsopromised double-digit economic growth,boosting annual per capita income from$300 to $3,000 by 2020 and producing10,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity inthe next 10 years.

The Maoists’ first budgetWhere is the money going to come

from? At the National Planning Commission(NPC), there is uncertainty about how itsestimated Rs 189 billion budget for the nextyear is going to factor in provisions of theMaoist ‘New Transitional Economic Policy’.

“It is too early to comment on it,” saysDipendra Bahadur Kshetri, the Maoist-appointed member of the NPC. The

grandiose Maoist plans for growth wouldneed an annual economic growth of20 percent or more, and many say this isjust an utopian dream.

The government had allocatedRs 98 billion for recurrent expenditure andRs 55 billion for capital expenditure in thepresent budget. But at the end of the fiscal

year, Rs 28 billion from the recurrent budgethasn’t been spent and less than half themoney set aside for capital investment hasbeen spent.

“The reason for underspent capitalexpenditure is because there were noelected officials in the VDCs andmunicipalies, but usually the recurrentbudget is spent by the end of the fiscal

year,” says Krishna Hari Baskota, jointsecretary at the Ministry of Finance.

Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahattold Nepali Times on Wednesday thatbudget preparations were “routine” and onschedule. “However, policy level discussionhas not taken place,” he said, “that willhappen once the exact nature of the new

The state of our nation state

government is clear.”Mahat didn’t want to comment on

whether he would continue as FinanceMinister, but said the country’s macro-economic parameters were sound. “Iwould suggest that the next budget beeconomically sustainable, growth-friendly,rural-oriented and focused on reducingmeasures.” The NPC is reported to beworking on a budget for rural expenditurepresented by the Maoist-led Ministry ofLocal Development.

Nepal’s GDP growth may be less thanfour percent this fiscal year, below theforecasted five percent because ofsluggish manufacturing due to labour andpower crises.

“The biggest challenge for the Maoistsis how to lift economic growth,” said oneeconomist, “without that none of theirpromises are going to be kept. It’s time tobe realistic, not populist.” Dewan Rai and Gita Dhungana

The new Maoist-led government willhave to balance populism with realism

U

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

Preparing the rough draft of history for mythmakers of the futurever the past eight years, ithas been a remarkableexperience to see the

consciousness of commonNepalis—be they from the Pahador Madhes—evolve from beingloyal subjects of a king to aspiringcitizens of a republic of laws.

After penning over 400 Stateof the State columns from thedays of pre-launch online issuesof Nepali Times, the “ZeroEdition” in print and thehardcopy #1, I have learnt thepedagogy of punditry by doing.

And I have learnt to face themusic that comes frompontificating from the pulpit. Butall told, the joys and sorrowsof preparing rough draftsof history, as possibletestimonies formythmakers of thefuture, have beenintense.

It’s difficult torecapitulate eight years ofhistory running on steroids, but

five issues dominated almosteverything written during thisperiod in this column:

Revolution vs reform as thepreferred method of politicalchange

Constitutional monarchy vscommunist regime and theimportance of the political centre Nepalipan versus Nepaliyata

and the question of identity Nepal’s dependency and doubts

over the intentions of India The challenges of building an

inclusive, progressive anddemocratic Nepal where themargins and themainstream competerather than contest forcontrol over commonsand the state.

The ConstituentAssembly will

have to struggle with all theseissues as it begins to write thesupreme law of the land fromnext month.

The royal palace was nevercomfortable with the notion of

constitutional supremacy. K PBhattarai once confided at homethat King Birendra thought thatthe army was his. That was theinspiration for a column on the‘Royal Nepal Army (Pvt.) Ltd’, apiece that proved to be sadlyprophetic when King Gyanendraposted it to watch the primeminister prior to dismissinghim from his post.

Civil-Military relations willprobably be tougher to handlethan the management of Maoistcombatants. The April Uprisingmade the RhododendronRevolution redundant, but ifpeaceful politics isn’t allowedto exist, warts and all, therisk of chronic coups willremain even when Nepalbecomes a democraticrepublic.

It was the NarayanhitiMassacre that heraldedthe beginning of theend of the Shahregime. Gyanendramerely rushed theprocess by desiringto be the son of hisfather rather thanan accidental

O inheritor of his brother’s throne.The dates 22 May 2002, 4October 2002 and 1 February2005 were merely signposts onthe road to republicanism.

The journey had begun theday King Birendra refused to letthe government use all itsinstruments, including thearmy, to fight an incipientinsurgency. Once it grew into afull-fledged rebellion, there wasno way but to relent. In thecoming days, the importance ofthe political centre to counterthe possibility of communisttotalitarianism will probablyemerge with even greater force.

Reorienting the Nepal-Indiarelationship is more complexwith the Madhes claiming itsright to be heard and Maoistsready to make any compromiseto entrench themselves inKathmandu. But unless theylisten to each other and decideto work together, the dream of aninclusive republic of Nepal willremain a dream.

We will continue to chasethat dream. After all, as someonerightly asked, “What are heavensfor?” SUBHAS RAI

516 - 22 MAY 2008 #400BUSINESS

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

upermarket shelves are emptyingthroughout the world. FromArgentina to the UK to Japan

politicians have worried looks and thenewspapers are gravely charting the risingfood prices and dwindling stocks.

In Haiti, the food crisis has alreadytoppled the government. Haitiangovernments are toppled famously easily,but even in India, the UPA governmentmay lose the next election if theopposition exploits the issue resourcefullyenough. The Chinese state think-tanks areworking overtime to ensure that thecountry’s vast infrastructure and resourcesare able to supply food to all of its vastpopulation.

In Nepal, the focus has been on theupcoming government in the constituentassembly, so the food issue has not beenmuch more than a few reports in thepapers. But we should not ignore thismatter. If inflation fuelled by the foodshortage gets out of control no one knowswhere it might stop. Nepal is lucky to haveits currency pegged to the Indian rupee,which is still strong against the US dollar.But a big devaluation of the rupee, ashappened in the early nineties could leadto chaos here as much as in India.

The global food shortage is beingexacerbated by growing consumption ofboth foodstuffs and other commodities,which is now close to outstripping supply.

Consumption has increased on fourcounts. Firstly, the growing affluence indeveloping countries is increasing thedemand for grain. Secondly, the advent oflarge retail stores like supermarkets andhypermarts which stock a large quantityand variety of foodstuffs means that morefood is in the storeroom. Thirdly, peopleare eating more meat, which necessitatesmore grain to feed more animals. Andfourthly, now that the search is on forrenewable energies and alternatives fuels,much former cropland is being given overto producing biofuels.

The rise in oil prices has only madematters worse. The cost of transportation is

increasing at a phenomenal rate and it isprobably not long till a time when inlandlocked countries like Nepal, thetransportation costs will start to form alarge portion of the retail price. Spirallingprices for food and other basic items willnaturally hit the public’s purchasingpower, and then of course it is only amatter of time until possibly violentdemands for wage increases start tosurface.

These are the times when data, researchand economic think-tanks become useful.Unfortunately in Nepal, we know littleabout the impact of urbanisation and theabsence of land use laws on agriculturalproduction. We don’t understand the linkbetween fuel prices, transportation costsand retail rates. We are unaware of thesupply chain and find it difficult todetect hoarding of foodstuffs. What is therelationship between the changes in eatingpatterns amongst urban youth and theavailability of various food commodities?What has been the impact of large retailstores on supply and consumption? Dueto a lack of professional and theoreticalexpertise, we are still barely equipped toanswer these questions.

Now as the CPN (Maoist) forms a newgovernment, the challenges from basicissues of food supply and inflation aregreater and more dangerous than they havebeen for several decades. If the governmentdoes not formulate and implement hard-headed and well-considered policies toride this storm, then they are likely tospend more of their time extinguishingburning tyres than writing a newconstitution.

www.arthabeed.com

Digesting inflationIt’s not just price hikes

S

NEW PRODUCTS

SAM KANG LI

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Meet dream teamPepsi has launched acampaign called “Pepsi—Meet the dream team”. Thoseinterested will SMS ananswer to the question of theweek, garnered from

catching TV adverts. Every week onewinner will get a cash prize ofRs 100,000. At the end of the fifth week,the grand prize winner, chosen through alucky draw, will win an all expense paidtrip to Barcelona to meet the ‘PepsiDream Team’ with stars such as Messiand Henry.

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Youth meetThe Confederation of NepaleseIndustries-Young Entrepreneurs Forumand Nepalese Young EntrepreneursForum jointly organised an interactionprogram, ‘New economic thought for NewNepal’ on 10 May. The program, attendedby Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai,focussed on the issue of economicpolicies as conceived by the Maoists andthe perspective and role of youngentrepreneurs in changing times.

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Real flavourAfter the successful completion of 11weeks of “Guess the RealFlavour of the Week,” Realwill now announce the winnerof the mega bumper prizethrough a grand lucky draw.The winner gets to go on aStar cruise for two on the shipliner Super Star Aquarius. Thesecond and third prizes are a laptop anda digital camera.

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Royal schemeRoyal Merchant Banking and FinanceLimited has launched the “Royal Tin KoPaanch Yojana”. Under this scheme, if

customers deposit Rs 3,000 or anymultiple of Rs 3,000, they receive a bankamount equivalent to Rs 5,000 or amultiple of Rs 5,000. The annual yield onthe deposit can be as high as11.7 percent.

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New GladiatorMorang Auto Works

has launched its new125cc GladiatorSS in the market.The new bike has28 newly

developed features that add to itsperformance, styling, handling andcomfort. The bike, priced at Rs 138,900comes in two colours: yellow and red andoffers a mileage of 76km per litre.

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Flexi schemeUnited Finance hasintroduced a new Unitedflexi saving account thatwill allow customers toopen an account forRs 1000 at sevenpercent interest. This new schemeincludes free accident insurance and acheque book. The customer will alsoreceive a 0.5 percent discount in newloans.

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Thai sharingThai Airways International PublicCompany and Royal Brunei Airlines willbegin code-share flights from 15 May. Aspart of the code-share agreement, ThaiAirways will code-share on Royal BruneiAirlines’ services on the routes Bangkokto Bandar Seri Begawan and back.Tickets are open for sale from 2 May.

MUNCHY:Himalayan Snackshas introduced thenew MayosMunchy CheeseBalls. The productwill be available in10g, 15g, 20g, and 25g packs. Theproduct will cater to children andteenagers.

STIX: Marigold Foodshas launched a newsnack called U n Me Stix.The product is availablein the market forRs 10 in masala flavour.The company plans to

introduce chicken and vegetableflavoured stix in the coming months.

XENON: Hansraj Hulaschand haslaunched the Xenon range of inverters,UPS and batteriesin the market. TheXenon Ace PureSine Wave invertercan run under aheavy load and willnot be affected byvoltage fluctuations. Italso ensures the safety of the equipment.Proprietary technology allows rapidbattery charging and provides up to 20percent extra battery life.

6 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Jana Aastha, 14 May

Royalists who met at the king’s in-laws’ home in Maitighar onMonday evening for a secret discussion on the king’s optionsseemed happy to see him so confident and relaxed. Those whomet the king said that the under no circumstances would he quitNarayanhiti, and he is reported to have said: “You don’t need toworry. I’m not going to just leave. If need be, I’ll ask for yourhelp.” What is the reason for the king’s confidence?

At the meeting hosted by Baikuntha Shumsher JBR at hisplace in Maitighar Heights, one royal relative said that the kingshould not meet with Prachanda just yet. Indeed the king hasignored requests for an audience, and has been using go-betweenslike Kamal Thapa to negotiate with the Maoists.

Rumours abound that there was a secret agreement betweenthe Congress, UML, Maoists and king back in 2006, which may bethe reason why the king is still sitting pretty in the palace. Thereis a lot of speculation but no definite proof as to what America,India, the king, Prachanda and Baburam (in Noida in India) UMLand Congress agreed to in April 2006 in return for the kingrestoring parliament.

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Dear educationMadhab Raj Acharya inSamaya, 10-16 May

The high tuition and admissionfees private schools charge arealways a topic of discussionamong parents and the politicalparties.

But to think that the problemwill be solved if the governmentsimply places a ceiling on privateschool fees is not pragmatic. Ifthis was done, fees would indeedgo down. But many schools mayhave to shut down, and even ifthey stay afloat standards may godown.

Society will have to live withthe consequences. Before forcingschools to reduce their fees, thegovernment should first try andraise the quality of governmentschools so they are a moreattractive option. Compare thestate-run companies, banks,airlines and schools with privateones and you’ll see a lack ofproper management, hard workand a sense of belonging, andunderstand that nationalisationof private schools is not thesolution to any problem.

If the government raised thestandards in state schools thenmore children would enroll, andprivate schools would be forcedto standardise their feesautomatically.

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New beginningAjay Dixit in Kantipur, 13 May

At the recently held PatnaConference, Bihar’s Chief MinisterNitish Kumar, like the chiefminister in 1992, proposed toconstruct a high dam on the Kosi,but he also mentioned that theprosperity of Nepal and theNepali people is equallyimportant. The chief ministersaid: “First of all the electricityshould cater to the needs of theNepali people. Only if there issurplus power should it beexported to India to generaterevenue...”

Employment generators can’tbe sustained without reasonablypriced and easily available power.And without new employment,Nepal cannot prosper. Bihar andthe other border states face similarchallenges, but it is a welcomegesture from the chief minister toacknowledge that Nepal needspower too.

The chief minister’s view thatthe environment and ecosystemswill be strengthened by highdams is not true. The proposedhigh dams will produce largeamounts of electricity, but it’slikely that thousands will bedisplaced, forests, tributaries andbiodiversity will be seriouslyaffected. Any hydropowerdevelopment must also considerthese issues.

Smug king

NEPAL, 18 MAY

KIRAN PANDAY

716 - 22 MAY 2008 #400FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Interview with Baburam Bhattarai,Himal Khabarpatrika, 14-28 May

What is the ‘Prachanda Economic Model’?This is an economic policy that is relevant to Nepal’sreality. We are in the process of ending the backwardultra-feudal economy and ushering in a progressiveindustrial capitalism. This is a unique case and we havecalled it the ‘Prachanda Model’.

How is it different from what we already have?Our excessive dependence on under-productiveagriculture is an obstacle to economic growth. It is notcreating jobs and people are forced to migrate. We haveto replace this medieval and feudal means of productionwith a modern profit-oriented model. Absenteelandlordism must end, land must go to the tiller and onlythen will agriculture be transformed. The state’s job isto provide irrigation and infrastructure and joinfragmented landholdings into cooperatives.

Doesn’t your revolutionary land reform contradict yourindustrial capitalist model?No one should be afraid of developing modernagriculture through a capitalist system. In fact we willencourage it and help it along with infrastructuresupport.

What are your other priority areas?We must concentrate on areas where we havecomparative advantage such as tourism and waterresources, and invest in infrastructure to create theconditions for industrialisation. This way industries canbe set up even in remote areas like the Karnali. Wemust get a railroad to join China with India. Invest ineducation and health.

What is the policy on education and health?These are basic human rights and the responsibility to

provide them lies with the state. We want to edge out theprivate sector from education in a timebound fashion andthere should be public-private partnership in highereducation and health. We welcome the private sector inprojects where large investments are required.

How will you resolve the need to develop water resourceswith geopolitics?By focusing on Nepal’s national interest. We will developsmall and medium projects for domestic energy to end thepower crisis. Multi-purpose projects will be financedthrough shares, remittances and foreign investment. Butwe will choose the projects, not foreigners. Just becausewe are dependent on India on a few things doesn’t meanwe have to do as they say, we have to deal with them onthe basis of mutual benefit.

Foreign aid comes with strings attached, how will you dealwith that?Past governments have accepted aid in a haphazard way.

We won’t let that happen. We will end the anarchy inforeign aid and drive it according to our nationalpolicies and priorities.

What problems do you see in the private sector?The state’s policy on the private sector is faulty. Privatecompanies are in a crisis because of dependence, theopen border is creating losses.

And the politicisation of labour?The politicisation of labour is not the problem, there areother problems: loadshedding that is creating 40percent losses, money is lost on commissions, there isfeudalism. The relationship between labour andmanagement has to be improved, if management cantransfer money spent on commissions to increasesalaries by just Rs 1,000 a lot can be achieved. Andproductivity can be improved if the state invests inenergy and infrastructure.

How will you deal with the fuel and food crisis?We will explain to the people why there is a price hike.We will provide relief to the poor with schemes similarto the ration card system in India. The distributionsystem must also improve.

How realistic is a 25-30 percent economic growth rate?This has been achieved during revolutions, it’s notunusual if you look at the history of different countries.

What kind of a party are you?We are a communist party that believes in reaching thegoal of communism through capitalism and socialism.

Have you renounced violence?After the peace agreement, violence has ended for now.But this is relative. If someone uses violence there willbe counter-violence. In the past we did not commitviolence, we just reacted to the state’s violence.

“We don’t have to do as India says”

SAM KANG LI

8 NATION

t is 11AM and the Shaktikhorcantonment is a massivesports field. Some of thePeople’s Liberation Army

fighters are jogging, some practicekarate drills, others play footballand volleyball. And the campswimming pool is beinginaugurated.

The war has been over for twoyears and the former rebels arepoised to form the newgovernment after getting the mostvotes in last month’s elections.The PLA’s energy is beingrefocussed from guerilla traininginto competitive sports andtargeted learning. “Before it was ajungle war. Now it’s a table war,”one battalion commander tellsus.

Two soldiers, Sijan andNayan, welcome the change.Despite obvious difficulties, the

Juc

I

0600HRS: Soldiers take karate training awa

1700HRS: Jitendra, one of the better studenduring English class.

ALL PICS: SAM KANG LI

916 - 22 MAY 2008 #400

unglecamp

two make an effort to speak toeach other in English becausethey believe that language skillswill help them get good jobs.

After being constantly on themove, going from one battle toanother, sleeping at makeshiftcampsites for years, cantonmentlife has been a relief to many.Although things were rough inthe beginning, they have now putup sturdy wooden buildings,stone pavements, water supplyand street lights. In one-and-halfyears the jungle has been turnedinto well-tended allotments.

The former combatants plyvisitors with food and smilebashfully when greeted inNepali. It is easy to forget thatnot long ago they were fighting abrutal war. Motivation andcommitment to the Maoist causeis still high. The words

“revolution” and “New Nepal”crop up often in conversation. Theex-guerrillas feel their army wasfounded on a shared-belief inliberation, but that the nationalarmy is made up of conscripts.This is likely to make integrationdifficult.

Integration is the best chancefor many who have no otherprofessional experience to have aprofessional military career. Butmany want to get back to civilianlife, and the camp is serving as askills training centre.

At 3PM Sijan and Nayan takemedical training, but they willnot be certified. They still face anuncertain future, and when askedwhere they see themselves in afew years’ time, they could justshrug and say, “Khoi?”

Sheere Ng in Chitwan

way from the cantonment’s morning bustle on a nearby riverbank. 0700HRS: PLA commanders march on the football field during regular drill practice.

0800HRS: Soldiers on cooking duty prepare lunch in one of the 100-odd messes around the cantonment.

1100HRS: Platoon 1 of C Company, 13th Battalion, tidy the garden around their living quarters.

1300HRS: Sankalpa and Asha enjoy a moment with their son who has just woken upfrom an afternoon nap.

1500HRS: Brigade commander Saral waits to be the firstperson to plunge into the new swimming pool.

ents, practises with a visiting foreigner

10 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400NATION

TARAI EYEPrashant Jha

adhesi parties are enjoying being feted in Kathmandupower corridors, and have ratcheted up the rhetoric onimmediate implementation of past agreements. But this

hides the incoherence between their statements and actions afterelections.

There is a strong lobby within the MJF, especially of old timeractivists on the ground, which is against joining the government.They fear co-option, a blunting of the party’s radical edge, andgiving their opponents opportunities to accuse them of selling out.This school wants the party to occupy the opposition space andaim for the next national and provincial elections. But there are

others who want to enjoy theperks of power, and be in aposition to extend patronage.

The party leadership willbargain hard, both for plum

posts and some visible commitment by the Maoists to anautonomous Madhes. Whether they finally join or not will dependon the contours of such a deal, the attitude of NC and UML togovernment formation, the degree of Maoist flexibility, and thenature of Indian pressure.

But even as Kathmandu politics hogs all the attention, there isdiscontent and rumbling among Muslims. Only 16 Muslims havemade it to the CA, which is about 2.5 percent of the house althoughthe census shows they constitute four percent of the population.(Muslim activists insist they are at least seven percent.) Muslimsfeel the parties, including Madhesi forces which claim Muslims areMadhesis, have treated them as a mere vote bank.

The discontent is at a nascent stage, but there are voicesarguing for the formation of a separate Muslim party and moremilitancy. It is essential that the national and Madhesi partiesaddress the legitimate grievances and demands of Muslimsimmediately: representation, protection of their religious andcultural rights, education issues which may entail combiningmadrasa and scientific teaching.

If they fail to do so, Muslim politics will assume a more stridenttone. The absence of a strong and mature mainstream Muslimleadership will only compound the problem. Radical Islamistpolitics will invite a Hindu rightwing reaction turning communalrelations volatile, add another conflict fault-line, make the paranoidIndian intelligence agencies even more worried about 'ISIinfluence' in the Tarai, and arouse US interest.

There has also been a surge in crime in the Tarai. Last week, aKathmandu based Madhesi engineer traveled to Goithi village inSaptari for a development project. He was ambushed by four menclaiming to be from the Madhesi Virus Killers. One had an SLR, therest possessed local pistols. They began by asking for Rs 20,000.After intense bargaining, a deal was struck for merely Rs 200. Theincident reveals how everyone is easy prey, the political coverused by criminals, their desperation, and the administration'sinability to rein in even weak fringe groups.

There is now a yearning among Madhesis for an agenda thatgoes beyond just identity. This is only bound to grow in themedium-term as identity chauvinism hits a glass ceiling. "Withmore than one-third of the CA made up of Madhesis, therepresentation issue has been addressed to some extent. TheMadhesi groups will now have to move to the next stage," saysMartin Chautari researcher, Bhaskar Gautam.

This next stage must be to lift living standards. None of theMadhesi parties have an economic and development vision for theTarai. The plight of landless Dalits, employment generation, skillstraining, raising agricultural productivity and ensuring food securityare absent from their agenda.

These are early warnings. If national and Madhesi partiesdo not listen to the Tarai's Muslims, deal with lawlessness andaddress economic issues, we may be on the brink of newconflicts.

Post-identitypolitics

Madhesi groups will now haveto move to the next stage

M

1116 - 22 MAY 2008 #400NATION

t 4 o’clock in theafternoon, 600 Maoistsoldiers are massed in an

empty field at the Shaktikhorcantonment. In the searing heatand humid air, few are able togive their full attention to thepronouncements being deliveredby the division vice commanderfrom the stage.

Some of the soldiers even lookbored . After two years in thecantonment they are still waiting.Between the lines of soldiers, atoddler in squeaky shoes races upand down. A fallen tree trunknear the stage is teeming withchildren playing on it.

After the peace agreement wassigned and the PLA housed incantonments two years ago, manychildren ended up moving intocamp with their ex-guerrillaparents. In the Chitwancantonment alone there are about300 children under the age of 10.

While these children have notbeen mentioned specifically inthe peace accord, their welfare hasbeen a matter of concern,especially because of disrupteddomestic lives, exposure tomilitary activities and likelihood

“Maybe we are different”

of being recruited.“These are unnecessary fears.

We have no plans to recruit thesechildren and we have not allowedthem to participate in anymilitary training,” says Sanjib,vice commander of the thirddivision. The soldiers also don’t

wish to see their children withguns in their hands. They say thereason they fought the war was togive them opportunities in life.

As there is no education here,the Maoists have set aside part oftheir food allowance to pay feesin private schools at Jutpani

Some children are eager to goback home to their extendedfamilies. Others from poorfamilies are glad to have shelter,free food and healthcare in thecantonment. Ten-year-old Arnishtells us life in the camp is strict.He had just been told off by one ofthe soldiers for climbing a tree.With more than 6,000 soldiers atShaktikhor, there are more thanenough adults to keep an eye onthem.

They often play hide-and-seek,and sometimes pretend to besoldiers and play with toy guns.Their classmates at school areafraid of them and refuse to playtogether. “Maybe we really aredifferent from the others,” saysnine year-old Dipesh.

A helicopter passes overheadand the children leap to their feetshouting “UN! UN!”. For the mostpart they are well-informed aboutthe political situation in thecountry, and can reel off names ofpolitical leaders and closelyfollowed election results.

But no one know how muchlonger they will be here. Dipak,10, who listened attentively tothe commander's message, sayshe will stay till "Naya Nepal" isset up.

PLA children are growing up in the cantonmentsSHEERE NG in CHITWAN

A

SAM KANG LI

Chok. But there is never enoughmoney. Bishnu, who has fourchildren living at thecantonment, says “I don’t thinkthe party has enough funds, and Icertainly don’t, so what can I do?”He has not received his allowancefor 10 months.

12 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400SPORTS

epal Professional Golfers’ Association (NPGA) recentlysigned an agreement with Nepal’s largest corporate house,Surya Nepal, to set up a national golf tour and organise

tournaments in Nepal to provide a platform for professionals andaspiring amateurs who want to compete at a top level.

Time and again, Nepal’s golfers have expressed the need toestablish a national tour which would not only sharpen the skillsof the players, but also introduce Nepal as a real golfing

destination. The journeytowards achieving this goalmay be long and tough but atleast we have made a goodstart.

With adequate tournaments and exposure, Nepali players willsoon be able to make their mark in international golf. Realisingthis, Surya Nepal, which has been the largest sponsor of golfing inNepal for the last fifteen years, took this fresh initiative todevelop the game and improve the livelihoods of localprofessional golfers.

Personal development is even more important in a sport likegolf than in team sports. The golf tour that was established inIndia twenty years ago has paid off and we can see players likeJeev Milka Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal competing atthe highest level.

The first event of this tour, Surya Nepal Central Open hasalready kicked off and as you read this, players will be preparingfor the final 18 holes. If you wish to see them in action then comeand catch them on 16 May at the Le Meridien Gokarna Forest GolfResort and Spa.

The tour will boost the morale of top players, who will get abetter living from playing, and give amateurs more opportunitiesto enhance their skills over four days and 72 holes.

NPGA also has a special agenda to encourage caddies and givethem opportunities to compete in this tour. Nine caddies aretaking part as amateurs in the first event and, who knows, one daythese village boys may turn out to be some of the region’s finestgolfers.

Surya Nepal’s bid to support excellence in sports is highlycommendable. Other corporations are now contemplating theirinvolvement to add to this growing momentum.

Deepak Acharya is a golf instructor and Golf Director at GokarnaForest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu.prodeepak(at)hotmail.com

TEE BREAKDeepak Acharya

The Surya Nepal Golf Tour

Striding outN

16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400 13SOCIETY

f you go out in Thamel on aFriday night there is a goodchance you will bump into at

least one of Bhushan, Mandil andRobin. Everyone loves a goodparty, but these three enjoy it somuch that they decided to make acareer out of it.

It’s five years this monthsince they founded Party Nepal.In the meantime the brand namehas become almost synonymouswith Kathmandu’s nightlife, andits website(www.partynepal.com) hasbecome the most visited, with25,000 visits every day.

Back in 2003, Mandil had theidea of setting up a web portal toprovide up-to-date informationabout what was happeningaround town. The problem wasthat the party scene was so drythat they soon ran out of contentto fill their website. So the triodecided to make their own newsby hosting parties, organisingfunctions, club nights, concertsand corporate events.

SHEERE NG After becoming a householdname in Nepal, they went on toexpand their business to othercountries, promoting andorganising international tours forNepali artists like the band 1974AD, who have toured Asia andEurope.

“We aim to promote Nepalimusic and culture, so that whenpeople think of Nepal, they don’tthink it’s just mountains andrivers,” says Bhushan.

Kathmandu is a much morehappening place than most ofNepal, but even here sometimesthe scene can feel small. Someregulars of the party circuit toldNepali Times that they see thesame people all the time at theseevents, which could be taken as asign that the party scene hasreached saturation.

Mandil laughs this off, sayingthat the entertainment industryin the country is growing fast,and Party Nepal has started tomeet more competition in recentyears than in the time when itstarted. Some have called thetrio’s career path frivolous, given

the dire state of the country inthe last few years. To this Mandilreplies, “People need avenues torelax all the more.”

Apart from the party circuit,Party Nepal has put a lot ofenergy and investment intohelping local talent break into themusic industry, cutting albumsfor bands such as ByPass. “Ourlocal musicians are not lacking intalent, they just need chances forexposure,” says Robin.

Their website has become acoveted publicity space foradvertisers such as clubs,breweries and clothes retailers.Some advertisers, such as aMalaysian university, may seemslightly out of place on a partywebsite. But Bhushan explains,“Our audience is exactly themarket they want to target.”

Even with all their businessconcerns to take care of, the threeguys make sure they still takeenough time to do what they setup the company for in the firstplace: having a good time. MusesMandil: “That’s the wholepoint.”

Painting KTM redAt five, Party Nepal rocks

I

aranoid Park, a new feature by director Gus Van Sant, is aslight but powerful film. The title comes from a skater-parkwhose proportions are legendary in the mind of the film’s

protagonist, Alex, a complex teenager dealing with some heavyproblems. When Alex relates to his friend Jerrod that he doesn’tthink he’s ready for Paranoid Park, the reply is “No one is everyreally ready for Paranoid Park.” Bit by bit we come to realise thatParanoid Park is a veiled metaphor for the threshold ofadulthood, and the film is above all a naturalistic portrait of themoment, which comes in everyone’s life, when adolescence

ends and adulthoodbegins.

The film is led on byintermittent narration fromAlex, a voiceover toevents which he records in

a notebook. In what becomes like a confessional to an unknownrecipient, we gradually learn of his involvement in a death of asecurity guard. The narration renders the plot disjointed andcircumventive, the story jumping back and forth with Alex’sthoughts. But this structure accurately reflects confusion andpanic which are churning around his mind. And, as a gimmick, itis largely successful in keeping your attention.

The oscillations in the plot are reflected by digressive, lyricalvignettes of skateboarders in motion. No doubt much of thebeauty of these scenes can be attributed to the talents of thefilm’s two cinematographers, Christopher Doyle (long-time WongKar-Wai collaborator) and Rain Kathy Li. Shifting to Super 8 filmand back to 35mm, there is a sense of otherworldliness thatmakes the youngsters seem angelic and lost. Sometimesaccompanied by ambient music, the clips are moody, mournful.These cinematic compositions keep buoyant a film that mighthave been bogged down by maudlin drama.

Van Sant expresses an enormous empathy with hisadolescent subject to the point of beatifying him. The part is wellplayed by Gabe Niven, a non-actor whose pokerfaced deliverysuits the private struggle that is both emblematic of the kindexistentialism particular to teenagers and specific to thecircumstances of this character. Minute shifts in demeanour(possibly imagined on the part of the audience) translate Niven’scherubic face from bland to defensive, from unfeeling tosuffering.

In Paranoid Park, Van Sant seems to have constructed anintentionally minor offering. Absent is the provocative materialtypical of his other ambitious work. But this is not a purelyartistic exercise. Instead a modest story is interestingly andartfully told, simply realising a genuine portrait of remorse anddisaffection. Satisfying and empathetic, Paranoid Park succeedsas an insightful and intimate document of adolescent struggle.

PARANOID PARKDirector: Gus Van SantCast: Gabe Nevins, Dan Liu, Taylor Momsen, Jake Miller, LaurenMcKinney.2008. 78 min. R

CRITICAL CINEMAA Angelo D’Silva

Schooldays over

SAM KANG LI

Gus Van Sant’s portraitof adolescent turmoil

P

14 16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400CITY

KATHMANDU VALLEY

ABOUT TOWN

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

The satellite picture on Thursday morning shows the precursors tothe monsoon massing up along the west coast of southern India.There is also another circulation which is not quite a cyclone overthe Bay. The combination of these two systems will continue to pumpin moisture into the Himalaya, and this will provoke thundery afternoonshowers into the weekend. The monsoon is another month away, butexpect pre-monsoon storms along the Mahabharat and the highvalleys. Allt his will hopefully top up the Valley’s rainfall quota, ofwhich only half has fallen so far this month. Temperatures will remainstable over the weekend.

KATHMANDU

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Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepalwww.jainepal.com

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie siblings aretransported back from England to the world of Narnia, where theymeet Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian,who has been forced into hiding by his uncle Miraz. During theirabsence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct; Narnia hasbeen conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of theevil King Miraz. With the Narnians, and led by the mighty knights Peterand Caspian, they embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan,rescue Narnia from Miraz's tyrannical hold, and restore magic andglory to the land.

Fri Sat Sun

30-14 29-14 29-15

For inclusion in the listing send information to editors(at)nepalitimes.com

EXHIBITIONSAn open show of water colour paintings by Kiran Manandhar,until 16 May, 10AM-6PM at Park Gallery, Lazimpat. 4419353Photo.circle.special.edition featuring India by Magnum,17 May,10.15 AM at Allianz Francaise, Tripureswor.Transformations furniture exhibition 9-24 May at the Imago DeiGallery Café, NaxalSilhouettes in Time paintings by Erina Tamrakar, 13-30 May atSiddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal Revisited. 4218048

E V E N T SRupak Memorial Cup 2065 cine stars versus television comedystars, 3-6PM on 17 May at the Dashrath Stadium. 426166912th Nepal Education and Book Fair release of the Nepali editionof A People War with book signing by Kunda Dixit, 10-18 May atthe Bhrikuti Mandap.Children of Men a film by Alfonso Cuaron at theLazimpat Gallery Café, 20 May, 6.30 PM.4428549Sky is the Limit open painting competition byChhetrapati Club for kids aged between 11-16 atChhetrapati Chok on 20 May,7-10AM. 98510251031Lecture on unraveling the mosaic spatial aspectsof ethnicity in Nepal by Pitambar Sharma at Yala Maya Kendra,Patan Dhoka, 21 May, 5PM. 4472807Reineke the fox a drama performed by Studio 7 at the NagaTheatre, Hotel Vajra, 7.15 PM until 25 May every Friday,Saturday and Sunday.CSGN monthly lecture A Porter's burden- the untold story ofNepali Mountain Porters by Ben Ayers at Hotel Shanker, 30 May,9.30 AM

MUSICLive karaoke with special thai cuisine, every Wednesday atHoliday Karaoke Restaurant and Bar, Lazimpat. 4445731Rudra night fusion and classical Nepali music by Shyam Nepaliand friends, every Friday, 7PM at LeMeridien, Gokarna. 4451212Sufi music by Hemanta Rana, every Friday at 7.30 PM at DhabaRestaurant and Bar, Thapathali.Yankey and friends live acoustic music every Friday at theBourbon room Restro-bar, Lal Darbar.Anil Shahi every Wednesday and Rashmi Singh every Friday,live at the Absolute Bar, Hotel Narayani Complex, 8PM. 5521408

D I N I N GLajawab tandoori and kabab festival, 7-10 PM every Friday at theHotel Himalaya, Rs 550.Hot summer spicy food at the Jalan Jalan Restaurant, KupondoleHeights. 5544872The Kaiser Café open now at the Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, open from 9AM-10PM. 4425341Kakori special rate of Rs. 365 per item from an exclusive menu atKakori, Soaltee Crowne Plaza until 24 May.Sunday jazz brunch design your meal with pastas, salads andbarbeque, with jazz by Mariano and band, at the Rox Garden,Hyatt Regency. 4489361Steak escape with Kathmandu’s premier steaks available forlunch and dinner at the Olive Bar and Bistro, Hotel Radisson.4411818Thakali and local cuisine at Marpha Thakali Restaurant and barat Kathmandu business Park, Teku. 4104504Bourbon Room Restro-bar now open for lunch and dinner withover a 100 cocktails, Lal Darbar.Cocktails and grooves with jazz by Inner Groove at Fusion-thebar at Dwarika’s, every Wednesday, at Dwarika’s Hotel.Cocktails, mocktails and liqueurs at the Asahi Lounge, openinghours 1-10PM, above Himalayan Java, Thamel.Continental and Chinese cuisine and complimentary freshbrewed coffee at Zest Restaurant and Bar, Pulchok.Illy espresso coffee at the Galleria cafe, every Friday espressococktails.International buffet at the Sunrise Café and Russian specialtiesat Chimney, Hotel Yak and Yeti. 4248999Steak Fare fvariety of steaks every Monday and Tuesday at theRox Restaurant, Hyatt Regency, 7-10.30 PM.Jazz in Patan with coffee, food, drinks and dessert at the NewOrleans Cafe, Jawalakhel. 8.30 AM-10PM. 5522708Saturday special barbeque, sekuwa, momos, dal-bhat at The TeaHouse Inn, Windy Hills, Nagarkot every Saturday. 9841250848.Dice-licious brunch at Kakori, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, roll thedice to the number of the day and get 50% discount on anindividual meal, Saturdays and Sundays, 12.30-3.30 PM.4273999Scrumptious wood fired pizzas, cocktails and more atRoadhouse, Bhatbateni 4426587, Pulchok 5521755 and Thamel4260187.Retro Brunch Barbeque with live acoustic music by SoundChemistry, every Saturday, 12-3PM at LeMeridien-Kathmandu,Gokarna. 4451212Dhamaka a Nepali style barbeque with a pan-Indian fusion at theSplash Bar and Grill, Hotel Radisson, Rs. 1399 7PM, everyFriday. 4411818Kebabs and curries at the Dhaba, Thapathali. 9841290619Lavazza coffee Italy’s favourite coffee at La Dolce Vita, Thamel,Roadhouse Café Pulchok and Thamel. 4700612Pizza from the woodfired oven at Java, Thamel. 4422519

16 - 22 MAY 2008 #400 15

ANTHROPOMORPHOSIS: The theatre group Studio 7 stages Reineke theFox, a dramatic adaptation of Goethe’s poem Reineke Fuchs at the NagaTheatre, Hotel Vajra.

HAPPENINGS

TAXI STANDSTILLt a

SAM KANG LI

HEAVE HO: The chariot of Rato Machhindranath is dragged throughPatan Darbar Square on Monday. Its journey around Lalitpur will lastseveral months.

BUDDHA'S WATCHING US: Human rights activist Kapil Shrestha (left)before addressing a group of Nepali Tibetans at Boudha on Saturday toexpress solidarity with monks in Tibet.

KIRAN PANDAY

NEXT IN LINE: The Central Working Committee of the UML meets onThursday morning to discuss who will be the next general secretary ofthe party, following the resignation of Madhab Kumar Nepal.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

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SN 1

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CDO Regd No 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No 04/058/59

16 - 22 MAY 2008 #40016 BACKSIDE

ass(at)nepalitimes.com

TMr Raja’s neighbourhood

he new government isgoing to have a Ministryof Youth. Brilliant. But

just so no one will call us ageistshow about also a Ministry ofAdolescents that will hire all theYCLs and, while we are at it, aMinistry of Octogenarians for thesuperannuated politicos in theparty ranks?

So we are soon going to be calleda Federal Democratic SocialistRepublic of Nepal (FDSRN). Ournew comrade rulers shouldn’t betoo worried by this, it doesn’tmean we really have to bedemocratic. After all, DPRK isalso supposedly “democratic”.We won’t really have to besocialist, either, just Stalinist.

The only thing that has notyet been changed in thistheatrical transformation of ourgreat nation is the country’sname. Politically incorrect inthis day and age that Nepal is thename bequeathed to us by afeudal medieval monarch.

So what to call us? The Ass’informal poll at a focus groupdiscussion at the neighbourhoodwatering hole the other eveningcame up with severalreplacement names. The mostpopular was DemocraticRepublic of Yarsagumba

(DRY) after the caterpillar fungusthat is worth its weight in goldand has overtaken vegetable fat asthis country’s biggest item ofexport. A close second wasFederal Republic of Yam(FRY) so named because we aresupposed to be a sweet potatobetween two boulders. Anothersuggestion was to simply renameourselves the FiercelyDemocratic Federal People’sSocialist Republic ofPrachanda (FDFPSRP) and getit over with.

All this, of course has to beratified by the ConstituentAssembly with a two-thirds vote,but what do we do till then? Wedefinitely need an interim namefor our country. And it’scumbersome and wordy to calleverything this New Nepal andthat New Nepal. So, to simplifyit, let’s just call this countryNewpal.

Faced with his imminenteviction from Naryanhiti, kingjihas appealed to a higherauthority for help. Even thoughprevious blood-letting throughfive-animal sacrifices to appeasethe goddess Kali hasn’t helpedhim much in the past, this weekhe again had a buffalo, goat, duck,chicken and an egg decapitated

(in that order, although the Assisn’t sure which came first--thechicken or the egg). Havingalready angered human rightsgroups, kingji is now alsodrawing flak from animal rightsgroups. If Kali still doesn’t savethe monarchy this time, thenmaybe Rajan can save the raja.

It’s been quite some time sincewe had a bearded ambassador inNepal. But Rakesh Sood seems tohave started a new trend. Not tobe outdone by its arch enemy,Pakistan is also sending abearded ambassador to Newpal.There could be a link betweennew dips with facial hair and thefact that our comrades all swearallegiance to hirsute Europeanphilosophers like Marx andEngels. Kisne kaha? Khood nekaha ki Sood ne kaha?

UML women are livid at beingleft out of the party’s PR list, andthe Maoists are far ahead with themost women in their list. Sowhat if most of them are wives,sisters or nieces of card-carryingcomrades? It’s the thought thatcounts. And it also helps that theassembly members will all draw asalary of Rs 45,000 a month. TheAss was never good at rithmetic,

but a back-of-the-envelopecalculation shows that in twoyears the constituent assemblywill cost us Rs 6.5 billion, andthat’s not including allowancesand overtime.

And even if all 601 membersget to deliver their preliminarystatements just once and areallotted 30 minutes each, therewill be more than 300 hours ofopening remarks. At four hours aday and not counting theinterruptions and points-of-order, but making allowance forrecesses and holidays, thespeeches are going to last wellinto January 2009.

Whatever Nancy Powell told theFearsome One during their tete-à-tete, don’t expect the StateDepartment to lift the baddiesfrom the US terrorist watch list.The legal procedures are socumbersome it may take years, ifnot centuries, for a terrorist groupto be delisted. For example,Nelson Mandelaand the ANC are stilltagged terrorist, and soare pro-US militias inIraq.