Kathmandu l 10-16 Spet, 2007 l # 33 l Price Rs. 25

ä nf correspondent

In a move that might act as a moralebooster for those supporting B PKoirala's policy of national reconcilia-tion within the Nepali Congress,party's only surviving foundermember K B Bhattarai said that alonewill safeguard Nepal's nationalism,independence and democracy.

Issuing a statement on the eve of BP Koirala's 90th birth anniversay,Bhattarai said that a prolongeddifferences between the king and thedemocratic forces will only weakenthe country and its opportunities toprosper, clearly asserting that arepublican Nepalwas much againsteverything that theCongress partystood all along.That also meanshe remainsopposed to thedictate G P Koiralagave to theCongress party manifesto committeethat the party should go republic.

"Late BP Koirala and GaneshmanSingh came back to Nepal from Indiain 1976 ending their eight-year longexile with the call for national reconcili-ation. They were clear in their mindsthat a prolonged difference betweenthe king and democratic forces will onlyweaken the Nepali nationalism,

independence and democracy,besides the enormous economicopportunities the country has. Policy ofnational reconciliation and the spirit itrepresented is valid even today as itwas before. I have no doubt that thiswill remain valid for quite some time tocome. Let us not destroy our historyand legacy which generations togetherhave built," said he. In a brief chat withnewsfront, Bhattarai hoped that theleaders of the Nepali congress, mainlythe central committee members wouldtake a wise decision in the context ofour nationalism. A senior centralcommittee member of the party said"we have more than 25 out of the 35

members who feelexactly the wayKishunji hasexpressed himself"

Bhattarai alsohad a piece ofadvice to the king."Now it is hightime to rememberagain that the

monarchy truly acted as a unifyingsymbol of diverse religions, culture,ethnic and political groupings within atruly democratic set-up." He saidNepal's transition needs a safelanding which is possible only throughunity and reconciliation.

In a Gandhian spirit, he said,"politics of hatred and denial dictatedby undemocratic desire of revenge

KP for monarchywill only sow seeds of disintegration inthe country, and it is our responsibilityto defeat those designs together. Letus be guided by our lessons of thepast and collective thoughts forfuture, and not by anything elseincluding republicanism."

He said the country is passingthrough an unprecedented crisis. "Anysuch crisis will demand collectivewisdom and dedication on the part of

The only surviving NC founder refuses to go republicthe people so that it does not sweepaway everything that makes Nepal,"he said, adding; political parties,especially the Nepali Congress has acrucial role to play as a true represen-tative of the people. “As a foundermember of the party, I am proud tostate that our party has always stoodin favour of nationalism, independenceand democracy against all odds rightfrom the day it was founded." ä

"Let us not de-stroy our historyand legacy whichgenerations to-gether have built."

King Gyanendra stands among a crowd of commoners outside Norvic Hospital at Thapathali on Thursday where Crown Prince Paras is undergoingtreatment following an angioplasty performed in the hospital.

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

2 10-16 Sept., 2007 News

Maoists may sabotage elections, but we will protect democracy

Army's warningä nf correspondent

The Nepal Army fears that that theMaoists are active to sabotageelections to the constituent assemblyscheduled in November. This was thedominant view, based on 'information-based' assessment of the existingsituation at a top-level meeting of thearmy officers in the capital recently.

The meeting attended by about 17senior generals, commandants of theregions and those based in theheadquarters, was near unanimousthat the activities of the YoungCommunist League (YCL), directlyunder control and guidance of partychief Prachanda, were clearly aimedat creating a situation in which holdingpolls on November 22 would not bepossible.

There was anger expressed overhome minister K P Sitaula's activitiesthat encouraged the YCL andMaoists to do whatever they liked andat the same time, “demoralised thearmy and cast it in a poor light.” Theparticipating officials also expressedgrave concerns over the existing lawand order situation, quite inadequatefor conduct of the polls.

The army's latest assessmentfollows the bombing incident lastweek. It suspects Maoists’ hands in

the serial explosions in the capital inwhich three people, including twoschool girls were killed, and morethan two dozens wounded.

The meeting was also unanimousthat it would be happy to play any roleassigned for successful and impartialconduct of elections, should thegovernment so desire. Army's offer toplay a role in the election comes inthe wake of more and more leaders,including Purna Bahadur Khadka ofNepali Congress-D, Pradeep Nepaland Mahendra Pandey (both UML),demanding that they should bedeployed for election purpose as inthe past. The agreement betweenthe government, Maoists and the

United Nations special office, UNMIN,however, makes it mandatory forarmy to be kept in the barracks untilthe peace process is completed.

"We have been honouring this. Butthe Maoists have already violated thisundertaking as a sizeable number oftheir combatants are out in action inthe guise of YCL," a general toldnewsfront. But the army also made ita point to deliver a message to theprime minister (who is also thedefense minister), that said, “you willconsider using the status andstrength of the Nepal army to protectcountry's sovereignty and indepen-dence besides consolidatingdemocratic system in the country.”

ä nf correspondent

As count-down for the pollsbegin and the election commissiongears up for the final prepara-tions, there are still doubts if at allthe election to the constituentassembly will take place onNovember 22.

The conflicting stance betweenPM Koirala and Maoist chiefPrachanda over the fate of theelection has triggered theuncertainty given a series ofinstances in the past wherealmost invariably, the PMconceded to the wishes of theMaoists. "That only meanselection will take place onschedule if Koirala agrees todeclare Nepal a republic in thenext few weeks, or before theprocess of nomination begins," amember of the Congress centralcommittee said, adding, "I am notsure if Koirala and Maoists havestruck such a deal already."

Prachanda made his remarksmore strident in Nepalgunj onSaturday when he insisted thatthe election in November wouldonly be an exercise in futility if heldwithout declaring Nepal a

republic, and asked his partycadres to go for an agitation tostall such a drama. His call foragitation also comes as achallenge to the home ministerwho has been instructing securityofficials to act sternly against anyperson or groups if foundindulging in activities that willdisturb the atmosphere forelection.

"We are very upset with thesedevelopments. We have beenasking the political party leadersto promote an atmosphere forhealthy polls," one of the electioncommissioners told newsfront.

The EC on its part is busydispatching election materialsbeginning with ballot-boxes toapproximately 9,000 pollingbooths. It has finalised the list ofreturning officers and is engagedin regular consultations with thegovernment on security arrange-ments to be made. "But thecommission has not been able toissue the model code of conductbecause the government has notbeen able to make necessary keyappointments within the timeframe that the commission hasgiven," the commissioner said.

Election vs. no electionWhom to trust: PM or Prachanda

on the fate of the election?

310-16 Sept., 2007News

Bizarre politicsAnandi Devi, Chief of Nepal

Sadhbhavana Party (NSP) andwidow of its founder leader, lateGajendra Narayan Singh, hasbecome not only an object ofamusement in the coalition politicsbut there are also indications thatshe might soon be suspendedfrom the post. The party is likely toadopt a resolution expressing lackof confidence in her leadership.

The latest round of develop-ment was triggered by herrecommendations to PM Koirala,the second in less than a month'stime, to remove Rajendra Mahatofrom the cabinet. Industries and commerce minister, Mahato representsher party in the cabinet. But Koirala refused to act on her recommenda-tion following information that the “simple village woman” was beingused by certain leaders or factions of the party.

Mahato and Hridayesh Tripathi are pitted against each other in theNSP politics, and there are indications that the party may soon split withthe two factions parting their ways. On Saturday, Koirala even refusedto see Anandi Devi who had gone to Baluwatar along with some anti-Mahato group leaders to plead that he should be dropped from thecabinet right away.

Sarita Giri, the party's spokesperson said, “given the fact that she wasacting against the interest of the party, a no-confidence motion hasbeen moved in the party and appropriate actions would follow on that.”

Paras fineCrown prince Paras who

underwent an emergencycoronary angioplasty last week inNorvic Hospital is stable and fine.According to the hospital sources,he will be discharged any timenow as his progress is satisfactory.He spent the first three days in thecoronary care unit (CCU).

He was admitted to the hospitalon Thursday following chest pains.Subsequent tests revealed thatone of the arteries had 95 percent blockage leading to circula-tory problems. Dr Bharat Raut led the team of surgeon that conductedangioplasty.

Hosts of visitors and well wishers visited the hospital to wish himspeedy recovery. Except former Prime Minister K P Bhattarai andformer speaker Taranath Bhattarai, none of the senior leaders from thecurrent ruling coalition visited him.

Caught lyingEducation and those who have

excelled in the field do not appearto mean much for PM Koirala. Theevent on Saturday showed howless he cared for them and theday also caught him lying.

Koirala, in his capacity as the'officiating head of the state' andex-officio Chancellor of TribhuvanUniversity, skipped a function atthe last minute while students andacademicians who earned theirPh.D., those excelling in theirbachelors and master's degreeexamination results, were waitingto receive 'Vidhya Bhushan Award'from him. The ceremony used to be conducted by the king in theprevious years.

As a result, 33 out of 75 Ph.D. holders refused to receive the awardfrom the education minister Pradeep Nepal saying it was an insult forthem, not so much because the PM did not show up, but because helied to cancel the programme at the last minute. They said that whilethey were told that he could not come because of ill health, he wasactually busy meeting a diplomat in Baluwatar palace then. But thegovernment took a tough line against the 33 Ph. D degree holderssaying they could collect their awards any time from the ministry.

Newsbrief Country without CJParliamentary committee takes time to decide on new Chief Justice

ä nf correspondent

Nepal goes without chiefjustice as the parliamentarycommittee in charge ofconfirming CJ designateKedar Prasad Giri felt theneed to grill him over someof the ‘controversialjudgments’ he made.

The 28-member specialcommittee of parliamentdiscussed and debated thefindings of a nine-membersub-committee whichlooked into some of themajor complaints against Giri’s elevation. The committee on Sundaydecided to invite Giri on Tuesday for his explanations on at least threemajor rulings that he delivered as a judge in the past.

They include endorsement of the government action in curtailing rightsof the FM radios to broadcast news and current affairs programmeduring the royal regime and exonerating one industrial house in the tax-default case related with Mahalakshmi Sugar mill. Giri is also likely to beasked about the circumstances in which he was physically assaulted byone person last year in retaliation to a judgment that he delivered.

But all these delays had a toll on the functioning of the Supreme Courtas the apex judiciary went without a leader. In fact, committee membersappeared sharply divided over Giri’s appointment and the understandingthat emerged, was in favour of interrogating him in some controversialcases besides asking him about his plan to make judiciary moreaccessible, transparent and worthy of people’s trust.

The new experiment with the country’s judiciary also leaves one majorquestion unanswered. Will Giri continue to serve as the judge if thecommittee refuses to confirm him? “It is a gray area. There is a moralquestion involved. But the law is silent on this,” a prominent lawyer said.

Besides, completing on the hearing on the CJ appointment case, thefirst after the interim constitution has come into effect, the committee willtake up the cases of appointment of the ambassadors as well as thechairman and members of the National Human Rights Commission.Some members of the committee are unhappy with the nomination ofShailaja Acharya as ambassador to India on the ground that she was toosoft on the king after he took over power in February 2005.

Avoid Par hear-ing : Dhawan

An eminent constitutional expert fromIndia has warned that the system ofparliamentary confirmation for appointmentof Supreme Court judges in Nepal will notbe a healthy practice towards promotion ofindependent judiciary.

Dr Rajeev Dhawan who is here toparticipate in debates and discussions onindependence of judiciary in a federal set-upsaid, “to say a judge should go before thehouse committee is like throwing baby outwith bath water.”

“Ask anything about public and private lifeof the judge, grill him on anything, there is noend to it,” Dr Dhawan said amidst applausefrom the members of the bar. “Entire processhas the danger of a political witch-hunt.”Interestingly, Chief Justice designate KedarPrasad Giri was sharing the dais with DrDhawan along with Bar Association chiefVishwa Kanta Mainali, attorney general Y MBanjare and advocate Prakash Rawal.

ä nf correspondent

The long expected unity between the two NepaliCongress groups could not materialise on the birthanniversary of BP Koirala on September 10, adeadline set earlier for the purpose.

The unity was to come as an offering to thememory of the late leader, a week after his brotherGP Koirala decided to dispense with the policy ofconciliation that envisaged a constitutional king andCongress party working under an understanding.Koirala has already instructed that the NepaliCongress should go republic through its manifestowhich is in the process of being written.

The failure to unite on the occasion was largelybecause of some hitches that have still not beensorted out. According to one of the members of thetask force, chiefs of party units in 12 districts are yetbe decided. Similarly, the share of the two parties onthe frontal organisations like Nepal Vidyarthi Sangh,Tarun Dal, Mahila Sangh and Labour Front of theparty still need to be sorted out. “It might still takeabout a week for a formal unification. But things aremoving in the right direction,” the member said.

Both G P Koirala and Congress-D chief SherBahadur Deuba agreed to have Sushil Koirala as theworking chief of the party, but below Deuba in theparty hierarchy. Similarly, an agreement has alreadybeen made on who will be the vice presidents,

Congressgroups fail BP

general secretaries and senior office bearers of theunified party.

The two sides have also agreed to have anenlarged central committee, but the two top leaders,G P Koirala and Deuba will be appointing thesupreme body which will decide on the selection ofcandidates for the forthcoming election to theconstituent assembly.

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

10-16 Sept, 20074 Editorial

LettersSay no to partyauthoritarianism

With Nepali Congress embracing“federal democratic republic” as theirobjective, a Rubicon has been passed inNepali politics. While this clears up theconfusion and paves way for theelections, it also sounds the death-knellfor a truly free and fair election, andthence a just peace in this country.

If the three major parties are all forrepublic, it is unlikely any other smallerparties will root for any form of monar-chy, or that they will be effective even ifthey do. This means that the election isgoing to be a choice-less election. Thepeople will have to vote for a republic outof compulsion. What is this if not a farce?What’s the point of having an election if there is no realchoice? The people, the large and silent majority, supportedthe election believing that the political candidates wouldrepresent our views in the constituent assembly.

Now the politicians’ views and agendas are being forceddown on us, and we’re being asked to rubber-stamp it. Thereis no option now but to have a referendum on the monarchyconcurrently with the elections. If we allow this farcical electionto take place as it is, then the politicians will forever rule “newNepal” in a farcical manner. If one illegitimate and unjust act isallowed to pass, more are bound to follow.

In order to teach the parties, once and for all, that they arehere to represent our views, not to force theirs on us; toteach them that we did not fight the king’s authoritarianism tobe replaced by theirs; and to teach them that sovereignty inthis land belongs truly and only to the people, not to theparties, we have to root for a referendum now to decide thefate of the monarchy.

Satyajeet NepaliKathmandu.

Kudos to LimbuR D Limbu's presentation of the

current political as well as social situationand realities of present day Nepal was avery powerful expression and articulationof the realities. He deserves all praise forputting forth his views, in the form of asubtle warning to the rulers that theyshould not behave like Dhritarashtra ofMahabharat epic.

This also could be a reference articlefor most of those who have been writingon the political as well as ethnic issues,that you can be objective, to the pointand powerful without being virulentlycommunal. I hope to see Mr. Limbu moreoften in the newsfront column.

Asha ChoudharyKathmandu.

Why main news?Newsfront seems to be advocating for continuation of

monarchy in one or the other form. Otherwise, how could G PKoirala's instruction to his party's manifesto committee chief makethe main news (dumping BP Koirala, issue 32) of the paper?

Political parties have often trusted and in return, beencheated by the kings one after another. However, I feel thatthe present leaders including GP Koirala who contested andwon election in the name of 'multi-party democracy andconstitutional monarchy' in the past elections must step asidefor new leadership within the Nepali Congress who byconviction, is pro-republican.

It is Narahari Acharya who has been advocating the pro-republican slogan within the party almost for six years now,and Koirala will actually be proving his democratic credentialsif he steps down and gives space to people like Narahari.

Ramesh UpretyKathmandu.

Purpose of unitySplits and reunions are regular features in Nepal's politics.

Those responsible for a split almost always find imaginativeexplanations with an ideological façade and they are quick to comeout with equally idealist explanations behind the need for a re-union.

Two parties, Nepali Congress and the Nepali-congress (D)have once again come out with statements, heavily loaded infavour of democracy, saying they are taking this constructive moveto save the country and democracy and they are going to leavetheir past behind.

Ironically, personal as well as ideological differences between GP Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba, initiators of the present unitymove, had led to the split in the United Nepali Congress five yearsago. Koirala, as chief of the party, was trying to dictate thegovernment led by Deuba, and the latter, fearing Koirala wouldexpel him from the party making his continuation as Prime Ministerimpossible, recommended dissolution of parliament in a surprisemove. The political crisis and vacuum that followed, and the costthat the nation had to pay were painful.

There are many forces both inside and outside the country thatargue that consolidation of pro-democracy forces alone cancheckmate the rise of authoritarianism, be it in the form ofabsolute monarchy, or Maoist one party dictatorship in the country.But the unity at the top level of the two parties will be meaninglesswithout real commitment and without a permanent machinery toaddress the root issues of the split in the party. The separation ofjurisdiction as well as the area of coordination between the partyand the government has to be clearly defined.

One major reason for that is clash of personality, and it willcease to play a destructive role only if the united party encouragesinner party democracy and promotes grass root leaders instead ofsycophants. Can Koirala, as leader of the united party, act like ademocrat? Too much concentration of power as the head of thegovernment, head of the party and also his appropriating the roleof head of the state - are clear indications that his lust for powerhave little or no parallel in the history of Nepal, perhaps with theexception of Jung Bahadur Rana, the founder of the oligarchy.

This unity would only be a travesty in the name of consolidationof democratic forces if the swollen strength of the united partywould be confined to making more or bigger claims of share inpower. This unity will only mean something, if it successfully leadsthe country to a meaningful and functional democracy wherepeople will not only elect their government in a free and fearlessatmosphere, but will also have a much larger say; and where thepolitical parties will truly act as people's representative bodies.

Unity to be real must stand the severest strain with-out breaking.

- Mahatma Gandhi

Point to Ponder

Your true home is in the hereand the now.

Thich Nhat Hanh has been living in exilefrom his native country Vietnam since the ageof forty. A Buddhist monk since the age ofsixteen, he earned a reputation as a respectedwriter, scholar, and leader. He championed amovement known as "engaged Buddhism,"which intertwined traditional meditativepractices with active nonviolent civil disobedi-ence. This movement lay behind the establish-ment of the most influential center of Buddhiststudies in Saigon, the An Quang Pagoda.

He lives in exile in a small community inFrance where he teaches, writes, gardens,and works to help refugees worldwide. WhenThich Nhat Hanh left Vietnam, he embarked

on a mission to spreadBuddhist thought around theglobe. In 1967, Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr., nominatedThich Nhat Hanh for theNobel Peace Prize.

Hanh's Buddhist delegationto the Paris peace talksresulted in accords betweenNorth Vietnam and the UnitedStates, but his pacifist efforts did not end withthe war. He also helped organise rescuemissions well into the 1970's for Vietnamesetrying to escape political oppression.

He teaches respect for life, generosity,responsible sexual behavior, loving communi-cation and cultivation of a healthful life style.He gathers people of diverse nationalities,

Spiritual Cornerand concentration, the energies of theBuddha, you can find your true home in thefull relaxation of your mind and body in thepresent moment. No one can take it awayfrom you. Other people can occupy yourcountry, they can even put you in prison, butthey cannot take away your true home andyour freedom." –Returning Home

“If in our daily life we can smile, if we canbe peaceful and happy, not only we, buteveryone will profit from it. If we really knowhow to live, what better way to start the daythan with a smile? Our smile affirms ourawareness and determination to live inpeace and joy. The source of a true smile isan awakened mind.” - Peace Is Every Step:The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

races, religions in order to exposethem to mindfulness-taking carein the present moment, beingprofoundly aware and apprecia-tive of life.

Quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh: “The miracle is not to walk on

water. The miracle is to walk on thegreen earth in the present moment,

to appreciate the peace and beauty that areavailable now.” - Touching Peace

“Your true home is in the here and thenow. It is not limited by time, space,nationality, or race. Your true home is not anabstract idea. It is something you can touchand live in every moment. With mindfulness

10-16 Sept, 2007 5Debating Development

Bhas

wor O

jha

Nepal, at the moment has escaped adebate whether it is failing or a failed state.But political pundits have begun fearing theworst. Nepal perhaps qualifies to be listedas a 'captured state' where some powerfulpersonalities and groups or parties havemonopolised or captured the state power aswell as privileges without people's mandate.

Any differences or quarrels among thosewho have captured power at the moment isnot so much because they are opposed toit, but simply because they want anincreased dose of power, perhaps at thecost of other partners. The government ispurely running on a contract system whereprinciple of collective responsibility oraccountability has become the casualty. It isa weird system of politics and governancewhere government's powers have beenclandestinely transferred to political partiesor individuals and their decisions are final.Personalities are getting stronger at the costof the institutions.

With elections to the constituent assemblyaround the corner, the government is hardlybothered about maintaining law and order.Instead, the home minister has been givensole monopoly over the institution of thepolice and the armed police force. Similarly,cabinet or the prime minister would have noright to interfere in what Hishila Yami will bedoing on Melamchi. Almost all the govern-ment hospitals and their management, toplevel recruitment as well as transfer are inthe sole hands of Giriraj Mani Pokharel andShashi Shrestha, the ministers whorepresent Jana Morcha.

The most classic example of this contractsystem that has surfaced, in the so farincomplete attempt to appoint secretaries tothe government departments is that; eachparty prepared a list of 'loyalists' fromamong the bureaucrats. Assessment oftheir pro-people credentials, efficiency orperformance was not at all the criteria forconsidering their promotion. JamunaKrishna Shrestha, the senior-most jointsecretary, tendered his resignation from thepost after he got to know that he did notfigure in any of the political parties’ list forpromotion. The fact that he did not act as apolitician, and only acted as a bureaucratwent against him at the end of his career.Yet, he showed guts that bureaucrats rarelydisplay.

Maoists did not behave differently fromthe Congress and the UML during severalrounds of meetings and lobbying, for whothey thought were their loyalists, for filling upthe posts of ambassadors and commission-ers for the National Human RightsCommission. Such a brazen appropriationof the authority and power of the states byindividuals and political parties weakens thestate, and may become the cause of itsfragmentation in the long run.

Maoist Chief Prachanda has declaredthat the Kangaroo Courts have beenreactivated. KB Mahara, the governmentspokesperson as well as the Maoist leaderin the cabinet, is in favour of such parallelprivate courts' effective existence. On theother hand, parliament's special committeeis now going through the process of hearingchief justice's appointment case. Naturally,and justifiably, Maoist legislators are a partof this committee. But conducting parallelcourts under their parties violating theauthority of the state, and having asubstantial say in appointing the chief justiceof the country's legitimate apex court isridiculous and a contradictory exercise inany country allegedly practicing democracy.

When ruling parties appear more in

favour of going republic than having a constitu-tional monarchy; it obviously means putting theking under an effective control of law. Might isright has already become the mantra for the keypolitical players and the parties. The state hastotally abdicated its role and responsibility to theprivate political parties and the gang of eight thatrules through the coalition now.

As a result, the country is moving towards acivil war. Parties are defying the traditional andconstitutional norms of exercising power withresponsibility and accountability. In absence ofinvolvement of the people in the business ofpolitical parties, their chiefs are gradually turninginto tribal chieftains and acting like one, someeven questioning the basis of integration of thesociety. That is just one step before the era ofwar-lordism begins.

Strangely enough, absence of rules andrefusal on the part of the government leaders toadhere to established norms do not raise eye-brows of the international community anymore.Instead, they have resorted to the politics ofappeasement of the national players, and in away, recognised their way of governance. Therehas been no concern expressed over the threatthat an independent judiciary is facing over aperiod, or about unfair trial and persecution bythe state, through its regular agencies, or theones created for a particularly motivatedpurpose.

The home minister has now admitted publiclythat there were some lapses on the part of thecommission in recommending action against twoofficials, the then CDO of Dang and Superinten-dent of Police of Jhapa. But it was the ministerialcommittee in which the home minister himselfwas a member that scrutinised the report andrecommendation actions against 201 peopleincluding the two, who he now says areinnocent.

All this only shows that the state authoritiesand power under Koirala indulged in a game ofunfair persecution. And the internationalcommunity, mainly the designated UN bodies,which were so dutifully vocal during the king's

CapturedState

regime against the state's persecutioncampaign, is now mysteriously silent. Thisindicates that these bodies are as respon-sible for the current state of mess witnessedin this hijacked country. Hopefully, UNSecurity Council will soon be taking stock ofthe situation and the role of its designatedagencies in Nepal; so that they could playmuch more positive and constructive role inretrieving the situation before it is too late.

As of now, UN bodies’ silence over thesemalpractices committed by the state willmean that they have endorsed it. It will alsomean that the international system will befast discredited in the same proportion asthe current political dispensation in Nepal.

The first mistake of the internationalreferees as well as the designated UNbodies was to keep mum when theexecutive began systematically violating theprinciples of separation of power andindependence of judiciary.

Secondly, their silence over the neweight-party regime monopolising everypolitical process by literally excluding therest of the population has created animpression that the UN system at timesendorses policy of persecution as well asexclusion of political minority. And finally, ithas not been able to prove itself effectiveenough in putting pressure on the govern-ment to have monitoring committee for aneffective evaluation of the peace process aswell as the code of conduct.

The outcome of these failures is all themore dangerous and in Nepal's context, itwill mean endorsing hijacking of the stateapparatus by the high and mighty, with thepeople having no role in it at all. ä

Might is right has already become the mantra forthe key political players and the parties.ä Yubaraj Ghimire

10-16 Sept, 20076 Debating Development

ä Roop Joshi

As they waited for the bus to take themhome, their life seeped away in that crowdedbus stand. The tapering monsoon gave wayto a climate of fear. Terrorism has raised itsmacabre head amidst us again. It is not thefirst time; alas, it probably will not be for thelast time either. We now struggle to come toterms with the bombings of September 2007in Kathmandu. Do we accept them as justanother symptom of the making of a “NewNepal?” Or do we label them for what theyare – attempts to achieve political ends byunacceptable methods of violence againstinnocent Nepalis?

A few days have passed since thebombings. A few obscure organisations haveallegedly taken responsibility for them. Thepolice say they have some suspects.Meanwhile we, the general public, try and goabout our lives with the impermanence of lifehaunting our sub-conscious. The news saysthat the target of these bombs is theconstituent assembly polls. But who gives theperpetrators the right to use innocentcivilians as fodder for their objectives?

It is unfortunate that the sanctity of humanlife and the traditional peace-loving nature ofNepalis have been violated repeatedly overthe past 11 years. The gun culturepopularised by American western films orthe incessant modern Jihads is now nostranger to this land of the Buddha. Thecurrent lack of security and the incapacity ofthe security forces to do anything about ithave driven many a Nepali to arm himself inorder to defend his life, family and property.We are turning fast into an armed nation,even though the national army is ironicallyconfined to its barracks.

The other troubling phenomenon is therise of communalism. Is there anyone

anymore who considers himself/herself a“Nepali”? We now comprise an ethnic mosaicwith pointed classifications such as Madhises,Pahadis, Bahuns, Chettris, Limbus, Kirats,Newars, Thakalis, Janjatis, Dalits and on and on– each fighting for that last pound of flesh froman emerging democratic polity.

Somewhere down the line, the ‘unity’ of thiscountry has been placed in the back burner.While, for example, the European Community is

increasingly united by its monetary unit andinternational perspective, we Nepalis arefragmenting ourselves, stapling ethnic andcommunal labels on one another. Our newnational anthem that speaks of a united Nepal,likening it to a garland of 100 flowers, pays butlip service to today’s reality.

Any keen observer of contemporary Nepalipolitics is fully aware that there are those whowould benefit from the postponement or even

cancellation of the November polls. There hasbeen the recent alarming proposition toconvert the current interim parliament to aconstituent assembly. Different political partieshave put other preposterous proposalsforward. There seems to be an ongoingcompetition on who can come up with moredemands. The futility of this demand-basedpolitics is obvious when the supply of goodsand services to be provided by the govern-ment is so scarce.

The necessity of the elections is sacro-sanct, if Nepal is to be a multi-party democ-racy with a legitimate elected government.Politics is certainly the art of compromise, andpolitical decisions will never please everyoneequally. The 1990 Constitution was hailed atthe time as one of the best in the world.Today that same constitution is beingshredded by haphazard amendments and onits way to being defunct. One wonders aboutthe fate of the new post-polls constitutiongiven the fickleness of our leaders.

No matter who planted those bombs, thefact remains that it was wrong – morally,socially as well as politically. Unless we wantNepal to mirror Baghdad, it has to stop. Thosewho believe that they are achieving politicalends must ask themselves whether the meansthey are using are justified. The question iswhether the entire Nepali population is to beheld hostage by a few terrorists. As long as thisclimate of fear persists, the future of Nepalidemocracy is bleak.

It is time we, the common Nepali citizens,speak out against mindless terrorism. Wehave seen how guns can achieve politicalpower, how Bandhs can debilitate society.Why let these tactics be the monopoly of thefew? Let us remember that we all have thedemocratic right to protest this invasion onour personal security – and we, the realpeople, are the majority. ä

CLIMATE OF FEARIt is time we, the common Nepali citizens, speak out againstmindless terrorism. Unless we want Nepal to mirror Baghdad,it has to stop.

A 12-part documentary on ‘The riseof Great Powers’ released by theChina Central television had attracteda good deal of attention of the globalcommunity not only for the contentsof the film but also its relevance in thecontext of China’s rise. The CCTVdocumentary identifies nine bigpowers as Portugal, Spain, theNetherlands, England, France,Germany, Japan, Russia and theUnited States leaving out Italy andsome others.

The media seems to have tried tosupport the wishes of Chinesepolitical leaders who wanted to drawlessons for the benefit of China’smodernisation. Once dubbed as‘China’s peaceful rise,’ China’ssuccess story is now known as‘China’s peaceful development’ andalso called ‘harmonious development’.

Although there is continuingdiscussions on the ‘great powers’ filmin China, and there are admirers aswell as critics on the issue, one of thenotable factors of the film forcountries like Nepal is the selection ofcountries included on the series.Many of the countries listed as greatpowers do not match the populationor territorial size of big countries but

yet exerted their influence globally.

The main themes have to do withconvergence of various social forcesand blending of modernisation withtradition. One of the striking examplesof these themes has been cited asJapan’s adhering to the emperorsystem during her modernisation topreserve social order and stability.

Also, it gives a clear message tothe world that countries adoptingstep-by-step reforms are found to bemore successful whereas otherswhich introduced radical changesfaced setbacks and defeats. ThoughChina and Japan shared similarfeudal background, with Japan’sroad, completely different to China, itled to successful modernisation.

There is no dearth of critics whoopine that perhaps the underlyingtheme of the documentary was tostress the point that economy is thekey of all world powers, but withoutproper political system it can hardlylast. China needs to reform in manyareas as her rise to become a worldpower is nearly a reality.

In Nepal today, we seem to begoing for radical reforms in many

areas without properly assessing theimpact it could have on the society asa whole. In the name of uprootingfeudal mindset, we are trying to adopta new political system. We are alsomaking efforts to put monarchy awayfrom the national scene without givingdue regard to the Japanese lesson.

Since Nepal, too, has to follow apath of modernisation for the benefitof her people, all things must beconsidered in a careful and seriousmanner. The onus of building a newNepal rests with the constituentassembly members who must notonly be representative of the entirepeople of Nepal but also work hard tocome up with a constitution. It isneedless to state that the newconstitution must find a balancebetween ground realities andpragmatism.

Past lessons offer ample examplesthat incremental process of develop-ment involves all stakeholders and it islong lasting. Whether it is a politicalsystem or economic policies or socialdevelopment, unless the people areat the core of these activities andhave a say in the state affairs, anynew exercise is bound to fail. Peopleof Nepal did not go to the extent of

Learn from world historysacrificing their lives, enduringsufferings for a long time just to placea select section of leaders at the helmacting irresponsibly.

Constitution making exercise isneither the preserve of legalprofessionals nor political activists.Economists, social scientists,engineers, doctors and everybodyfrom all professions must take part init. A system must be devised by themembers of constituent assembly toinvolve every common man,especially those who have difficulty inunderstanding the complicatedspeeches and manifestos. Thecommon man alone can make thedreams of a nation come true.

For it to happen, the elections to theconstituent assembly must take placein a free and fair atmosphere. Whenthe parties in power express seriousdoubts in the convening of elections intime in November, what can thepeople do? Why is not the governmentfunctioning as a government to restorestability and order in the country? Whyare several groups, associated withpolitical parties now registered for theelections, allowed to carryout illegaland violent activities? Are we seriousas a nation? ä

Countries adopting step-by-step reforms are found to be more successful

ä Binod P. Bista

A system mustbe devised by

the members ofconstituentassembly to

involve everycommon man,

especially thosewho have diffi-culty in under-standing thecomplicated

speeches andmanifestos.

news

front

10-16 Sept, 2007 7South Asia

rivers of South Asia flow over more than twocountries but South Asian State authorities treatthe flood issues from an individualistic andnationalistic perspective and as a bilateral issuewhich have been proven incompetent to tacklethe impacts of floods.

Social and political organisations lackunderstanding and awareness on the floodissue due to their ignorance and stereotypedviews. Most of the duty bearers, elected MPs,local governments, state authorities and NGOshave exhausted their time and energy on reliefdistribution and meeting the immediate needs ofthe affected people rather than addressing thecauses behind the high level of impacts,especially on the women, children, aged,excluded groups like sex workers, HIV/AIDSpeople, ethnic minorities, lower castes, fisherfolk, and day laborers.

Meanwhile flood control has become a buzzword and high profile political agenda in all ofthe four countries of South Asia affected byflood in 2007. But there is no clear effort todevelop a strategic plan focusing on thevulnerable and regularly affected people, theirlivelihood and the state level recovery system toprevent the hunger, loss of food production,properties and assets. Public action is limited toadhoc level or at piloting level in a micro-area forlast fifty years.

To find solutions, these measurescould be implemented:

1. Civil society as a part of public action cando advocacy on the rights of the riverine peopleand rights analysis of state and non-state laws,acts, regulations and interventions.

2. An energetic media can play moreproactive role to raise the issues of continuousdamage due to flood, increasing poverty amongpoor and mid-income people and reflect thepeople's voice for a regional flood resilientplanning in South Asia.

3. Social and political organisations can playan effective role in introducing an efficient andsystematic mechanism and functional procedureto predict damage to protect livelihood securityof poor at national and regional level.

4. Develop micro level informed planning andimplementation of flood protection programmesthrough community centered regional strategy.

5. Flood affected communities are heteroge-neous entity due to their different socio-politicaland economic condition as well as culturalposition within the South Asia societies. Duringlast 30 years of response planning by the publicin South Asian states against flood has beendominated by homogenous thoughts rather than

recognising the diversity of the issue.

6. Corporate thinking and planning withoutpolitical wisdom for flood protection will replacethe remaining weak chain of social security inthe South Asian societies and will force manymore poor and marginalised communities to livein more vulnerable and insecure areas, increasethe number of displaced people and flow ofmigration to the big and small cities and towns.

Floods are inevitable in South Asia and theyare the source of regenerating life and fertilityalong the flood plains in India, Pakistan, Nepaland Bangladesh. Structural public actions likedams, protection walls or embankments on therivers and tributaries increased the extent offlood related vulnerabilities and damage.

South Asian states and political organisationsjointly with social organisations should recogniseflood as a regional issue. They should alsorecognise flood related vulnerability to agricul-ture, health, education and other sectors linkedwith hunger and under-nutrition.

We can resist the threat of floods if wepromote the social and political movementsjointly by the people centered non-governmententities, various social and political organisationsand an active non-corporate media.

(Saadi is a climate change expert.)

actionFLOOD

ä Shashanka Saadi

Floods in South Asian countries are a majorsetback for the regional and national economy.

Directly and indirectly affected poor andmiddle income people cope with the loss ofasset and livelihood in formal and informal ways.Directly affected people have a chance to getsome relief and recovery support from govern-ments, state authorities and non-governmentsources and few of them might get compensa-tion but indirectly affected people do not haveany chance to get any kind of support. There isno effort to identify indirectly affected people byfloods in South Asia or to bring them under floodadaptation schemes by NGOs and governments

Poor and middle income people take loanmostly from informal sources and use socialcapital to overcome the grave situation and starta new life. But they cannot repay the loan due tocontinuous loss and are forced to migrate andare displaced to more remote places or to citiesand towns to survive.

Although South Asian states and non-government actors focus mainly on visiblemeans of control the loss through differentmeasures, the recovery schemes and adapta-tion schemes get lesser priority at the nationalplanning of poverty reduction. Most of main

India Nepal

Bangladesh

Deep

ak G

yawa

li

10-16 Sept, 20078 Issue

A heart-wrenching movie, Hotel Rwanda,released in 2004 is based on one of themost terrifying events in modern history –the Rwanda genocide. The movie realisti-cally captures the scenes of horrific killings.

The killings started soon after the murderof the Rwandan President by the Tutsirebels in April 1994. In retaliation, the Hutugovernment ordered its army to kill all theTutsis in the country. One of the worst ethnicconflicts in the world led to the murder ofsome 800 000 citizens, mostly Tutsis, over ashort period of three months. Nobody,including the UN could control the rapidescalation. The widespread massacre, thehuman tragedy shocked the world.

Clear message from the movie is to takelessons from the Rwandan genocide andwork towards preventing such horrificcrimes. Indeed, there is a lot of anger andfrustration among the marginalised andsuppressed individuals and communities.Every oppressed person seeks freedomfrom domination. But, it is important that weweigh up the costs against achievements.

It is perfectly justifiable, for various groupsin this country to pursue liberty and equality.But they should be clear about the ways andmeans of going about it. Their movementsshould not be directly or indirectly fuellingcommunal hatred; or else we might end upin a mess that would benefit nobody.

Nobody can be sure that ethnic tensionswould not reach a boiling point in Nepal.Never in our wildest imaginations did wethink a decade ago that a bloody communistrevolution in Nepal would cost some 13000lives. Still, people are not fully assured thatthe armed movement is over. Many other

smaller insurgent groups have started theirbloody campaigns emulating the Maoists,particularly in the Terai areas.

All these have a potential for increasedtensions between communities. Already, we arewitnessing some level of ethnic tensions in sometroubled districts of the southern plains betweenthe Pahadis and Madhesis. This is an unprec-edented development, something that every-body should be taking seriously. It is ineveryone’s interest to ensure that the politicalconflict does not transform itself into an ethnicone.

Obviously, it is the primary duty of thegovernment and the parties in power toobjectively study and analyse any possiblethreats and plan out the future course of action.Currently it has been negotiating with only thosegroups that have organised powerful strikes anddisrupted public life. This is indicative of the fact

that the government simply does not have acomprehensive and long-term strategy foridentifying the most suppressed groups andworking to address the major issues associatedwith social exclusion and marginalisation. Moredangerously, many of the agreements reachedwith the agitating groups have not actually beenput to practice.

Non-implementation is a potential factor foreroding public confidence. For example,although the government declared Nepal as asecular state, Prime Minister is busy officiallyattending Hindu religious ceremonies, in place ofthe traditional King. PM is not a person but thestate himself. By definition the secular state doesnot follow any religion. This gives an impressionthat the announcement of Nepal as a secularstate in practice was bogus. Such doublestandards do not help build sustainable peace.

Similarly, the parties in power are not as

serious as they should be. On top ofmaintaining the rule of law, this is the time forall responsible parties to publicly condemnviolence and give up violent tactics. It iswrong for the Maoists or any party tocontinue to argue that the violence from theirside is justifiable and the violent meansfollowed by other groups is criminal.

Parties should stop raising the expecta-tions of the marginalised and suppressedgroups in an unrealistic manner. So far theparties have been projecting the ethnicissues merely to gain more votes in electionsand to increase their cadre force. But thereal issues are neglected. For example, allparties have their Dalit wings but none haveput in their substantive efforts to end thepractice of untouchability. Their own cadresare found discriminating against Dalits. Partyactivities should be geared towardsintegration, not further segregation. To me,having a separate Dalit wing instead ofmaking the party structures more inclusive ispromoting institutional segregation.

If we want a peaceful and prosperousNepal, one of the key challenges is tomaintain and develop the traditionalharmony between our diverse communities.Addressing the issues of social exclusion andinjustices in a proper manner will onlystrengthen the societal unity and reinforceintegration.

Ethnic conflict tends to be far moredevastating than the political ones. Thegovernment and major parties should realisethis on time and take careful measures toreduce the possibility of the start of an ethnicconflict. They should see beyond the partyinterests on such crucial issues.

Avoid genocide in NepalIt is in everyone’s interest to ensure that the political conflict does nottransform itself into an ethnic one.ä Uday Pariyar

Susmita Khadka of Balkhu who passed SLCin the first division this year wants to be a nurseand go abroad for further studies. There aremany youngsters like Susmita who areinterested in nursing. Till a few years ago therewas a conventional dream in the minds ofparents who always wanted their kids to bedoctors and engineers and the children toowanted the same. Now there is an increasingshift in these desires; where the younggeneration is exploring diverse fields to satisfytheir ambitions; and nursing is one of theemerging professions that many youngsters areattracted to.

It is not easy to be a nurse since thecompetition has become tough and it isexpensive too. Sarala KC, president of NursingAssociation of Nepal (NAN) says, “There arelimited seats and students need to go through atough competition. Previously it was easy tobecome a nurse but not anymore.” She adds,“There are more than 100 colleges whichconduct nursing programs with only 40 seats ineach collage and there is tough competitionamong students to get admission.” It generallycosts about three to four lakhs to complete acertificate level nurse, and seven to eight lakhsfor BSC nursing.

Till 1956 there were no professional Nepalinurses in Nepal. Sarala says, “Before 1956there were only foreign nurses in Nepal.Realising the importance of Nepali nurse, Bir

hospital started its first nursing school in 1956.At that time girls who did not pass SLC werealso given admission because it was difficult toget girls with SLC certificate.” Lalitpur NursingCampus is the first campus established in 1956that offered post-basic bachelor of nursing.

Nursing has attracted many teenage girlstoday. “I studied science in intermediate level. AsI had background in science, I choose BSCnursing because its scope is high both atnational and international level,” says Ava who isa student of Scheer Memorial Hospital andCollege of Nursing. She added, “My mainpurpose of studying nursing is to help the poorand needy and my second priority is obviously toseek better opportunities abroad.”

Sarala KC explained the reasons why nursinghas become a hot ticket to go abroad for manyyoung people, “There are no opportunities orfacilities which government should be providingto nurses in Nepal. Thus nurses are bound togo abroad seeking a better life. America, Britain,Australia, Canada are the main destinations ofNepali nurses. And they are doing well there.Although I don’t have exact number of howmany nurse go abroad every year, the numberis rapidly increasing.” She added that every yeararound 3200 nurses are produced in Nepal.

Despite the rise, the number of male nursesin Nepal is conspicuously low. Ranta Guragain,who is one of the first batch of male nursing andis currently working in Asian Collage for

Advance Studies, says, “Male nursing startedfrom 2046 B. S. Now we have around 100 malenurses… the government started male nursingso that we could go to remote parts of thecountry and help. But due to lack of opportuni-ties the number of male nurse is not on rise.”Guragain who is also the secretary of NursingAssociation of Nepal says, “NAN has submitteddemands to the Tribhuvan University and one ofthe demands is to ensure the government policyfor the provision ofmale students.”

Nursing hasalways beenseen as aprofession of

Nursing is a noble profession for both males and females.

Booming nursingä Sabita Gyawali

females; and some feminists protest that it isstereotyping the profession and so it should beopened up for everyone. Due to this socialprojection, there is still confusion amongprospective male students whether to take upnursing as a profession or not. Added to this isthe lack of clear government policy that adds totheir confusion. There definitely is a need formore support from all concerned to promote thisnoble profession for males and females alike.

A scene from 'Hotel Rwanda' (2004) which speaks about Rwanda Genocide.

10-16 Sept, 20079From the region

JODHPUR, India— The toll in oneof India's worst road accidentsmounted to 86 on Saturday asone of scores rescued from themangled wreckage of a truck thatfell into a ravine died in hospital,police said.

Some 200 people werecrowded into the truck travelling toa religious fair in the desert stateof Rajasthan in western India.

"One person has died inhospital. This takes the number ofdead to 86," said police superin-tendent Rupinder Singh inRajsamand district, 200 kilometres(124 miles) from Jodhpur city,where the accident occurred afterdark on Friday.

The truck driver lost control ona sharp bend in a mountainousregion and smashed through aprotective roadside wall, plunginginto the 80-foot (25-metre) deepgorge, said Singh.Apart from thedeaths, some 60 people were inthree hospitals, many seriously

World business leaders attending the SummerDavos in Dalian are seeking to expand theirpresence in China, which has seen boomingeconomic growth for nearly three decades.

US banking giant Citibank announced at themeeting it has been approved by the ChinaBanking Regulatory Commission to open abranch in Dalian later this year, its eighth inChina and the first in the country's northeasternareas.

"With its infrastructure and outstandingsupport for foreign investment, the thriving cityof Dalian represents a key city for Citibank'sexpansion plans in China," said William Rhodes,chairman of Citibank NA, at the meeting.

Citibank is among several major internationalbanks that are ramping up presence in China,particularly after the country fully opened itsbanking sector to foreign banks in Decemberlast year to fulfill its WTO commitment.

Among other business leaders broughttogether by the three-day meeting, many saidthat business prospects in China are good.

Craig Barrett, chairman of the US computerchip maker Intel Corp said at a panel session onSaturday, "The Chinese market is huge. It is thesecond largest computer market place and thelargest communications market in the world.There is a huge opportunity for both home-grown and international software companies."

Barrett later attended a ground-breakingceremony of a computer chipset plant in Dalian,the corporation's first in Asia with a recordinvestment of US$2.5 billion.

At the beginning of the Inaugural AnnualMeeting of the New Champions, dubbedSummer Davos, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

World eyes Chinese market

pledged to maintain the country's fast growthwhile tackling such problems as trade surplus,environment issues and energy consumption.

"We are confident that with enhanced macro-regulation, the giant ship of the Chineseeconomy will continue to surge ahead steadily,"

Wen said.Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of the UK-

based advertising giant WPP Group Plc, saidchoosing Dalian as the host for the SummerDavos is a recognition of China's economicachievements, and more importantly, the

Chinese economy will be sustainable and thereare immense potentials.

"We will definitely redouble our efforts inChina, including time and investment," saidSorrell.

(China Daily)

injured, police said. A large number ofthe dead were women, said police,adding about 50 remaining passen-gers were believed to have survivedunhurt or with minor injuries. Eighty-three bodies had been handed overto relatives, police and local officialssaid. At least three of the victims wereso badly mutilated that their bodiescould not be identified, police said.

Rajasthan's home minister GulabChand Kataria told late Saturday thata district transport officer had been"suspended for negligence of duty"that resulted in people overloadingthe 10-wheel truck -- meant forhauling cars and heavy equipment.Police official Singh said he suspectednegligence. "Such a large number ofpeople being carried in a truck like(this) has never been seen," he said.

Earlier, a witness told that piercingscreams and cries could be heard assurvivors called for help from theravine where the truck fell. "I stoppedthe car and saw a truck lying upsidedown in the ravine," said Udaipur

district official Shikhar Agarwal,who was driving by soon after theaccident. "The wireless phone wasnot working so we could not evencall for help from there. We startedsending people to hospital inprivate cars." Passers-by alsoalerted the nearest police post.

Nearly a dozen cranes werebrought to the accident site overnightas rescuers using searchlightsscrambled to find survivors andrecover bodies. The smashedvehicle had been pulled out of theravine and investigators wereexamining it to determine the causeof the accident. During the day,anxious villagers thronged hospitalswhere the injured were taken.

"We knew the truck driver whowas going and he told us to cometoo. So 54 of us went with him,"said 25-year-old Manji Lal, lying ina bed with a bandaged foot inRajsamand's main hospital. "It allhappened so suddenly we had noidea where our family membersended up. People were screamingfor a long time until someone cameand rescued us."

Television channels showedpatients attached to intravenousdrips, including a boy in a blue shirtwith a thick bandage around hishead. "Suddenly the brakes failed,"the boy told the Aaj Tak channel.

The driver of the truck, who waskilled in the accident, appeared tohave used a wooden plank to rigup extra seating, police said, andmay have offered a free ride to theshrine of a mystic saint revered byboth Hindus and Muslims. ä

Truck crash kills 86 pilgrims

LONDON: Former premierNawaz Sharif said on Saturdayhe would return to Pakistan onMonday despite a request fromSaudi Arabia to abandon hisplanned trip, AP reported.

“I will go back to Pakistan onSeptember 10 with my brotherbecause my country needs me,”he told a press conference inLondon.

Daily Times Monitor adds:Nawaz said he had not brokenany promise and accusedPresident Pervez Musharraf andLebanese lawmaker Saad Haririof going back on their wordbecause the promised durationof the exile was five years, buthe had spent seven years awayfrom his country. Nawaz saidthat he had tried his best torefrain from saying anything onthe “agreement” due to itssensitive nature, but Hariri’spress conference in Islamabadhad compelled him to disclose“some hidden facts”.

Nawaz said that Hariri visitedhim in Attock Fort in 2000 with anunderstanding under which theSharif family would have toremain in exile for 10 years inSaudi Arabia. The former PMsaid that he objected to the

duration of the exile and insistedthat it be reduced to five years.Nawaz said that Hariri then visitedhim after a week and told him thatSaudi King Abdullah had alsoobjected to the exile duration andhad agreed to reduce it to fiveyears. He added that Hariri thenasked him to sign the papers.

Nawaz said that in spite of theverbal assurance that the exileduration would be five years, thepapers of the understanding stillcarried the figure “10-year exile”, towhich he objected, but Hariri said itwas his responsibility to change thefigure in the papers and pressedhim to sign them. Nawaz said thathe believed Hariri and agreed to goin exile for five years.

Nawaz said that the agreementstated that there would be no baron the Sharif family to moveanywhere (except Pakistan) fromSaudi Arabia during these fiveyears. “But Musharraf violated theunderstanding, seized ourpassports and restricted us toSaudi Arabia only,” he said.

Nawaz denied that former USpresident Bill Clinton wasinvolved in brokering theagreement between him and GenMusharraf. ä

(Daily Times)

I amcoming,saysNawaz

10-16 Sept, 200710 Perspective

ä Acharya MahayogiSridhar Rana Rinpoche

In the Buddhisttradition, thereare many kindsof focusedmeditations. The

Sravakayana has around 40different types of focusedmeditations on outer and innerobjects and the Mahayana hasothers on top of those 40 or so.The Samatha methods weretaken by the Shasta from thoseprevalent in the Indiansubcontinent and were not hisown creations.

Samatha is the quieting of themind by focusing it on someobject normally. No matter whatmethod is used, if that methodgradually stills the mind andconcentrates it on an object,whatever it is, that is Samathameditation. This was common inthe time of the Buddha in theIndian subcontinent and it wascommon before his time and isstill common today. The Buddhahimself took some of those tohelp his disciples to attain one-pointed concentration. SoSamatha is not specificallyspecial to Buddhism.

Even Christian Mystics andMuslim Sufis have variousmethods to make the mindconcentrated, i.e. Samathameditations. When one crossesa certain level of ability toremain in a concentrated statewithout effort then that is calledSamadhi. In the Buddhisttradition, there are eight levelsof Samadhi called Dhyanas(meditative stabilisations).There are nine levels ofconcentration.

Through long and dedicatedpractice the person slowlyclimbs upon the ladder as his /her capacity to concentratesingle pointedly on one object(Alambana) increases by dint ofeffort. At the eighth level, herconcentration starts becomingeasier and effortless. When shereaches the 9th level, the objectof meditation takes on a new

ä Siddhartha Thapa

The bomb blasts inKathmandu last week provethat the law and ordersituation of the country has taken a nosedive. Contrary to the fact that governmentauthority is virtually non-existence through-out the country, the government is stilladamant about holding timely elections. TheHome Minister during his parleys in theparliament conceded to the fact that thegovernment would need to recruit anadditional 30,000 troops for the Nepal Policeto ensure security for the polls.

On the other hand, in past electionsNepal Army provided the backbone for thesecurity arrangements during elections;however, the present peace agreementsprohibit the deployment of army for anypurpose. Therefore, how the PrimeMinister envisions conducting timelyelections is still a mystery.

To add to the PM's worries, CPN-Maoist -one of Koirala's major allies has now statedthat elections are impossible given thedeteriorating law and order situation of thecountry. Although the legal aspectsconcerning the elections have beencompleted, the administrative work is stillincomplete and political will is lacking amongall parties to forge consensus to conducttimely polls. The only person pushing forelections is the PM and the internationalcommunity, while the others are rantinghollow rhetoric.

The Maoists actually do not wantelections. After their fifth plenum, the Maoistleadership came to a conclusion that holdingelections would severely damage the party.The Maoist leadership has come realise thattheir position in the Terai is extremely weakand their position in the hills is no better.Therefore, the leadership has decided toexplore alternative avenues to end theinstitution of monarchy and create distur-bances to sabotage the polls.

The fifth plenum also ironically concedesto the fact that the King is a spent forceand the probability of the resurgence of theKing with the backing of the army is nil.Knowing that forceful fraudulent electionscan only guarantee them victory, theMaoists know these elections will becondemned domestically and internation-ally, and so now have accepted the factthat going for elections will prove to be apolitical suicide. Elections would also

After their fifth plenum, the Maoist leadership came toa conclusion that holding elections would severelydamage the party.

decrease their numerical strength in theparliament. They also know that anelectoral loss would tear their party andthey are unwilling to make ideologicalconcessions to enter the political main-stream.

The international community hasconducted endless surveys that all indicateMaoists’ loss in the polls. Therefore, theinternational community has increased theirpressure on all political parties to conductpolls this November. Some diplomaticmissions have gone one step further tobroker an electoral alliance. For example,Gunther, the Swiss diplomat; who has beenbusy trying to broker alliance between ethnicgroups, particularly the Madhesis and theMaoists.

The Norwegians and the Swiss for longhave been cultivating the Left ever since therestoration of democracy in 1990. Theyhave been doing so because they havecome to realise that the democratic forceswill always work closer with India and thisthey can not digest. Therefore, Günter'sattempted bid to unite ethnic groups and theMaoists is a ruse to help the Maoistsrecapture the lost ground in the Terai.

PM Koirala will inevitably yield to thepressure tactics of the Maoists; hence, thereis a very slim chance that elections will takeplace on time in November. Over the lastyear, political observers have been takenback by the PM's inability to confront theMaoist on fundamental issues. Time andagain, he has conceded to the Maoistdemands and on some occasions has beenforced to backtrack.

Koirala has embarked on a trend wherehe has inevitably succumbed to the pressureof the Maoist leadership. Therefore, toignore Koirala's trend in surrendering to hiscoterie and the Maoist will prove detrimen-tal. The truth is that Koirala's coterie and theMaoists are bent on pushing Koirala for theimmediate declaration of a republic andexhausting the means to hold elections. Butthere is also a genuine case of deterioratinglaw and order situation.

The Maoists fear an electoral loss. Theinternational community is confident thedemocratic forces will prevail and Koiralahas already begun to yield to the Maoists.However, the question regarding thepossibility of elections should be left to thepeople to decide. If Koirala holds theelection in haste – the electoral processwould prove futile. ä

The election fiascoquality. It generally becomesbrighter and seems to comecloser to the meditator. This iscalled Samantaka Samadhi inMahayana or Upachar Samadhiin the Theravada system (nearattainment Samadhi).

Then as she goes onpracticing with great dedication,the winds in the body (calledPrana – vayu in Sanskrit andRlung in Tibetan and Chi inChinese, Ki in Japanese) beginto move in her body. The windsbegin to flow up to her head sothat she feels like someone ispressing her head lightly withthe palms of the hand. Duringthis period bliss calledPrasabdhi begins to rise. It canrise to such a degree that herbreathing can becomebelaboured.

This Prasabdhi reaches apeak point and then begins tosubside somewhat like arushing river subsiding when itarrives at the ocean. Then themind becomes extremely calmlike the calm after a storm andthis is the attainment of MulaSamadhi of the 1st Dhyana. Inthe Theravada tradition, this iscalled Appana Samadhi. But thisis only the first Dhyana; higherlevels than this is the secondDhyana; third Dhyana and thefourth Dhyana. In someBuddhist systems bothSravakayana and Mahayana,there is also a 5th Dhyana butthis is not really a higherSamadhi than the fourthDhyana mentioned above butonly the style of categorising itmakes the difference.

In the fourth Dhyana,breathing stops automatically.This breathing can stop in othermethods of meditation using theNadi – Chakras as Alambana(channels etc); but even withoutthe use of any breath controland Nadi – Chakra when aperson reaches the fourthDhyana his/her breathing stops.It is said that great Gurus likeGampopa (the disciple ofMilarepa) took his breath in atsunset and let it go at sunrise.

Above the fourth Dhyana iswhat is called formlessmeditative stabilisations (ArupaDhyana). These are reallybased on the fourth Dhyanaand are not really consideredhigher than the fourth Dhyanain the Buddhist tradition. Theyare called formless Dhyanabecause the objects ofmeditation (Alambana) areformless (Arupa). The first ofthese is infinite space Dhyana(Akasanantyayatana Dhyana).The experience at this stage isof infinite space or void, as allforms are dropped.

Beyond that, even the space isdropped and experience is of theinfinite consciousness(Vigyanantyatana Dhyana). Thisis what many non-Buddhistsystems call the experience ofsuper-consciousness, wherethere is only the infinite allexpansive consciousness or pureawareness by itself that does notseem to change. In the Buddhistsystem of Samatha, there aretwo more stages above this:Akinchanyatana (nothingremaining) and above that,Naiva Sangya Naasangya(neither perception nor non-perception).

All these are highly rarifiedstates of mind; but in Buddhism,none of these states areconsidered as the attainment ofenlightenment. There is onemore Samadhi state calledNirodhasamapatti which ishigher than all the above but isaccessible only to Arhats andBoddhisattvas from eighthBhumi upwards.

This is a crucial point tounderstand if you want tounderstand Buddhism. Althoughthe various Samadhis, includingthe Samadhi of pure awarenessby itself, is cultivated and usedin Buddhism as in all religioussystems, in Buddhism they areonly used to develop concentra-tion and never accepted as theenlightened state. (To becontinued.)

(Sridhar Rinpoche is aVajrayana Master)

It is said that great Gurus like Gampopa (the disciple ofMilarepa) took his breath in at sunset and let it go at sunrise.

Marshland Flowers

10-16 Sept, 2007 11Art & society

Enjoying the morning sun – Syangja, Nepal.

ä Sushma AmatyaInsight

Marijuana use damagesnerves and brain

Counseling by drug therapist, Ragina Shah

My friends at college use Pot/marijuana and they tell me it is not adrug and so is harmless. Is it true?

Arjun LamichaneBhanimandal

It is not true. This is a myth created by

people who sell drugs and the usersthemselves, ignorant of the harm andconsequences of marijuana smoking.Marijuana damages lungs, nerves and brain.There are 400 chemicals in marijuana smoke.60 of these have been proven to causecancer. The chemicals can stay in users’body for months or even years.

Marijuana contains THC, a neurotoxin (apoison that damages nerves), which causesmemory loss.

When people use marijuana regularly, theirbody start tolerating the chemical in the bodyand they will need to take higher doses of it toget the high that they used to get before. Thisusually leads to other drugs like brownsugar.

Lack of knowledge and awareness amongstudents make them think that smoking pot ortobacco is harmless. But marijuana is fatal andone has to stop using it whether for fun orotherwise. Once addicted, the users becomeunable to face life problems and becomedependent on it to conduct their dailyactivities. It is common to see marijuana userseventually moving on to hard drugs anddestroying their lives.

I think my boyfriend is into drugs.What should I do?

Manju SthapitPutalisadak

When a boy is into drugs, his integrity will

start decreasing gradually. His actions will startbecoming unethical and this will affect hisrelationship with everyone in his family andfriends. He will gradually start isolating himselffrom those who suspect him of drug addiction.Once addicted, he will start borrowing, stealingand selling valuable things from his house.

In the beginning he may say that he ismanaging well and he is in control but soon hisaddiction will control him. His personality willstart changing; he will stop communicating andmay also start avoiding you. He will not beable to keep any kind of routine. He may call tomeet you but will not keep the date. He will lieand make excuses and try to justify why hewas late. He would also promise to changeeveryday or even pretend that he is trying.

But addiction is powerful and has to betreated on time with help from professionals;for even if he does try and stays off drugs forsometime, he will relapse again unable to quitdrugs for good. You could check if he isexhibiting any of these signs. If so, he needshelp. Only your love will not be enough topull him out of the trap that is too vicious to behandled without outside help.

Send questions on drug/alcohol/smokingaddiction to: newsfront@bhrikuti.com

Prayer in mountains

ä Yuyutsu RD Sharma

Fragile my eyeglasses,Fragile and foreign,I take them off;there is a speck of a scar in them.On the mule pathI take them off to face the greenstretch of mountains beneath the saddle ofAnnapurnas.From the balconyof clay plastered house I seea sun rise in the clear sky of my life.

(In the Mountains)

The week passed with the rumble of the bombs inthe streets of Kathmandu. But what amazed me howthe people ignored the evil impact that this bombinghad on the hearts of the ordinary people. A friend saidhe was expecting curfew but nothing of the sorthappened and people went about their lives. Thedefiance that the Nepalis have shown to this terrorproves that nobody can put down this nation. Nepalis not just arcadia, a sequestered little Himalayannation, it is fast turning into a modern busy democraticnation that has lot to do in the practical world than tobe held back by these nefarious acts.

To get rid of stress, once again I turn to theAnnapurnas. Once again I take that less traveledroad that passes through alluvial valleys. My busspeeds past the flooded river. I wonder how

Pascale who has come to see Nepal would missthese spectacular scenes from stadiums of delightas he has taken the flight to Pokhara. Wouldbombs enter her poems? Would she ever infuture visit this land, or ask others to come?

The whole landscape of green paddy fieldstinged with yellow flowers looks like wavy beardof an ascetic. Poet Robin Metz keeps mumblingprayers for this nation as he sees the breathtak-ing landscape. This is just the beginning, I tell myguests. Tomorrow we would go into the leachgreasy landscape of perennial waterfalls.Tomorrow we would see real Nepal. Tomorrowwe would see Annapurnas, the place where soulof the gods lives.

You will see smiles on the faces of people.Mules will shake their head gears and the songof the whistling thrush will sing in the valleys ofyour hearts and then there we shall utter aprayer for those who became victims of theterror. And a prayer for our own beloved onewho passed away, without a warning:

This is where last springa rainbow appearedand seconds later the sun set at the same spot.A huge sun-sized mooncrept from behind the mountainand lingered like a cherry-faced childpeering over the courtyard of Annapurnas,the gorge of the River Modi.Fragile my eyeballs;Fragile and tainted with the speck of a bleedingtearof my mother who left me lately.I close my lidsand see her face in the courtyard of Annapurna.

(writer@yuyutsu.de)

Would bombs enter her poems?

10-16 Sept, 200712 Makers

New Delhi– From "Piya tu ab to aaja"to "Dum maro dum" and "Kambakhtishq", singing diva Asha Bhosle hasbeen enthralling listeners with hervivacious and versatile numbers formore than six decades. And thesinging legend, who turned 74Saturday, is still going strong.

From Madhubala to Helen in theolder films to newer actresses UrmilaMatondkar and Kareena Kapoor,these screen scorchers are all boundby a common thread - the evergreenvoice of Asha.

Says Gulzar: "If Lata-ji has sung allthe songs in my 'Aandhi', 'Mausam'and 'Libaas', Asha did the entirescore in 'Namkeen' and 'Ijaazat' andof course our collaborative effort 'DilPadosi Hai' with Pancham, which is apersonal favourite."

Gifted with one of the mostversatile voices in the industry, Ashahas sung every genre of song, be itpop, club mixes, romantic numbers,bhajans and ghazals. Asha's zingy

singing has made memorable manyof the cabaret numbers by yester-years' diva Helen.

Urmila, for whom Asha has sungmany hit numbers, including in"Rangeela", says: "I've always beenone of Asha-ji's biggest fans. We goback a long way. She has known mefrom when I was a child. She hadsung in one of my Marathi films as achild actor called 'Sansar'. Then, ofcourse, her husband R.D. Burmancomposed music for my 'Masoom'.The couple has seen me grow up."

"The biggest compliment to mewas when people thought songs like'Khallas' in Ram Gopal Varma's'Company' were mine only becauseAsha-ji sang them," added Urmila,who lent her voice for Asha's album"Asha & Friends".

Born into the musical family ofPandit Dinanath Mangeshkar, Ashatook her initial training in music fromher father. But it came to an abruptend when he died. She was just nine

years old then.After his death the family moved

from Pune to Kolhapur and then toMumbai. Asha and her elder sister,Lata Mangeshkar, started singing infilms to support their family.

She sang her first film song "Chalachala nav bala" for the Marathi movie"Majha Bal" in 1943. Her first Hindisong was "Saawan aaya" for HansrajBahl's "Chunariya" in 1948.

The year 1957 was the break-through year for Asha when O.P.Nayyar used her to sing the heroine'ssongs in "Tumsa Nahin Dekha" and"Naya Daur". The same year thelegendary S.D. Burman had a rift withLata Mangeshkar. This came as ablessing in disguise for Asha, whosoon became his favourite femalesinger. In the 1970s Asha camecloser to another legend of Indianmusic, R.D. Burman, who gave anew hip and happening sound to hersinging. The songs "Piya tu ab toaajaa", "Dum maro dum" and "Churaliya hai tumne" were a result of thiscombination.

But it was her immortal ghazals forMuzaffar Ali's "Umrao Jaan" thatfetched her huge accolades. Thesongs "Dil cheez kya hai", "Inaankhon ki masti", "Yeh kaisi jagahhai doston" not only proved herversatility but are still all-timefavourites. For her contribution tomusic in Indian cinema, Asha wasconferred the Dada Saheb PhalkeAward, the highest title in Indiancinema in 2000. She is a source ofinspiration for wannabe singers.

"Asha-ji has always been a greatsource of inspiration for me. In fact,she inspires all budding singers. She isso versatile and her voice is so youngthat even today if she lends her voiceto any actress, the song becomes achartbuster," Abhijeet Sawant, thewinner of "Indian Idol 1", told IANS.

"Nowadays when establishedsingers don't want to take a chancewith pop albums she comes up withan album every year. She is soenthusiastic and always open to workwith youngsters. I wish her many,many happy returns of the day andalso that her blessings should alwaysremain with us," added Sawant.

Her popularity is not confined toIndian shores! She has collaboratedwith artistes like Boy George andStephen Lauscombe. In 2002, sheteamed with Michael Stipe on thetrack "The Way You Dream" on theself-titled album by 1 Giant Leap.

In 1997, the British bandCornershop paid tribute to Asha withtheir song "Brimful of Asha", aninternational hit which was laterremixed by Fatboy Slim.

(IANS)

NEW YORK - Ralph Lauren tooka well-deserved extended bowSaturday night as he bothpresented and celebrated his40th anniversary collection.

Lauren sauntered down therunway at a tent erected justoutside the ConservatoryGardens in Manhattan's CentralPark to Frank Sinatra's "TheBest Is Yet To Come." A crowdthat included Sarah JessicaParker, Martha Stewart, DianeSawyer and Barbara Waltersgave the designer a standingovation. Fellow top-tier designersDonna Karan, Carolina Herrera,Diane von Furstenberg and VeraWang, who once worked forLauren, also were at the black-tie event.

The theme of the springcollection, debuting during NewYork Fashion Week, was a dayat the races. Some models woreoversized hats with garden-partydresses — one of the best beinga pale-blue floral printed silkplisse gown with a halter necklineand ruffled jabot — while otherswore menswear-style jackets,ascots and tailored trousers.Spatlike shoes completed thelook.

The jockeys were evenrepresented with crystal-embellished jodhpurs, a yellowjersey dress with an equestrianprint, and a bright pink eques-trian-print taffeta jacket withsplashes of blue, white, greenand yellow, and a peplum at thehip.

Spring '08 features morecolors than Lauren has shown inyears.

The clothes, however, weresecondary to recognizingLauren's long tenure at the topof an industry always looking forthe next big thing.

Lauren is one of the "nicest,warmest and loveliest" in thefashion world, said vonFurstenberg, president of theCouncil of Fashion Designers ofAmerica.

"He is so successful becausehe lives his fantasy with suchpassion. I just love him," shesaid.

After the last gown — a slinkyand stunning silver chain-beadedgown — disappeared from therunway and Lauren had hismoment in the spotlight, the backwall opened to reveal an elegantand elaborate party set up in theConservatory Garden itself. Thiswas the first private event ever heldat the Gardens by a third party.

A sprawling fountain in the middlepicked up the light from the dozenchandeliers hanging from archedarborways on the terrace and fromthe hundreds of candles on thetables.

"Like a Henry James character,he (Lauren) is the last true idealistabout America's imagination ofitself," said Harold Koda, curator atthe Costume Institute at theMetropolitan Museum of Art. "Thatmakes him the greatest ambassa-dor of American style."

(Yahoo News)

Ralph Lauren's40 years

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