Kathmandu l 29 Oct-4 Nov, 2007 l # 39 l Price Rs. 25

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ä nf correspondent

The past few days have seen GPKoirala intensifying his meetings withdiplomats as his rating in their mindsplummets. Diplomats may not findKoirala’s key message very convinc-ing when he declared, “I can holdelection on the new schedule and Ican get Maoists around to do it.”

But Koirala faced a lot of queriesand doubts from the diplomats’,mainly regarding his government’sfailure to maintain the law and ordersituation and the government’s loss offace due to repeated postponementof elections. Despite their insistencefor an early election, the diplomatswere candid that no free and fairelection could be conducted in theprevailing law and order situation.British Ambassador, Andrew Hall,current Chair of the European Unionembassies in Kathmandu, shared EUmembers’ concern over increasingviolence in Terai by the emergingarmed groups, continued abduc-tions and the uninterrupted

King Gyanendra and Queen Komal at Navadurga temple in Bhaktapur on October 26, the full moon day that marks the end of Dashain celebrations.

Koirala promisesBut will international community trust him?

extortions by the Maoists.

Koirala’s meeting with thediplomats, the first after his rise inpower, comes at a time whencredibility and legitimacy of hisgovernment is being questioned. Fora change, he did not meet the IndianAmbassador this time as he clearlyunderstands India’s attitude andmessage - the last one whichdelivered by Shyam Sharan, on

behalf of Indian Prime Minister, ManMohan Singh. But interestingly,Koirala met Chinese Ambassador,Zheng Xianglin twice within a week,first at his daughter Sujata Koirala’sresidence in Mandikatar, and thesecond time at the PM’s residence in

Baluwatar. While China has officiallystated that election should take placeat the earliest, of late, it has givenclear message of its distaste over theincreasing ‘meddling’ of India and theUnited States in Nepal.

Both Ambassador Xianglin and ProfWang Khongbe, a Chinese expert onSouth Asian affairs currently in Nepalhave been encouraging Nepalis totake independent initiative to solve

their ownproblemswithoutdepending onoutsideforces. China,sources in thePMO say, hasleft it to thepeople of

Nepal to decide on the fate ofmonarchy, but with a subtle warningthat the issue needs carefulconsideration, and that a hastydeclaration of ‘republican Nepal’could be detrimental to the nationalinterest. Caution was the word that

Chinese used while advising Maoistleaders as well.

The meeting and discussion over‘Republican agenda’ with the Chinesediplomat followed ‘unofficial messages’from the South that India would haveno problem if Nepal’s parliament choseto go republic now. But the officialstand conveyed by Shyam Sharanwas different who said it is for thepeople of Nepal to decide, implyingthat only an elected ConstituentAssembly should be doing that.

Apart from the British AmbassadorHall, it is believed, German Ambassa-dor Franz Ring and US AmbassadorNancy Powell have warned againstany hasty steps on deciding the fateof monarchy. They all said it is for thepeople to decide and a peacefulsituation must exist so that people canexpress their mandate based on theirpolitical belief. Koirala assured all thediplomats that he is keen to holdelections at the earliest, and ifeverything goes well, he can do it byMarch end. ä

Inside

Under-standingwith

Maoists: wieldingstick!

on page 3

UNMIN for en-larged role

on page 2

Koirala’s meeting with the diplo-mats, the first after his rise inpower, comes at a time whencredibility and legitimacy of hisgovernment is being questioned.

Interviewwith Tho-mas AMarks

on page 6&7

VijayKumar’srelation-

ship with KPBhattarai

on page 8

Bhas

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2 29 Oct- 4 Nov, 2007 News

ä nf correspondent

Notwithstanding the GP Koiralaled government’s hostility andindifference towards royalsecurity, King Gyanendra strictlymaintained the traditions andrituals of the King as in previousyears sans fanfare. He visitedShaktipeeth in and aroundKathmandu on the Maha-Asthamiday besides receiving the Prasadfrom Gorkha palace, the ancestralhouse of the Shah dynasty inGorkha, on the Phulpati day.

But all through, he avoided aconfrontationist attitude with thegovernment in general and PMKoirala in particular who of late hasbeen acting like the King even onreligious matters. In a brief addressto the nation on Vijaya Dashamiday, King Gyanendra invokedGoddess Durga, the symbol ofShakti, “To inspire us all to forgeahead on the strength of nationalunity and reconciliation through theestablishment of sustainable peacein the country.” He also extendedbest wishes to all the Nepalis andHindus living in the country andabroad for happiness andprosperity. The message which

Keeping withtradition

came at a time when political partiesare inching towards a republicanline, however, did not provoke anyhostile response from the politicalparties as in the past. KingGyanendra also offered Tika to allthose who chose to pay respect tohim in Narayanhiti palace.

The ceremony in the palacewent off without the traditionalsecurity arrangements by thegovernment.

While none of the politiciansaffiliated with the current regime,senior officials from the securityagencies and bureaucracy went tothe palace, former Prime MinistersSurya Bahadur Thapa, KirtinidhiBista, Lokendra Bahadur Chandand Marichman Singh wereamong the senior politicianspaying their respect to the King.Ex-army, civil and police officialsand a large number of youths alsojoined the ceremony in the palace.“We told the King that his role isnot yet over. The country is facinga big crisis because of increasinginterference of the external forcesand current political partiessurrendering to them,” a collegeteacher from Kathmandu whowent to the palace said.

UNMIN for enlarged roleä nf correspondent

The United Nations Mission inNepal (UNMIN) is clearly seeking, notonly an extended tenure beyondJanuary 22, but also an enlarged rolefor itself. This was made evident byUNMIN Chief and UN SecretaryGeneral’s special representative IanMartin at New York on October 26.

“Expectations among Nepalis arehigh as to what UNMIN can do,” hesaid, “I do my best to encourage theparties to keep the overall process ontrack and offer UNMIN’s advice asrequested, we do feel constrained byan expectation that we shouldinterpret our mandate narrowly andwe ask ourselves – as concernedMember States ask us – whetherNepal is making full use of thesupportive capacity of the UnitedNations.”

Despite these indications, there arehardly any indications about UNMINbeing given the enlarged role if themood of the ruling coalition partnersis any indication. “We are certainly infavour of UNMIN getting an extendedtenure, may be one more year, butnot an enlarged role,” an influentialcabinet minister told newsfront.

The 15-member Security Councilsupports UNMIN’s extended tenure inNepal, but needs the formal requestof the host government for it. Martin

told media representatives in NewYork the government and the leadersof the seven parties, including theCommunist Party of Nepal (Maoist),have indicated their support for anextension of UNMIN. “SecurityCouncil members in discussionyesterday made very clear that theywould give sympathetic considerationto a request from the government ifsuch a formal request is made,”Martin disclosed.

Martin’s suggestion for a review ofthe Comprehensive Peace Agree-ment (CPA) is also being seen as partof its demand for an enlarged role.He repeated a call in the Secretary-General’s report for the parties totake stock of the CPA and itsimplementation with a view tostrengthen it. He quoted PM Koiralaas having endorsed the idea of areview of the CPA.

Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, inhis latest report on Nepal says thecountry is at crossroads. Mr. Martinexplained that the immediate causewas demands by the Maoists thatNepal’s legislature – not the Constitu-ent Assembly to be elected –immediately declare the country arepublic, and that the electoral systembe fully proportional, both in contra-diction of previous agreements.

“This crisis is not just the conse-quence of those two demands butalso stems from growing mistrustamongst the parties to the peaceagreement that we have seen inrecent weeks,” he said, blamingfailures on both sides to make goodon commitments and agreementsthat have been made in the peaceprocess.

Martin made it clear that theUNMIN also felt handicapped by theabsence of exit strategy. The currentcantonment of Maoists and restrictionof army to their barracks wereintended to be temporary measuresbut these have now continued forsome 11 months with no end in sight.“A prolonged stay in cantonments ofthousands of mainly young peopleliving under difficult conditions andlacking clarity about their future is notsustainable,” he said, adding “It alsoleaves UNMIN with no exit strategyfrom its arms monitoring role.”

Pix

by B

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329 Oct- 4Nov, 2007News

Strange bed-fellowsPolitics makes strange bed fellows. Look at Congress leader, Shekhar

Koirala and the Maoists. Shekhar now proposes that the governmentheaded by his uncle G P Koirala should be ready to go to the polls evenwithout Maoists participating in it.

Shekhar, who was a key negotiator along with Home Minister K PSitaula, is clearly dejected with the Maoists after they insisted on aproportional representation model of electoral system in place of themixed system agreed earlier.

Sitaula who continues as the Home Minister largely because Maoistswanted him apart from some invisible reasons despite his failure tomaintain the law and order situation in the country is however, silent onthe Maoists’ demands. That would mean that Shekhar and Sitaula mightpart company as for Sitaula there are more important quarters to turn tocontinue in the chair.

Maoists are anticipating that the government is also contemplating theoption of using force against the Maoists in case they decide to launchanother movement and disruptive activities.

More friendlyIt seems Maoists honeymoon with the Congress is over. It is inching

much closer to its new tactical ally, the CPN-UML. While the Maoist toptwo, Prachanda and Baburam were absent from the tea-partyorganised by both Nepali Congress and the UML on October 26 and 27,the number of attendants from the Maoist party in the UML receptionwas more, and politically significant.

KB Mahara, the high-profile Maoist leader chose to go only for theUML hosted reception. Pampha Bhushal, Dev Gurung and Hishila Yamialso attended it. No senior leaders except Khimlal Devkota, a Maoistparliamentarian, attended the Congress hosted reception.

As Maoists and the UML are trying to forge a kind of unity among theleft parties in favour of proportional representation system during theparliament session, Maoists’ greater presence in Balkhu Durbar wasunderstandable. But one just shudders, in days of very short-livedpolitical equation, how long will the two go together?

Long queuesThe hike in petroleum price

is no respite for fuel consum-ers. Petrol pumps still havenotices saying there is nopetrol. During the supply hours,there are still long queues ofvehicles. Gas agenciescontinue to take more than aweek to deliver the gascylinders at home.

The reason being in spite of the fuel depots and the government withmonopoly over distribution of fuels, hiking the price, it has not been ableto pay the arrears to the Indian Oil Corporation; the amount of whichhas now crossed Rs 6 billion record level.

51 Crores spentA whopping Rs. 51 crore was spent for

the election preparation that proved to bea non-event during the past 16 months.Altogether Rs. 28 crore was spent thisyear against Rs 23 crore last year,according to the election commissionsources. The EC compiled the data andmade it public after the election wereindefinitely put off for the second timeearly this month. The donor communityprovided equipment and other logistics inthe form of assistance for the election purposes through the commissionworth Rs.54 crore during the period.

Season of festivalsThe Bluebird organised

various events with theme,Season of Festivals. Theoccasion marked the 1st

anniversary of Bluebird Malland 23rd Anniversary ofBluebird department store. Themonth long event which beganOctober 10 covers the major festival months.

On 18th October, Bluebird Mall organised a fun filled event – foodfestival with live concert where artists: Nima Rumba, Nalina Chitrakar,Preeti Kaur, Dharmendra Sewan & Ciney Gurung performed. Themagic show, balloon artist and face painting were enjoyed by thechildren and adults alike.

Newsbrief Wielding stick!ä nf correspondent

Despite PM GP Koirala’s hopes foran understanding with the Maoiststhat will end the political deadlock, itschances are remote as positions aregetting hardened both within theNepali Congress and the Maoists,according to the insiders. Maoistsnow fear the worst as its most trustedCongress leader Shekhar Koirala hasgone to the extent of suggesting thatthe government should be ready tohold the polls to the constituentassembly even without the Maoists,as a last resort.

Shekhar was in fact echoingsomething that Shyam Sharan hadsuggested to PM Koirala when visitedNepal early this month as a specialenvoy of Indian PM Man Mohan Singh.In fact, there is a vocal section within theNepali Congress which has beencriticising the PM of having surrenderedtoo much to the Maoists. Shekhar’s turnaround, many think, could be a tactical‘stick’ that the PM is trying to wield at theMaoists now, under pressure from themajority in the party.

It is less due to the warning fromthe Congress side but more due toconfusion within the Maoist party topbrass that has blighted the prospectof any flexibility on its two latestdemands of declaring Nepal arepublic right away and switchingover to the proportional representa-tion electoral system. For the timebeing, Maoist leaders have aban-

doned the idea of quitting parliamenten block in deference to the requestfrom the seven parties as well as theinternational community. “We are notgoing to leave the parliament,” saidDeb Gurung, party’s senior leader,insisting “We will use parliament as aforum to press our demands.”

But the Maoists’ explanation thatthey had agreed on a mixed electoralsystem only if the elections were to beheld in June last has not been boughtby the international community. Infact, key international playersincluding India have warned Maoiststhat they would be losing internationalrecognition as well as the good-willthat Maoists have earned in the pasttwo years of peace process. In fact,the prospect of Maoists losing thisrecognition has held the hands of theleadership from accepting pressurefrom their lower cadres that they‘must go for a decisive battle’.

A senior Maoist leader told

newsfront that the leadership isneither in a position to ignore theinternational opinion nor the pressurefrom its cadre. That’s why it cannotgive up both the demands it hasraised. “All that we can do is eithercreate a division within the sevenparties when the party resolutions areput for voting, or boycott the sessionblaming both the Congress and UMLas allies of regressive forces,” thesource said.

Maoist chief Prachanda who has sofar been able to maintain a balancebetween the party hardliners and theinternational community has of latebeen saying that ‘nationalism andindependence of the country’ areunder threat. According to the Maoistsources he is increasingly movingcloser to the hawkish trio: Baidya-Gajurel and Badal, who havecriticised the party line of ‘too muchsurrendering to the externalpressures.’

Price hike fuels crisisä Madhusudan Poudyal

After almost six months ofdisrupted and inadequate supply, thegovernment has finally raised theprice of petroleum products from 6 to22 percent drawing protests from thestudent wings of seven politicalparties aligned with the coalitiongovernment.

The price hike which the govern-ment now says is irreversible wascarried out as the nation wascelebrating Dashain. The Nepal OilCorporation (NOC) has raised thewholesale price of petrol by Rs.6 perlitre, bringing its current rate to Rs.73per litre while kerosene price has beenincreased by three rupees. Similarly,diesel price has been increased byRs.300, and cooking gas (LPG) by Rs.200 per cylinder. With the latestdecision, the price of diesel per litrestands at Rs.56, Kerosene at Rs.51and LPG cylinder Rs.1100. NOC saysthe increase in the price is a natural fallout of the increase of the fuel in theinternational market.

The NOC has accrued a loss ofRs.11 billion for unprofitable businessduring the past five years. And witharrears to the Indian Oil Corporationrunning to over six billion rupees, itwas cutting down its supply to Nepal.“Because of this, NOC was not ableto provide fuel to its consumers,”NOC chief Digambar Ojha toldnewsfront, adding, “We know it wasan unpleasant decision.”

The United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), says the soaringprices are threatening the prospects ofmillions of Asia’s poor and forcing themfurther into poverty. A report releasedin Bangkok on October 25 says, “As oilprices climb, the impact on the poormay presage worse to come.” Thereport - Overcoming Vulnerability toRising Oil Prices: Options and thePacific, said that oil prices have tripledover the last four years with the priceapproaching US dollar 90 per barrel.“This has meant that the Asia andpacific region has had to pay anadditional bill of almost 400 billiondollars for imports compared to theamount spent in 2003. This is 20 timesthe annual aid flow to the region,” saidHafiz Pasha, UNDP Regional Directorfor Asia and Pacific at the launch of thereport.

Joint front of the studentorganisations in Nepal going for themovement however blame corruptionand mismanagement in NOC for the

current mess and said the price hikewas unjustified. Although thestudents wing of the ruling coalitionand their allies have asked thegovernment to roll back the price, orface a mass-protest, the governmentinsists that the decision was takenafter due consultation with the politicalparties including the Maoists.

“The decision to hike the price hadthe consent of all the parties in thegovernment and their allies,” saidPurushottam Ojha, Chairman of NOCand Secretary in the ministry ofsupplies. According to Ojha, theparliamentary committee was alsoapprised of the decision beforehand.Maoist leader Dinanath Sharma haswarned that Young CommunistLeague (YCL) cadres would bemobilised to put pressure on thegovernment to annul the price hikedecision. They also hope that in casethere is a protest movement, the leftparties would be joining it.

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

29 Oct- 4 Nov, 20074 Editorial

LettersDeceitful power mongers

The Maoists’ relentless demandsand behavior strengthen the claimthat, after all, the king had sized themup right. It appears he was justifiednot to believe in a ‘peaceful solution’ tothe Maoists’ movement. Even if themonarchy is thrown out, and a republicdeclared, we can be sure now that theMaoists will not stop until they get allthey ask for. It’s about time for the SPAto make a hard decision. Are theygoing to continue to play to the Maoists’tune, or are they going to tune themup? Their promise to the people was tomainstream the Mao-ists, not Mao-ism!

The SPA has given up more thanenough to provide the Maoists a ‘safe-landing,’ and we have had enoughexcuses in the name of ‘transitionperiod.’ Now we want a legitimate peace process based firmlyon truth and justice. Let the Maoists leave parliament if theywant to. Brave Nepalis should not cower down in front ofthreats from unscrupulous and deceitful power-mongers!

ä Satyajeet NepaliKathmandu

Human rights ignoredUday Pariyar’s article that addressed issues of oppressed

Dalits was a candid analysis of the existing disparity, exploita-tion and rampant Brahminism. It is very important for us tohave policies to address those problems. Otherwise,empowering neo-Brahmins will hardly solve the ailment thathas been plaguing this society for centuries.

Pariyar is also rightly critical of the NGOs, local governmentand other human rights groups for maintaining total silencewhen a couple was discarded by their families and the society,for having an inter-caste marriage. This must be an eyeopener for the donor communities since the NGOs and right

groups prefer to poke their nose in forpolitical causes, but ignore human rightissues when it involves Dalits and thosein the lower rungs of the society.

ä Sudha KhatiAnam Nagar, Kathmandu

Media responsibility‘Terai problem and the media’ by

Chandra Kishore Jha (newsfront Oct1-7) was a very balanced and objectivepiece. While the author warns aboutthe growing fissiparous and divisivetendencies visible in the Nepali society,he also cautions media that it has arole not to encourage those trends.

As we watch the media trend in thecountry today, vastly divided alongcommunal and ethnic lines, Jhasuggests that the media should not be

divided into the hills, Madesh, Brahmin or Janajati categories.This should be realised by the media in the country today.

ä Mihir Kumar JhaDilli Bazar, Kathmandu

Koirala King?Newsfront’s interview with Isabella Tree on Kumari festival

is so revealing that it speaks volumes about the Kumaritradition and its relevance in the society in a vivid mannermore than any good books written on the subject so far.

But it is shocking that while the institution needs to beunderstood, modernised and continued, dragging the traditioninto politics is a shame. The instance of Prime Minister Koiralagoing to Kumari for a Darshan was a brazen act of politics, ashe never bothered to visit there as a PM in the past. Whatdoes it mean? Has Koirala turned into a believer now? Or wasit just an attempt to establish himself as the King?

ä Ramesh BaidyaLagankhel, Lalitpur

License to killJournalist Birendra Saha’s whereabouts is not known for nearly

a month now. Fingers are pointed towards Maoists for the crime.But there has been no word from the government as well as theMaoists as yet over Saha’s face. The federation of Nepalijournalists (FNJ) has been routinely raising the issue, but it isclearly lacking in zeal and motivation in pressing for his release.

During his meeting with the FNJ representatives, Prime MinisterG P Koirala reiterated that his government would not make anycompromise on the issue of press freedom. Is FNJ satisfied withwhat Koirala said? Just because this abduction has taken placeunder a ‘democratic regime’ does not make it a lesser crime.Koirala got away with his assurances and nobody in this countryhopes that K P Sitauala as Home Minister will ever act against thecriminals.

It is a shame that the civil society did not find it an issue worthsitting on Dharna for a couple of hours. For the individuals whoare known as civil society leaders in the country today, the issue ofkidnapping of a journalist does not quite merit spending a coupleof hours on Dharna. They appear equally reluctant to demandSaha’s release and warn the Maoist leaders to put pressure ontheir cadres.

Maoists’ commitment to press freedom and democracy whileclaiming the credit for success of the movement against ‘Royalauthoritarianism’ is increasingly appearing more tactical in nature.Same may be said about the civil society if it condones, through itssilence, the heinous crime. It is also a challenge to the FNJ thatwhat they are doing in this case is not enough, and the serious-ness of their protest does not match the intensity during theprevious occasions, especially in the post 2002 October period,against similar or other crimes.

Maoist party’s latest stance that it is not going to take responsi-bility for the kidnapping as it was not a centrally authorised orinstructed move makes the issue much more complicated. Not forone single case, from Madi massacre to the kidnapping and killingof many individuals, have the Maoist leaders ever admitted thatthey were centrally authorised or instructed.

Saha, according to the findings of FNJ and other human rightsgroups, was kidnapped by the Maoists and the worst is beingfeared. There are no accounts available whether he is alive.Nothing has been stated about the torture he had to go through inthe hands of the kidnappers. Although the issue was raised inparliament, the government chose not to take the matter seriously.Both Koirala and Maoist Chief Prachanda will be held accountableif they do not ensure Saha’s release, or at least inform the nationabout his whereabouts. Nepal should not turn into a dangerousplace for journalists to work in.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, butto live in a way that respects and enhances the freedomof others.

- Nelson Mandela

Point to Ponder

Milarepa, the cotton clad oneBorn in the village of Kya, Ngatsa in Tibet to aprosperous family he was named MilaThöpaga, which means, a joy to hear. Whenhis father died, Milarepa’s uncle and aunt tookall the family’s wealth. At his mother’s requestMilarepa left home and studied sorcery. Whilehis aunt and uncle were having a party tocelebrate the impending marriage of their son,he took his revenge through his power.

Knowing that his revenge was wrong, Milarepaset out to find a Lama and was led to Marpa thetranslator. Marpa proved to be a hard task master,and before he would teach him, he had Milarepabuild and then demolish three towers, a back-breaking task. When Marpa still refused to teachMilarepa he went to Marpa’s wife, who took pity onhim. She forged a letter of introduction to another

teacher, Lama Ngogdun Chudor,under whose tutelage he beganto practice meditation. Howeverwhen he was making noprogress, he confessed theforgery and Ngogdun Chudorsaid that it was vain to hope forspiritual growth without the guru’sapproval.

Milarepa returned to Marpa,and after practicing very diligently for 12 yearsMilarepa attained the state of Vajradhara(complete enlightenment). He is said to be thefirst to achieve this state within one lifetime. Hethen became known as Milarepa, which meansthe “Mila, the cotton clad one.” At the age of 45,he started to practice at Drakar Taso (WhiteRock Horse Tooth) cave - ‘Milarepa’s Cave’, as

Spiritual Cornerprofundity of his realisation of the dharma withextraordinary clarity and beauty. He also hadmany disciples, which include Rechung DorjeDrakpa, Gampopa or Dhakpo Lhaje. It wasGampopa who became his spiritual successorwho continued his lineage and became one ofthe main lineage masters in Milarepa’s tradition.

“If you do not acquire contentment inyourselves,heaped-up accumulations will onlyenrich others.If you do not obtain the light of innerpeace,mere external ease and pleasure willbecome a source of pain.If you do not suppress the demon ofambition,desire for fame will lead to ruin andto lawsuits”

- Milarepa

well as becoming a wanderingteacher. Here, he subsisted on nettletea, leading his skin to turn green,hence the greenish color he is oftendepicted as having in paintings andsculptures.

Pyenzhangling Monastery, alsoknown as Pelgye Ling Gompa, is asmall Tibetan Buddhist monastery ina tiny village called Zhonggang, Tibet

that is consecrated to Milarepa. It is builtaround the cave where he once lived. It wasdestroyed but has now been rebuilt anddecorated by Nepali artisans. This is one ofmany caves associated with Milarepabetween Langtang and Jomolungma.

Milarepa is famous for many of his songsand poems, in which he expresses the

529 Oct- 4 Nov, 2007Debating Development

The farce called the constipated (oops,constitutional) assembly election would not havebeen more than a lame joke had it not also beena fraud as well, arguably the most brazen sincethe millennium bug and the Mahakali scam. Inthe former, technology firms warned theconsumers that if they did not buy their latestsoftware and gadgets, the computer systemsacross the world would go kaput at the stroke ofmidnight, thereby causing the global economy,defense systems, health networks, transporta-tion and the internet would go haywire to usherin Stone Age II. Thankfully no such pangsaccompanied the birth of the 21st century, butthe sting operation earned billions for thescaremongers.

The Mahakali caper was of a different tack,but of the same nature. Left to right, politicianshere had gone in overdrive to sell the Mahakalideal. The proposal to sign off the westernboundary river to India was touted as thebiggest bonanza to ever befall the country thatwould earn a cool billion dollars per year. Adecade after the midnight deal in parliament,Nepal is yet to see a penny from the sell off.Nevertheless, the southerly wind from the dealhas filled the sails and coffers of many politiciansthat dominate the political landscape today.

The ongoing constituent assembly (CA) messis a remix of both these earlier scams. On theone hand, the people were bombarded for awhole year with dire warnings by the politicalparties, donors, and the willing media that if theCA elections were not held on Nov. 22, theearth would literally crumble and heaven wouldfall. On the other hand, should the election takeplace, it would fulfill every wish and every needthat Nepalis had ever thought of...so abundantwas the promise.

Experts, expertiseThe transitional movement was recognized as

another money spinner and career booster asinternational crisis firms and professionals whohad made their names and fortunes in Somalia,Afghanistan, Timor or other similar humantragedies descended upon Nepal to set up shopin partnership with local subalterns. The first

order of business was to establish the demandthat could then be supplied by the expat experts.

Using some convenient methodologies, it wasfirst established that Nepalis in general wereseriously deficient in their knowledge of thewhole constituent assembly phenomena. Such aglaring civilisational gap could only be filled bythe superior knowledge embodied by theexperts. Thus came the various versions of thevoter education programs from donors andINGOs in whose name millions of dollars wereraised and millions of rupees disbursed,thousands of educators, TOTs and trainersmobilized to teach the ignorant masses how todo election come Nov. 22.

The ignorant masses perhaps might just wantto ask the experts why suddenly there is noconstituent election after all this education andawareness raising? That is, if they have notalready left the scene post-haste in their favoritegetaways: the formidable fleet of satellite-hooked 4 by 4s and shiny helicopters. Thesovereign people might also want to know whyso much resources and effort was poured into ahalf-baked project whose completion was notascertained or even intended. Talk of teachingaccountability.

The ‘post-conflict’ industry in Nepal hastemporarily been thrown off-gear by thecancellation of the elections. All those contracts,projects, budgets streams, networks, andcareers are in disarray. But not for long, we canbe sure that the resilience and resourcefulnessof this highly adaptive industry will soon come upwith another inspiring sales banner to continueits good work as has been the case for the lastfifty years.

More than anything, the present electionfiasco is an inevitable failure of a faulty paradigmwhose basic premise starts not with the innateintelligence of the people but their ignorance.Many of the assumptions that inform theintervention in Nepal are politically chic, butanalytically dubious. The continued substitutionof objective assessment and adherence tological policy implications by normative homiliesand ideological sermons is at the root of thepresent impasses, whether it be the donors or

their recipients. In the absence of criticalanalysis, the liberal-radical consensus on Nepalappears to have become a victim of its owngroup think.

King and PRFor example, when the current ruling circle

and its external guarantors have already decidedin principle to make Nepal a republic after Nov.22, what substantive difference does it make if therepublic is declared by the parliament today tosave the country from another likely bloodletting?The sovereign parliament that changed nationalidentity from Hindu kingdom to secular state andconfined the King to virtual house arrest in onestroke last year should have no constitutional orlegal obstacles in going republic to fulfill thedeepest aspirations of the Nepali ‘people’ today.To pose the same question differently, whatbenefits will the country accrue by keeping themuch vilified monarchy another 25days? Ditto forthe wrangle over the proportional representationsystem.

An election is an act of selection andrepresentation by the people within an agreedupon framework. To make the democraticelection meaningful, the competitors must agreeon the fundamental norms of the electoralgame. This includes the consensus on thepurpose, method, and willingness to accept andabide by the result of the elections.

In the context of the CA elections, none of thethree criteria were ever met satisfactorily.Whether it was the constituency redrawingcontroversy or the proportional system, therewas a wide divergence of positions on the actualmodality of conducting the elections.

More seriously, even after the elections dateswere fixed, some of the contestants continued tostate that they would not be obliged to abide bythe results if it was not to their liking. Theexperts refused to take into account this dangersignal and continued to send back rosy reportsto New York in order to keep the game going. Isthe UN too worried about the complicationshere? Perhaps not. More mess in the ThirdWorld means more business, budget and jobs.A cursory glance back at history shows that

wherever UN has stepped in, it tends to stickaround for a decade or longer.

Last but not least, there was lack of sincereagreement on the purpose of the election itself.For some, CA election was intended to be arubber stamp to legitimise the 2006 regimechange. For others, the CA result would havebeen the measure by which to take stake theirclaim on state power and resources.

Power to the partiesNone of the players in the game had actually

wanted the people to exercise their ‘sovereign’reason to express what they really wanted. In apreemptory move, the parties had alreadydecided what the new Nepal would be: federal,republic, and pseudo secular. The CA wasgamed to extract popular consent, not open upinformed choices. Thus, even if the CA electionwere to be held as scheduled, it would not havebeen more than a costly ritual because the mostimportant substance had already beenpreordained through an unelected process.That is why the sky did not actually fall when theelection was finally cancelled and except forsome perfunctory tears in some quarters,nobody is ruing the day.

Contrary to claims, the CA elections and therest of the political process is not intended toempower the people through reason andinformation. It is, on the contrary, designed toinfantilise them by playing upon their worst fearsand emotions. The rule of law is being substi-tuted by fear where insecurity, suspicion, andvirulent populism have become the primaryruling instruments.

The nation is literally being made to live fromminute to minute in bated breath as it awaits itsfate outside the gates of Baluwatar and SinghaDurbar while those inside wheeling and dealing,day and night, in perpetually extending sessions.The emotional blackmail serves two functions:buys borrowed time for the regime whilereducing popular expectations of the politicalprocess to abysmal nil. The sum total? Nationaldestabilisation and societal demoralisation.

(Dr. Shah is Program Coordinator forConflict, Peace and Development Studies, TU.)

Thinking past theNepali ‘post-conflict’

More mess inthe Third

World meansmore busi-

ness, budgetand jobs.

ä Saubhagya Shah

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

Failed ‘Heroes’ ? : GP Koirala, Madhav Nepal andSubash Nemwang

Inter6 29 Oct-4 Nov., 2007

Dr. Thomas A. Marks has recently seen hislatest book, Maoist People’s War in Post-Vietnam War Asia, published in Bangkok (WhiteLotus Press). Here, he responds to questionsforwarded by the Nepali Perspectives Group.This is an abridged version of the completeinterview.

Do you think Nepal is at a pointwhere the Maoists have overwhelmedthe system?

The Maoists have not yet overwhelmed thesystem, but they remain committed to doing so.

Let us first be gloomy: The monarchy hasbeen marginalized, leaving the contest a SPAMaffair, with only the “M” (Maoists) understandingarmed politics. Maoist thugs run rampant, yetNA has been banished to the barracks by thesimple expedient of the CPN(M) packing theregroupment camps with under-age fillers andtraining cadre, even as the Maoist hardcoreleads the “Young” Communist League (YCL) inthe streets.

The police are the front line but deployaccording to the whims of the highly controver-sial Home Minister, as does the police reactionforce, APF. SPA itself is torn by factionalism,with the legal left as bereft of leadership as NC.No effort has been made to mobilize the peopleagainst their tormentors. International actors,though forming a brake of sorts on the Maoists,are as much a part of the problem as thesolution, having colluded in the negation of thestate’s capacity to enforce law and order.

Now, the “bright” side: The illusion of Maoiststrength results from state ineptitude (andhaplessness). In reasonably fair and transparentelections, the Maoists stand to lose badly. Theyknow this but cite nefarious schemes at work, notleast by the UN! The security forces, whatevertheir flaws, remain intact, and the Maoists havefailed in their central aim of incapacitating them.The political class, its lackluster leadershipnotwithstanding, includes younger elements whocould add much were they to break through theircultural straitjacket and cease functioning aslapdogs. The Nepali people are now on the vergeof open rebellion against their Maoist tormentorsand demand leadership.

What are some of the dimensions theMaoists are using to undermine thestate? Are you able to draw parallelsbetween what the Maoists are doing inNepal and what, for example, SenderoLuminoso did in Peru?

In the first five years (1996-2001) of theirpeople’s war, the Maoists aped SenderoLuminoso (Shining Path). Thus they empha-sized violence, with terror and guerrilla wareliminating the human and institutional rallyingpoints of the system – stripping away the humanglue that held the system together. They wentto main-force warfare after 2001, mimicking instructure the forces of the state. The state,bowing to foreign voices, refused to mobilizelocal forces and thus ceded control of thecountryside.

There, a counter-state was built with neweconomic, social, and political forms (necessarilyproto-fascist, to include school prayers to the

martyrs of the revolution). Fellow travelers weremobilized into ethnic and “student” bodies. Agit-prop was central to fortifying new cultural norms– hence revolutionary will – through song,dance, and new vocabulary. Internationally,global fellow travelers entered the picture, toinclude the leftist groupies who are in theforefront of the “struggle against globalism.”India dusted off the failed approaches of its SriLankan adventure (and its Northeast cam-paigns) and allowed its legal left to implement itsrevolutionary fantasies at Nepali expense.

Failure of the Nepali state to use democracy,imperfect and corrupt though it was, for massmobilization against the Maoist assault maderoyal direct rule inevitable. This, in turn, providedthe opening for a decisive Maoist shift to theunited front approach. Simultaneously, thecharade of the regroupment camps was used tonegate state armed capacity even as the YCLstreet goons ensured that the Maoists’ ownviolence continued.

It is here that we see the finesse of the Maoistapproach. In Peru, in a comparable situation,Shining Path erred by failing to cultivate alliesand continuing to emphasize violence. Itsbrutality mobilized its own demise. Peruvianpeasants, led by the very Quechua-speakingIndian communities that had comprised the initialShining Path base of support, rose up in the late1980s. The revolutionary endeavor wasswamped in a hostile sea of humanity.

On the topic of Sendero Luminoso,what did the government do right inPeru that successive governments inNepal seem incapable of replicating?

As Shining Path persisted in mistakenlyemphasizing violence, Peru of the Fujimori eracountered with political mobilization that gavecapacity to the state’s armed response. Asdemocracy expanded, micro-development andlocal defense gave it the strength needed to endthe threat of Maoist dictatorship. If oneexamines other cases of success against Maoistchallenges, this is the key.

No Nepali government has implemented eventhe basics of the successful strategy followedelsewhere against Maoism. Perhaps mostembarrassing, the Nepali security forces actuallyclaim they secured a victory of sorts by “forcing”the Maoists to negotiate. This is inaccurate. TheMaoists simply emphasized a different line ofoperation as appropriate to the strategicsituation in 2006 (as they would put it, to thenew correlation of forces). For its part, SPAinability to see past its struggle with themonarchy to the larger strategic peril in which itwas placing itself is now quite on display.

Many of Nepal’s “ultra liberal demo-crats” belatedly seem to have realizedthe Maoists cannot be trusted andshould not be appeased. The Maoist-orchestrated postponement of CAelections drives the last nail in the coffinfor Maoist apologists. Do you have anyreactions to this?

The question goes to the heart of thechallenge faced by Nepali democracy. TheMaoists have never wavered in their goal ortheir strategy for achieving it. Their goal, as theyhave stated repeatedly, is a people’s republic.Their strategy, they have trumpeted, is people’swar. Their means, they do not keep secret, areembodied in the mobilization of a mass base tooverwhelm the state. Only the operational art oftheir strategy has been altered to respond tosituational realities.

That is, they have emphasized whateverapproach is appropriate to time and place.Though too many in the Nepali political classremain ignorant of these fundamental Maoistwar fighting realities – of armed politics, which iswhat insurgency is – many in fact have seen thelight. Where they have continued to come upshort is in turning understanding into a weaponby mobilizing the Nepali populace for its owndefense.

What are your thoughts on theMaoists playing the nationalist card tocounter Indian influence in Nepal? Doyou see an imminent change in Indianforeign policy given India’s own interimpolls on the horizon and also that thewhole world has borne witness to thefailure of India’s Nepal policy? Couldyou please expand your response totouch on India’s bid to become apermanent member of the UNSC?

The UNSC bid is not particularly relevant tothe immediate issues. Neither is India concernedabout what the world thinks of the retrograde“Great Game” elements of its national securitystrategy. Much of the Indian political class lives in

Troglodytes stalk an interview with Dr. Thomas A. Marks

Failure of theNepali state to usedemocracy, imper-fect and corruptthough it was, formass mobilizationagainst the Maoistassault made royaldirect rule inevi-table. This, in turn,provided the open-ing for a decisiveMaoist shift to theunited front ap-proach.

729 Oct-4 Nov. 2007rview

a parallel reality every bit as isolated as thatoccupied by much of the Nepali chatteringclasses. More germane is the apparentrecognition in Indian ruling circles that they have“been had” by the supposedly now moremodern, more urbane, more thoughtful IndianMarxists.

On the contrary, what the Indian left standsfor has been put on display in its recentideological anti-US posturing. Indian Marxism isan embarrassing remnant of a brutal ideologythat collapsed under its own weight even as itbattered itself senseless against its opponents,democracy and the market. Indeed, one simplycannot be a communist in 2007 without firsthaving checked his brains at the cloak room.Yet, for the sake of power, Congress thought itcould break bread and reason with the IndianMarxists, give them the lead even in Nepalimatters. Both the government in New Delhi andNepal are paying a bitter price, with the buddingrelationship between the world’s two largestdemocracies, India and the US, the houndwhich has flushed the fox from the chicken coop.

Indian strategy towards Nepal has repeatedthe mistakes of New Delhi’s Sri Lankan gambit,a cock-up from start to finish for which Indianforces paid the price in casualties. India, given itsown Maoist challenge, must be keenly sensitiveto the security implications of a Nepal sliding intochaos; worse, into a radical people’s republic.

For their part, the Nepali Maoists thoughtthey had a deal with New Delhi. Perhaps theydid, but their own factionalism, which waspapered over as long as “the struggle”sustained organizational unity, has now burstforth. India does seem to recognize the dangernow posed by the CPN(M) troglodytes in theMaoist ranks, who are bent on a return toviolence – even if with brickbats and spanners inthe streets rather than long-barrel weapons. Ifthe troglodytes are genuinely outraged at Indianperfidy, their apparent majority in the MaoistPolitburo compels the Maoist “moderates” to beoutraged as well.

It must be emphasized, though, that the terms(“troglodytes” and “moderates”) are relative.The argument is not over the strategy ofpeople’s war but over which line of operationshould receive emphasis. Prachanda and theso-called “moderates” feel it is folly to emphasizeopen confrontation at this particular moment,especially when sub-rosa violence (criminalityand extortion) are proceeding quite nicely inmoving the Maoist cause towards its objective.The troglodytes, however, feel pitched streetbattles are the route to victory.

What in your opinion of the UN role inNepal?

UN activity has moved Nepal to the point thatelections of sorts could be held. Unfortunately,the UN appears not to take seriously Maoistrevolutionary aspirations. Nepali Maoism is ledby individuals who have committed themselvesto a revolutionary enterprise and thus see theworld in the hackneyed, dangerous categoriesof Marxist-Leninism. In particular, they are afterstructural upheaval which will give them powerand the organizational means to build utopia.We are dealing with a process that is similar toMussolini’s post-World War I fascist rise topower.

What is at issue is not, as the UN seems tothink, a matter of, “What are the Maoiststhinking?” This grants them the capacity to actoutside their doctrinal matrix. Rather, we face:“How are the Maoists thinking?” In the answerone finds the inversion of categories that turnsopponents into categories, justifies crimes asnecessities of war, and claims that immediate,brutal, personal, terrorist murder is only self-defense against the flaws of the state (asreflected in poverty and any other category onechooses to measure in Nepal). Yet we witnessno disquiet in UNMIN ranks as the Nepalipopulace daily suffers from the thugs and as theMaoists pay homage to icons representing thegreatest mass murderers of all history. Oneshudders to consider if the same negligencewould accompany the adding of Hitler’s image tothose of Mao, Stalin et al. Or Pol Pot perhaps?

Ironic it is that ultimately it was the UN,through UNTAC, that oversaw the rebirth ofCambodia after the shocking atrocities of theKhmer Rouge. One would think the lessonwould have been learned. The Maoistmovement in Nepal shares many structural andideological particulars with the Pol Pot case.

What do you anticipate the Maoistswill do next? It appears they areincapable of fighting and incapable ofpracticing democratic politics.

The Maoists are not debating goals orstrategy but the implementation of their strategy(i.e., operational art). They have exposed

Nepal

themselves to the world. On the one hand, it canbe argued this is significant. They have beenrevealed for what they are, would-be fascists.On the other hand, it could also be irrelevant. Itis, after all, facts on the ground that willdetermine the outcome. To the extent thatNepali democracy continues to wring its handsand expect the international cavalry to ride tothe rescue, the Maoists will have a free hand.

Is confrontation between Nepal’sdemocratic and Maoist forces inevi-table? What steps would you adviseNepali policy makers to take today tomeet and counter the increasinglyradical, undemocratic Maoist line?

Confrontation indeed is inevitable. If the battlepreviously was between the forces of autocracyand democracy, it is now between parliamentarydemocracy and people’s democracy. The firstform of democracy is reasonably authentic; thesecond is a façade behind which lurks tyranny.Communism, especially of the Maoist variety,has never played itself out other than in tragedy,in any case, at any time.

Consequently, what must be done is quiteclear – democratic capacity must be mobilized.And this capacity must have a self-defensecapability. This need not be armed, but it mustbe robust enough to meet head-on the Maoistthugs. Maoist people’s war must be neutralizedby people’s war of the democratic state.Ultimately, Maoist violence will only be swampedby a wave of outraged humanity. ä

Indian strategytowards Nepal has re-peated the mistakes ofNew Delhi’s Sri Lankangambit, a cock-up fromstart to finish for whichIndian forces paid theprice in casualties.

Confrontation in-deed is inevitable. Ifthe battle previously

was between theforces of autocracy

and democracy, it isnow between parlia-mentary democracy

and people’s de-mocracy. The first

form of democracyis reasonably au-

thentic; the secondis a façade behind

which lurks tyranny.

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29 Oct-4 Nov, 20078 Opinion

It is very difficult for me to write aboutKrishna Prasad Bhattarai. It is so because Ilike him. It is said that when a journaliststarts liking a politician it becomes verydifficult for him to remain objective.

Text books have prescribed many dosand don’ts for journalists. I never cared fora majority of them. Most of the failedjournalists however become goodprofessors of journalism. In any case oursis a country of preachers not doers. Peopleknow about everything except their ownjob. Having spent two decades as Nepal’smost watched television talk show host Iknow for sure that journalism has gotnothing much to do with truth! Journalismat its best can get closer to ‘facts’ not to thetruth.

Fact is only a small component of truth.The amusing thing about ‘truth’ is - it existseither in mathematics or in Nirvana only.Many argue even mathematics can bemanipulated. My relationship with KrishnaPrasad Bhattarai, the only living founder ofNepali Congress, started much before Ijoined journalism. KP used to live in samearea I grew up in. Many people in thelocality and elsewhere would hesitate to talkwith him as he was declared anti nationalelement during Panchayat regime.

He was jailed for almost 14 years. Hiscrime was his unfailing belief in democracy.I was attracted to him because of hisinnocent smile. He would sometimes giveme a candy. Later in life I liberally con-sumed his whiskies. Once he told me -politicians are like a woman in bikini. Whatthey revel is tempting but what they hide isvital. I took this as a mantra and found veryuseful in my career.

KP never married but never claimed thathe lacked the ‘experience’. He loves toexaggerate the details of his encountersbut I am sure most of those are imaginary.During April 1996 he told me, “I will giveyou a scoop but do not use it for at least 10years. People talk about my relationshipswith women even these at this age of mine.Journalists of this city are basically idiotsand thieves. Look at me, I cannot evenstand properly. How can someone who cannot even stand make his vital organ stand?But if someone believes I still can, whyshould I deny that?” This is just one side ofKisunji. I saw another totally different faceof this man as Prime Minister in New Delhiin 1990 during the joint press conferencewith his Indian counterpart VP Singh. Hewas so firm and clear about Nepali nationalinterests vis a vis India.

During the trip he took me to his suite inRastrapati Bhawan where I saw at leasttwo Indian cabinet ministers ( one Iremember was Sharad Yadav) touching hisfeel saying ‘Pai lagu Kisun ji’. There werequite a few Indian reporters and camera-men around but no one was surprised bythat feet touching act. After a while KPlaughed and told me, “Can you imaginewhat will happen in Nepali press if ourNepali ministers dare to touch the feet ofVP Singh! Hell will fall on them!” There wasan old guard who told me that KP is onlyhead of the government he has seen whocleans his own shoes, toiletand makes his

bed. His comments on occasions make KP looklike a lightweight but his spotless record as afreedom fighter proves an entirely differentpoint.Royal palace must still be holding papersthat will prove that only KP refused to sign anypapers bargaining for his release from theprison.

Once KP told me, “Forget about Girija Babu,even BP signed papers to come out.” Unlike hisfriends KP never went on exile to India. Hechose to struggle within the country. In course oftime his leader BP Koirala too realised the vanityas well as political fee of carrying a struggle fromIndia and returned home in the name of nationalreconciliation with King. KP fought most of hislife for democracy and was chosen to bethePrime Minister by Ganesh Man Singh, tohead the interim government after the 1990people’s moment. To his credit go the constitu-tion of 1990 and the successful election ofparliament.

But surprisingly he failed to get himselfelected in 1991 election. Mark Tully wrote inBBC year book “I was saddened to see KPBhattarai, one of the most remarkable politiciansof South Asia, humiliated by the voters ofKathmandu.” Later it became very obvious thatKP’s election team was so incompetent that hisown campaign chief failed to turn up to vote forhim on the election day! It also became veryclear that GP Koirala was weaving a conspiracywithin the party to defeat KP. That election wasthe beginning of his downslide. Following hissurprising defeat, GP Koirala became the primeminister by default. Once in the chair GPexpanded his resources like no PM has everdone in recent times and increased his grip overthe party.

The supreme commander of 1990 peoples’movement Ganesh Man left the Congress partydejected and rejected and now KP has done thesame. KP hardly has any character or qualifica-tion required of a successful leader in Nepal. Henever cares to calculate in an environmentwhere politics is largely run through back doorcalculation deals. Right or wrong KP has alwaysdone what he felt like at that particular moment.Do you think any calculating Nepali leader todaydares to say that monarchy is still relevant?

Even Panchas, who sucked the country in thename of monarchy for 30 years are too scaredto pronounce M word today. Important questionis will Nepali Congress listen to its only livingfounder member? Certainly not. Will KP’s standaffect real politics in Nepal? No. Will thisapparently losing stand affect KP’s thinking? No.He told me the other day, “I chose to live inprison for 14 years because I felt like doing sofor the sake of Nepal’s interests and democracy.There were times I felt I would never come outof jail. But I have never ever regretted what Istood for. And I will keep saying things which Ifeel are correct. I feel if we do not take thingsseriously now Nepal may even lose its identityand sovereignty, not just democracy for which Itoo have contributed a little.”

KP believes that all happenings are predes-

tined. He sarcastically refers GP Koirala as, “myparam mitra” and predicted, “God will not allowthis man to leave with the kind of greatnesswhich never was real.”

Despite his utterances about women,whiskies and his book which I suspect will neverbe completed; KP is too soft to be a leader incurrent Nepali politics. These are times ofnational and international wheeling dealings. Hesimply lacks that killer instinct required to be asuccessful politician in Nepal. His sense ofhumor is too shuttle for society to understandand digest.

Despite my affection, I find him lazy and totallyfatalistic and often self contradictory. Once Iasked him why does he take things so lightly. He

became serious and replied, “Whether onepretends to take things seriously or not,nature has its own speed. End result ofNepali politics is always the same whetheryou run or stroll. Please do not mistake that Iam a fatalist, I firmly believe that results arenot in human hands, just the duty towardsour respective conscience is in our hand.” Ithas been a long time KP has becomeirrelevant in Nepali politics but still he willalways be there as a unique symbol .

Here is a man who was jailed for 14 yearsby Kings because he chose to fight forhuman dignity. Who knows if he was notjailed that long perhaps his knees wouldhave been strong enough so that he couldwalk himself today and participate in thenational and international power games.

Disgraced prince Paras must havejumped recently from his hospital bed as hesaw KP visiting him recently. It is a wellknown fact that the palace was very happywhen KP lost elections in 1991 because theyfelt much more comfortable with the idea ofhaving Girija as the PM. Girija has changedmany partners for his power game but nowthe he has only one ball left in this limitedover game.

If he fails, KP might have the last laughabout his friend. Even then, KP will not havemuch role to play in politics. But he alwayswill be there as a matchless symbol in Nepalisociety. ä

ä Vijay Kumar

GREAT LEADERirrelevant politician

If he fails, KP mighthave the last laughabout his friend.Even then, KP willnot have much roleto play in politics.

29 Oct-4 Nov, 20079Opinion

In Nepal, political leaders instead ofexpounding on their own principlesand platforms, spend more timeindulging in mudslinging. Manyleaders attack not only each other’sissues, but also each other at verypersonal levels. Worse, at timespolitical mudslinging includes aleader’s personal life and his/herfamily. Such mudslinging or characterassassination can become so uglythat it can cause the victims to beisolated from public activities. Thedejected and humiliated ones maythen have no choice but to distancethemselves from their political parties.

In recent times, Nepal has beenpivoting around politically chargeddisputes over abolishing monarchyand replacing it with a federalrepublican mechanism and keeping aceremonial monarchy. Politicalleaders are clearly divided over theissue of whether to continue themonarchy or abolish it once and forall. With all the hyperbolic rhetoriccoming from pro- and anti-republi-canism, this debate has poisonedrecent politics and has polarisedNepalis into two opposite extremes.This also started slander andcharacter assassination from pro-republicanism people against thenational leaders who opposed theidea of federal republic.

Character assassination, aparticularly repugnant political tactics,has been employed extensivelythroughout the history of Nepalipolitics. Among many other prominentpolitical leaders, Krishna PrasadBhattarai has become the victim ofthis attack in contemporary Nepalipolitical history.

Many anti-republicanism leadersincluding Bhattarai have beencondemned for their pro-monarchialviews by other leaders who areadvocating and campaigning for afederal republican set-up. Thecampaigning against him has nowdegenerated from an earnest critiqueof his views to a pathetic attempt atcharacter assassination.

Defaming Bhattarai may havegiven some people a despicablepopularity among the public. If theythink he neither possesses any powernor any ability to change the direction

of the current political wind, why arethey so afraid of his remarks? Sowhat if he favors constitutionalmonarchy? If we are so ready toabolish monarchy, why not just do it?Bhattarai (and anyone else for thatmatter) has the right to have adifferent opinion. If we cannot respectother’s views, we are authoritarian

and hypocritical.Unfortunately, political mudslinging

in our country appears to be the rulerather than an exception. It really isnot an effective way to sway today’ssavvy voters, many of whom are veryconcerned about the direction thiscountry is heading to.

In any democracy, freedom ofspeech and expression is vital.Democracies offer space to manyvoices expressing different orcontrary ideas and opinion. Democ-racy also allows any citizen to publiclycriticise unwise or tyrannical opinionof public figures or policies of

Political mudslinging in our country appears to be the rule rather than an exception.

Are we a democracy?

ä Shirish Ranabhat

authorities; and people have theliberty to express what they think andhow they feel. In a democratic society,people have right to accept or reject.Why do then Nepalis, especiallypoliticians tend to stoop down so andplay dirty, instead of politely andlogically rejecting their opponents’views? Is democracy here only aconvenient term used just for vestedinterests? ä

(Writer is Ph.D, Executive Member,Nepali Janasamparka Samiti (NJS),

USA and Coordinator, Policy andResearch Department, NJS-USA)

In any democ-racy, freedomof speech andexpression isvital. Democra-cies offer spaceto many voicesexpressingdifferent orcontrary ideasand opinion.

news

front

29 Oct- 4 Nov, 200710 From the region

Maoists gun down18 in Jharkhand

Maoists struck again in Naxalite-infested Jharkhand on Saturdaywhen they gunned down 18 people, including the son of formerchief minister and sitting Koderma MP Mr Babulal Marandi, andinjured two at a cultural programme at Chilkhara village in Giridihdistrict in the early hours of the morning.

“Armed Naxalites opened fire when the programme was onbetween 12.30 a.m. and 1 a.m. and killed 18 people, includingAnuplal Marandi, the son of former chief minister BabulalMarandi,” deputy inspector general of police Mr RK Mullick said inRanchi.

The former chief minister’s brother, Mr Nunulal Marandi, whowas also present at the function, escaped unhurt. The injuredwere rushed to Giridih hospital. The victims were all between 18and 25 years of age. Wearing CRPF uniforms, the Maoistsattacked the victims, who were attending a cultural programmeafter a football match, much the same way they killed JamshedpurMP Sunil Mahato and three others on 4 March in Bagudia villagein East Singhbhum district.

“Our forces have cordoned off the area and are trying to locatethe Naxalites,” CRPF spokesperson said. A bomb disposal squadand dog squad are also accompanying our team, he added. MrMarandi’s party, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Democratic, has calleda statewide bandh tomorrow to protest the gruesome killings anda delegation from the party will meet the Governor to demand theresignation of chief minister Mr Madhu Koda and the growinglawlessness in Jharkhand. Mr Koda, on the other hand, spoke tohis Bihar counterpart to discuss a joint strategy to counter theNaxalites ~ the village where the attack took place is close to theinter-state border.

Mr Nunulal Marandi, brother of Mr Babulal Marandi, blamed theGiridih administration and police squarely for the massacre inChilkhara village.

“We cannot understand why the police posted for the matchwere withdrawn soon after the prize distribution ceremony”, hesaid.

(The statesman)

Emotional welcome for BenazirThousands of party faithful

turned out to give an emotionalwelcome to former prime ministerBenazir Bhutto on Saturday whenshe set foot on the soil of herancestral village after eight years.Chanting “Jeay Bhutto”, thePeople’s Party supporters cheeredand clapped as Ms Bhutto visitedthe mazar of her father, Zulfikar AliBhutto, in Garhi Khuda Bakshvillage.

Ms Bhutto waved from herbullet-proof vehicle to jubilantcrowds, who were prevented fromapproaching the vehicle by securitystaff wielding AK-47s. A hugeportrait of Mr Bhutto hung from apylon, and green, red and blackPPP flags fluttered as her convoywhipped up a duststorm. MsBhutto laid a shawl inscribed withQuranic verses and showeredrose petals on her father’s grave.She then sat beside the tomb foralmost an hour, reading the holyQuran.

“I feel very sentimental. I waseager to visit the tomb of myfather, the Quaid-i-Awam, and offer prayers,”Ms Bhutto told reporters later. She was thendriven to her family residence, protected bysecurity officials in jeeps mounted withmachineguns. “There is still a threat to my life,but Allah can protect everyone and I am notscared of these people (militants),” the PPPchief asserted. “I now feel better about mysecurity.”

Earlier, Ms Bhutto arrived in Sukkur fromKarachi by aeroplane, adds Abbas Jalbani.

Hundreds of police and paramilitary troopswere deployed at the airport for Ms Bhutto’sfirst foray outside Karachi since last week’sattack marred her return to Pakistan.Thousands of PPP workers and supportershad started thronging the Sukkur airport hoursbefore the PPP leader’s arrival, although thelocal party leadership had made no announce-ments about Ms Bhutto’s schedule. Rumourswere in circulation that the announcement ofMs Bhutto’s arrival in Sukkur was a decoy and

that she had already reached Garhi KhudaBakhsh or even that she may take a helicopterfrom Sukkur air-port. After the plane touchedthe tarmac, hundreds of vociferous workersgatecrashed into the airport after dismantlingthree tiers of security cordon thrown by police,the Rangers and the Airport Security Force.

Ms Bhutto’s bullet-proof Nisar Khuhro-driven four wheeler — followed and precededby identical vehicles and accompanied by 24police vans, two jeeps carrying police high-ups

and two others carrying Rangers— left the airport for Garhi KhudaBukhsh Bhuuto in a caravan of twoto three thousand vehicles. Thefleet kept on swelling as morevehicles joined it on the road toLarkana. Larkana DIG MuzaffarShaikh advised Ms Bhutto tochange her route because at thebeginning of the road leading toDakhan from Madeji, at least 5,000people were waiting for her andthe narrow turn was a security risk.Initially she refused but, after a 15-minute persuasion, she agreed totake the Gaheja-Ratodero linkroad. Benazir Bhutto said that thethreat to her life, coupled with“poor security arrangements”,made for her by the governmentcould not keep her away from themasses as “I don’t care about mylife”.

Talking to journalists accompany-ing her during the Karachi-Sukkurflight, Ms Bhutto said she wasextremely happy to be able toreturn to her ancestral village andher constituency. “When I

announced my plan of return, I was told that Iwas endangering my life. Even PresidentMusharraf advised me on TV that I shoulddefer my homecoming. But I decided to facethe threat and take the risk.” She said thatwhen she arrived in Karachi, three millionpeople greeted her. “People want change.”She added that for her, entire Pakistan wasLarkana (her home town) and she would visitdifferent parts of the country soon.

(Dawn)

The United Nations envoy on Myanmar Saturdaycalled for more dialogue after a rare meetingbetween the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, saying thatconcrete progress would improve the regime’srelations with the world.

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who hasspent years under house arrest, held talks for the firsttime on Thursday with a senior junta official ap-pointed to work with the opposition.

Ibrahim Gambari, the UN pointman on Myanmar,said he suggested the meeting when he visited thecountry to express international outrage over thejunta’s bloody crackdown on demonstrations. “This isonly a first step,” said Gambari, who is due back inMyanmar in the first week of November.

“This should lead to the early resumption ofdialogue that will lead to very concrete and tangibleresults,” Gambari told reporters in Tokyo after talkswith Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

“I hope this process produces concrete results for thebenefit of the people of Myanmar, and also improves therelationship between the government of Myanmar and theinternational community,” he said.

Myanmar’s junta has faced strong international condemna-tion since it crushed the protests, which were led by Buddhistmonks and originally started in response to a sharp hike infuel costs.

At least 13 people were killed, including monks andJapanese journalist Kenji Nagai, who was shot as he filmed ademonstration in the main city, Yangon.

Amid the outrage, the military regime appointed LabourMinister Aung Kyi to build ties with the opposition led by AungSan Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s state television showed brief footage of themeeting, a rarity in a country where Aung San Suu Kyi has

been under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years.“For us, we believe that dialogue is the only way out in

(defusing) the present crisis and also in the future,” saidGambari, who is on a six-nation tour of Asia.

Some observers, however, said the meeting was no morethan a bid by the junta to deflect criticism.

“It was significant in a sense that at least the military andAung San Suu Kyi held talks,” said Chaichoke Chulsiriwong,an expert on Myanmar at Bangkok’s ChulalongkornUniversity. “But we have to remain cautious.”

Gambari also held talks in Japan with deputy foreignminister Mitoji Yabunaka, who travelled to Myanmar to lodgea protest after the shooting of Kenji Nagai.

Yabunaka told Gambari that Japan was “worried about thesituation in Myanmar regarding democratisation and humanrights,” a foreign ministry statement said.

(Despatch Online)

Myanmar, more talk–UNEnvoy calls for more dialogue after junta and Suu Kyi meet

29 Oct-4 Nov, 2007 11Art & society

A grandmother in Mro village, Chittagong, Bangladesh BY Sushma Amatya

Heritage sites

ä Pramesh Pradhan

Rich in art and architecture, indigenousculture, colourful festivals and age-oldtraditions, Bhaktapur is truly a heritagecity. Lying at an altitude of 1,401 metre 15 km east of capitalKathmandu, it is renowned for its monuments, architecturalwonders and Newari lifestyle. Spread out roughly overseven sq. kilometers, it seems the least modernised amongthe three former Malla kingdoms of the valley.

Bhaktapur perhaps began as a collection of small farmingvillages in the 3rd century AD. It was a resting place betweenthe older Tibet-India caravan trade route. It was once thecapital of Nepal during the Malla period from the 12th to the15th century. King Bhupatendra Malla is accredited formaking major contributions to the city. The architecturaldevelopment unfortunately came to a standstill after it wasunified into Nepal in 1769. Several earthquakes devastatedmost of the art and architecture and the earthquake in 1934demolished two thirds of its structures.

Until the construction of Arniko highway linking China toNepal, Bhaktapur remained distant from Kathmandu.Economically strong and independent, one still finds oldergenerations in Bhaktapur who cannot understand thecommonly spoken Nepali language. In the 80s, restorationand sanitation projects assisted by German governmentgave Bhaktapur a facelift and transformed it to a clean andperhaps the most organised city in Nepal. The city, stillmedieval in character in many ways, is the smallest amongNepal’s 75 districts and the most densely populated city.

It is endowed with features like the spacious DurbarSquare, the oldest temple of Changu Narayan, and thelongest series of windows. The 16th century Datratreyatemple lies in older and eastern part of the city. The square ofDatryatreya consists of some of the most spectacularpresentations of woodcraft including a wooden museum,courtyards, narrow lanes, water wells and a Bhimsen temple.

Nyatapole (five roofed) temple dedicated to Tantric goddessSiddhilaxmi is the most proportionate example of pagodaarchitecture. This temple is perhaps the best known icon forBhaktapur. Made in 1702, it is the tallest temple in Nepal whichis constructed on five plinths, guarded by five pairs of guardsand with five stories signifying the five cosmic elements. In frontin the Taumadhi square, the centre of the city, are Bhairavnath(Shiva) and Tilmadhav Narayan (Vishnu) temples.

The 55 window palace is an example of architecturalexcellence and Sundhoka (golden gate), is an incrediblepiece of metal craft. Inside the guarded palace area, thereare courtyards and a royal bath. Empty areas show fromwhere images were stolen in and around the royal bath.The Bhaktapur Durbar Square also houses the Taleju bell,an octagonal wooden pavilion, a stone Sikhara temple ofVatsala and stunning images of Ugrachandi and Bhairav.

Delicious curd (jujudhau), men’s black cap (bhadgaonle topi)and women’s sari (haku patasi) are the specialties ofBhaktapur. Pottery making is another rich tradition. Artists inBhaktapur have inherited a long history of craftsmanship that isstill evident today. Bhaktapur is also a city of devotees. It is agreat potpourri of medieval culture, traditions, festivals, dancesand architectural masterpieces. Bisket festival (coinciding withNepalese New Year) and Saparu (Gaijatra) are the majorcelebrations in this city of friendly and hardworking people. Anentrance fee is levied on visitors for cleaning, maintenance andimprovement of the world heritage site and is well spent.Colourful open markets, open clay-pottery, weavers makinghandmade textiles, vegetable and crops drying out in sun andmuch more, makes it worthwhile to spend a weekend at least inone of those guesthouses dotting the main square.

(nte@mail.com.np)

MesmerisingBhaktapur

Dr. Ian Stevenson has done a lot ofresearch on such children and he hasshifted fraudulent from the genuine. Andhe has come up with four huge volumes ofgenuine ones which he says cannot bescientifically disproved in any way. His fourvolumes are: Cases of reincarnation type:India; Cases of reincarnation type: Sri-Lanka; Cases of reincarnation type:Lebanon and Turkey; and Cases ofreincarnation type: Thailand and Burma.He has also written another book - Twentycases suggestive of reincarnation.

Then again there is the world famouspsychotherapist Helen Wembach, who alsoused over 20 years of her own clinicalwork in hypnotherapy. She too claims thateven though she herself is a Christianwhose beliefs contradict the idea ofreincarnation and her training in psycho-therapy did not in any way prepare her forthis; cases she dealt with for over 20years, overwhelmingly pointed ratherclearly at cases of former lives.

Hypnotic trance facilitates revivification oflost memories of this life especially thosefrom birth onwards. Everything that the childsees, hears, smells, feels, remembers arestored in the subconscious/unconscious.These memories can be teased out intoawareness through various methods like‘free association’ in Freudian psychoanaly-sis, active imagination in Jungian analyticalpsychotherapy and hypnotherapy etc.

When Helen Wembach used hypno-therapy, which is a powerful tool to bringout lost memories entrenched stubbornlyin the subconscious, she often found thather patients went further than birth intoformer lives. She also found that ifmemories and wounds of former liveswere healed the effect was seen in thislife’s mental life. These are records thatcannot be easily explained away; as actualmental and physical healings had alsotaken place.

I would like to recount the case of a multi-millionaire that Helen had dealt with. One ofher patients was a millionaire who hadsuffered from strong pains in his right ribs.Being a millionaire, he had the best ofdoctors and his personal physician made him

go through all the possible checkups possibleat the time in the States. Since no physicalcause was found in spite of repeated tests ofvarious kinds, his personal physician finallysuggested that it could be of a psychologicalorigin and he should try a psychotherapist aswell. Then he met Helen.

Helen started digging up his subcon-scious mind to cull out some experience /event in his childhood which could be thecause of his excruciating pain. Many

physical pains and pathologies originate insome traumatic experience in childhood.The purpose of all forms of psychotherapy,be it Gestalt psychotherapy, Freudianpsychoanalysis, Jungian Analyticalpsychotherapy, transactional psycho-therapy or hypnotherapy or their combina-tions etc., is to bring the traumaticexperiences hidden in the recesses of thesubconscious to conscious awareness.

In both Buddhism and all forms ofpsychotherapy, awareness is curative. Ifthe root cause (usually traumatic experi-ences but also sometimes just plain oldchildhood confusions) is brought clearly infront, to be scanned by awareness, theprocess of being cured begins. As long asthe root causes are hidden in the darknooks and crannies of the subconsciousmind, there is no chance that we can freeourselves from its grasp and all that itentails. That is why Smriti – Samprajanya(mindfulness and comprehension) is of the

utmost importance in the Buddhist path beit Sravakayana or Mahayana.

Even in the loony bin, a person who hasflipped out begins to get cured only whenhe himself becomes aware that he hasflipped out. The loony bin is an extremecase where people whose neurotictendencies have become psychotic; but insociety even amongst those who areconsidered socially acceptable, sameneurotic tendencies found in the psychoticto an uncontrollable level, is to be found ina lesser or greater degree. Just like thelunatic we too can get cured or be freed ofour neurotic tendencies, only as and whenwe become aware of them within us.

Thus awareness is curative and one ofthe purposes of most therapies is to bringthe unconscious into awareness. This iscalled integrating the unconscious. Theunconscious here means all the neurosisand complexes hidden within us. InBuddhist terminology, we can become freeof our Klesha (emotional defilements) onlyif we are fully aware of the workings of theemotional defilements within us. That iswhy the Shasta (Master) prescribed livingones life in full mindfulness with compre-hension - Smriti Samprajanya.

Going back to the story of the million-aire; while fishing for early memories ofchildhood, in a hypnotic trance, hesuddenly slipped into a dungeon in theRoman period. He started wailing andcrying, holding his ribs. When asked whatwas happening he described that he wasin a prison in Rome and a Centaurian wastowering over him and kicking him todeath. When asked where he was beingkicked, he pointed at the same ribs whichhad been causing him trouble since a longtime. Thus he died being kicked on hisribs. When he was brought back to thepresent, he was commanded that hewould remember the incident clearly evenafter he woke up. After he woke up fromthe hypnotic trance with full memory of theincident, it was found that he had‘miraculously’ become free from the painthat had troubled him for such a long time.

(To be continued)(Sridhar Rinpoche is a Vajrayana Master)

Hypnotic trance facilitates revivification of lost memoriesReincarnation

ä Acharya Mahayogi Sridhar Rana Rinpoche

Marshland Flowers

29 Oct-4 Nov, 200712 Variety

A football match between Nepal and Yeman at Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu on Sunday. Nepal lost the second roundworld cup quaifying match by 0-2.

Life pulsesthrough itsintricate mapcreated bynature. Veinsof life, indeedare thebranches thatspread out,soar into theskies andreach out tothe unknown.The basicidea of thispaintingarose at atime when Iwas trying togatherinformationon myancestry. Iwasfascinated by the fact that my family came froma certain culture and blended in with so manydifferent cultures through marriage, travel,time and migration.

I would have called this painting, roots, butthen did a rethink since it would have ap-peared contradictory. I have used acrylics andtexture white yet again and a combination ofcomplementary colours with red beinghighlighted, representing life.

Batik Design from Ghana, Africa

I have been fascinated with resist techniques like Batik for a long time.This popular resist technique is known to be more than a millennium oldand probably originates in ancient Egypt or Sumeria as historicalevidence points out. Batik is found in several countries in West Africasuch as Nigeria, Mali, Ghana and Cameroon, and in Asia in countriessuch as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Thailand, Malaysia, andIndonesia.

(Sanchita, painter and writer, can be reached at: Cell – 00-919818803916 and sanchitasroy@gmail.com)

Branches and Batik

ä Sanchita Sinha Roy

Astronauts the International SpaceStation (ISS) celebrated the grandopening of their orbital laboratory’slatest addition on Saturday to christenthe hub-like node dubbed Harmony.

The station’s Expedition 16commander Peggy Whitson andItalian astronaut Paolo Nespoliopened the hatch to the nearly 16-tonHarmony module at 8:24 a.m. EDT

(1224 GMT), commemorating theevent with a brief ceremony.

“It’s a pleasure to be here in thisvery beautiful piece of hardware,”Nespoli said of the Italian-builtHarmony node which he and hisSTS-120 crewmates aboard NASA’sshuttle Discovery helped install duringa Friday spacewalk.

Nespoli and Whitson woreprotective goggles and masks insidethe node to guard against any loosedebris shaken free during the moduledelivery to the ISS. They also took airsamples after floating into the neworbital room.

Harmony in spaceNamed by students in a NASA

contest, the Harmony node serves asthe docking point for European andJapanese laboratories to be installedduring future shuttle missions.

“We think Harmony is a very goodname for this module because itrepresents the culmination of a lot ofthe international partner work,”Whitson said during the node’s

christening.The school bus-sized connecting

node was temporarily attached to thespace station’s Unity module onFriday and will be moved to itspermanent position once Discoveryleaves the ISS on Nov. 4.

“We’re just getting it suitable so wecan go in and get the work done,”said ISS flight director Holly Ridingslate Friday. “But [we’ll] not actually doanything permanent in there so that itcan be moved again.”

Astronauts connected power anddata lines to the Harmony moduleearlier today to power up its internalsystems. They will then begin thebusy task of replacing valves andremoving more than 700 bolts thatsecured the module’s internalcomponents in place duringDiscovery’s Oct. 23 launch.

“At one point, originally in themission, it was not a requirement forus to go inside,” Discovery’s STS-120mission commander Pamela Melroysaid before the spaceflight. “And thecrew said, ‘No way! We want to goinside!’ We were excited about that.”

Melroy presented Whitson with anecklace bearing a Harmony module-shaped charm after the node wasopened.

(space.com)

Astronauts OpenSpace Station’s New Room

The Italian-built Harmony module isvisible on the upper right side of the

image attached to the Destiny module ofthe International Space Station in this

image from NASA TV October 27, 2007.

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