Weekly Internet Poll # 456. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

Q. Which of these phrases best describeyour current feeling about the delay ingovernment formation?

Weekly Internet Poll # 455

Q. How do you assess Nepal’s one yearas republic?

#455 12 - 18 June 2009 16 pages Rs 30

Total votes: 5,244

ver since they resigned from government, the Maoists have triedto play on anti-Indian nationalism. But senior leaders now admitthere is no alternative but to renegotiate with India.

“We made mistakes in handling India,” confessed oneMaoist secretariat member, “butIndia also can’t ignore that weare the most powerfulparty here.”

Ahead of apolitburo

meeting, starting Monday, the Maoists will have to make crucialdecisions about relations with India. It’s not going to be easy becauseNew Delhi has drawn a line in the sand that it doesn’t want theMaoists to cross.

Senior Indian officials, from both the foreign office and thesecurity establishment, have told Nepali Times meaningfulengagement is difficult until the Maoists engage in a “coursecorrection” and they have made the following “suggestions”:

The Maoists must make a clear and unconditional commitment tomultiparty democracy, which India says was not visible during their

nine-month stint in power. The party has toshift from its radical dogmatic line to amoderate left-of-centre orientation. Oneofficial told us: “They have to give updreams of capturing the state.”

Delhi doesn’t believe PushpaKamal Dahal anymore when he says he

is under pressure from hardliners. Saidthe official: “No more excuses. If it is atactic, we are not falling for it. If it is forreal, then it is time for the leader to assertand either bring the hardliners in line ormarginalise them.” He added the onus lies

on the Maoists to revive trust by steps likedismantling the YCL and behaving like a

normal opposition.An official said India is tired of “Maoist

duplicity”, adding: “They have to learn that theycannot keep chanting anti-India slogans here, and

then privately come to us for help to bail themout.” This is a clear reference to Maoist rhetoric on

“foreign intervention” and the Dang border controversy,which is seen as being engineered by “Maoists and

friendly media”. India says it still supports the peace process

and wants a new constitution, but the Maoistscan’t ‘bulldoze’ their way through. “There has tobe reasonable discussion on integration betweenall stakeholders, including the Nepal Army,” headded. Token integration under strictparameters may be feasible, but unit level entry

and space to PLA commanders in the NA is astrict ‘no’ for India.

What didn’t go down too well in Delhi wasthat even as the Maoists were calling for a totaloverhaul of the “special relationship” withIndia, they were cosying up to Beijing.

Indian officials, however, are at pains toemphasise that their role must not beoverstated and politics emanates fromwithin. But, warned one diplomat: “Thepresent behaviour of ranting againsteveryone is not winning them friends. It

will dig them into a hole.”

PRASHANT JHA

Delhi wants the Maoists to make a “course correction”

Close to the edgeE

BILASH RAI

2 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455EDITORIAL

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T

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

COP OUTIndoctrinated in the theory that power comes out of barrels of guns,former guerillas in the former government were understandablyobsessed with the military. They still are.

And if there is one major hurdle ahead of the new coaltion it isthe issue of integration and rehabilitation. But for that the primeminister will have to cross the first hurdle of actually forming agovernment. The political void in Kathmandu has enforced theperception of a weak state. This in turn has led to further erosion ofthe rule of law, institutionalised impunity and has fanned anarchy.

A traffic accident brings the northern half of the city to astandstill for two days. Kids deflate bicycle tyres to enforcebandas. Police look on as the YCL thrashes the YF in Banepa andvice versa. More worryingly, the three main parties are behaving asif they can do anything (see p 10-11). Development has ground to ahalt as cadre plunder the district budgets for road contracts. Thereis now such criminalisation of politics and the politicisation ofcriminality that it is becoming difficult to tell the difference betweena politician and a dacoit.

The security apparatus that is most in touch with the public, theNepal Police, has had no chance to recover from its politicisation,a process that began after 1990. Police say they are powerless tostop gangsters because they have patronage from biggies. Theycan’t even arrest hoodlums stoning aschool bus without cabinetauthorisation.

Improving the efficiency of thepolice force is essential to check thiscountry’s malignant lawlessness. Thesingle most widespread demandamong people across Nepal today islaw and order. They are fed up withhighway blockades, strikes, curfewsand crime.

New retirement rules provide thegovernment with an opportunity toboost the morale of the police andhence reassure the public that they aresafe. A younger police leadership iswelcome despite attendant risks ofinexperience: immaturity is preferredover incompetence. However, changesat the top of the police force aren’tenough. Intelligence-based communitypolicing that prevents crime requiresthat the political class cooperate withthe law and order machinery, and notbe on the side of criminals.

The most important component ofpolice reform has to do with thefunctional freedom of law enforcementagencies. They must be given theauthority to apprehend on the spot anymilitant youth member of a politicalfront organisation who engages invandalism or threats.

These aren’t things that need acomplete and functioning cabinet.It’s the duty of Prime Minister Nepalof Nepal to ensure that his citizensare safe.

he Forum saga has all theelements of a Bollywoodpotboiler: betrayal,

anger, violence, money andrevenge.

First things first. No onecomes out looking cleanfollowing a messy party division.For all his self-righteousness andsudden discovery that this is an“anti federalism” alliance,Upendra Yadav has shownremarkable inconsistency.

He first sat out the entire armychief controversy by junketingaround the globe. Returning a dayafter Prachanda’s resignation, he

immediatelystarted aiming tobecome PM withMaoist support.When thenumbers did notadd up, heshiftedallegiance to theUML-ledcoalition andsigned thecommonminimumprogram. Andthough his heartwas not in thearrangement, hewanted to leadthe MJF in thisset-up. Whenthat did nothappen, Yadavsacked BijayGachhedar & Co.

For his part,Gachhedar’s aimthroughoutseemed to be todivide andweaken theparty. Heunilaterallydecided to backthe UML-NCcombine and

bargained a plum portfolio forhimself. He got the otherparties to make anannouncement saying theywould invite him to lead theMJF in government. He threwmoney around to get MPs onhis side. And then using oldfriends like Khum Bahadur,Gachhedar got the NC patriarchto put pressure on the PM toswear him in without anofficial party decision.

Beyond the clash ofambitions, this is a deeperstory here of how opportunismin the absence of ideology has ashort life-span. The Forum wasnever a proper party. Just lookat Bijay’s far right antecedentsand desire to turn the clockback to the 1990s, Upendra’sradical left background andcommitment to federalism andthe inscrutable JP Gupta’sshift from social democracy toethnic separatism inspired by ajail stint and study of SriLankan Tamils. On the ground,activists who build theorganisation for the Madhesimovement had to co-exist withlate entrants who had opposedMadhesi issues throughthis period.

The party had its use whena broader Madhesi identity wassharpest before elections andYadavs, Tharus and Muslimsneeded each other. It couldremain united when thenational parties were workingin a relatively consensualframework and there was noneed to make difficult choices.But as the polity becamefractured at the top, and theMadhesi identity startedfragmenting on the ground,MJF leaders had to find theirown paths.

Also, we tend to ignore theinter-personal element whichplayed a crucial role in evenformer Upendra loyalistsveering away to the other side.In the last year after hiselectoral success, Yadav had

become intolerably arrogant andfelt invincible. He had little timefor his MPs and rarely visitedthe Madhes. Gachhedar, on theother hand, closely wooedparliamentary party members.

It was in this internal vortexthat external forces intervened.The NC wants to weaken theMadhesi groups to recover itsTarai base. Add to it GPK’spersonal grudge against Upendrafor defeating his daughter inSunsari and opposing his dreamof presidency last year. Indiawas also irritated with Yadavfor his intransigence onmultiple issues and felt that heneeded a lesson.

With Gachhedar, NC, UML,India and the army ganged upagainst him, it is no surprisethat Upendra Yadav and JPGupta were reduced to aminority in the party.

This division will have twoimmediate implications. Itmakes national politics moreunstable. There are now three keyactors (Prachanda, JhalanathKhanal, and Upendra Yadav)who want to see an end to thisgovernment.

It will also make Taraipolitics more fragmented andradicalised. Yadav will try toengineer some kind of agitationin the plains to increase hisbargaining power in the capital.He may also attempt to ratchetup the anti-India sentiment, butthat could be self-destructive asIndia is not going to tolerate thatrhetoric so close to the border. Incase a political vacuum doesdevelop, the Maoists or a newforce is more likely to benefitfrom it than traditional parties.

When Upendra Yadav wasasked last year why he wasgetting people like BijayGachhedar into the MJF eventhough they had no commitmentto Madhes, he replied, ““I need their experience ofpower politics.” Looks likethe experience hasboomeranged.

At the ForumThe MJF split makes politics even more unstable

ETHNIC CARD“But there should be zero tolerance forincitement of ethnic intolerance andhatred for short-term political gain” (‘Theethnic card,’ # 454)—very well saidindeed! This wise line left me wonderinghow different our lives may have beenhad they come a few years earlier whenthe Maoists were cracking open the‘genie-bottle’. Unfortunately, back thenmost of our intelligentsia, media, civilsociety were busy championing theMaoists as the Robin Hood of the poorand downtrodden. Has it taken all thiswhile for the lights to finally go on, or hadthe Kathmandu intelligentsia simply‘papered over’ their knowledge ofMaoists’ misuse of this ‘combustiblemixture’ for some short-term gain of theirown?

Satyajeet Nepali, email

Your editorial (‘The ethnic card’,#454) is an early warning to this

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Lettersshould be brief and may be edited for space.While pseudonyms can be accepted, writerswho provide their real names and contactdetails will be given preference. Email lettersshould be in text format without attachmentswith ‘letter to the editor’ in the subject line.

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

like the YCL would. There are two typesof forces in this country, ones that believein (and use) violence as a political tooland the others that don’t. It should bepretty clear to Nepali Times which side itshould be on since your editor was at thereceiving end of physical assaultrecently.

Name withheld, email

country that if politicians can’t resist thetemptation to use ethnicity toforward their cause then all is lost. Theformer Yugoslavia hadonly four ethnicgroups, we have 103.Imagine a multiple civilwar over ethnicity. Itwill make the JanaYuddha look like apicnic. We are alreadyseeing signs of thefissures. The Limbusare beating up Raisbecause ofoverlapping territorialclaims. The Banepariots were betweenNewars andTamang. The Tharusand Mahdesis are already in confrontation.Politicans should wake up and nip this inthe bud.

Kiran Mainali, Pokhara

BHUWAN AND JUNAThank you for that heart-warming coverstory on Bhuwan and Juna (#454). You

have shown how at afundamental level Nepalisare all brothers andsisters and reconciliationis possible. The Raisiblings have shown yourpolitical leaders the way,but unfortunately I don’tthink they’re paying anyattention. They are toobusy quarrelling, and noweven thrashing eachother.

Lina Sorensen,Dhankuta

YESTERDAY’S MENCK Lal has taken a potshot again at thepolitical parties (‘Yesterday’s men...,’#454). They are a soft target becausethey won’t threaten him or beat him up

KIRAN PANDAY

312 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455OP-ED

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

P rime Minister MadhavNepal claims that henever lobbied to be made

prime minister. He’s partly right.Nepal did once petition the

king to be appointed primeminister, but that was during thehybrid royal-military regimewhen the CEO of the countrywas also the SupremeCommander-in-Chief. This time,

in GPK’s metaphor, the prize ofpremiership fell into Nepal’s laplike a ripe mango.

Nepal had once also aspiredto be the president of therepublic with the help ofMaoists. But it didn’t take longfor him to realise the futility ofthat dream. Having spent thebetter part of his life in variouscommunist parties, Comrade

The ripe mangoNow that Nepal is in the hot seat, hemust use this historic opportunity

cabinet colleagues from hisown party as well as from hiscoalition partners. He needn’thurry or worry, other than theMaoists no one can unseat himwithout losing credibility.

Asserting his authority is alittle trickier for a premier whoowes his position not only toconstituent assembly membersbut also to various extraconstitutional players. TheBhadrakali Brass has thrown achallenge by insisting on theprosecution of an officer whojust accepted the order of thegovernment of the day. PremierNepal has erred by extendingthe tenure of eight generalswho had retired from theirposts even as their combined

Nepal knows that noapparatchik willingly acceptsanother even as a ceremonialsuperior.

What actually led to Nepal’ssurprise selection remainsunknown. Koirala may havethought that it would beimprudent to step into a chairjust vacated by the leader of thelargest party in the legislature.Chairman Jhalanath Khanal wasprobably considered toobeholden to Pushpa KamalDahal to lead an anti-Maoistcoalition. Mercurial UpendraYadav was unlikely to receivethe sanction of those who havethe final say in the makingand unmaking of governmentsthese days.

Meanwhile, the paper crownof premiership, pastedovernight with the joint effortof proactive diplomats and anassertive military had to be putupon Nepal’s head precisely

because he was the unlikeliestcandidate to resist a rightistroadmap of the Kathmanduestablishment.

Even Nepal didn’t expect tobe at the head of an anti-Maoistcoalition so soon after Dahalhad bequeathed thechairmanship of ConstitutionDrafting Committee upon him.There is no other explanationfor the complete absence ofvision, mission or plan of theanti-Maoist formation at thehelm of government.

Other than an irresistibleurge to have their hands at thetill during a period of extremevolatility, Premier Nepal’sexisting and probablecolleagues have no plausiblereason to join a governmentthat is fated to fail even beforebeing formed.

Fortunately, the Maoistshave been kind towards thenew government: their protestsprovide legitimacy to a rulingcoalition that has donenothing to deserve suchvigorous opposition. But nowthat Nepal is in hot seat, he hasto make best use of thishistoric opportunity.

The greatest challenge forNepal is to prove hisauthenticity. The Maoists can’tquestion his legitimacybecause they were the ones togive cabinet berths to non-elected politicians in theprevious government.

The prime minister canprove his political antecedentsby insisting that at least all hissenior colleagues be directlyelected CA members. Hishelplessness in accepting thenominations of Bidya Bhandariand Sujata Koirala isunderstandable, but exceptionsshould not be allowed tobecome the rule. Nepal needsto be prudent in choosing his

appeal remains sub-judice.The ripe mango in Premier

Nepal’s lap is too small to beshared by all anti-Maoist forcesin the country and outside. Nomatter what he does, Nepalwould have to take the blamefor being a lame duck primeminister, appointed merely tokeep the seat warm for a moresuitable successor.

Meanwhile, he has anunusual opportunity to provethe old hypothesis thataccidents of history oftenproduce extraordinary leaders.The mango tree grows from aseed. Being and nothingness areall about fundamental freedomsof human beings againstdeterminists of all stripes.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

4 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455NATION

he erosion of KathmanduValley’s unique culturalheritage has prompted

many to find ways to preserve it.There is a renaissance of Newariarchitecture in Bhaktapur andPatan, the tourism industry haspitched in with heritage hotelsand cultural sight-seeing, and thehandicraft business is doing itsbit. Now, there is a unique effortto support Kathmandu’s artisansand craftsmen by helping selltheir products in the local and

Crafted in Kathmanduinternational market. ‘Crafted inKathmandu’ is not just ahandicraft business, its founderRosha Chitrakar hastens to clarify.

“Our goal is to help preservethe Valley’s heritage, the skills,knowledge and resourcefulness ofour artisans in creating art andhome décor objects that are goodenough to be shared in the worldmarket,” says Chitrakar.

The challenge for Chitrakar’s‘Crafted in Kathmandu’ brand is topay for the protection of theValley’s built, living and naturalheritage by the products andservices of its artisans.

Chitrakar calls this a “plusrevenue” business and is focussingon selling products to threedistinct markets.

The first is the local marketwhere people need various pots,vessels, jewelry, musical

instruments, chariot-buildingskills and monument restorationcapacity. The trend is towardsrestoring homes to their originaland operating them as bed andbreakfast pensiones in the oldcity.

The second is the high endNepali market such as hotels,homes of expatriates, corporategifts, garden sculpture, homedécor etc. This market has thehighest growth potential becauseof the increasing tendency ofidentifying with one’s heritage.Tourists and expatriates also

HERITAGE PIECES: RoshaChitrakar points at an antique

photograph of the MachendranathJatra, among the items that her

company markets in Nepaland abroad to raise money for

heritage conservation.

Making the Valley’s unique artistic heritage pay for its own upkeep

increasingly look for hotels andhomes that reflect the uniquehistory and heritage of theKathmandu Valley.

The third is the market forexports of Kathmandu artifacts toNorth America, Europe and EastAsia. ‘Crafted in Kathmandu’ hasa gallery outlet in North Americathat tells the story of how theartisans and crafts persons of theKathmandu valley are restoringthe World Heritage City. Itsells products that have beendesigned and crafted to meet localdemands.

Chitrakar explains that anexample of this three-tieredmarketing strategy is a pottermaking clay pots for local localyogurt whose family is alsomaking terracotta garden animalfigures and also ceramic bases fortable lamps for the NorthAmerican market.

“This keeps artisan familiesfully employed all year round,increasing their quality of life andensuring that the skills are passeddown to a new generation,” saysChitrakar.

Crafted in Kathmandu'sexhibition runs till 15 June atDwarika Hotel, 11AM-7PM.

www.craftedinkathmandu.com

T

512 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455BUSINESS

T

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

alking about how Nepal’spolitical parties lack theseriousness to safeguard

press freedom is both acutelydepressing and mildly hopeful.It’s depressing, because if onecompiles a mere six-monthsworth of news, the catalogue ofthreats, physical abuses, mentaltorture and harassment againstjournalists, with details even oftheir murders, grows thicker andthicker.

Yet it’s also hopeful, because,at least from the lip service thatspokespeople of the politicalparties offer on television, it’sclear that our politicians dounderstand the importance ofpress freedom. But thathope dissolves into cynicismwhen the politicians are thenunable to explain to their militantcadres why something asintangible as press freedommatters for all Nepali citizens,including those who disagreewith or are indifferent to anypolitical ideology.

Just four days ago in Lamjung,YCL activists warned journaliststhat they would be hacked topieces. The journalists’ only'crime' was to be on duty to cover aquarrel between the YCL activistsand local people.

On Saturday morning, Maoistcadre halted a van belonging toKantipur Publications on theEast-West Highway. They tookcontrol of the vehicle, set it onfire, and burnt down not only thevehicle but also thousands ofcopies of The Kathmandu Postand Kantipur. The driver haddared to do his daily job oftransporting the newspapers tosubscribers and news stands inEastern Nepal on the day of aforced shutdown.

On Monday 1 June, on the dayof another forced shutdown inKathmandu, cadres of the NewaAutonomous State routinelystopped vehicles that had presslogos, smashed the windows,seized the keys, harassed thejournalists, and stopped themfrom reporting and photographingthe hardships faced by manyordinary people when the city wasforced to a standstill.

Online visitors to thisnewspaper’s website must havenoticed a boxed item that’s beenthere for the past few months. Itsays: Punish Uma Singh’sKillers: End impunity. UmaSingh was a fearless radiojournalist in Janakpur. LastJanuary, she was hacked to deathin her own apartment. Asubsequent on-site investigationby the IFJ found that Singh waskilled for her investigativejournalism. Despite internationalcondemnation, Singh’s killers areyet to be brought to justice.

And then there was the attack

against this media house lastDecember. Around thirty Maoist-affiliated muscled goons stormedinto our corporate meeting, andbeat me up along with 11 othercolleagues. We were all leftangry, frustrated and shaken to thecore. The then Maoist governmentsubsequently released the tworingleaders who had beenapprehended shortly after theincident, and who have sincemelted into the shadows.

Indeed, these and countlessother attacks against variousNepali media outlets andjournalists have collectivelyhelped Nepal rank eighth in theworld, between Afghanistan andRussia on the CPJ’s ImpunityIndex as a country ‘wherejournalists are murdered on arecurring basis and governmentsare unable or unwilling toprosecute the killers’.

And that brings us to the partwhy politicians must re-educatetheir cadres about the importanceof press freedom. They can start byoffering three basic reasons.

First, press freedom helpsaggregate information. In a countryof 30 million people, most of

whom are illiterate and poor, nocitizen or group can expect to beon top of all the informationrelated to theirwell-being. Press freedom allowsreporters of all stripes and mediato widely disseminate reports andanalyses about events and peoplethat they believe are of publicinterest. These reports andanalyses, in turn, add layers ofnuanced information to helpeveryone from national policy-makers to village councils, tohouseholds and individuals tomake decisions about their livesin ways they see fit forthemselves. For those Maoistleaders who never tire ofemphasising the importance ofcivilian supremacy, what could bethe surest path to such supremacybut promoting press freedom bymaking it easier for journalists towork?

Second, press freedom allowsan exchange of views in the publicdomain.

True, when different versionsof the same event are reported,some who are accustomed togetting news from only onesource, may fear that the ‘truth’itself gets distorted, therebyconfusing the public. But insteadof forcing people to believe onething over another, press freedomallows all to exercise judgment tochoose news that they findpersuasive. That is, once peoplehave an easy access to multipleviewpoints on any issue, theycan then decide for themselveswhat is right and what is not.Sure, not every citizen is equallyenlightened to decide what iswhat. But since decision-makingis a craft, press freedom allows allto practise making decisionsabout themselves at their ownpace based on a variety ofinformation they receive from themedia.

Third, press freedom goeshand-in-hand with market-basedcompetition. Of all the attributeson which Nepali newspaperscompete, reputation is theonly thing that matters for long-term business viability.Reputation in the media business

is built up by consistentlyreporting the verifiable truth, andopenly correcting errors as soon asthey become known. This factshould reduce the worries ofthose who say that mainstreamnewspapers print false news toserve the interests of 'thebourgeoisie'.

Rather, as we have seen againand again, it’s the reputation ofthe perpetrators and theirpolitical parties that takes a blowglobally when media houses andjournalists are threatened, abused,attacked and killed.

Unless our political leaders,especially those of Maoists whomake all the right noises abouttheir commitment to build pluraldemocratic societies, seriouslyeducate and train their unrulycadres about the importance ofpress freedom for Nepal’sdemocracy, their paying mere lipservice is as good as their keepinglips sealed against the dailyattacks on the press in Nepal.

Lip service, ortongue lashing?

Press freedom needs to bedefended by its maximumapplication

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Charity electric car rallyA convoy of 30 battery-operated cars, scooters and threewheelers will travel in an electric vehicle rally between theMaitighar Mandala in Kathmandu to Banepa on Saturday to raiseawareness about people disabled byspinal injuries as well as to promoterenewable energy.

All the vehicles takingpart will be sponsoredand the money raisedwill go for the careand support ofpatients at theSpinal InjuryRehabilitation Centre inBanepa. The rally will beflagged off at 8 am Saturday by entertainer Madan KrishnaShrestha and the cars will make the 60 km roundtrip to Banepa.

Altogether 30 vehicles will be participating, including morethan 24 Reva cars, Nepal-made Safa tempos, and newlyintroduced battery-powered scooters. The participants willinclude individual owners of electric vehicles as well asorganisations such as ICIMOD, GTZ, WFP, the Norwegian andUS embassies. The umbrella organisation Electric VehiclesAssociation of Nepal (EVAN) will also be taking part.

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Revenue shortfallThe government has raised Rs 115.9 billion in revenues in thefirst 10 months of the current tax year, Rs 15 billion less than itstarget.

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One stopNepal Bankers’ Association, Nepal Rastra Bank and otherfinancial institutions are joining forces to introduce a clearinghouse to allow Nepalis to cash or pay in cheques anywhere inthe country. The bidding process for setting up the hardware andsoftware requirements for the clearing house has already begun.

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Nepali PotterSunbird Publishers is releasing the first ofJ.K. Rowling’s hit Harry Potter books HarryPotter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Nepaliafter a young reader from Gorkha requestedfor the books to be translated via a letter inThe Kathmandu Post. Already translated in67 languages, the series have sold more the400 million copies worldwide.

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‘Morning after’Nepal CRS Company haslaunched e-CON, anemergency contraceptivepill that prevents unwantedpregnancy. The pill iseffective if taken within fivedays of unprotected sex. E-CON is available for Rs 50.

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Free FedoraFedora 10, a free Linux-based computeroperating system, is now available for peoplewho want to avoid the Microsoft Windowssystem. Fedora 10, code-named Leonidas, isfree and open source software (FOSS) whichwas developed by the Fedora Project, a community of peopleacross the globe.

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Flying higherYeti Airlines has launched its first Pilatus Porter, PC-6, a multi-purpose airplane best for short take off and landing. Yeti intendsto add two more PC-6 aircrafts to its fleet.

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Drink in RomeLager brewer Carlsberg isattempting to up sales by givingaway two tickets to visit Italiancapital Rome and its bars. Under the‘Best Bar Tour’ scheme consumersreceive a coupon with everyCarlsberg purchase.

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FaceliftYamaha has upgraded its FZ-16 bike and launched FZ-S.Yamaha’s dealers inNepal, Morang AutoWorks will distribute thebikes.

6 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Editorial in Janadisha, 7 June

Four days after being arrested during a protest at in Baidapataura,Rautahat, Ladai Shah, 40, was still in police custody. He wasseverely beaten by UML cadres and had to be taken to TeachingHospital in Kathmandu where he died while being treated forinjury. This Rautahat native was demonstrating against newlyelected prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, a candidate theyhad rejected during the elections.

Home Ministry, currently headed by Nepal, had orderedShah’s arrest and UML party workers were given a free rein to beathim up. PM Nepal should take responsibility for his death. Onlytwo weeks have passed since the UML-led government was formedand incidents of violence are becoming common. Shah had nevereven shown a black flag. But even if he had, it was his right. Thereneeds to be an inquiry into the killing of an ordinary citizen heldin police custody.

Meanwhile, unlike in the past, the media has shown littleinterest in this tragedy. Neither have the Maoist leaders protestedeffectively against it. When a UML party worker was killed, theparty went as far as to stop parliamentary sessions and call forstrikes and the media gave it wide coverage as well. We are notsaying that the Maoists should do the same but if this incidentgoes unnoticed then the UML will be on a suicidal path.

Bishnu Sharma in Gorkhapatra,7 June

BAGLUNG—Dhara Gurung usedto own horses and mules, nowhe has a motorcycle, tractor andtwo jeeps.

After the road from Mustang toKorala was build, he traded hishorses in for vehicles and there’snow a parking lot in the placewhere there used to be stables.“We used to have 30 mountainponies and 100 mules,” he saysadding that he now has just 20horses and 40 mules, which he isplanning to sell.

“Animals need to be fed andlooked after when they fall sick “Gurung says, “Motorcycles are somuch easier”. But horses do have

Manoj Gharti Magar in Naya Patrika, 8 June

The roundabouts in Pokhara, which werepreviously named after the kings, have nowbecome the subjects of much wrangling amongethnic groups and political parties with allcompeting to rename them.

The Birauta roundabout, where a statue of kingBirendra used to stand, was first claimed by UMLand named Madan Bhandari Chok, after its Kaskileader. They had even put up a sign board withplans to build his statue. But last Sunday TamuDhi Nepal, a Pokhara based Gurung organisationremoved the board and renamed it Tamu HyulaChok to celebrate the group’s silver jubilee. Whilethe group claims it doesn’t want to cause offence,UML is deeply concerned about the incident.

On the other side of town, Prithbi Chok hasbeen renamed Lakhan Chok by the Nepal MagarOrganisation. They have plans to build a statue of

Turn by turn What’s in a name?

Lakhan Thapa, the first martyr of Nepal. In MilanChok the statue of Birendra has also beendemolished, but no group has claimed it yet.

Meanwhile, Kaski’s CDO, Madhab Prasad Ojhasays he is unaware of the renamings: “When I don’tknow about any chok being renamed, how do Isanction or not sanction it?”

Horse trading

Shiv Apriya inAnnapurna Post, 8 June

“Before our mothers used toteach us,” says SarishmaShrestha, a teacher fromArughat, Gorkha, “Now I amhappy that we are teachingthem.” Shrestha has beenteaching her 52 year old motherMina in grade five.

At Nabchetana Women’sSchool, there are a total of 66students, aged from 17 to 73 ingrade one to eight, taught by twowomen teachers. The schoolwas established by women whowere too old to attend regularschools, but wanted to study.Many community groups, suchas Himali Sector DevelopmentCentre’s Hope program,Aruchanaute VDC, JanpriyaMothers group, Janshramdanand Kopila Nepal, have givenfinancial support and donatedfurniture.

Although a good initiative,attendance is still poor at theschool because rural womenstill face the problem of gettingto go to school only afterfinishing their housework.However, this is a start. “Notbeing able to read a word whengoing to cities has been theincentive to study,” says SantaKumari Baram, 43. Now, manymen in the area are becominginspired to study as well afterseeing the women’s progress.

Learningmothers

“He says he won the election and now wants be a minister!”

Rabindra in Nepal, 14 June

MANOJ GHARTI MAGAR

their benefits in terms of carryingtourists and generating manure.Tourists are willing to pay Rs 900a day for pony trekking. “We had avery unique culture,” he says,“Tourists would ride on horses andmules to take pictures, while yakswould carry their belongings.”

Dhara is one of many in

Mustang, replacing horses andmules with vehicles. And, whileinhabitants are happy about thedevelopment, they are alsoworried that old traditions arebeing lost forever. The biggestconcern, however, is that theloss will have a negative impacton tourism.

KIRAN PANDAY

712 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455CONSTITUTION 2010

Editorial in Himal Khabarpatrika, 30 May

After stepping down from the government,the Maoists launched protests against thenew coalition and leadership. Although thelanguage is strong (‘foreign lackeys’) theprotests are relatively mellow in tone.

Despite tirades against political parties,the Maoists are stressing their commitmentto the constitution and consensus politics.This means they don’t want the currentsituation to head towards confrontation.Maoists chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahalsaying that “we will not be provoked andabandon the peace process” should be seenin a positive context.

Although the Maoists boycotted theelection process of the prime minister inparliament, Krishna Bahadur Mahara fromthe Baidya bloc, Narayankaji Shrestha fromthe Dahal bloc and Dinanath Sharma fromthe Baburam Bhattarai bloc all attended theswearing-in ceremony of the new primeminister and congratulated him. This canbe seen as proof that the Maoists do wantto move towards consensus. Dahal’smeetings with the new prime minister alsoindicates an effort towards consensus.

Dahal probably hadn’t bargained for theKatawal episode to spiral so much out ofcontrol and lead to his government’sresignation. He may not have also imaginedthat the 22 parties could garner thenumbers to form a coalition. Thewithdrawal of the UML consent in theKatawal case was not actually a betrayal byJhalanath Khanal, but the weakenedposition in the party which Dahalhadn’t foreseen.

The Maoists even failed to take the MJFinto confidence which could have keptthem in power. Dahal boxed himself inwith his rigid rhetoric so there was no wayout but resignation.

The Maoists have been trying to put ona brave face by saying they left thegovernment to establish civiliansupremacy. They knew well that the slogan

of nationalism and civil supremacy wouldwork to appease internal and externalforces. Unfortunately for the Maoists, bothslogans have the potential to backfire.

The Indian establishment, which theMaoists consider an enemy thinks thepeace process and constitution writing canbe completed without them in thegovernment. Analysts close to the Maoistswho understand Delhi well say India wasunhelpful as the Maoistsattempted to move forwardignoring the pastagreementsbetween thepoliticalpartiesandIndia,whichcould pose athreat tosecurity. So,whatever theMaoists may besaying at theirpublic rallies, they donot want to head for aruinous confrontationwith India and the otherparties right now.

There is still thehope that the Maoistswill abandon the pathof violence anddemocratisethemselves. Theyknow the strategytaken during theconflict didn’t work.They are having adifficult timeadjusting tocoalition politics,but they’ll have tolearn. The Maoistsneed a foundationfor safe landing for which

he is not from a familyof politicians. Andunlike many grey-

haired leaders, she hasn’tspent a good part of her youthin prison. Yet, in the lastthree years, she has served as amember of the Nepaliparliament, and now as aconstituent assembly member.“That is perhaps because theparty must think I have somepotential,” says Lila Nyaichai,29, who is the CA memberfrom Nepal Workers’ andPeasants’ Party.

In the assembly, she askssmart questions, is willing tolisten to what others have tosay and if she doesn’t knowthe answer to something, sheis never afraid to say so. Thechair of her party Naryan ManBijukche says, “We were keenon bringing women and theyouth into mainstreampolitics. We have very highhopes for Lila.” In her shorttime in politics, this

Consensus, not confrontationthe government and political partiesshould help them, in an issue, such asarmy integration for instance. Theresolution of the army row with theretirement of both protagonists could be aface-saving way out for the Maoists andeven pave the way for the Maoists to join anational government.

The Maoists, who are in politics forpower cannot stay out of government forlong. They know that confrontation is not

Class inclusive

an option, consensus is. Although theyhave been threatening to chase away cadresof other parties from villages and run aparallel government, it is not as easy asduring the insurgency. Hounding unarmedparty cadre will be counterproductive, andthey will have to fight the enemies theymake in future. There is no alternative butto follow the past agreements anddemocratic path and avoid violence,anarchy and lawlessness to capturestate power.

After all, what is all this for? It is tokeep the peace process on trackand facilitate the writing of the newconstitution.

economics and Englishliterature graduate has alreadyproven that she will be inNepali politics for the longhaul.

Three years ago whendiscussions over the writing ofthe interim constitution weretaking place, Nyaichai wassuddenly asked to come to ahigh-level party meeting. After ashort meeting with the partychair she was told that she wasgoing to be an MP. Her fatherhad been an active member ofthe party since the early 60s.Lila herself was affiliated withstudent unions since she wasin Grade Six. In 1997, she stoodfor her party affiliated All NepalRevolutionary Student Union,was the central committeemember for the union in 2000and is now the secretary of therevolutionary women’sorganisation of Nepal Workers’and Peasants’ Party.

Lila has always believedthat young people should be

more involved in politics. Shealso thinks that being a CAmember is a big responsibilityand political parties must notmake just anyone a CA memberto fill their quota or for otherparty interests. While hercolleagues are pushing forinclusiveness based on gender,caste, ethnicity and religion, shehas a different take. Nyaichaistrongly believes that classshould be the main agenda forinclusion.

In line with her party’sbeliefs, she maintains that Nepalshould be a socialist republic ofpeasants and workers, but shedoes not think this particularargument will be the basis of thenew constitution currently beingwritten. “I cannot say that thenew constitution willimmediately favour the peasantsand workers, but we hope that itwill address the majority of theissues we are pushing for,” saysNyaichai. Subash Devkota

S

KIRAN PANDAY

BASUDEV

8 TRANS-HIMALAYAN TRANSFORMATION

t is only after you reach Jomsom in half a day from Pokhara thatyou realize how distances (and time) have shrunk in Nepal.

A journey that used to take five days of steep climbs anddescents is now a question of a few hours. And it will be even shorteronce Nepal’s trans-Himalayan highway is black-topped. Tourists,pilgrims, even conference participants have started streaming toJomsom and Muktinath. Upper Mustang and Lo Manthang havesuddenly become much more accessible for Nepalis.

Not everyone here is happy with this change. Tourismentrepreneurs are worried the road will damage Mustang’s fragileculture and ecology. Seeing the haphazardly parked passenger jeeps atJomsom bus park, you can already see the same squalour you see inBeni or Baglung. Noise and diesel smoke are the new hazards ofwalking Jomsom’s cobblestone streets.

Trekker numbers have dropped, complain local hoteliers andthey blame the road. Lodge owners in Tatopani, Ghunsa, Marphaand Tukuche who used to depend on night stop hikers have losttheir business.

However, most traders and ordinary people are happy with theroad. It makes things cheaper and they don’t have to pay the extortion-rate tariff on the Pokhara flight. There are now 50 buses that ply toMuktinath every day from Jomsom, and an equal number that leavefor Beni.

Trekking groups now take the high road to Jomsom fromGhodepani, avoiding the road. The new highway has also made theside valleys of East Dhaulagiri Glacier and Meso Kanto Pass moreaccessible.

ROADSHOW

TEXT and PICS by KIRAN PANDAY

Pokhara to Jomsom used to take five daysto trek, now a day away by jeep, but noteveryone is happy

THE ROAD TO MUKTINATH WITH EKALBHATTI AND THE KALI GANDAKI

PRETEND MACS IN KAGBENI ARRIVE WITH THE ROAD MULE TRAINS, BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER?

I

912 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

KAGBENI AND NILGIRI SCHOOL CHILDREN ON THE MUKTINATH COMMUTE

MARPHA FROM THE AIR

10 NATION 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

rolonged political wrangling inKathmandu has paralyseddevelopment activity nationwide,

and more worryingly, set off bittercompetition between local politicians forbudgets and contracts.

From the mountains of Dolakha to thecentral hills of Arghakhanchi and out inKailali in the far-west, politicaluncertainty following the resignation ofthe Maoist-led government last month hascreated a power vacuum in whichplundering budgets and corruption havebecome the norm.

Maoist cadre, aided and abetted by amenacing YCL, now monopolise alldistrict and village-level contracts foreverything from new roads to boulder andsand mining and even the trade in stolencars and wildlife contraband from India.No private contractor anywhere can getaway without handing over a 'PC' (percent) to local Maoist party bosses.

“It’s now standard operating procedurein the New Nepal,” says a privatecontractor based in Surkhet wryly, “wefactor the protection money into ourbudgets.” In many places the construction,bridges, highways and hydropower

'DozerdevelopmentA new landscape feature has appearedright across the mid hills of Nepal inthe past two years: lush hillsidesscarred by zig-zagging roads. Thelandslides they trigger tumble downgullies to the valley below.

The road-building spree is aresponse to local demand. Mostvillagers in Nepal when asked whattheir development priority is,immediately reply: “A road.” But thefrenzy of new construction is also aresult of mass-scale corruption. Localpolitical cadre are exploiting theinstability and confusion of the past10 months to misappropriate localdevelopment budgets and distributecash to party faithful.

Most roads are built by overseerswith scant regard for environmentalnorms, ravaging steep slopes andthreatening settlements withlandslides. Political parties prefercontractors with bulldozers so they canover-invoice or pocket kickbacks. Butthe machines are much moredestructive to the mountains, and inaddition take away jobs from villagers.Some donors have actually giftedbulldozers to DDCs in the name of'development'.

In Dolakha alone, the district spentRs 40 million on roads last year. Half ofthat money went to pay for bulldozerrentals. Although they cost Rs 1,700per hour to rent, records show manywere hired at up to Rs 2,400 per hour.

Activists in Charikot havecalculated that at Rs 150 per day wagefor villagers, the bulldozers cost 5,000jobs last year. “Most of us are willing towork for free to get roads to our village,but there is too much money tied up inroad contracts,” lamented one ex-VDCchairman from northern Dolakha.

projects have been halted because ofextortion.

Even in districts where local councilshad been set up in the last elections, theMaoists backed out of agreements after theirgovernment fell. In districts like Lamjung,local councils have not been set up at all sodevelopment plans and budgets for thecoming year have been languishing. Localcivil society is trying to get the parties towork together, but so far unsuccessfully.

“The discussions are all about who getswhat share of the development budget, andthey can’t agree on a formula,” said oneexasperated activist in Besisahar.

In the past, even if political partiesquarreled in Kathmandu, local bodiessomehow kept functioning. Many villageelders elected to VDC councils from thelast local elections in 1999 took charge ofdevelopment activities. Now, even thatmechanism is not working as politicalparties compete to steal from thedevelopment budget for personal gain or toreplenish party war chests.

When the district council in Dailekhfound it had Rs 10 million in unspentdevelopment funds, the three mainpolitical parties divided it amongthemselves. In Ramechhap, there is a frenzyof road-building as political parties award

themselves contracts. Rival partiessometimes build duplicate roads to thesame village. The roads are built with noregard to engineering or the environmentand most will not survive the comingmonsoon (see box). The local NCcommittee has actually split in Dolakhaover a Rs 3.5 million road contract becauseof rivalry between fellow kangresis.

CDOs and district police chiefs aredemoralised, as Maoist cadre publiclyabuse and threaten them. In Tanahu, adistrict administration official says hehas given up trying to work with thepolitical parties. He told Nepali Times:“What can I tell you? We have a three-party dictatorship. They decide on thebudget and divide it up. There is noaccountability, and no one dare askquestions. We are helpless and hopeless.”

Even in districts like Gorkha whereformer finance minister Baburam Bhattarailavished cash in his home district tobuild roads and upgrade colleges, there islittle accountability. “I have seen onecrore being given to a friendly contractorto build a highway culvert,” recalled alocal journalist, who added investigatingsuch stories would be suicidal.

To be sure, pork-barrel politics was thenorm also with the NC and UML. But

local officials interviewed in districtsacross Nepal in the past monthconfirmed that the Maoists are differentbecause of their use of threats andviolence. “They beat up rival contractorsin front of the police station, and policecan’t do a thing,” an NGO activist inHetauda told us. Indeed, parties mobilisegoons from Kathmandu when tenders forcontracts are opened and beat up rivals ifthey don’t get it.

“So this is why we fought a 10 yearwar in which 14,000 people were killed:for thekka patta,” said a districtdevelopment officer in Charikot thisweek, using the Nepali phrase for‘contracts’. “They have forgotten it wasall supposed to be for the people.”

A division of the spoilsLocal politics today is all about cadre dividing up development contracts

KUNDA DIXIT in DOLAKHA

PKIRAN PANDAY

1112 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455NATION

INTERESTING TIMESMallika Aryal

ncident One. Late lastmonth a woman wasstripped and severely beaten

in the middle of Ratna Park ataround 9PM. A mob of about 60men dragged the woman towardsthe bus park to parade her aroundthe city when the police finallyshowed up. An eyewitness with acamera took pictures and postedthem on a popular Nepaliblogsite. She was crying for helpbut the men called her“charitrahin” and stripped her.

The series of pictures on thesite are high-resolution images.Each face in the picture,including that of a boy who looks12 is identifiable. What is evenmore shocking is that the menseem to be enjoying what they aredoing, and are not even trying tohide their faces.

Incident Two. This weekKathmandu’s Ring Road area wasblocked off for two days due todemonstrations by relatives of thetwo men who were killed in anaccident when their motorbikewas hit by a public bus. OnMonday, an unruly mob attackeda van trying to take children toschool. When the van driver triedto reason with the mob byexplaining he was transportingsmall children he got hit by abrick. Three other children and ateacher were hurt. (see pic).

These are two isolatedincidents in the Valley, but acrossthe country women accused ofbeing “witches” are being tortured,and nine people suspected ofbeing child traffickers have beenlynched to death in the Tarai.Violence has become the norm.Police are mute spectators whenthe militant youth wings ofvarious parties beat up innocentpeople on the streets.

Whether it is in the city orrural Nepal, domestic violenceagainst women has become a wayof life. Husbands beat up theirwives, in-laws pour kerosene onnewly-married brides and setthem alight, women are scarred byacid or sexually abused in thefamily. Victims stay quiet,silently bearing the torture andpain because they can’t come outand say anything. And whywould they? The securityapparatus and the justice systemis so weak and impunity sorampant that the perpetrators getaway. Every time.

The Ratna Park incident wasnever filed at the police station.Apart from the blogsite and someinternational coverage, the localmedia stayed mum. It is still notknown who the woman is, andthe men who were involved wentscot free again.

In the past decade, Nepalishave learnt to live with a lot ofhardships. We thought that withthe end of war there would bepeace. The law and order situationis actually worse. The government

whose fundamental task is thesafety of citizens, doesn’t seemto care. No child must get up inthe morning with the fear thatshe and her friends may end upin hospital because the buscarrying her to school wassmashed up by people notmuch older than her. No womanshould fear walking around thecity because she may be

stripped and beaten.Even our anger is politically

motivated: we come out to protestwhen a foreigner allegedly saysthe Buddha was born in India.We burn tyres when oaths aretaken in Hindi because all this isan attack on sovereignty. Whatgood is sovereignty when we arenot safe in our own sovereigncountry?

A generation for which impunity is the normLaw and disorderI

KESHAV THOKER

12 INTERNATIONAL 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

HERE AND THEREDaniel Lak

I f the pugnacious, arch-ToryBritish wartime leader werewith us today, he’d be

furious.For despite what many

believe, he never said thefollowing words.

“Not to be a socialist at twentyis proof of want of heart, to be oneat thirty is proof of want of head.”

No, that was George Clemenceau, aFrench Prime Minister andstatesman from the early part ofthe 20th century, also renownedfor combativeness, iron will andcatchy phrases.

His most famous quote inEnglish turns out to be one thatmost of us wrongly attribute.Such is life. But let’s examine MClemenceau’s thinking and applyit to South Asia today, Nepal inparticular.

Socialism as he knew it meantworkers committees manningbarricades and shutting downcities and industries. Basically itmeant revolution as defined byKarl Marx in The CommunistManifesto of 1848.

Today, we have a broader,

gentler definition of socialismand fondness for its methods,if not the nomenclature. To be acontemporary socialist is to bebroadly in favour of anequitable, rights-based agendathat admits the existence anddesirability of free well-regulated markets. Socialism, aswe know it now, thrives inSweden, Spain, Canada andmany other well-off countries.

Defined as allowinggovernments to run, regulateand occasionally bail out themarketplace, socialist thinkinginformed both the George WBush and Barack Obamaadministrations’ approach tocurrent economic turmoil.General Motors, once themightiest of global capitalistbehemoths, is now nearly three-quarters owned by taxpayers inAmerica and Canada.

What global centrists can’tafford is hard-line ideology ofright or left. World conditionsare too fragile, interconnectedand uncertain at the best oftimes. Only the nimble survive.

What’s pretty clear is thatthe world has rejected coerciveMarxism (Communism) andanyone who believes otherwiseis dangerously deceiving

themselves.Nepal and parts of India are

among the last places wherepeople who believe they findwisdom and solace in Stalin,Lenin and Mao still get a chanceto serve as legislators, even PrimeMinisters.

Hell, you can find people herewho admire Kim Il Sung and PolPot. It helps that Nepal, and forthat matter West Bengal andKerala, are isolated, full of a self-righteous sense of carefullycultivated uniqueness, andlargely at the fringes of themodern world.

Local Hindu caste patternshelp too. The purity so belovedat the Brahminical heights sitscomfortably alongside thedoctrinaire Left’s obsession withexamining primary politicaltexts in search of self-confirmatory analyses.

In fact, were Marx, Engels oreven Lenin with us today,they’d have a hard timerecognising their handiwork inthe positions and politicalrecords of our South AsianMarxists-Leninists. Not that I’marguing for a return to basics, farfrom it. But a little intellectual

Hypocrite whole-timersNepal’s communists need to see the defeat of India’s left as an early warning

honesty from all who bask in theprefix ‘Comrade’ would go a longway.

On the surface, they claimwork for the rights of workersand peasants but the best theyhave ever achieved has beenthrough compromise with abroad range of political ideasthat they sniffily dismiss asbourgeois democracy. Theyconveniently forget that theirown Marx was a middle classnightmare of a human being wholoathed the idea of a day’s workfor a day’s pay. Far easier tosponge off his wealthy friend,Engels, who inherited hiswealth from a capitalist father.

There are no working menand women at the top of today’sSouth Asian leftist movements,just bourgeois hypocrites and‘whole timers’ who have livedoff the toil of their own partycadres as they espouse respect,equity and revolution.

Even so, voters in India gavetheir Communists decades todeliver the goods but recentlyfound them wanting. Nepal’sleftists need to see this as anearly warning, a signal thatchange, compromise and nimblepolitics will keep them relevant.Marx will not.

KIRAN PANDAY

1312 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455REVIEWS

hen nepa-laya’s picture book of the conflict, A People War,was released in 2007 it told in pictures the story of how theviolence had affected civilians. The pictures were taken on

a traveling photo exhibition throughout the country in 2008, andsome 350,000 viewed them. They left heart-wrenching testimoniesabout their war experiences, and the yearning for peace.

Now, nepa-laya has selected some of the tens of thousands oftestimonies in a new book, Never Again, which is being launchedon Sunday. All the feedback, from the page-long ones to ‘Malainaramro lagyo’ written by a kindergarden student have the samemessage: 'never again'.

The testimonies force us to remember the sorrows of war.Nepalis went through a collective catharsis, and these words arethe outpourings of our nation’s soul. The victims of war saw thatthere were many more like them, and the exhibition seems to havehelped them share the pain. Looking at the pictures together,people, who did not suffer directly, cried with the ones who did.

During the war, we all prayed for peace, for fewer deaths, lessdestruction. But casualties became statistics, and we soon forgotabout the families of the deceased, the disappeared, the injured,and the displaced. The photos in A People War told the storiesbehind the numbers, which is why they were so powerfully moving.

In the sequel, Never Again, we hear the voices of Nepalis fromMechi to Mahakali, all ages, religious and ethnic groups and

through boundaries of literacy.(Illiterate and vision impairedvisitors dictated theirresponses.) Everyone’sopinion is equally important: foronce, this is history written bythe people of what happened tothem, not history written by thewinners or so-called experts.

Most agree that we shouldlearn lessons and be ‘inspired

to work towards social transformation and sustainable peace’.Some think violence is sometimes needed for social justice.Baburam Bhattarai writes a dialectic critique of political violenceafter seeing the exhibition in Gorkha. His comment shows howarrogantly ignorant leaders are about the war they unleashed on thepeople. Bhattarai's comment will break the hearts of many whoexpected leaders to understand, but it seems the pictures somehowfailed to do so: that we have cried together, and that no matter forwhat ends, violence is not justifiable.

‘What is the price of tears?’ writes one viewer. ‘History doesn’tdie,’ writes another. The back cover of the book has a poignantlyshort sentence: ‘After the blood come the tears.’ Another viewersays ‘Show these pictures to Gyanendra, Girija, Prachanda whyare you showing it to us?’

The war may be over, but there is no peace yet. For the familiesof the disappeared, the sorrows continue, the children of the deadsuffer hardships. It will take time for people to forgive and starttrusting each other. Perhaps because we have been through somuch, we want to forget and move on. But we can’t forget until wehave learnt our lessons.

Never Again helps us remember, and helps the process ofreconciliation through justice. Aditi Adhikari

Never Again will be launched on 14 June after which it will be available at allleading book stores. The documentary Frames of War based on the book willbe screened at the Russian Cultural Centre 14-20 June. Admissions free, butbookings must be made in advance through nepa-laya at 9751083433.

‘After the bloodcome the tears’W

full range of humanemotions andpsychological states -

pride, ambition, courage,determination, guilt, revenge,insecurity – are explored in theten films that make up thesecond European Film Festivalin Kathmandu from 13-17 June atNepal Army auditorium.

Two films from each memberstate of the EU represented inNepal: Germany, France, the UK,Denmark and Finland are beingscreened.

Ferenc Weigl of the EuropeanUnion, which is organising thefestival, says, “Last year’sresponse from the audienceproves that the Nepali audienceis very interested in Europeanmovies. Our main aim is tointroduce modern Europeancinematographic art to nationsoutside Europe.”

Le CouperetThis French film, directed byConstantin Costa-Gavras, is aboutBruno Davert, a top executive at apaper factory who is fired. He isthen determined to obtain almostany job with the same seniorstatus, even if he has to kill for it.1st show: 14 June, 5PM2nd show: 16 June, 5PM

La FranceIt is autumn 1917 and WorldWar I is taking place. Camille is ayoung woman who after receivingdisconcerting news from herhusband, disguises herself as aman and goes to find him at war.1st show: 15 June, 3PM2nd show: 16 June, 1PM

The Flying ScotsmanBased on a true story, UK-produced The Flying Scotsmanfollows the turbulent life ofcyclist Graeme Obree, who brokethe world one-hour record on abike of his own revolutionarydesign.1st show: 15 June, 1PM2nd show: 17 June, 3PM

BlindsightBlindsight is a grippingadventure of six blind Tibetanteenagers who go on a climbingexpedition up the 7,000 metreLhakpa Ri, the north side ofMount Everest.1st show: 13 June, 11AM2nd show: 15 June, 5PM

Wer früher stirbt, ist längertot (Grave decisions)This German children’s movie isabout 11 year old Sebastian’ssearch for immortality. Believing

that he is responsible for thedeath of his mother, who died inchildbirth, he tries to cleansehimself of his sins.1st show: 13 June, 5PM2nd show: 14 June, 11AM

YellaYella is the story of a youngwoman, Yella (Nina Hoss) whomoves away from her glumEastern neighborhood and herabusive husband Ben to the West,where a job offer might bring herthe peace she has been searchingfor.1st show: 16 June, 11AM2nd show: 17 June, 1PM

Tyttö sinä olet tähti (Beautyand the Bastard)This romantic comedy tells thestory of Sune, a fanatic hiphop-DJand Nelli, a snobbish over-achiever who fall in love whiletrying to take advantage of eachother.1st show: 14 June, 3PM2nd show: 17 June, 5PM

Joulutarina (ChristmasStory)This Finnish Christmas film tellsthe touching story of how SantaClaus came to be Santa. The filmportrays the life of Nikolas, a

The European psyche laid bare in film festival

Individual spiritA

young orphan boy who is lookedafter by the villagers in Lapland.1st show: 13 June, 1PM2nd show: 15 June, 11AM

Ekko (echo)In this Danish drama, Simon, apolice officer, loses custody ofhis six-year old son in a divorceand in desperation, abducts theboy. Soon his plan becomes anightmare as old hauntingmemories resurface.1st show: 13 June, 3PM

2nd show: 16 June, 3PM

Til døden os Skiller (Withyour Permission)This film is about a painfullyinsecure ferryboat staffer, Jan,who’s regularly beaten by hisstay-at-home wife. But when Jan’sboss finally sends him into grouptherapy an unlikely friendshipemerges and everyone’s lives takeunexpected turns.1st show: 14 June, 1PM2nd show: 17 June, 11AM

14 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455CITY

ABOUT TOWN

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

In Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks)returns again to decipher hidden sculptural symbols and secret architecturalclues. When Langdon finds evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secretbrotherhood known as the Illuminati—the most powerful underground organisationin history—he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the Illuminati’smost despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock isticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon is recruited to travelto Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a beautifuland enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed huntthrough sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and evento the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will followthe 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican’s only hope forsurvival.

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

KATHMANDU VALLEY

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

A high pressure system suddenly appeared over western Tibet thisweek, drawing in westerlies and chasing away all the pre-monsoonmoisture. But it’s a tug-o-war between these westerlies and themoisture-laden warm winds from the Bay which are beingrelentlessly pulled by the monsoon low over northern India. Weexpect this year’s monsoon to be delayed, but it should arrive witha bang by 20 June in Kathmandu. This satellite picture taken onThursday morning shows a monsoon system moving up intoBangladesh and northeast India. It is likely to be fighting to getthrough into eastern Nepal by next week. Let’s hope it succeeds.Valley dwellers should expect sweltering and humid afternoonswith some isolated night rain until the rains arrive.

KATHMANDU

Fri Sat Sun

31-16 30-16 29-18

EXHIBITIONSIn praise of the patterns, a BFA solo exhibition by Gyanu Gurungtill14 June, Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal.Portraits from the Shadow - The plight of street children, anexhibition by Sanjeev Maharjan, till 14 June at Siddhartha ArtGallery, Babar Mahal Revisited.Transcendental Vibrations’, an exhibition by Kabi Raj Lama, till17 June at Hotel de l’Annapurna, Durbar Marg.

EVENTS E-Car rally in support for Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center

starts at Maitighar Mandala, 13 June, 8AM . 9841900919Nepa~laya’s film tour, 15-20 June, 3.30 and 5.30 PM, RussianCultural Center. 4437893Learn Esperanto Language - free Introductory class on 13 June,9-10AM at School of Creative Communications. 554670538th Yala Maya Classic, a classical music series, 16 June,5PM, Yala Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka. 5553767Star Trek, a sci-fi movie on 17 June, 6.30 PM. Lazimpat GalleryCafé. 4428549Tai Chi, 13 June, 10-11.30AM. Yoga 9-10AM & BuddhistMeditation 5-6PM, 15-19 June. Himalayan Buddhist MeditationCentre, Keshar Mahal Marg. 4410402Call for entries for Film South Asia till 30 June, documentariesmade in and after January 2007 qualified. 5552141

MUSICTGIF at Jazzabella Café every Wednesday and Friday. 2110475Baja gaja, every Tuesday at Moksh, 7.30 pm onwards,Pulchowk. 5526212Kathmandu express, performance by International Acts, 7.30 PMonwards free entry at MokshLive band every Friday and rooftop bbq everyday at KausiKitchen, Durbar Marg. 4227288Sunday Jazz brunch barbecue and live jazz music at theTerrace, Hyatt Regency from 12-3.30 PM. 4491234Jazz evening at Delices de France Restaurant everyWednesday, 11AM-2PM. 4260326Epic, at the Brunchilli- the Acoustic Lounge every Friday,Thamel. 9851035437Strings Band live every Tuesday at G’s Terrace Restaurant andBar, Thamel.Wednesday Melody at Jazzabell Café, Happy hour 6-8PM andTGIF party with live band Epic every Friday at 8PM. 2114075Some like it hot every Friday BBQ and live music by Dinesh Raiand the Sound Minds, 7PM onwards, Rs 899 at Fusion,Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488Happy cocktail hour, 5-7PM, ladies night on Wednesday withlive unplugged music at Jatra Café &Bar.Live Sensation, performance byYankey every Saturday, 9PM, HyattRegency, Kathmandu. 4491234.Fusion and Looza Band every Fridaynight, Bhumi Resto Lounge, Lazimpat.4412193

DININGA cafe’s cafe, Dhokaima Cafe, PatanDhoka. 5522113The Corner Bar, 3-11PM, 5-7PM,Radisson Hotel Kathmandu. 44118187th Annual Monsoon Wine Festival 2009, from 15 June-15 September, Kilroy, Thamel. 4250440Mango Etagere with hi-tea at The Lounge from 4.30- 6.30PM.Hyatt Regency. 4489362Weekend Brunch by the Poolside every Saturday and Sunday,Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu ,11AM-3PM. 4273999Pizza & Pasta at the Rox Restaurant every Monday & Tuesday,Hyatt Regency. 4489362Pasta pesto passion at La Dolce Vita, Thamel. 4700612Home made pasta at Alfresco, Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Chez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BabarMahal Revisited. 4263070Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle-East at The Café, Hyatt Regency. 4491234Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri La, Kathmandu, Rs 600. 4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM. 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la with live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the Shambala Garden, everyFriday 7PM onwards. 4412999

12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455 15HAPPENINGS

DEAD END: The road leading up to Banepa remained tense for hours onFriday when locals clashed with Maoist affiliated Tamsaling MuktiMorcha to protest the banda. A curfew was imposed to control thesituation.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

SEEDS OF HOPE: Despite the delayed onset of monsoon and prolongeddrought, farmers have started planting rice seedling in Hatiban onTuesday

MARCHING ORDERS: Upendra Yadav announces the dismissal ofBijay Gachhedar and seven other leaders from MJF last week. Twofactions of the party clashed in Birganj on Wednesday.

CATCHING UP WITH TIMES: Granddaughter of Sir Edmund Hillary, EmilyRose Hillary, reading Nepali Times in Namche after the Tenzing-HillaryEverest Marathon last week. German Ambassador Verena Grafin vonRoedern looks on.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

KIRAN PANDAY

DAILY ROUTINE: Maoist cadres block the road in Darbar Marg on Fridayas part of their continued protest demanding ëcivilian supremacyí.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

ISSN

181

4-26

13

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

12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #45516 BACKSIDE

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E ven the Ass hadunderestimated just howserious the lust for power

was going to be on the part ofnetas who wanna be in the newcoalition. The donkey hadpredicted here that it would takea week for Makunay to cobbletogether a cabinet. It’s been nearlythree weeks. What is holdingthings up in this GovernmentSans Portfolios? Well, it boils down toarithmetics. There are 22 membersin the coalition, so we need aminimum 36-member cabinetbecause the Big Boys (and Gals)want more than one ministry.This presents a bit of a problembecause there ain’t enufministries to go around. SoBaluwatar has hit upon awonderful idea: they’re going tosplit up the double-barrelledmantralayas.

The Ministry of Tourism andCivil Aviation can be bifurcatedinto the Ministry of Tourism andthe Ministry of Civil Aviation.And if even that won’t do, theycan go a step further and divide itup into the Ministry of Civil andthe Ministry of Aviation. TheMinistry of Works and PhysicalPlanning can also be cut up intothe Ministry of Works, Ministryof Physical and Ministry ofPlanning.

The PMO had just heaved a sighof relief that it’d resolved theissue when the parties also

22 rajahsstarted splitting, thusnecessitating chopping up theministries into further pieces.The MJF is going through binaryfission with full-scale coota-coot in Birganj, the kangresis areloggerheads over Soodata Koiralabecoming Farang Minister, andeven Chure Bhabar may split oneof these days. How on earth are allthese new parties and their newleaders going to beaccommodated?

And true to the legendaryinability of Nepalis to get along,the Brahmanical e-maleys(pronounced ‘eh-malaise’) have aserious rift between JN and hishome ministry nominee Iswar Pand the Oli faction.KPsir never really trusted thefellow-comrade and communistatheist named Iswar, and hasopposed his candidacy for HomeSweet Home Ministry. JN andBidyaB are also on a collisioncourse with their publiclydivergent views on the eightjarsaps and the proposed courtmartial for Cool Budder. Nosurprises there, but Oli and Bidyaare now in open confrontationagainst Comrade Makunay who istrying to appease the Baddieswith a commitment to civiliansupremacy. With me so far?

MKN is in the horns of adilemma. Decisiveness is notone of the prime minster’s strongpoints, which may be a goodthing in a man supposed to keep

everyone happy. Trouble is, heisn’t getting any guidance aboutwhat to do next from the guyswho control the remote. So hehas no idea whether he should betrying to appease the Maoists ortwisting their tail.

Meanwhile, it looks like ComradeAwful is missing the Rs 100,000bed he had rigged up atBaluwatar. PKD now finds thePistachio Palace a tad too

claustrophobic, so he’s moved toan orchid farm in Godavari toput finishing touches to hisproposals over future strategy atthe party’s secretariat meetingnext week. The strategy isreportedly to just wait it outpatiently to allow the UML-ledcoalition to self-destruct byDasain, and then make a move tostage an even stronger comeback.

It’s four down 99 to go if the

Baddies get all the ethnic groupsin Nepal to stage their ownbunds. The Ass’ solution to thisis for Nepal (the country, not thepremier) to dissolve parliament,dismantle the army, abolish theportfolioless cabinet, go back tothe Baise and Chaubise Rajahs.the donkey’d ratherhave 22 rajahs than 22unruly coalitionmembers.

ass(at)nepalitimes.com

Weekly Internet Poll # 456. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

Q. Which of these phrases best describeyour current feeling about the delay ingovernment formation?

Weekly Internet Poll # 455

Q. How do you assess Nepal’s one yearas republic?

#455 12 - 18 June 2009 16 pages Rs 30

Total votes: 5,244

ver since they resigned from government, the Maoists have triedto play on anti-Indian nationalism. But senior leaders now admitthere is no alternative but to renegotiate with India.

“We made mistakes in handling India,” confessed oneMaoist secretariat member, “butIndia also can’t ignore that weare the most powerfulparty here.”

Ahead of apolitburo

meeting, starting Monday, the Maoists will have to make crucialdecisions about relations with India. It’s not going to be easy becauseNew Delhi has drawn a line in the sand that it doesn’t want theMaoists to cross.

Senior Indian officials, from both the foreign office and thesecurity establishment, have told Nepali Times meaningfulengagement is difficult until the Maoists engage in a “coursecorrection” and they have made the following “suggestions”:

The Maoists must make a clear and unconditional commitment tomultiparty democracy, which India says was not visible during their

nine-month stint in power. The party has toshift from its radical dogmatic line to amoderate left-of-centre orientation. Oneofficial told us: “They have to give updreams of capturing the state.”

Delhi doesn’t believe PushpaKamal Dahal anymore when he says he

is under pressure from hardliners. Saidthe official: “No more excuses. If it is atactic, we are not falling for it. If it is forreal, then it is time for the leader to assertand either bring the hardliners in line ormarginalise them.” He added the onus lies

on the Maoists to revive trust by steps likedismantling the YCL and behaving like a

normal opposition.An official said India is tired of “Maoist

duplicity”, adding: “They have to learn that theycannot keep chanting anti-India slogans here, and

then privately come to us for help to bail themout.” This is a clear reference to Maoist rhetoric on

“foreign intervention” and the Dang border controversy,which is seen as being engineered by “Maoists and

friendly media”. India says it still supports the peace process

and wants a new constitution, but the Maoistscan’t ‘bulldoze’ their way through. “There has tobe reasonable discussion on integration betweenall stakeholders, including the Nepal Army,” headded. Token integration under strictparameters may be feasible, but unit level entry

and space to PLA commanders in the NA is astrict ‘no’ for India.

What didn’t go down too well in Delhi wasthat even as the Maoists were calling for a totaloverhaul of the “special relationship” withIndia, they were cosying up to Beijing.

Indian officials, however, are at pains toemphasise that their role must not beoverstated and politics emanates fromwithin. But, warned one diplomat: “Thepresent behaviour of ranting againsteveryone is not winning them friends. It

will dig them into a hole.”

PRASHANT JHA

Delhi wants the Maoists to make a “course correction”

Close to the edgeE

BILASH RAI

2 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455EDITORIAL

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda DixitCEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran MaharjanDGM Sales and Marketing: Sambhu Guragain marketing@himalmedia.comMarketing Manager: Subhash Kumar Asst. Manager: Arjun KarkiCirculation: Prakash Raut

Hatiban, Godavari Road, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845 Fax: 5251013Printed at Jagadamba Press 5250017-19edi tors@nepal i t imes.com

www.nepal i t imes.com

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

T

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

COP OUTIndoctrinated in the theory that power comes out of barrels of guns,former guerillas in the former government were understandablyobsessed with the military. They still are.

And if there is one major hurdle ahead of the new coaltion it isthe issue of integration and rehabilitation. But for that the primeminister will have to cross the first hurdle of actually forming agovernment. The political void in Kathmandu has enforced theperception of a weak state. This in turn has led to further erosion ofthe rule of law, institutionalised impunity and has fanned anarchy.

A traffic accident brings the northern half of the city to astandstill for two days. Kids deflate bicycle tyres to enforcebandas. Police look on as the YCL thrashes the YF in Banepa andvice versa. More worryingly, the three main parties are behaving asif they can do anything (see p 10-11). Development has ground to ahalt as cadre plunder the district budgets for road contracts. Thereis now such criminalisation of politics and the politicisation ofcriminality that it is becoming difficult to tell the difference betweena politician and a dacoit.

The security apparatus that is most in touch with the public, theNepal Police, has had no chance to recover from its politicisation,a process that began after 1990. Police say they are powerless tostop gangsters because they have patronage from biggies. Theycan’t even arrest hoodlums stoning aschool bus without cabinetauthorisation.

Improving the efficiency of thepolice force is essential to check thiscountry’s malignant lawlessness. Thesingle most widespread demandamong people across Nepal today islaw and order. They are fed up withhighway blockades, strikes, curfewsand crime.

New retirement rules provide thegovernment with an opportunity toboost the morale of the police andhence reassure the public that they aresafe. A younger police leadership iswelcome despite attendant risks ofinexperience: immaturity is preferredover incompetence. However, changesat the top of the police force aren’tenough. Intelligence-based communitypolicing that prevents crime requiresthat the political class cooperate withthe law and order machinery, and notbe on the side of criminals.

The most important component ofpolice reform has to do with thefunctional freedom of law enforcementagencies. They must be given theauthority to apprehend on the spot anymilitant youth member of a politicalfront organisation who engages invandalism or threats.

These aren’t things that need acomplete and functioning cabinet.It’s the duty of Prime Minister Nepalof Nepal to ensure that his citizensare safe.

he Forum saga has all theelements of a Bollywoodpotboiler: betrayal,

anger, violence, money andrevenge.

First things first. No onecomes out looking cleanfollowing a messy party division.For all his self-righteousness andsudden discovery that this is an“anti federalism” alliance,Upendra Yadav has shownremarkable inconsistency.

He first sat out the entire armychief controversy by junketingaround the globe. Returning a dayafter Prachanda’s resignation, he

immediatelystarted aiming tobecome PM withMaoist support.When thenumbers did notadd up, heshiftedallegiance to theUML-ledcoalition andsigned thecommonminimumprogram. Andthough his heartwas not in thearrangement, hewanted to leadthe MJF in thisset-up. Whenthat did nothappen, Yadavsacked BijayGachhedar & Co.

For his part,Gachhedar’s aimthroughoutseemed to be todivide andweaken theparty. Heunilaterallydecided to backthe UML-NCcombine and

bargained a plum portfolio forhimself. He got the otherparties to make anannouncement saying theywould invite him to lead theMJF in government. He threwmoney around to get MPs onhis side. And then using oldfriends like Khum Bahadur,Gachhedar got the NC patriarchto put pressure on the PM toswear him in without anofficial party decision.

Beyond the clash ofambitions, this is a deeperstory here of how opportunismin the absence of ideology has ashort life-span. The Forum wasnever a proper party. Just lookat Bijay’s far right antecedentsand desire to turn the clockback to the 1990s, Upendra’sradical left background andcommitment to federalism andthe inscrutable JP Gupta’sshift from social democracy toethnic separatism inspired by ajail stint and study of SriLankan Tamils. On the ground,activists who build theorganisation for the Madhesimovement had to co-exist withlate entrants who had opposedMadhesi issues throughthis period.

The party had its use whena broader Madhesi identity wassharpest before elections andYadavs, Tharus and Muslimsneeded each other. It couldremain united when thenational parties were workingin a relatively consensualframework and there was noneed to make difficult choices.But as the polity becamefractured at the top, and theMadhesi identity startedfragmenting on the ground,MJF leaders had to find theirown paths.

Also, we tend to ignore theinter-personal element whichplayed a crucial role in evenformer Upendra loyalistsveering away to the other side.In the last year after hiselectoral success, Yadav had

become intolerably arrogant andfelt invincible. He had little timefor his MPs and rarely visitedthe Madhes. Gachhedar, on theother hand, closely wooedparliamentary party members.

It was in this internal vortexthat external forces intervened.The NC wants to weaken theMadhesi groups to recover itsTarai base. Add to it GPK’spersonal grudge against Upendrafor defeating his daughter inSunsari and opposing his dreamof presidency last year. Indiawas also irritated with Yadavfor his intransigence onmultiple issues and felt that heneeded a lesson.

With Gachhedar, NC, UML,India and the army ganged upagainst him, it is no surprisethat Upendra Yadav and JPGupta were reduced to aminority in the party.

This division will have twoimmediate implications. Itmakes national politics moreunstable. There are now three keyactors (Prachanda, JhalanathKhanal, and Upendra Yadav)who want to see an end to thisgovernment.

It will also make Taraipolitics more fragmented andradicalised. Yadav will try toengineer some kind of agitationin the plains to increase hisbargaining power in the capital.He may also attempt to ratchetup the anti-India sentiment, butthat could be self-destructive asIndia is not going to tolerate thatrhetoric so close to the border. Incase a political vacuum doesdevelop, the Maoists or a newforce is more likely to benefitfrom it than traditional parties.

When Upendra Yadav wasasked last year why he wasgetting people like BijayGachhedar into the MJF eventhough they had no commitmentto Madhes, he replied, ““I need their experience ofpower politics.” Looks likethe experience hasboomeranged.

At the ForumThe MJF split makes politics even more unstable

ETHNIC CARD“But there should be zero tolerance forincitement of ethnic intolerance andhatred for short-term political gain” (‘Theethnic card,’ # 454)—very well saidindeed! This wise line left me wonderinghow different our lives may have beenhad they come a few years earlier whenthe Maoists were cracking open the‘genie-bottle’. Unfortunately, back thenmost of our intelligentsia, media, civilsociety were busy championing theMaoists as the Robin Hood of the poorand downtrodden. Has it taken all thiswhile for the lights to finally go on, or hadthe Kathmandu intelligentsia simply‘papered over’ their knowledge ofMaoists’ misuse of this ‘combustiblemixture’ for some short-term gain of theirown?

Satyajeet Nepali, email

Your editorial (‘The ethnic card’,#454) is an early warning to this

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Lettersshould be brief and may be edited for space.While pseudonyms can be accepted, writerswho provide their real names and contactdetails will be given preference. Email lettersshould be in text format without attachmentswith ‘letter to the editor’ in the subject line.

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

like the YCL would. There are two typesof forces in this country, ones that believein (and use) violence as a political tooland the others that don’t. It should bepretty clear to Nepali Times which side itshould be on since your editor was at thereceiving end of physical assaultrecently.

Name withheld, email

country that if politicians can’t resist thetemptation to use ethnicity toforward their cause then all is lost. Theformer Yugoslavia hadonly four ethnicgroups, we have 103.Imagine a multiple civilwar over ethnicity. Itwill make the JanaYuddha look like apicnic. We are alreadyseeing signs of thefissures. The Limbusare beating up Raisbecause ofoverlapping territorialclaims. The Banepariots were betweenNewars andTamang. The Tharusand Mahdesis are already in confrontation.Politicans should wake up and nip this inthe bud.

Kiran Mainali, Pokhara

BHUWAN AND JUNAThank you for that heart-warming coverstory on Bhuwan and Juna (#454). You

have shown how at afundamental level Nepalisare all brothers andsisters and reconciliationis possible. The Raisiblings have shown yourpolitical leaders the way,but unfortunately I don’tthink they’re paying anyattention. They are toobusy quarrelling, and noweven thrashing eachother.

Lina Sorensen,Dhankuta

YESTERDAY’S MENCK Lal has taken a potshot again at thepolitical parties (‘Yesterday’s men...,’#454). They are a soft target becausethey won’t threaten him or beat him up

KIRAN PANDAY

312 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455OP-ED

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

P rime Minister MadhavNepal claims that henever lobbied to be made

prime minister. He’s partly right.Nepal did once petition the

king to be appointed primeminister, but that was during thehybrid royal-military regimewhen the CEO of the countrywas also the SupremeCommander-in-Chief. This time,

in GPK’s metaphor, the prize ofpremiership fell into Nepal’s laplike a ripe mango.

Nepal had once also aspiredto be the president of therepublic with the help ofMaoists. But it didn’t take longfor him to realise the futility ofthat dream. Having spent thebetter part of his life in variouscommunist parties, Comrade

The ripe mangoNow that Nepal is in the hot seat, hemust use this historic opportunity

cabinet colleagues from hisown party as well as from hiscoalition partners. He needn’thurry or worry, other than theMaoists no one can unseat himwithout losing credibility.

Asserting his authority is alittle trickier for a premier whoowes his position not only toconstituent assembly membersbut also to various extraconstitutional players. TheBhadrakali Brass has thrown achallenge by insisting on theprosecution of an officer whojust accepted the order of thegovernment of the day. PremierNepal has erred by extendingthe tenure of eight generalswho had retired from theirposts even as their combined

Nepal knows that noapparatchik willingly acceptsanother even as a ceremonialsuperior.

What actually led to Nepal’ssurprise selection remainsunknown. Koirala may havethought that it would beimprudent to step into a chairjust vacated by the leader of thelargest party in the legislature.Chairman Jhalanath Khanal wasprobably considered toobeholden to Pushpa KamalDahal to lead an anti-Maoistcoalition. Mercurial UpendraYadav was unlikely to receivethe sanction of those who havethe final say in the makingand unmaking of governmentsthese days.

Meanwhile, the paper crownof premiership, pastedovernight with the joint effortof proactive diplomats and anassertive military had to be putupon Nepal’s head precisely

because he was the unlikeliestcandidate to resist a rightistroadmap of the Kathmanduestablishment.

Even Nepal didn’t expect tobe at the head of an anti-Maoistcoalition so soon after Dahalhad bequeathed thechairmanship of ConstitutionDrafting Committee upon him.There is no other explanationfor the complete absence ofvision, mission or plan of theanti-Maoist formation at thehelm of government.

Other than an irresistibleurge to have their hands at thetill during a period of extremevolatility, Premier Nepal’sexisting and probablecolleagues have no plausiblereason to join a governmentthat is fated to fail even beforebeing formed.

Fortunately, the Maoistshave been kind towards thenew government: their protestsprovide legitimacy to a rulingcoalition that has donenothing to deserve suchvigorous opposition. But nowthat Nepal is in hot seat, he hasto make best use of thishistoric opportunity.

The greatest challenge forNepal is to prove hisauthenticity. The Maoists can’tquestion his legitimacybecause they were the ones togive cabinet berths to non-elected politicians in theprevious government.

The prime minister canprove his political antecedentsby insisting that at least all hissenior colleagues be directlyelected CA members. Hishelplessness in accepting thenominations of Bidya Bhandariand Sujata Koirala isunderstandable, but exceptionsshould not be allowed tobecome the rule. Nepal needsto be prudent in choosing his

appeal remains sub-judice.The ripe mango in Premier

Nepal’s lap is too small to beshared by all anti-Maoist forcesin the country and outside. Nomatter what he does, Nepalwould have to take the blamefor being a lame duck primeminister, appointed merely tokeep the seat warm for a moresuitable successor.

Meanwhile, he has anunusual opportunity to provethe old hypothesis thataccidents of history oftenproduce extraordinary leaders.The mango tree grows from aseed. Being and nothingness areall about fundamental freedomsof human beings againstdeterminists of all stripes.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

4 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455NATION

he erosion of KathmanduValley’s unique culturalheritage has prompted

many to find ways to preserve it.There is a renaissance of Newariarchitecture in Bhaktapur andPatan, the tourism industry haspitched in with heritage hotelsand cultural sight-seeing, and thehandicraft business is doing itsbit. Now, there is a unique effortto support Kathmandu’s artisansand craftsmen by helping selltheir products in the local and

Crafted in Kathmanduinternational market. ‘Crafted inKathmandu’ is not just ahandicraft business, its founderRosha Chitrakar hastens to clarify.

“Our goal is to help preservethe Valley’s heritage, the skills,knowledge and resourcefulness ofour artisans in creating art andhome décor objects that are goodenough to be shared in the worldmarket,” says Chitrakar.

The challenge for Chitrakar’s‘Crafted in Kathmandu’ brand is topay for the protection of theValley’s built, living and naturalheritage by the products andservices of its artisans.

Chitrakar calls this a “plusrevenue” business and is focussingon selling products to threedistinct markets.

The first is the local marketwhere people need various pots,vessels, jewelry, musical

instruments, chariot-buildingskills and monument restorationcapacity. The trend is towardsrestoring homes to their originaland operating them as bed andbreakfast pensiones in the oldcity.

The second is the high endNepali market such as hotels,homes of expatriates, corporategifts, garden sculpture, homedécor etc. This market has thehighest growth potential becauseof the increasing tendency ofidentifying with one’s heritage.Tourists and expatriates also

HERITAGE PIECES: RoshaChitrakar points at an antique

photograph of the MachendranathJatra, among the items that her

company markets in Nepaland abroad to raise money for

heritage conservation.

Making the Valley’s unique artistic heritage pay for its own upkeep

increasingly look for hotels andhomes that reflect the uniquehistory and heritage of theKathmandu Valley.

The third is the market forexports of Kathmandu artifacts toNorth America, Europe and EastAsia. ‘Crafted in Kathmandu’ hasa gallery outlet in North Americathat tells the story of how theartisans and crafts persons of theKathmandu valley are restoringthe World Heritage City. Itsells products that have beendesigned and crafted to meet localdemands.

Chitrakar explains that anexample of this three-tieredmarketing strategy is a pottermaking clay pots for local localyogurt whose family is alsomaking terracotta garden animalfigures and also ceramic bases fortable lamps for the NorthAmerican market.

“This keeps artisan familiesfully employed all year round,increasing their quality of life andensuring that the skills are passeddown to a new generation,” saysChitrakar.

Crafted in Kathmandu'sexhibition runs till 15 June atDwarika Hotel, 11AM-7PM.

www.craftedinkathmandu.com

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512 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455BUSINESS

T

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

alking about how Nepal’spolitical parties lack theseriousness to safeguard

press freedom is both acutelydepressing and mildly hopeful.It’s depressing, because if onecompiles a mere six-monthsworth of news, the catalogue ofthreats, physical abuses, mentaltorture and harassment againstjournalists, with details even oftheir murders, grows thicker andthicker.

Yet it’s also hopeful, because,at least from the lip service thatspokespeople of the politicalparties offer on television, it’sclear that our politicians dounderstand the importance ofpress freedom. But thathope dissolves into cynicismwhen the politicians are thenunable to explain to their militantcadres why something asintangible as press freedommatters for all Nepali citizens,including those who disagreewith or are indifferent to anypolitical ideology.

Just four days ago in Lamjung,YCL activists warned journaliststhat they would be hacked topieces. The journalists’ only'crime' was to be on duty to cover aquarrel between the YCL activistsand local people.

On Saturday morning, Maoistcadre halted a van belonging toKantipur Publications on theEast-West Highway. They tookcontrol of the vehicle, set it onfire, and burnt down not only thevehicle but also thousands ofcopies of The Kathmandu Postand Kantipur. The driver haddared to do his daily job oftransporting the newspapers tosubscribers and news stands inEastern Nepal on the day of aforced shutdown.

On Monday 1 June, on the dayof another forced shutdown inKathmandu, cadres of the NewaAutonomous State routinelystopped vehicles that had presslogos, smashed the windows,seized the keys, harassed thejournalists, and stopped themfrom reporting and photographingthe hardships faced by manyordinary people when the city wasforced to a standstill.

Online visitors to thisnewspaper’s website must havenoticed a boxed item that’s beenthere for the past few months. Itsays: Punish Uma Singh’sKillers: End impunity. UmaSingh was a fearless radiojournalist in Janakpur. LastJanuary, she was hacked to deathin her own apartment. Asubsequent on-site investigationby the IFJ found that Singh waskilled for her investigativejournalism. Despite internationalcondemnation, Singh’s killers areyet to be brought to justice.

And then there was the attack

against this media house lastDecember. Around thirty Maoist-affiliated muscled goons stormedinto our corporate meeting, andbeat me up along with 11 othercolleagues. We were all leftangry, frustrated and shaken to thecore. The then Maoist governmentsubsequently released the tworingleaders who had beenapprehended shortly after theincident, and who have sincemelted into the shadows.

Indeed, these and countlessother attacks against variousNepali media outlets andjournalists have collectivelyhelped Nepal rank eighth in theworld, between Afghanistan andRussia on the CPJ’s ImpunityIndex as a country ‘wherejournalists are murdered on arecurring basis and governmentsare unable or unwilling toprosecute the killers’.

And that brings us to the partwhy politicians must re-educatetheir cadres about the importanceof press freedom. They can start byoffering three basic reasons.

First, press freedom helpsaggregate information. In a countryof 30 million people, most of

whom are illiterate and poor, nocitizen or group can expect to beon top of all the informationrelated to theirwell-being. Press freedom allowsreporters of all stripes and mediato widely disseminate reports andanalyses about events and peoplethat they believe are of publicinterest. These reports andanalyses, in turn, add layers ofnuanced information to helpeveryone from national policy-makers to village councils, tohouseholds and individuals tomake decisions about their livesin ways they see fit forthemselves. For those Maoistleaders who never tire ofemphasising the importance ofcivilian supremacy, what could bethe surest path to such supremacybut promoting press freedom bymaking it easier for journalists towork?

Second, press freedom allowsan exchange of views in the publicdomain.

True, when different versionsof the same event are reported,some who are accustomed togetting news from only onesource, may fear that the ‘truth’itself gets distorted, therebyconfusing the public. But insteadof forcing people to believe onething over another, press freedomallows all to exercise judgment tochoose news that they findpersuasive. That is, once peoplehave an easy access to multipleviewpoints on any issue, theycan then decide for themselveswhat is right and what is not.Sure, not every citizen is equallyenlightened to decide what iswhat. But since decision-makingis a craft, press freedom allows allto practise making decisionsabout themselves at their ownpace based on a variety ofinformation they receive from themedia.

Third, press freedom goeshand-in-hand with market-basedcompetition. Of all the attributeson which Nepali newspaperscompete, reputation is theonly thing that matters for long-term business viability.Reputation in the media business

is built up by consistentlyreporting the verifiable truth, andopenly correcting errors as soon asthey become known. This factshould reduce the worries ofthose who say that mainstreamnewspapers print false news toserve the interests of 'thebourgeoisie'.

Rather, as we have seen againand again, it’s the reputation ofthe perpetrators and theirpolitical parties that takes a blowglobally when media houses andjournalists are threatened, abused,attacked and killed.

Unless our political leaders,especially those of Maoists whomake all the right noises abouttheir commitment to build pluraldemocratic societies, seriouslyeducate and train their unrulycadres about the importance ofpress freedom for Nepal’sdemocracy, their paying mere lipservice is as good as their keepinglips sealed against the dailyattacks on the press in Nepal.

Lip service, ortongue lashing?

Press freedom needs to bedefended by its maximumapplication

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Charity electric car rallyA convoy of 30 battery-operated cars, scooters and threewheelers will travel in an electric vehicle rally between theMaitighar Mandala in Kathmandu to Banepa on Saturday to raiseawareness about people disabled byspinal injuries as well as to promoterenewable energy.

All the vehicles takingpart will be sponsoredand the money raisedwill go for the careand support ofpatients at theSpinal InjuryRehabilitation Centre inBanepa. The rally will beflagged off at 8 am Saturday by entertainer Madan KrishnaShrestha and the cars will make the 60 km roundtrip to Banepa.

Altogether 30 vehicles will be participating, including morethan 24 Reva cars, Nepal-made Safa tempos, and newlyintroduced battery-powered scooters. The participants willinclude individual owners of electric vehicles as well asorganisations such as ICIMOD, GTZ, WFP, the Norwegian andUS embassies. The umbrella organisation Electric VehiclesAssociation of Nepal (EVAN) will also be taking part.

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Revenue shortfallThe government has raised Rs 115.9 billion in revenues in thefirst 10 months of the current tax year, Rs 15 billion less than itstarget.

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One stopNepal Bankers’ Association, Nepal Rastra Bank and otherfinancial institutions are joining forces to introduce a clearinghouse to allow Nepalis to cash or pay in cheques anywhere inthe country. The bidding process for setting up the hardware andsoftware requirements for the clearing house has already begun.

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Nepali PotterSunbird Publishers is releasing the first ofJ.K. Rowling’s hit Harry Potter books HarryPotter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Nepaliafter a young reader from Gorkha requestedfor the books to be translated via a letter inThe Kathmandu Post. Already translated in67 languages, the series have sold more the400 million copies worldwide.

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‘Morning after’Nepal CRS Company haslaunched e-CON, anemergency contraceptivepill that prevents unwantedpregnancy. The pill iseffective if taken within fivedays of unprotected sex. E-CON is available for Rs 50.

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Free FedoraFedora 10, a free Linux-based computeroperating system, is now available for peoplewho want to avoid the Microsoft Windowssystem. Fedora 10, code-named Leonidas, isfree and open source software (FOSS) whichwas developed by the Fedora Project, a community of peopleacross the globe.

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Flying higherYeti Airlines has launched its first Pilatus Porter, PC-6, a multi-purpose airplane best for short take off and landing. Yeti intendsto add two more PC-6 aircrafts to its fleet.

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Drink in RomeLager brewer Carlsberg isattempting to up sales by givingaway two tickets to visit Italiancapital Rome and its bars. Under the‘Best Bar Tour’ scheme consumersreceive a coupon with everyCarlsberg purchase.

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FaceliftYamaha has upgraded its FZ-16 bike and launched FZ-S.Yamaha’s dealers inNepal, Morang AutoWorks will distribute thebikes.

6 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Editorial in Janadisha, 7 June

Four days after being arrested during a protest at in Baidapataura,Rautahat, Ladai Shah, 40, was still in police custody. He wasseverely beaten by UML cadres and had to be taken to TeachingHospital in Kathmandu where he died while being treated forinjury. This Rautahat native was demonstrating against newlyelected prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, a candidate theyhad rejected during the elections.

Home Ministry, currently headed by Nepal, had orderedShah’s arrest and UML party workers were given a free rein to beathim up. PM Nepal should take responsibility for his death. Onlytwo weeks have passed since the UML-led government was formedand incidents of violence are becoming common. Shah had nevereven shown a black flag. But even if he had, it was his right. Thereneeds to be an inquiry into the killing of an ordinary citizen heldin police custody.

Meanwhile, unlike in the past, the media has shown littleinterest in this tragedy. Neither have the Maoist leaders protestedeffectively against it. When a UML party worker was killed, theparty went as far as to stop parliamentary sessions and call forstrikes and the media gave it wide coverage as well. We are notsaying that the Maoists should do the same but if this incidentgoes unnoticed then the UML will be on a suicidal path.

Bishnu Sharma in Gorkhapatra,7 June

BAGLUNG—Dhara Gurung usedto own horses and mules, nowhe has a motorcycle, tractor andtwo jeeps.

After the road from Mustang toKorala was build, he traded hishorses in for vehicles and there’snow a parking lot in the placewhere there used to be stables.“We used to have 30 mountainponies and 100 mules,” he saysadding that he now has just 20horses and 40 mules, which he isplanning to sell.

“Animals need to be fed andlooked after when they fall sick “Gurung says, “Motorcycles are somuch easier”. But horses do have

Manoj Gharti Magar in Naya Patrika, 8 June

The roundabouts in Pokhara, which werepreviously named after the kings, have nowbecome the subjects of much wrangling amongethnic groups and political parties with allcompeting to rename them.

The Birauta roundabout, where a statue of kingBirendra used to stand, was first claimed by UMLand named Madan Bhandari Chok, after its Kaskileader. They had even put up a sign board withplans to build his statue. But last Sunday TamuDhi Nepal, a Pokhara based Gurung organisationremoved the board and renamed it Tamu HyulaChok to celebrate the group’s silver jubilee. Whilethe group claims it doesn’t want to cause offence,UML is deeply concerned about the incident.

On the other side of town, Prithbi Chok hasbeen renamed Lakhan Chok by the Nepal MagarOrganisation. They have plans to build a statue of

Turn by turn What’s in a name?

Lakhan Thapa, the first martyr of Nepal. In MilanChok the statue of Birendra has also beendemolished, but no group has claimed it yet.

Meanwhile, Kaski’s CDO, Madhab Prasad Ojhasays he is unaware of the renamings: “When I don’tknow about any chok being renamed, how do Isanction or not sanction it?”

Horse trading

Shiv Apriya inAnnapurna Post, 8 June

“Before our mothers used toteach us,” says SarishmaShrestha, a teacher fromArughat, Gorkha, “Now I amhappy that we are teachingthem.” Shrestha has beenteaching her 52 year old motherMina in grade five.

At Nabchetana Women’sSchool, there are a total of 66students, aged from 17 to 73 ingrade one to eight, taught by twowomen teachers. The schoolwas established by women whowere too old to attend regularschools, but wanted to study.Many community groups, suchas Himali Sector DevelopmentCentre’s Hope program,Aruchanaute VDC, JanpriyaMothers group, Janshramdanand Kopila Nepal, have givenfinancial support and donatedfurniture.

Although a good initiative,attendance is still poor at theschool because rural womenstill face the problem of gettingto go to school only afterfinishing their housework.However, this is a start. “Notbeing able to read a word whengoing to cities has been theincentive to study,” says SantaKumari Baram, 43. Now, manymen in the area are becominginspired to study as well afterseeing the women’s progress.

Learningmothers

“He says he won the election and now wants be a minister!”

Rabindra in Nepal, 14 June

MANOJ GHARTI MAGAR

their benefits in terms of carryingtourists and generating manure.Tourists are willing to pay Rs 900a day for pony trekking. “We had avery unique culture,” he says,“Tourists would ride on horses andmules to take pictures, while yakswould carry their belongings.”

Dhara is one of many in

Mustang, replacing horses andmules with vehicles. And, whileinhabitants are happy about thedevelopment, they are alsoworried that old traditions arebeing lost forever. The biggestconcern, however, is that theloss will have a negative impacton tourism.

KIRAN PANDAY

712 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455CONSTITUTION 2010

Editorial in Himal Khabarpatrika, 30 May

After stepping down from the government,the Maoists launched protests against thenew coalition and leadership. Although thelanguage is strong (‘foreign lackeys’) theprotests are relatively mellow in tone.

Despite tirades against political parties,the Maoists are stressing their commitmentto the constitution and consensus politics.This means they don’t want the currentsituation to head towards confrontation.Maoists chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahalsaying that “we will not be provoked andabandon the peace process” should be seenin a positive context.

Although the Maoists boycotted theelection process of the prime minister inparliament, Krishna Bahadur Mahara fromthe Baidya bloc, Narayankaji Shrestha fromthe Dahal bloc and Dinanath Sharma fromthe Baburam Bhattarai bloc all attended theswearing-in ceremony of the new primeminister and congratulated him. This canbe seen as proof that the Maoists do wantto move towards consensus. Dahal’smeetings with the new prime minister alsoindicates an effort towards consensus.

Dahal probably hadn’t bargained for theKatawal episode to spiral so much out ofcontrol and lead to his government’sresignation. He may not have also imaginedthat the 22 parties could garner thenumbers to form a coalition. Thewithdrawal of the UML consent in theKatawal case was not actually a betrayal byJhalanath Khanal, but the weakenedposition in the party which Dahalhadn’t foreseen.

The Maoists even failed to take the MJFinto confidence which could have keptthem in power. Dahal boxed himself inwith his rigid rhetoric so there was no wayout but resignation.

The Maoists have been trying to put ona brave face by saying they left thegovernment to establish civiliansupremacy. They knew well that the slogan

of nationalism and civil supremacy wouldwork to appease internal and externalforces. Unfortunately for the Maoists, bothslogans have the potential to backfire.

The Indian establishment, which theMaoists consider an enemy thinks thepeace process and constitution writing canbe completed without them in thegovernment. Analysts close to the Maoistswho understand Delhi well say India wasunhelpful as the Maoistsattempted to move forwardignoring the pastagreementsbetween thepoliticalpartiesandIndia,whichcould pose athreat tosecurity. So,whatever theMaoists may besaying at theirpublic rallies, they donot want to head for aruinous confrontationwith India and the otherparties right now.

There is still thehope that the Maoistswill abandon the pathof violence anddemocratisethemselves. Theyknow the strategytaken during theconflict didn’t work.They are having adifficult timeadjusting tocoalition politics,but they’ll have tolearn. The Maoistsneed a foundationfor safe landing for which

he is not from a familyof politicians. Andunlike many grey-

haired leaders, she hasn’tspent a good part of her youthin prison. Yet, in the lastthree years, she has served as amember of the Nepaliparliament, and now as aconstituent assembly member.“That is perhaps because theparty must think I have somepotential,” says Lila Nyaichai,29, who is the CA memberfrom Nepal Workers’ andPeasants’ Party.

In the assembly, she askssmart questions, is willing tolisten to what others have tosay and if she doesn’t knowthe answer to something, sheis never afraid to say so. Thechair of her party Naryan ManBijukche says, “We were keenon bringing women and theyouth into mainstreampolitics. We have very highhopes for Lila.” In her shorttime in politics, this

Consensus, not confrontationthe government and political partiesshould help them, in an issue, such asarmy integration for instance. Theresolution of the army row with theretirement of both protagonists could be aface-saving way out for the Maoists andeven pave the way for the Maoists to join anational government.

The Maoists, who are in politics forpower cannot stay out of government forlong. They know that confrontation is not

Class inclusive

an option, consensus is. Although theyhave been threatening to chase away cadresof other parties from villages and run aparallel government, it is not as easy asduring the insurgency. Hounding unarmedparty cadre will be counterproductive, andthey will have to fight the enemies theymake in future. There is no alternative butto follow the past agreements anddemocratic path and avoid violence,anarchy and lawlessness to capturestate power.

After all, what is all this for? It is tokeep the peace process on trackand facilitate the writing of the newconstitution.

economics and Englishliterature graduate has alreadyproven that she will be inNepali politics for the longhaul.

Three years ago whendiscussions over the writing ofthe interim constitution weretaking place, Nyaichai wassuddenly asked to come to ahigh-level party meeting. After ashort meeting with the partychair she was told that she wasgoing to be an MP. Her fatherhad been an active member ofthe party since the early 60s.Lila herself was affiliated withstudent unions since she wasin Grade Six. In 1997, she stoodfor her party affiliated All NepalRevolutionary Student Union,was the central committeemember for the union in 2000and is now the secretary of therevolutionary women’sorganisation of Nepal Workers’and Peasants’ Party.

Lila has always believedthat young people should be

more involved in politics. Shealso thinks that being a CAmember is a big responsibilityand political parties must notmake just anyone a CA memberto fill their quota or for otherparty interests. While hercolleagues are pushing forinclusiveness based on gender,caste, ethnicity and religion, shehas a different take. Nyaichaistrongly believes that classshould be the main agenda forinclusion.

In line with her party’sbeliefs, she maintains that Nepalshould be a socialist republic ofpeasants and workers, but shedoes not think this particularargument will be the basis of thenew constitution currently beingwritten. “I cannot say that thenew constitution willimmediately favour the peasantsand workers, but we hope that itwill address the majority of theissues we are pushing for,” saysNyaichai. Subash Devkota

S

KIRAN PANDAY

BASUDEV

8 TRANS-HIMALAYAN TRANSFORMATION

t is only after you reach Jomsom in half a day from Pokhara thatyou realize how distances (and time) have shrunk in Nepal.

A journey that used to take five days of steep climbs anddescents is now a question of a few hours. And it will be even shorteronce Nepal’s trans-Himalayan highway is black-topped. Tourists,pilgrims, even conference participants have started streaming toJomsom and Muktinath. Upper Mustang and Lo Manthang havesuddenly become much more accessible for Nepalis.

Not everyone here is happy with this change. Tourismentrepreneurs are worried the road will damage Mustang’s fragileculture and ecology. Seeing the haphazardly parked passenger jeeps atJomsom bus park, you can already see the same squalour you see inBeni or Baglung. Noise and diesel smoke are the new hazards ofwalking Jomsom’s cobblestone streets.

Trekker numbers have dropped, complain local hoteliers andthey blame the road. Lodge owners in Tatopani, Ghunsa, Marphaand Tukuche who used to depend on night stop hikers have losttheir business.

However, most traders and ordinary people are happy with theroad. It makes things cheaper and they don’t have to pay the extortion-rate tariff on the Pokhara flight. There are now 50 buses that ply toMuktinath every day from Jomsom, and an equal number that leavefor Beni.

Trekking groups now take the high road to Jomsom fromGhodepani, avoiding the road. The new highway has also made theside valleys of East Dhaulagiri Glacier and Meso Kanto Pass moreaccessible.

ROADSHOW

TEXT and PICS by KIRAN PANDAY

Pokhara to Jomsom used to take five daysto trek, now a day away by jeep, but noteveryone is happy

THE ROAD TO MUKTINATH WITH EKALBHATTI AND THE KALI GANDAKI

PRETEND MACS IN KAGBENI ARRIVE WITH THE ROAD MULE TRAINS, BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER?

I

912 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

KAGBENI AND NILGIRI SCHOOL CHILDREN ON THE MUKTINATH COMMUTE

MARPHA FROM THE AIR

10 NATION 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

rolonged political wrangling inKathmandu has paralyseddevelopment activity nationwide,

and more worryingly, set off bittercompetition between local politicians forbudgets and contracts.

From the mountains of Dolakha to thecentral hills of Arghakhanchi and out inKailali in the far-west, politicaluncertainty following the resignation ofthe Maoist-led government last month hascreated a power vacuum in whichplundering budgets and corruption havebecome the norm.

Maoist cadre, aided and abetted by amenacing YCL, now monopolise alldistrict and village-level contracts foreverything from new roads to boulder andsand mining and even the trade in stolencars and wildlife contraband from India.No private contractor anywhere can getaway without handing over a 'PC' (percent) to local Maoist party bosses.

“It’s now standard operating procedurein the New Nepal,” says a privatecontractor based in Surkhet wryly, “wefactor the protection money into ourbudgets.” In many places the construction,bridges, highways and hydropower

'DozerdevelopmentA new landscape feature has appearedright across the mid hills of Nepal inthe past two years: lush hillsidesscarred by zig-zagging roads. Thelandslides they trigger tumble downgullies to the valley below.

The road-building spree is aresponse to local demand. Mostvillagers in Nepal when asked whattheir development priority is,immediately reply: “A road.” But thefrenzy of new construction is also aresult of mass-scale corruption. Localpolitical cadre are exploiting theinstability and confusion of the past10 months to misappropriate localdevelopment budgets and distributecash to party faithful.

Most roads are built by overseerswith scant regard for environmentalnorms, ravaging steep slopes andthreatening settlements withlandslides. Political parties prefercontractors with bulldozers so they canover-invoice or pocket kickbacks. Butthe machines are much moredestructive to the mountains, and inaddition take away jobs from villagers.Some donors have actually giftedbulldozers to DDCs in the name of'development'.

In Dolakha alone, the district spentRs 40 million on roads last year. Half ofthat money went to pay for bulldozerrentals. Although they cost Rs 1,700per hour to rent, records show manywere hired at up to Rs 2,400 per hour.

Activists in Charikot havecalculated that at Rs 150 per day wagefor villagers, the bulldozers cost 5,000jobs last year. “Most of us are willing towork for free to get roads to our village,but there is too much money tied up inroad contracts,” lamented one ex-VDCchairman from northern Dolakha.

projects have been halted because ofextortion.

Even in districts where local councilshad been set up in the last elections, theMaoists backed out of agreements after theirgovernment fell. In districts like Lamjung,local councils have not been set up at all sodevelopment plans and budgets for thecoming year have been languishing. Localcivil society is trying to get the parties towork together, but so far unsuccessfully.

“The discussions are all about who getswhat share of the development budget, andthey can’t agree on a formula,” said oneexasperated activist in Besisahar.

In the past, even if political partiesquarreled in Kathmandu, local bodiessomehow kept functioning. Many villageelders elected to VDC councils from thelast local elections in 1999 took charge ofdevelopment activities. Now, even thatmechanism is not working as politicalparties compete to steal from thedevelopment budget for personal gain or toreplenish party war chests.

When the district council in Dailekhfound it had Rs 10 million in unspentdevelopment funds, the three mainpolitical parties divided it amongthemselves. In Ramechhap, there is a frenzyof road-building as political parties award

themselves contracts. Rival partiessometimes build duplicate roads to thesame village. The roads are built with noregard to engineering or the environmentand most will not survive the comingmonsoon (see box). The local NCcommittee has actually split in Dolakhaover a Rs 3.5 million road contract becauseof rivalry between fellow kangresis.

CDOs and district police chiefs aredemoralised, as Maoist cadre publiclyabuse and threaten them. In Tanahu, adistrict administration official says hehas given up trying to work with thepolitical parties. He told Nepali Times:“What can I tell you? We have a three-party dictatorship. They decide on thebudget and divide it up. There is noaccountability, and no one dare askquestions. We are helpless and hopeless.”

Even in districts like Gorkha whereformer finance minister Baburam Bhattarailavished cash in his home district tobuild roads and upgrade colleges, there islittle accountability. “I have seen onecrore being given to a friendly contractorto build a highway culvert,” recalled alocal journalist, who added investigatingsuch stories would be suicidal.

To be sure, pork-barrel politics was thenorm also with the NC and UML. But

local officials interviewed in districtsacross Nepal in the past monthconfirmed that the Maoists are differentbecause of their use of threats andviolence. “They beat up rival contractorsin front of the police station, and policecan’t do a thing,” an NGO activist inHetauda told us. Indeed, parties mobilisegoons from Kathmandu when tenders forcontracts are opened and beat up rivals ifthey don’t get it.

“So this is why we fought a 10 yearwar in which 14,000 people were killed:for thekka patta,” said a districtdevelopment officer in Charikot thisweek, using the Nepali phrase for‘contracts’. “They have forgotten it wasall supposed to be for the people.”

A division of the spoilsLocal politics today is all about cadre dividing up development contracts

KUNDA DIXIT in DOLAKHA

PKIRAN PANDAY

1112 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455NATION

INTERESTING TIMESMallika Aryal

ncident One. Late lastmonth a woman wasstripped and severely beaten

in the middle of Ratna Park ataround 9PM. A mob of about 60men dragged the woman towardsthe bus park to parade her aroundthe city when the police finallyshowed up. An eyewitness with acamera took pictures and postedthem on a popular Nepaliblogsite. She was crying for helpbut the men called her“charitrahin” and stripped her.

The series of pictures on thesite are high-resolution images.Each face in the picture,including that of a boy who looks12 is identifiable. What is evenmore shocking is that the menseem to be enjoying what they aredoing, and are not even trying tohide their faces.

Incident Two. This weekKathmandu’s Ring Road area wasblocked off for two days due todemonstrations by relatives of thetwo men who were killed in anaccident when their motorbikewas hit by a public bus. OnMonday, an unruly mob attackeda van trying to take children toschool. When the van driver triedto reason with the mob byexplaining he was transportingsmall children he got hit by abrick. Three other children and ateacher were hurt. (see pic).

These are two isolatedincidents in the Valley, but acrossthe country women accused ofbeing “witches” are being tortured,and nine people suspected ofbeing child traffickers have beenlynched to death in the Tarai.Violence has become the norm.Police are mute spectators whenthe militant youth wings ofvarious parties beat up innocentpeople on the streets.

Whether it is in the city orrural Nepal, domestic violenceagainst women has become a wayof life. Husbands beat up theirwives, in-laws pour kerosene onnewly-married brides and setthem alight, women are scarred byacid or sexually abused in thefamily. Victims stay quiet,silently bearing the torture andpain because they can’t come outand say anything. And whywould they? The securityapparatus and the justice systemis so weak and impunity sorampant that the perpetrators getaway. Every time.

The Ratna Park incident wasnever filed at the police station.Apart from the blogsite and someinternational coverage, the localmedia stayed mum. It is still notknown who the woman is, andthe men who were involved wentscot free again.

In the past decade, Nepalishave learnt to live with a lot ofhardships. We thought that withthe end of war there would bepeace. The law and order situationis actually worse. The government

whose fundamental task is thesafety of citizens, doesn’t seemto care. No child must get up inthe morning with the fear thatshe and her friends may end upin hospital because the buscarrying her to school wassmashed up by people notmuch older than her. No womanshould fear walking around thecity because she may be

stripped and beaten.Even our anger is politically

motivated: we come out to protestwhen a foreigner allegedly saysthe Buddha was born in India.We burn tyres when oaths aretaken in Hindi because all this isan attack on sovereignty. Whatgood is sovereignty when we arenot safe in our own sovereigncountry?

A generation for which impunity is the normLaw and disorderI

KESHAV THOKER

12 INTERNATIONAL 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455

HERE AND THEREDaniel Lak

I f the pugnacious, arch-ToryBritish wartime leader werewith us today, he’d be

furious.For despite what many

believe, he never said thefollowing words.

“Not to be a socialist at twentyis proof of want of heart, to be oneat thirty is proof of want of head.”

No, that was George Clemenceau, aFrench Prime Minister andstatesman from the early part ofthe 20th century, also renownedfor combativeness, iron will andcatchy phrases.

His most famous quote inEnglish turns out to be one thatmost of us wrongly attribute.Such is life. But let’s examine MClemenceau’s thinking and applyit to South Asia today, Nepal inparticular.

Socialism as he knew it meantworkers committees manningbarricades and shutting downcities and industries. Basically itmeant revolution as defined byKarl Marx in The CommunistManifesto of 1848.

Today, we have a broader,

gentler definition of socialismand fondness for its methods,if not the nomenclature. To be acontemporary socialist is to bebroadly in favour of anequitable, rights-based agendathat admits the existence anddesirability of free well-regulated markets. Socialism, aswe know it now, thrives inSweden, Spain, Canada andmany other well-off countries.

Defined as allowinggovernments to run, regulateand occasionally bail out themarketplace, socialist thinkinginformed both the George WBush and Barack Obamaadministrations’ approach tocurrent economic turmoil.General Motors, once themightiest of global capitalistbehemoths, is now nearly three-quarters owned by taxpayers inAmerica and Canada.

What global centrists can’tafford is hard-line ideology ofright or left. World conditionsare too fragile, interconnectedand uncertain at the best oftimes. Only the nimble survive.

What’s pretty clear is thatthe world has rejected coerciveMarxism (Communism) andanyone who believes otherwiseis dangerously deceiving

themselves.Nepal and parts of India are

among the last places wherepeople who believe they findwisdom and solace in Stalin,Lenin and Mao still get a chanceto serve as legislators, even PrimeMinisters.

Hell, you can find people herewho admire Kim Il Sung and PolPot. It helps that Nepal, and forthat matter West Bengal andKerala, are isolated, full of a self-righteous sense of carefullycultivated uniqueness, andlargely at the fringes of themodern world.

Local Hindu caste patternshelp too. The purity so belovedat the Brahminical heights sitscomfortably alongside thedoctrinaire Left’s obsession withexamining primary politicaltexts in search of self-confirmatory analyses.

In fact, were Marx, Engels oreven Lenin with us today,they’d have a hard timerecognising their handiwork inthe positions and politicalrecords of our South AsianMarxists-Leninists. Not that I’marguing for a return to basics, farfrom it. But a little intellectual

Hypocrite whole-timersNepal’s communists need to see the defeat of India’s left as an early warning

honesty from all who bask in theprefix ‘Comrade’ would go a longway.

On the surface, they claimwork for the rights of workersand peasants but the best theyhave ever achieved has beenthrough compromise with abroad range of political ideasthat they sniffily dismiss asbourgeois democracy. Theyconveniently forget that theirown Marx was a middle classnightmare of a human being wholoathed the idea of a day’s workfor a day’s pay. Far easier tosponge off his wealthy friend,Engels, who inherited hiswealth from a capitalist father.

There are no working menand women at the top of today’sSouth Asian leftist movements,just bourgeois hypocrites and‘whole timers’ who have livedoff the toil of their own partycadres as they espouse respect,equity and revolution.

Even so, voters in India gavetheir Communists decades todeliver the goods but recentlyfound them wanting. Nepal’sleftists need to see this as anearly warning, a signal thatchange, compromise and nimblepolitics will keep them relevant.Marx will not.

KIRAN PANDAY

1312 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455REVIEWS

hen nepa-laya’s picture book of the conflict, A People War,was released in 2007 it told in pictures the story of how theviolence had affected civilians. The pictures were taken on

a traveling photo exhibition throughout the country in 2008, andsome 350,000 viewed them. They left heart-wrenching testimoniesabout their war experiences, and the yearning for peace.

Now, nepa-laya has selected some of the tens of thousands oftestimonies in a new book, Never Again, which is being launchedon Sunday. All the feedback, from the page-long ones to ‘Malainaramro lagyo’ written by a kindergarden student have the samemessage: 'never again'.

The testimonies force us to remember the sorrows of war.Nepalis went through a collective catharsis, and these words arethe outpourings of our nation’s soul. The victims of war saw thatthere were many more like them, and the exhibition seems to havehelped them share the pain. Looking at the pictures together,people, who did not suffer directly, cried with the ones who did.

During the war, we all prayed for peace, for fewer deaths, lessdestruction. But casualties became statistics, and we soon forgotabout the families of the deceased, the disappeared, the injured,and the displaced. The photos in A People War told the storiesbehind the numbers, which is why they were so powerfully moving.

In the sequel, Never Again, we hear the voices of Nepalis fromMechi to Mahakali, all ages, religious and ethnic groups and

through boundaries of literacy.(Illiterate and vision impairedvisitors dictated theirresponses.) Everyone’sopinion is equally important: foronce, this is history written bythe people of what happened tothem, not history written by thewinners or so-called experts.

Most agree that we shouldlearn lessons and be ‘inspired

to work towards social transformation and sustainable peace’.Some think violence is sometimes needed for social justice.Baburam Bhattarai writes a dialectic critique of political violenceafter seeing the exhibition in Gorkha. His comment shows howarrogantly ignorant leaders are about the war they unleashed on thepeople. Bhattarai's comment will break the hearts of many whoexpected leaders to understand, but it seems the pictures somehowfailed to do so: that we have cried together, and that no matter forwhat ends, violence is not justifiable.

‘What is the price of tears?’ writes one viewer. ‘History doesn’tdie,’ writes another. The back cover of the book has a poignantlyshort sentence: ‘After the blood come the tears.’ Another viewersays ‘Show these pictures to Gyanendra, Girija, Prachanda whyare you showing it to us?’

The war may be over, but there is no peace yet. For the familiesof the disappeared, the sorrows continue, the children of the deadsuffer hardships. It will take time for people to forgive and starttrusting each other. Perhaps because we have been through somuch, we want to forget and move on. But we can’t forget until wehave learnt our lessons.

Never Again helps us remember, and helps the process ofreconciliation through justice. Aditi Adhikari

Never Again will be launched on 14 June after which it will be available at allleading book stores. The documentary Frames of War based on the book willbe screened at the Russian Cultural Centre 14-20 June. Admissions free, butbookings must be made in advance through nepa-laya at 9751083433.

‘After the bloodcome the tears’W

full range of humanemotions andpsychological states -

pride, ambition, courage,determination, guilt, revenge,insecurity – are explored in theten films that make up thesecond European Film Festivalin Kathmandu from 13-17 June atNepal Army auditorium.

Two films from each memberstate of the EU represented inNepal: Germany, France, the UK,Denmark and Finland are beingscreened.

Ferenc Weigl of the EuropeanUnion, which is organising thefestival, says, “Last year’sresponse from the audienceproves that the Nepali audienceis very interested in Europeanmovies. Our main aim is tointroduce modern Europeancinematographic art to nationsoutside Europe.”

Le CouperetThis French film, directed byConstantin Costa-Gavras, is aboutBruno Davert, a top executive at apaper factory who is fired. He isthen determined to obtain almostany job with the same seniorstatus, even if he has to kill for it.1st show: 14 June, 5PM2nd show: 16 June, 5PM

La FranceIt is autumn 1917 and WorldWar I is taking place. Camille is ayoung woman who after receivingdisconcerting news from herhusband, disguises herself as aman and goes to find him at war.1st show: 15 June, 3PM2nd show: 16 June, 1PM

The Flying ScotsmanBased on a true story, UK-produced The Flying Scotsmanfollows the turbulent life ofcyclist Graeme Obree, who brokethe world one-hour record on abike of his own revolutionarydesign.1st show: 15 June, 1PM2nd show: 17 June, 3PM

BlindsightBlindsight is a grippingadventure of six blind Tibetanteenagers who go on a climbingexpedition up the 7,000 metreLhakpa Ri, the north side ofMount Everest.1st show: 13 June, 11AM2nd show: 15 June, 5PM

Wer früher stirbt, ist längertot (Grave decisions)This German children’s movie isabout 11 year old Sebastian’ssearch for immortality. Believing

that he is responsible for thedeath of his mother, who died inchildbirth, he tries to cleansehimself of his sins.1st show: 13 June, 5PM2nd show: 14 June, 11AM

YellaYella is the story of a youngwoman, Yella (Nina Hoss) whomoves away from her glumEastern neighborhood and herabusive husband Ben to the West,where a job offer might bring herthe peace she has been searchingfor.1st show: 16 June, 11AM2nd show: 17 June, 1PM

Tyttö sinä olet tähti (Beautyand the Bastard)This romantic comedy tells thestory of Sune, a fanatic hiphop-DJand Nelli, a snobbish over-achiever who fall in love whiletrying to take advantage of eachother.1st show: 14 June, 3PM2nd show: 17 June, 5PM

Joulutarina (ChristmasStory)This Finnish Christmas film tellsthe touching story of how SantaClaus came to be Santa. The filmportrays the life of Nikolas, a

The European psyche laid bare in film festival

Individual spiritA

young orphan boy who is lookedafter by the villagers in Lapland.1st show: 13 June, 1PM2nd show: 15 June, 11AM

Ekko (echo)In this Danish drama, Simon, apolice officer, loses custody ofhis six-year old son in a divorceand in desperation, abducts theboy. Soon his plan becomes anightmare as old hauntingmemories resurface.1st show: 13 June, 3PM

2nd show: 16 June, 3PM

Til døden os Skiller (Withyour Permission)This film is about a painfullyinsecure ferryboat staffer, Jan,who’s regularly beaten by hisstay-at-home wife. But when Jan’sboss finally sends him into grouptherapy an unlikely friendshipemerges and everyone’s lives takeunexpected turns.1st show: 14 June, 1PM2nd show: 17 June, 11AM

14 12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455CITY

ABOUT TOWN

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

In Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks)returns again to decipher hidden sculptural symbols and secret architecturalclues. When Langdon finds evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secretbrotherhood known as the Illuminati—the most powerful underground organisationin history—he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the Illuminati’smost despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock isticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon is recruited to travelto Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a beautifuland enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed huntthrough sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and evento the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will followthe 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican’s only hope forsurvival.

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

KATHMANDU VALLEY

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

A high pressure system suddenly appeared over western Tibet thisweek, drawing in westerlies and chasing away all the pre-monsoonmoisture. But it’s a tug-o-war between these westerlies and themoisture-laden warm winds from the Bay which are beingrelentlessly pulled by the monsoon low over northern India. Weexpect this year’s monsoon to be delayed, but it should arrive witha bang by 20 June in Kathmandu. This satellite picture taken onThursday morning shows a monsoon system moving up intoBangladesh and northeast India. It is likely to be fighting to getthrough into eastern Nepal by next week. Let’s hope it succeeds.Valley dwellers should expect sweltering and humid afternoonswith some isolated night rain until the rains arrive.

KATHMANDU

Fri Sat Sun

31-16 30-16 29-18

EXHIBITIONSIn praise of the patterns, a BFA solo exhibition by Gyanu Gurungtill14 June, Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal.Portraits from the Shadow - The plight of street children, anexhibition by Sanjeev Maharjan, till 14 June at Siddhartha ArtGallery, Babar Mahal Revisited.Transcendental Vibrations’, an exhibition by Kabi Raj Lama, till17 June at Hotel de l’Annapurna, Durbar Marg.

EVENTS E-Car rally in support for Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center

starts at Maitighar Mandala, 13 June, 8AM . 9841900919Nepa~laya’s film tour, 15-20 June, 3.30 and 5.30 PM, RussianCultural Center. 4437893Learn Esperanto Language - free Introductory class on 13 June,9-10AM at School of Creative Communications. 554670538th Yala Maya Classic, a classical music series, 16 June,5PM, Yala Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka. 5553767Star Trek, a sci-fi movie on 17 June, 6.30 PM. Lazimpat GalleryCafé. 4428549Tai Chi, 13 June, 10-11.30AM. Yoga 9-10AM & BuddhistMeditation 5-6PM, 15-19 June. Himalayan Buddhist MeditationCentre, Keshar Mahal Marg. 4410402Call for entries for Film South Asia till 30 June, documentariesmade in and after January 2007 qualified. 5552141

MUSICTGIF at Jazzabella Café every Wednesday and Friday. 2110475Baja gaja, every Tuesday at Moksh, 7.30 pm onwards,Pulchowk. 5526212Kathmandu express, performance by International Acts, 7.30 PMonwards free entry at MokshLive band every Friday and rooftop bbq everyday at KausiKitchen, Durbar Marg. 4227288Sunday Jazz brunch barbecue and live jazz music at theTerrace, Hyatt Regency from 12-3.30 PM. 4491234Jazz evening at Delices de France Restaurant everyWednesday, 11AM-2PM. 4260326Epic, at the Brunchilli- the Acoustic Lounge every Friday,Thamel. 9851035437Strings Band live every Tuesday at G’s Terrace Restaurant andBar, Thamel.Wednesday Melody at Jazzabell Café, Happy hour 6-8PM andTGIF party with live band Epic every Friday at 8PM. 2114075Some like it hot every Friday BBQ and live music by Dinesh Raiand the Sound Minds, 7PM onwards, Rs 899 at Fusion,Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488Happy cocktail hour, 5-7PM, ladies night on Wednesday withlive unplugged music at Jatra Café &Bar.Live Sensation, performance byYankey every Saturday, 9PM, HyattRegency, Kathmandu. 4491234.Fusion and Looza Band every Fridaynight, Bhumi Resto Lounge, Lazimpat.4412193

DININGA cafe’s cafe, Dhokaima Cafe, PatanDhoka. 5522113The Corner Bar, 3-11PM, 5-7PM,Radisson Hotel Kathmandu. 44118187th Annual Monsoon Wine Festival 2009, from 15 June-15 September, Kilroy, Thamel. 4250440Mango Etagere with hi-tea at The Lounge from 4.30- 6.30PM.Hyatt Regency. 4489362Weekend Brunch by the Poolside every Saturday and Sunday,Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu ,11AM-3PM. 4273999Pizza & Pasta at the Rox Restaurant every Monday & Tuesday,Hyatt Regency. 4489362Pasta pesto passion at La Dolce Vita, Thamel. 4700612Home made pasta at Alfresco, Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Chez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BabarMahal Revisited. 4263070Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle-East at The Café, Hyatt Regency. 4491234Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri La, Kathmandu, Rs 600. 4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM. 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la with live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the Shambala Garden, everyFriday 7PM onwards. 4412999

12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #455 15HAPPENINGS

DEAD END: The road leading up to Banepa remained tense for hours onFriday when locals clashed with Maoist affiliated Tamsaling MuktiMorcha to protest the banda. A curfew was imposed to control thesituation.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

SEEDS OF HOPE: Despite the delayed onset of monsoon and prolongeddrought, farmers have started planting rice seedling in Hatiban onTuesday

MARCHING ORDERS: Upendra Yadav announces the dismissal ofBijay Gachhedar and seven other leaders from MJF last week. Twofactions of the party clashed in Birganj on Wednesday.

CATCHING UP WITH TIMES: Granddaughter of Sir Edmund Hillary, EmilyRose Hillary, reading Nepali Times in Namche after the Tenzing-HillaryEverest Marathon last week. German Ambassador Verena Grafin vonRoedern looks on.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

KIRAN PANDAY

DAILY ROUTINE: Maoist cadres block the road in Darbar Marg on Fridayas part of their continued protest demanding ëcivilian supremacyí.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

ISSN

181

4-26

13

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

12 - 18 JUNE 2009 #45516 BACKSIDE

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E ven the Ass hadunderestimated just howserious the lust for power

was going to be on the part ofnetas who wanna be in the newcoalition. The donkey hadpredicted here that it would takea week for Makunay to cobbletogether a cabinet. It’s been nearlythree weeks. What is holdingthings up in this GovernmentSans Portfolios? Well, it boils down toarithmetics. There are 22 membersin the coalition, so we need aminimum 36-member cabinetbecause the Big Boys (and Gals)want more than one ministry.This presents a bit of a problembecause there ain’t enufministries to go around. SoBaluwatar has hit upon awonderful idea: they’re going tosplit up the double-barrelledmantralayas.

The Ministry of Tourism andCivil Aviation can be bifurcatedinto the Ministry of Tourism andthe Ministry of Civil Aviation.And if even that won’t do, theycan go a step further and divide itup into the Ministry of Civil andthe Ministry of Aviation. TheMinistry of Works and PhysicalPlanning can also be cut up intothe Ministry of Works, Ministryof Physical and Ministry ofPlanning.

The PMO had just heaved a sighof relief that it’d resolved theissue when the parties also

22 rajahsstarted splitting, thusnecessitating chopping up theministries into further pieces.The MJF is going through binaryfission with full-scale coota-coot in Birganj, the kangresis areloggerheads over Soodata Koiralabecoming Farang Minister, andeven Chure Bhabar may split oneof these days. How on earth are allthese new parties and their newleaders going to beaccommodated?

And true to the legendaryinability of Nepalis to get along,the Brahmanical e-maleys(pronounced ‘eh-malaise’) have aserious rift between JN and hishome ministry nominee Iswar Pand the Oli faction.KPsir never really trusted thefellow-comrade and communistatheist named Iswar, and hasopposed his candidacy for HomeSweet Home Ministry. JN andBidyaB are also on a collisioncourse with their publiclydivergent views on the eightjarsaps and the proposed courtmartial for Cool Budder. Nosurprises there, but Oli and Bidyaare now in open confrontationagainst Comrade Makunay who istrying to appease the Baddieswith a commitment to civiliansupremacy. With me so far?

MKN is in the horns of adilemma. Decisiveness is notone of the prime minster’s strongpoints, which may be a goodthing in a man supposed to keep

everyone happy. Trouble is, heisn’t getting any guidance aboutwhat to do next from the guyswho control the remote. So hehas no idea whether he should betrying to appease the Maoists ortwisting their tail.

Meanwhile, it looks like ComradeAwful is missing the Rs 100,000bed he had rigged up atBaluwatar. PKD now finds thePistachio Palace a tad too

claustrophobic, so he’s moved toan orchid farm in Godavari toput finishing touches to hisproposals over future strategy atthe party’s secretariat meetingnext week. The strategy isreportedly to just wait it outpatiently to allow the UML-ledcoalition to self-destruct byDasain, and then make a move tostage an even stronger comeback.

It’s four down 99 to go if the

Baddies get all the ethnic groupsin Nepal to stage their ownbunds. The Ass’ solution to thisis for Nepal (the country, not thepremier) to dissolve parliament,dismantle the army, abolish theportfolioless cabinet, go back tothe Baise and Chaubise Rajahs.the donkey’d ratherhave 22 rajahs than 22unruly coalitionmembers.

ass(at)nepalitimes.com