#500 30 April - 6 May 2010 16 pages Rs 30

Which one political figure would youchoose to lead Nepal towards prosperity,peace and democracy? Looking

for leaders

How should we resolve the current political deadlock?

new public opinion survey shows most Nepalis don’tthink the present crop of leaders can lead the country toprosperity and peace.

The most dramatic finding of this year’s nationwideHimalmedia public opinion survey is that there is a leadershipvoid in the country. More than 5,000 respondents in 38 districtswere asked last month which one public figure would be able todeliver prosperity, peace and democracy. Nearly one third couldn’tthink of anyone or didn’t want to say. But of those who werepinpointed, Maoist leaders Pushpa Kamal Dahal (20.2%) andBaburam Bhattarai (14.7%) led the pack, with the rest in a long tailof single digits.

But asked which three parties they would trust to lead Nepal toprosperity, the respondents reaffirmed their faith in the Big Three.Unlike in the 2008 elections,the Nepali Congress and theMaoists were neck-to-neck,named by 57% and 56.2% ofrespondents, with UML at52.8% per cent and MJF at7.2%.

At a time when royalistparties have been calling for a referendum on monarchy andsecularism, the poll results show that 7 out of 10 Nepalis think itwas right to declare Nepal a republic. More than half (52.2%)believe Nepal’s Hindu statehood should be restored; this should beseen in light of the fact that 88.2% of respondents were Hindu.

There is a seeming paradox in that a third of respondents feltthe Maoists were the biggest obstacle to the peace process, while atthe same time the vast majority of those who suggested a solutionfelt the party needed to be involved in the peace process by beingincluded in government.

Detailed analysis: Page 12-13

POLITICALLY CRACKEDMarketing schools p11

PLAIN SPEAKINGThey’re here p3

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30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500

Publisher: Kunda Dixit | Editor: Rabi Thapa Design: Kiran Maharjan | Marketing: Sambhu Guragain, Subhash Kumar, Arjun Karki marketing@himalmedia.com | Subscription: Santosh Aryal santosha@himalmedia.com

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Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd | www.himalmedia.com | Printed at Jagadamba Press 01-5250017-19

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Q. What will May Day lead to?

Weekly Internet Poll # 500

Q. What does the Maoist training of cadressignify?

Total votes: 2,914

Weekly Internet Poll # 501. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

ON THE WEBwww.nepalitimes.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The blogs

The BriefExclusive coverageof the May Dayrally, and otherdevelopments

nepalitimes.com/blogs

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IDs: CHEER OR FEAR?It is probably good to have a multi-function ID card but the social cost istoo great (‘ID-ing Nepal’, #499). Datastorage and protection is the hugeconcern. And access to data is also abig concern. Very little is being doneon the preparation of introducing IDcards in Nepal but one thing is sure,the privacy of the people of Nepalshould not be put at risk at any cost.

Privacy Nepal

In a polity with irresponsiblepolicymakers, incompetentbureaucrats and quite a bit ofcorruption, the ease of informationaccess that a biometric ID providescan only lead to identity theft andother negative effects on personalliberty. Tough legislation could curbpotential identity theft but experience

suggests that any sort of workable safetynet will not be provided.

Battisputali

HOLLOW THREATS?I think everyone does take the Maoistsseriously about what they say and plan todo (‘Blustering reality’, #499). After all theyplanned and instigated an insurgency whichcost the lives of 14,000+. The problem, asJha mentions, is their ability to benegotiated with, their stubborn non-diplomatic stance and inability to budge,which has cost them politically. At the endof the day the Maoists have proven to beextremely destructive and self-destructive.

rishav

HOME, SWEET HOMEWe all appreciate the efforts of Non-Resident Nepalis and the rest in investingin Nepal to create more jobs so that people

do not have to travel overseas to search formenial work (‘Homeland’, #499). But have theleaders and bureaucrats of the country doneenough to make the environment of the nationmore conducive for investors? The answer,unfortunately, is ‘no’, and those who haveinvested millions are planning to quit.

Lahure

REVAMPING SERVICEExcellent article that hits the point: we don’ttruly know how to provide service tocustomers (‘Destination overhaul’, #499). Ourmaintenance efforts (if any) are similar; wemake roads but leave them to crumble. Wehave a ‘use and abuse’ policy where we try tomilk everything for what it’s worth and thenmake a quick escape – netas included.If we are to truly be a successful hotspotfor tourism, we have to be in it for the longhaul.

Hange

VOX POPULIIt shouldn’t come as any surprise to our politicalleadership and elected representatives that the Nepalipeople are sick and tired of their inability to build on thesuccess of the 2006 pro-democracy movement andmove the peace process forward. The results of theHimalmedia poll in this issue prove just howwidespread the disillusionment is, and it isaccompanied by a gnawing fear that politicians havesquandered the gains of the past four years and thecountry is headed back to conflict.

It should be a sobering reminder to our presentrulers that when asked to name one personality whocould lead the country to prosperity and peace, mostrespondents either didn’t know or didn’t say. And itshould be shock therapy to NC and UML that whenpeople do name leaders, the two who come out on topare both Maoists. Even though NC (as well as theMaoists and UML) does well in the response to thequestion on support for political parties, the combinedpoll votes for the three Kangresis vying for partyleadership don’t even reach double digits.

The large number of undecideds in this and previouspolls underline the fact that the preoccupation of mostNepalis (survival, food, health, education, jobs) is notreflected in the obsession of our political leadership withpower and its trappings. This survey represents the publicopinion of the citizenry, and any political force that ignorespublic opinion for too long is headed for oblivion.

For the Maoists, too, the message is loud and clear. Wesupport you mainly because we have no other choice, but

s I readied myself to cometo Nepal, I started tofollow the news more

closely. I knew I was coming to acountry that was struggling outof a decade-long conflict, andhad my doubts about thedemocratic process as well asrespect for the rights of womenand children.

But a week-long trip in mid-western Dang changed thoseimpressions. The people I metin the villages, mainly womenand children, stoked myoptimism about Nepal.

I met many women in Dang,some affiliated with women’scooperatives, female communityhealth volunteers undergoing

training, teachers, and womenworking relentlessly to mediatecases of domestic violence.

In Hapur VDC, members ofthe Women’s Federation told ushow fewer babies are falling ill totreatable diseases, and no babieshad died in recent years fromdiarrhoea or pneumonia. Becauseof watch groups for safemotherhood, no mother had diedduring childbirth.

In Dhikpur village the womenshowed us charts illustratinghow immunisation rates, schoolenrolment, toilet construction,birth registration, familyplanning and consumption ofiodised salt have all gone up.Death rates and unattendedbirths have dipped. I marvelledthat all of this was achieveddespite the armed conflict. Thewomen told me this was possiblebecause they were doing itthemselves. Their grassrootsmovement was not singed by the

wildfire of the conflict.Witnessing this first hand

helped reaffirm my belief that theroots of democracy lie in adecentralised system where thedecision makers are those whoselives are affected by developmentprograms. A bottom-up planningsystem can trickle up from thecommunity to the district level.

When I heard about the issuesNepali women were trying toovercome – poverty, illness,malnutrition, illiteracy – I wasreminded of Sweden about acentury ago. Like here, it was amovement by the non-governmental sector that firstpushed for social reforms.

The children I met during my

trip also filled me with hope. InHapur, they told me howdifficult it was to convince theirelders to construct toilets andnot defecate in the open. Thesechildren wanted us to provideadult education classes for theirparents! In a tiny classroom inTulsipur, decorated withchildren’s artwork, boys and

girls shared their dreams withus. Most had to work and wereonly allowed to be children fortwo hours a day at school.Guided by a caring teacher, thesechildren explored a new worldthrough books. They wanted tobecome doctors and teachers, anddespite their hard lives, theywere full of hope. Their

Infectious optimism optimism was infectious! In Nepalganj, we met youngpeer educators who reached outto those at risk of sexuallytransmitted diseases, includingHIV. I was amazed at theimmense courage theseyoungsters demonstrated. Whenthey emphasised the importanceof sex education, I was takenback six decades, when as ayoung teenager I had advocatedfor the same in our school,following the expulsion of apregnant schoolmate.

I didn’t get the chance to toura lot of Nepal, but whatever I sawconvinced me that the womenand children of Nepal, often withthe support of the men, are wellon their way to becoming verycapable future leaders. OnceNepal has a democraticconstitution and local governanceflourishes again, this can becomea reality.

Birgitta Dahl was MP in Swedenfor 34 years, Speaker of the Housefor 8 years and Minister ofEnvironment and Energy for 9years. She is now President ofUNICEF Sweden.

In Dang, Nepal’s grassrootsmovement has not been singedby the wildfire of the conflict

GUEST COLUMNBirgitta Dahl

What do you think of the country’ssituation now?

we’d support you even more if you renounced violenceand started behaving like a party for change that doesn’tneed to employ brutal methods. The people have rejecteda return to monarchy or the ways of the past, so theMaoists are flogging a dead horse by stoking panic aboutcounter-revolution. The vox populi is: join the otherparties to agree on power-sharing and peace, stopintimidating and beating us up, help us raise our livingstandards and even more of us will vote for you. TheMaoist khukuri-rattling and slogans in the run up to MayDay have drowned out the people’s voice. If they onlystopped to listen to the people in whose name they foughta ruinous war, they might actually benefit.

The poll also indicates that an overwhelming numberof Nepalis are hopeful about the future despite the feelingthat corruption has got worse. Most people compare thepresent situation with the war years and see a vastimprovement. Unlike most urban dwellers and the media,the people tend to see the bottle as half full.

It is now up to our politicians to honour this optimismand work to fulfil the Nepali people’s hope for peace andprosperity.

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500 OP-ED|3

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

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athmandu’s elites cannotseem to understand whothese people are. But talk

to the cab driver, waiter, vegetableseller, small shopkeeper, slumdweller or construction workerand you will get an idea ofwho may dominate the streetsfrom Saturday.

There has been coercion in theprocess of mobilisation. But theMaoists have essentially tappedinto the three core contradictionsof Nepali society – ethnicity,class, and space (Kathmanduversus the rest). They have

deployed their cadres; capitalisedon the rage of those on theperiphery; and channelisedpopular discontent againstinflation, power cuts, corruptionand insecurity, for whichMadhav Nepal has been projectedas solely responsible.

The party leadership knowsthat violence will invite abacklash and they have tightenedup the command structure. Theirassessment is that if they cancripple the country for 4-5 days,influential elites and residentswill pressurise the government togo. Other assumptions includeNP and APF being worn out, NCand UML not having the stomachfor a prolonged stalemate, NAstaying in their barracks, andIndia intervening in favour ofconsensus. This would thentotally stamp out the possibilityof a right-wing drift post-May 28,which the Maoists are genuinelyconcerned about.

For its part, the governmenthas framed this as a question ofprotecting the state’s integrity,

The coming days will be a tightrope actfor both the government and the Maoists

They’re hereconstitutionalism anddemocracy. They havehighlighted Maoist extortion, useof violence, and portrayed themovement as one aimed to‘capture the state’. The idea is tosound reasonable – look, we arewilling to give up, but theMaoists are not committedto democracy.

A core group of ministers,which includes hardliners likeBijay Gachhedar, Bhim Rawal andBidya Bhandari, will monitorthe situation and respondaccordingly. A tough cop, RameshKharel, has been given charge ofKathmandu. And NA has beenasked to be prepared.

The government’s initialpremise was that the Maoistswere bluffing and would not be

able to mobilise. Now, theirassumption is that these are onlyparty workers and not the generalpublic; citizens will turn againstthe Maoists for disrupting theirlives; and the Maoist base of dailywage labourers will soon tire. Ifthe state can stand firm for a fewdays, this argument goes, theMaoists will be ‘exposed’ andhave no choice but tocompromise.

In reality, the government ison the back foot. Unlike theMaoists who have reached out tosocial groups directly, thegovernment has relied on themedia to put forth its version.Madhav Nepal’s suggestion thatthere should be a third candidateinstead of Prachanda or him hasgiven the Maoists a majorperceptual and psychologicaladvantage, for implicit in thestatement is the PM’s lack of faithin his own government. Thecarefully constructed case that theMaoists must transform beforethey can be allowed back to powerlies in tatters, and the non-Maoist

camp rhetoric is reduced to‘anyone but Prachanda’.

If NC-UML stays inert, theMaoists will claim victory. If theyact strongly through NP and APF,the Maoists will cry repression. Ifthey call in the army, they will beovershadowed by a strongmilitary establishment whichwill come out after credibleguarantees from Delhi. And ifthey do a deal right now, theMaoists will have the upperhand. The strategic short-sightedness of the ‘democraticcamp’ is truly astounding.

The Maoists do not have iteasy either. They will struggle tofind a right balance during theagitation. They have to escalatesufficiently to generate pressureon the state, but if they go too

far, it will invite a full-blownconflict that they do not wanteither.

The party will have to answersome very difficult questionsinternally and externally. Howmuch will be enough? What ifthe government doesn’t blink fora week – do you turn moreviolent? How do you arrive at aconsensus, which will involvegiving up certain demands, whenstreet passions are at their peak?If a non-Prachanda ledgovernment is the only solutioneven then, what was the utility ofthe movement in the first place?And what if NA joins the fray?

The ideal scenario is a packagedeal by Friday or even Saturdaynight, that allows Maoists toconvert the crowds into a victoryprocession and send them backhome. Positions will only getmore entrenched as themovement progresses. Butperhaps a round of limitedconfrontation is inevitable, tobreak the stagnation and stabilisethe balance of power.

KIRAN PANDAY

Old style security response?

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #5004|NATION

llegal water bottlers, mostof them operating in small-scale ‘one-room’ factories,

have severely hurt the waterbottling industry and posesignificant health risks toconsumers.

By law, water bottlersrequire a license to markettheir product from theDepartment of FoodTechnology and QualityControl (DFTQC) andregistration with theDepartment of Small Cottageand Industries. DFTQCchecks for acidity levels, thepresence of harmful chemicals– such as arsenic andcadmium – and especiallymicrobes, which pose thegreatest danger in theKathmandu Valley.

There are 73 licensedbottlers in the capital, but thenumber of illegal bottlers isunknown as the governmenthas not been responsive tocalls for a full accounting byindustry leaders and experts.

“Illegal bottlers have a huge priceadvantage over their legalcounterparts since they don’tinvest in proper purificationprocesses and techniques,” saysindustry specialist JogendraPrasad Rauniyar.

Illegal bottlers either fill usedcontainers purchased fromrecognised brands or buy easilyavailable caps and labels, whichcost Rs 2-5, to misleadconsumers. Since they forgo thepurification process, the

Poor regulation is costinglegal water bottlers andconsumers dearly

SUVAYU PANT& FOO CHEE CHANG

Troubled watersproduction cost per litre bottle isjust Rs 10-15. This is about Rs 5less than the production cost perbottle borne by legitimatecompanies.

The purification processvaries depending on the source ofthe water: river, spring orgroundwater. Most companies inKathmandu use groundwater, andrun it through at least three filtersto eradicate any chemicals ormicrobiological matter and‘soften’ it to make it less harsh onthe digestive system. While manyof these companies market theirproducts as mineral water, in factno minerals or nutrients areadded, as that would raise pricesto uncompetitive levels.

This is usually enough to meetDFTQC requirements. Those whoare caught flouting requirementsare fined Rs1000-2000 and havetheir license revoked if they areguilty of multiple offences. Lastyear, four bottling companies wereshut down.

However, regulators arestrapped for cash and manpower.They are only 10 inspectors forthe valley, though at least 40 to 50are required, and they operateaccording to an outdated foodsecurity act dating from 1967.Pramod Koirala, a regulator withDFTQC, says, “We have drafted anew act, but this cannot come intoeffect until the constitution iscompleted. The new act will

KIRAN PANDAY

t seems there are few things thegovernment cares more about thanclimate change. Last year, it caught the

world’s attention when it held the highestever cabinet meeting at Everest Base Camp,and has since been asked to lead an allianceof mountainous countries lobbying againstclimate change. Yet it has turned a blind eyeto pollution problems closer at hand, inKathmandu.

The average PM 10 count concentrationin Kathmandu, a measure of the particulatematter content in the air, was 183 ug/m3 in2003 and 173 ug/m3 in 2007, both far abovethe National Ambient Air Quality Standardof 100 ug/m3. The World HealthOrganization’s standard is 50 ug/m3.

But there is no data for 2009 as the airquality monitoring project in Kathmandu,started in 2002 with the assistance ofDANIDA, has effectively been discontinued.Ambience monitoring machines were placedin seven different locations in the valley tomeasure PM levels. DANIDA covered 70 percent of costs during the first year under thecondition that the government would takeover full financial responsibility in three

years. However, the government hasn’tkept up its end of the bargain and themonitoring machines have not beenoperational since 2007.

The government has set aside Rs 2.5million to install two machines that maystill work if repaired but hasn’t moved aheadwith the installation. It has approachedKathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport(KUST), an Asian Development Bank projectto improve the city’s traffic, for technicalsupport and solar power back-up.

The government isn’t totally to blame.The machines must run for at least 16 hoursto obtain valid PM counts, which is difficultunder load-shedding conditions. However,the cost of back-up power isn’t beyond thegovernment’s means. “We don’t need donorsto reinstall them but the focus ofenvironmental issues now is on climatechange,” admits an official at the Ministry of

Environment, Science and Technology.In the absence of PM 10 readings, other

indicators suggest Kathmandu’s air pollutionmay be getting worse. The number of patientssuffering respiratory problems in some ofKathmandu’s hospitals has risen over the lastcouple of years. RP Mainali of Norvic Hospitalsays, “About 300,000 people have come toNorvic seeking treatment for respiratoryproblems over the last four years, which is amassive increase. Growing air pollution isone important reason why.”

Aside from disorganised urbanisationand the garbage problem, traffic exhaust andbrick kilns are major contributors to airpollution in the capital. The geographicstructure of the valley is such that a denselow layer of smog is formed, trapping all dustparticles in the atmosphere during winter.

Government regulation has not beeneffective in controlling air pollution. Vehicle

Emission Standards (VES), first endorsed in1995, are routinely violated. Last month, thePrime Minister’s vehicle was spotted beingdriven into Singh Darbar, leaving behind ajet of black smoke, without a green stickersignifying that it had met VES. When themedia reported this, people from theDepartment of Transport Managementimmediately pasted a green sticker on thewindshield of the PM’s car.

The government also phased out dieselthree-wheeler Vikram tempos fromKathmandu and legislated a ten per centadditional tax per year on vehicles older than15 years, but only after failing to ban the useof vehicles older than 20 years. BhusanTuladhar, executive director at theEnvironment and Public Health Organization(ENPHO) says removing old vehicles fromKathmandu alone could reduce pollutionby 20 per cent.

There are no new programs to improveair quality because of a lack of resources.However, the private sector could helpthe government in formulating policiesand plans. “We can help the governmentto improve the environment, in factwe have plans ready,” says Tuladhar, “Allwe need is cabinet endorsement andimplementation.”

The government doesn’t seem to care aboutKathmandu’s worsening air pollution

Lost in the smogDEWAN RAI & SUVAYU DEV PANTI

increase penalties, whichcurrently reflect 1960 prices,and increase the number of foodinspectors.”

Be that as it may, theregulatory measures may bewrong-headed. “Currentregulation focuses on the safetyof the final product, but moreemphasis should be placed onthe cleanliness of the source ofwater,” says conservationistHum Gurung.

What's worse, a price warand unhealthy competitionbetween companies have led tothe cannibalisation of profitmargins. “Many companies areselling their products at a loss.A bottle should cost at least Rs15-20, but is often sold at lessthan Rs 10 in bulk,” saysSuman Pradhan of the NepalBottle Water IndustriesAssociation (NBWIA).

NBWIA is at the forefront ofa campaign to counter suchchallenges by bringing moretransparency to the illegal trade,encouraging healthy competitionand improving consumerawareness. In the last twoyears, many city-levelassociations have formed underits wing.

“We must make safety ournumber one priority. It will betough, but there is a hopefulfuture for this industry,” saysPradhan.

I

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500 NATION|5

FOURTH ESTATEC K Lal

THIS WEEK

T he gushing travelogueArundhati Roy wroteabout her experience ofbeing embedded with theNaxalites appears to have createda spot of bother for the celebratedactivist and author. The DirectorGeneral of Police iscontemplating action against herunder the draconian ChattisgarhSpecial Public Security Act. Theanger against the Maoists is sostrong among the comfortableclasses that the voice of a fewcivil society activists may not beenough to prevent her arrest.

The middle class is on thewarpath against what PremierManmohan Singh has repeatedlycharacterised as the greatestsecurity threat to the Indianrepublic. The businesscommunity is baying for theblood of the Maoists. MilitantHindu groups have alwaysdetested leftwing movements.Now an influential section of theIndian media has joined thechorus and is openly callingRoy’s ‘Gandhians with guns’terrorists.

Roy did get somewhat carriedaway with her ‘thousand-starlodging’ in the jungles ofChhatisgarh. Gandhians and gunsare contradictions in terms. TheMahatma was quite emphatic instating: “I can find athousand causes to die for, but Ihave never found a single causethat I can kill for.” The massacreof hapless security personnel by

stealth at Dantewada shows thatthe group behind the atrociouscrime deserves no publicsympathy. The grievances of thepoor in the tribal belt are real, butsuch a response is abhorrent.

Maoists may justify thebutchery as a ‘propaganda of thedeed’ or even the ‘violence ofdefensive offence’. Acolytes of theGreat Helmsman are masters in theart of obfuscation. But themassacre of 76 CRPF jawans atDantewada was an act of terrorism

pure and simple. Of course,occasional acts of terror don’t makean entire group terrorists. If thatwere so, the security forces thatmake people ‘disappear’ woulddeserve the tag, too. In civilisedsocieties, crime needs to becondemned but the criminals haveto be saved, sometimes from theirown stupidity, insanity and rage.

Politicians have to resort tofiery rhetoric. In the wake of 9/11,George Bush II bluffed about‘smoking out’ al-Qaeda from itsmountain hideouts. Similarly,

Indian Home MinisterP. Chidambaram can be forgivenfor exclaiming that he will “wipeout the Maoists in two to threeyears”. The media has to seethrough the bluster.

When the Maoist insurgencybegan in Nepal, the media here wasstill on a learning curve. Leftwingromanticism enticed someinfluential reporters intodepicting armed guerrillas assaviours of the poor and thedowntrodden. A few rightwingeditors allowed themselves tobecome apologists of theinsurgents to vent their angeragainst the government of GirijaPrasad Koirala. But by and large,the Nepali media avoided the‘us against them’oversimplification, even thoughthe conflict here has been far moreruthless and has consumed manymore lives than the 40-year-oldNaxalite insurgency.

Enough Nepali journalists havebeen to India to see how the freepress functions in the supposedlylargest democracy of the world.Perhaps now it’s time to invitesome Indian mediapersons toKathmandu to show themmethods of coping with theasymmetrical warfare ofmisinformation. The Nazipropaganda minister JosephGoebbels once said, “Think of thepress as a great keyboard on whichthe government can play.” TheIndian media needs tocontemplate the consequences ofaccepting such a role. Not that weneed to gloat, but we have beenbetter learners and need to revisitour own experiences to face thechallenges of an uncertain futurebetter.

Asymmetricinformation

Red tideThe Maoists have planned an indefinite nationwide strike inthe name of a third Jana Andolan, beginning 2 May. Allindustries, businesses and educational institutes will be shutdown, and all transportation halted. The purpose of theprotests is to force the dissolution of the current government,to put in its place a national unity government headed by theMaoists.

Understandably, the announcement caused disquiet andforeign envoys immediately met Pushpa Kamal Dahal andBaburam Bhattarai to express concern. Adding to the uneaseis the reality of thousands of Maoist cadres from across thecountry pouring into the Kathmandu Valley in preparation forthe protests. One PLA commander was caught carrying 36hand grenades and a khukuri. UNMIN was quick to condemnthe commander as ‘reckless’, but this may be far from anisolated case. The PLA is officially on Red Alert mode withunits asked to remain vigilant in light of the political situation.On Wednesday, PLA commander Nanda Kishore Pun orderedall units on home leave to return to cantonments. Outside ofKathmandu, an extortion drive is reportedly underway to payfor the protests. In their defense, the Maoists claim that thepayments have been given voluntarily.

Smile for the camerasWith the Maoist protests looming, the Big Three held a three-hour televised debate on Wednesday, during which theyfielded questions from people across the country and clarifiedtheir stances. The parties made several conciliatory gestures,but also took the opportunity to trade blows. UML ChairmanJhalanath Khanal said his party would resign from governmentin favour of a new, national unity government if an agreementcould be reached on key political questions, including themanagement of the Maoist ex-combatants and power sharing.

The parties were hopeful that PLA integration would beginshortly as the ‘modalities’ had, more or less, already beenworked out, although disagreements remain as to the numbersof combatants to integrate. The parties also vowed to restart‘consensual’ politics. But there was also a hostileundercurrent, as the Maoist leaders faced some angryquestions with regard to its planned strike this weekend.

SAARC summitClimate change topped the agenda at the 16th SAARC summitheld in Thimpu on Wednesday. Leaders of the region’s eightcountries vowed to step up measures to combat climatechange, which has been closely linked to the growing rate ofglacial melt in the Himalaya. Prime Minister Madhav KumarNepal said posterity would not forgive our generation if it failedto roll-back the effects of this intensifying problem. Thesummit saw the establishment of the US$300 million SAARCDevelopment Fund, which aims to reduce poverty in theregion. There were also calls for greater economiccooperation within the region. The PM identified intra-regionaltrade as an antidote to shared economic challenges, and metthe Bangladeshi delegation on the sidelines to discuss waysto increase trade between the two countries. A day before thesummit, the PM accepted a proposal by the Bhutanese PrimeMinister, Jigme Thinley, for a ministerial level meeting toresolve the refugee crisis, though it has not yet been agreedwhen and where such a meeting will take place.

Here at lastis somethingNepalis canteachIndians:mediacoverage ofa Maoistconflict

PICS: KIRAN PANDAY

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #5006|BUSINESS

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

onsensus, the joke goes, isthe most overused word inNepali politics. In the last

two years alone, if you were to bepaid a rupee each time the wordwas mentioned in the press, youwould be a billionaire by now.All political leaders talk about theneed for consensus. Most endspeeches calling for consensus.Yet a lack of it is about to bring

the country to a standstill thisweekend and beyond, making lifedifficult for millions of Nepalis,and enlarging the dark cloud ofuncertainty over Nepal.

How then to unravel thisapparent paradox: that the greatercalls for consensus have not ledto it? For an answer, it’sinstructive to look at the anatomyof negotiations that take place inNepal.

Compromise seen as a signof weakness: Whoever said thatpolitics is the art of the possiblenever took account of the psycheof the Nepali politician. Ourpoliticians’ world-view is thatgiving an inch to the other partyunder any circumstance is a signof weakness, and one that isequated with a loss of face withinone’s own group and the largerpolitical landscape.

It does not matter whether the

other side can be persuaded togive a little as well, so that, overtime, both parties can makeprogress towards a middleground. This sort of all-or-nothing behaviour hardenspositions instead, sets a badprecedent, and makes futurenegotiations all the moredifficult. Unless a fresh set ofleaders take over our politicalparties (and it’s increasinglyunclear how new leadership willcome about) to sweep away thesecobwebs of hardened positions,chants for consensus are just that:chants.

No common frame ofreference: Most of our politicalconversations share littlecommon frame of referencebesides the fact of our beingNepali – an identity which isitself under assault at present.

In the West, politicians lassotheir soaring rhetoric aroundwhat’s right for their countries’youth and children, who, aseveryone knows, make up thegeneration that’s coming next.The booming economies of Chinaand India have given theirpoliticians and the citizens a doseof self-confidence to realise thattheir countries matter on theglobal stage.

But in a country where halfthe population of 27 millioncitizens is 20 or under (i.e. noteven born at the time of JanaAndolan 1), so divorced arepoliticians from the concerns of

the youths and children, or forthat matter, from the concerns ofthe voters, that there is not muchof a common national reference forthem to refer to when theynegotiate with one another to pushwork ahead.

Vague phrases like ‘New Nepal’can only go so far as a commonreference before confusingeveryone. And in an electoralsystem which, by design, makeselected representativesdisproportionately moreaccountable to their party leadersthan to the voters that electedthem, few politicians have to

worry about having to face thewrath of the voters come the nextelection cycle.

Is it any wonder that frustratedby some politicians’ penchant forholding the entire country hostagetime and again, most civil societypundits are reduced to practicallybegging those politicians toimprove their behaviour? Cut offfrom both the voters and the futureof the country, the politicians haveevery incentive to focus only ontheir immediate self-interest,which they will work towards atany cost.

It’s time for those who talkabout consensus to start talkingabout the underlyingdysfunctional anatomy of ourpolitical negotiations. Only thenwill we begin to come up withideas for moving ahead. Otherwise,chanting for consensus will justbecome another diversionaryslogan.

‘Compromise garne’ seems a particularlyNepali trait, but our politicians don’tunderstand the meaning of consensus

Chantingfor consensus

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BoK campaignBank of Kathmandu marked its 16th anniversary byorganising a staff rally as part of its Social AwarenessCampaign, ‘Save for the Future’, on Saturday. The rally,starting from Kamaladi, passed through the thoroughfares ofKathmandu. The campaign aims to promote saving habits.Inaugurating the rally, bank chairman Narendra KumarBasnyat said that the bank has been actively involved inmaking social contributions in various fields includinghealth, education and environment, and the campaign is anattempt to make a contribution to the banking industry andsociety at large.

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New showroomSkoda M.A.W. has appointed Rachana Motors (P) Ltd as itsnew authorised dealer of Skoda vehicles for Biratnagar.Skoda Auto, a premium European automobile brand inNepal, officially opened the doors of its new showroom on28 April in Bargachhi.

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SMS winner declaredThe winner of the highest correct SMS prize of a SONYBRAVIA 22” LCD TV for Dabur Real’s ‘Score the RealGoal’ is Sunita Lama. She entered a total of 3866 correctentries to become the 4th weekly highest correct SMS prizewinner, with Game 1 of ‘Score the Real Goal’ coming to anend. There will be a monthly bumper lucky draw prize of aSony Bravia 32” LCD TV.

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Round the clock serviceMorang Auto Works, authorised sole distributor for YamahaMotorcycle in Nepal, has opened its new showroomExtramile Pvt Ltd at Balkumari. The showroom offersexcellent valuation for any kind of old bike, easy financingfacilities to its valued customers and also sales of allavailable models of Yamaha Motorcycles. The showroomhas also launched a special 24-hour service support to allYamaha motorcycles inside the Kathmandu Valley,according to Anil Vetwal, MD of Extramile.

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Teen sensation16-year-old Ashbeer Saini won the Surya Nepal Mastersheld at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort last week. The Indianamateur made two late birdies to secure the title by twoshots over Rupak Acharya. Saini shot a round of one-under71, which took his tournament total to 11-under 277.

Rupak made a bold charge but fell agonisingly short anddespite holding the lead briefly in the final round, his last-round score of three-under 69 could only take histournament total to nine-under 279. Sri Lankan amateurMithun Perera finished in third place at two-under 286.Bangladesh’s Md Milon Ahmed finished ahead of ShivaRam Shrestha in fourth place after the big-hitting localmade a double bogey on the final hole to drop down theleaderboard to fifth place.

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Classroom goes digitalAfter two years of experience in using Promethean’sInteractive Whiteboard technologies, ActivClassroom, inprimary grades, Ullens School team hosted a special eventlast Friday to demonstrate the nature and impact of utilisingdigital educational technologies in the classroom. A group

of school leaders, teachers and students shared theirexperiences, the learning outcomes, the resources andopportunities that abound in making education go digital forNepali students and Nepali teachers. Ullens is the firstschool in Nepal to use cutting edge digital educationalresources in its teaching/learning practice. The impact inthe past two years of using ActivBoards has been socompelling, according to school authorities, that they haveinvested further in equipping all 18 classrooms withActivBoards.

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LIFE TIMES 730 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500

ity living has many paradoxes to it,one of which is: there is so muchgoing on, but you haven’t the time to

do it. Presumably one would have time toattend happenings in a rural setting, if therewere anything happening at all.

One empty Saturday, I started with theidea of catching Edwin Koo and Debbie Ng’s‘Bahini: life of my sisters’ at the Nepal ArtCouncil, making a double header of it withSiddhartha Art Gallery. And one thing ledto another.

A saunter down Sanepa Hill and acrossthe Bagmati Sewer, thence to Maitighar. Inthe cavernous ground floor of the Nepal ArtCouncil, I peered at rather small photo framesthat reflected light. A picture littledocumented took shape. Schoolgirls in class,but also schoolgirls at candle-lit homeworkand early morn housework in low-incomehouseholds across the Kathmandu Valley.

Poverty is all around us, but do we see it savein dispatches in development reports?

Venturing upstairs, I barged into a spacedisgorging some of the luminaries of theNepali contemporary art scene. What I sawon the walls was a little less illuminating.Am I alone in thinking many Nepali artistschoose to leapfrog into the abstractwithout consolidating fundamentaldraughtsmanship? But I’ll be looking for thegems in the dross this weekend when ‘Apassage through the years (1965-2010)’ opensat the same venue. The other half of the secondfloor was hosting a rather insipid selection ofpen and ink drawings of temples and gallis,but at least here, I thought, the artist wasworking on the basics.

Across the road and leftwards to TheMahal That Was A Stable. I trod past theuberpriced and pretentious artisanal kiranashosted by Babar in lieu of his horses, then ran

Nepali Kukur’s day outthe gauntlet of Chez Caroline on the way toSiddhartha Art Gallery. And? JupiterPradhan has a good thing going. The mixedmedia installations that make up ‘Sojournin Bangladesh’ are of definite, if mixed,interest. If I had the cash money I might evenhave invested in some of his half-moon facesin walls, if not the somewhat amateurishmetal lotuses upon which his protagonistsagonised. Curator Sangita Thapa appearedpleased I’d attended, but threats followedan invite to another event: be there or missout!

Mulling over the significance of our newculture on demand, I retired to the shade ofWalter’s outdoor patio with an iced coffeeand tepid juice. The heat ushered me intothe cool interior of Naya Pasal opposite, butthe prices pushed me back out again. Wherebetter than Hong Kong Bajar? Via SinghaDarbar then, where ol’ Prithvi’s pink-faced

statue was once more being manhandled byself-proclaimed ‘sweeper of Nepal’ and localloon Laxman Singh Khadka. And down intothe blue-tarped interior of the bajar,surprisingly cool and quiet, with only thegently insistent vendors murmuring as wepassed: suit ko kapada, sari, kurta…

I exited into Bhrikuti Mandap, andfollowed the masses to the delightfulNational Industrial Expo, where scores ofstalls from all across the country sold honey,blankets, woodcraft, topis, khukuris, pickles,you name it, Nepal’s got it, who needsKupondole’s boutiques? I didn’t see a singleexpat, but it was clear many Nepalis wereenjoying a day out. A man with bees allover his face was the star attraction, but itwas the yarchagumba stall that drew those inthe know.

Ey, so this is yarchagumba. What does itdo? ‘Sex power’, proclaimed the youthstanding over a glass case full of caterpillarswith the famed herbs growing out their heads.Then, as if to temper his initial enthusiasm,‘Diabetes, fever, headache...’. Headache? AtRs 200 a worm, I’ll stick with Cetamol.

Shopped out with lapsi treats andgundruk ko achaar, I then crossed Tundikhelto Mahaboudha where, weekendnotwithstanding, the DVD stores were openfor perusal. Then into the Ne-warren and outthrough Jamal for a bicycle helmet. But justas 15 years back I’d been told by a sneeringjean-shop owner that ‘nowadays bellybottomis not in style’, a bike shop man shrugged, asif the ugliness of helmets were reason enoughnot to stock them. Ajkaal chaldaina. They’renot in style, and who can blame them? Betterdead than red (faced).

AHMAD ISKANDAR

What’s NepaliKukur to docome Saturday?Why, take tothe streets toexplore theterrain

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To read about other adventures of Nepali Kukur,visit www.nepalitimes.com/blogs/nepalikukur

8|LIFE TIMES

DINING

he art scene in Nepal has not alwaysbeen able to promote its local talent to

best effect. More often than not, exhibitionsmanifest a power struggle between local andforeign artists. However, Lalit Kala Campus,the first college to offer art education inKathmandu, in collaboration withSiddhartha Art Gallery, is set to break themould. ‘A Passage Through the Years (1965-2010)’ is opening at the Nepal Art Councilon 29 April. It presents the biggestcollection of local works, both classic andmodern, ever shown in Nepal.

The exhibition is straightforward in itsintentions: to showcase the works of about70 painters and sculptors, ranging from thelate masters to the current generation ofteachers at Lalit Kala Campus. Animpressive number of roughly 150 paintingsand 30 sculptures will catalogue theachievements of some of Nepal’s most

Art-iculating anew wave of talent

brilliant minds and dexterous hands.But the exhibition is not only about

pleasing the eye. With the introduction of aMasters Degree in Fine Arts, the first of its kindhere, Lalit Kala Campus is looking for ways tofund the construction of a new resource centrefor the curriculum and its students.“Siddhartha Art Gallery is supportingthe exhibition because students of finearts are running without resources. Weintend to do something for them,” saysSangita Thapa, director of SiddharthaArt Gallery and curator of the show.

Of the funds raised, 50 per centwill go to the artists themselves, and20 per cent will be directed to LalitKala Campus. With even moreincentive and support being lent to thenew wave of Nepali artists, the artscene will be well worth yourattention in the years to come.

T

Pumpernickel Bakery, get an early breakfast or brunch with interestingchoices of bread and sandwiches. Experiment with their goat cheese oryak cheese sandwiches, or have a sip of coffee in the classy indoor diningarea. Thamel, 7.30am-7pm, 4259185

Le Bistro Restaurant & Bar, the outdoor dining area invokes a greatatmosphere for a night of drinks with friends and family. While they serve aplethora of dishes, it is the Indian food they pride themselves on. Thamel,4701170

Yin Yang Restaurant, east meets west as you choose from a variety of Thaiand continental dishes. Get a little spice in your life with their pad thai orgreen curry. If you can’t handle the heat, fall into the safety net of theirwestern dishes. Thamel, 10am-10pm, 4701510

Forever Café, nestled inconspicuously along the Thamel streets, this cafécan easily be missed. It specialises in a variety of steaks and stroganoffs,and offers carnivorous affairs you’ll not forget. 7am-10pm, 470078

KotoRestaurant, thefirst Japaneserestaurant inKathmandu,serves up 25years ofhistory.Whether it’s thefresh sashimi,sushi, sukiyakior tempura,theirexperiencedJapanese andNepali chefsare sure toimpress. DarbarMarg, 11.30am-3pm and 6-9.30pm, 4220346

Himalayan Java, one of our favourite places for coffee, just got bigger, witha new branch deeper in the heart of Thamel. Expect the same excellentservice and quality food and drinks with a change of scenery. Food Bazaar,Thamel.

Splash Bar and Grill,the restaurant atRadisson, is serving abarbeque lunch withunlimited beer – perfectfor a boys’ day out.Every Saturday from12 noon to 2.30pm,Radisson Hotel,Kathmandu, 4411818

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500|9

The Last Resort: One-stop for AdventureSports. Take your pick – be it a bungy jumpover the Bhote Khosi river 160 metresbelow or mountain biking up to the Tibetanborder, The Last Resort is paradise foradventure sports junkies. Relax after a fullday of fun with great food and a cold beer atthe Instant Karma bar before retiring to bedin deluxe safari tents. The Last ResortSales Office, Mandala Street, Thamel,4700525, www.thelastresort.com.np

The Great Escape, retreat from the hustleand bustle of the city to The Dwarikas’Himalayan Shangri-La Village Resort inDhulikhel. Just 45 minutes from Kathmandu,the short ride will afford you enchantingpanoramic views and a myriad of nature’sbest. Overnight packages available for localresidents. The Dwarikas’ HimalayanShangri-La Village Resort, Dhulikhel,4479488,www.dwarikashimalayanshangrila.com

Fishing Expeditions and Day Trips, TigerMountain offers a chance to catch theGolden Mahseer, one of Asia’s most famousgame fish, in Bardiya National park, whileexploring the beauty of the Himalayanfoothills. Perfect for this time of the year.Contact 4361500 for prices and reservation

Paragliding picnic, head towards Godavarion your favourite off-road bike, take atandem paraglide flight with one of theexperienced pilots (see review), and finishoff with a picnic in Godavari BotanicalGarden. Pick up also available, booking andinfo at 5536863, ktmparagliding.com

A Passage Through the Years (1965-2010), a historical artexhibition featuring a galaxy of eminent and legendarypainters and sculptors from Nepal. Curated by SangeetaThapa. Twenty per cent of the total sales will be donated toLalit Kala Campus to set up a resource centre. Opens 29April, Nepal Arts Council, Babar Mahal

Vrijmarkt Festival, buy and sell second-hand or self-madegoods, play traditional Dutch games or show off any of yourtalents at the Queen’s Day Free Market Festival. 30 April,12 noon to 4.30pm, Summit Hotel, Lalitpur, 5521810

Blood Bricks – Animals, People and the Environment,Animal Nepal directors, Pramada Shah and Lucia de Vries,talk about their love of animals during the monthly lectureorganised by the Cultural Studies Group of Nepal. 30 April,10am, Shankar Hotel, Lazimpat

Daisy Baraili at Paleti, Darjeeling based nightingale DaisyBaraili of Bhainsi Ladyo fame has arrived in Kathmandu toperform for Paleti. Daisy has been active in the musicalscene for more than three decades. In fact some of hergreatest hits were recorded when she was just 13! 30 April,Nepa~Laya, Kalikasthan, 4437893

Pilgrimage, a photo exhibition of the works of prominentIndian and Nepali photographers. Runs till 12 May,Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre, Jhamsikhel,5521120

The Boy Friend, a musical comedy coloured with romance,and an abundance of unexpected twists and turns. FollowPolly and Tony, the two lead characters, as they discovertheir feelings for each other, and discover for themselveswhat fate has in store for them. Expect lots of laughter. TheLincoln School, Ravi Bhawan, 7pm, Rs.500, 4270482

Young European Art, painting exhibition by three artists –Catherin Biocca, Wies Olde Riekerink and JonasWijtenburg, hailing from Germany and the Netherlands.Runs till 11 May, Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre,Jhamsikhel, 5521120

Hari Maharjan Project, arguably the bestguitarist in Nepal, Hari Maharjan was also aband member of Nepathya. He released anew album recently and will be playingsome new tunes. 30 April, House of Music,Thamel

Women in Concert, making a comeback forthe seventh year running. Young femalemusicians will give their all for a highlycharged concert for all music lovers. Aportion of the proceeds will be donated to

the Vidhea Shrestha Music Scholarship,which will allow women to pursue aneducation in music at the Kathmandu JazzConservatory. 8 May, 7-10.30pm, Garden ofDreams, Thamel.

Sing On! The Kathmandu Choraleannounces its spring concert. 8 May,3.30pm and 6:00pm, The British School,Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur

April Fullest, Dance with DJ Max and DJFlow, 30 April, 8pm, Cube, Kamaladi

MUSIC

GETAWAYS EVENTS

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #50010|HAPPENINGS

RSS

KIRAN PANDAY

TAG, YOU'RE IT: A man dressed as Kal Bhairab plays tag with childrenin Bhaktapur on Sunday.

WEEKEND WEATHERby NGAMINDRA DAHAL

KATHMANDU

FRI SAT S U N

30-14 29-14 30-16

A powerful low pressure zone has built up overcentral Tibet and the eastern Himalaya and issucking in moisture-laden clouds from the west,heralding a significant change in the weatherpattern. But the distribution of potential rainshowersis uncertain because of the region’s rugged andmountainous landscape. What can be determined,though, is that east Nepal will get a larger share ofthe precipitation than the west, which tends to getthe larger share during non-monsoon months.Satellite pictures indicate that the Valley will getmore afternoon showers, such as that we saw onThursday, over the weekend.

TO FRIENDSHIP: The 16th South Asian Association of RegionalCooperation summit opens at the Grand Assembly Hall of Thimpu,Bhutan on Wednesday.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, NO ACTION: Mediapersons stage a sit-in protest atRanipokhari police station after police baton-charged a group ofphotojournalists on Tuesday at Trichandra and Pashupati campuses.

KIRAN PANDAY

FLEX MUSCLES: Maoist cadre, who arrived in Kathmandu from acrossthe country for the May Day showdown exercise in Lainchaur onThursday morning.

FOO CHEE CHANG

p30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500 NATION|11

t the time of writing, myneighbour’s grandchildrenhave missed school for the

fifth day. Instead of waking upearly to pack their bags for school,they have been teasing dogs andencouraging them to battle eachother in the alley, disrupting mymorning snooze.

They had only been back toschool for three days for the newacademic session when the AllNepal National IndependentStudent Union Revolutionary(ANNISU-R) forced all privateschools in the country to close.Almost five and a half millionstudents will now remain at homeindefinitely as ANNISU-R and thePrivate and Boarding SchoolsOrganisation of Nepal (PABSON)spar over a 25 per cent increasein fees.

Private schools are registeredas companies in Nepal and payover 25 per cent tax on income,one fifth of which goes towards afund to support governmentschools. The Maoist Party seemsto recognise them as businessentities, too. In 2009, then FinanceMinister Baburam Bhattaraiproposed taxing private schoolsan additional five percent so thegovernment could reform the

POLITICALLYCRACKEDIndu Nepal

schools in its charge. “It is up tothe schools to decide if they wantto transfer [the cost] to parents.We don’t interfere,” he said.

If you recognise privateschools as companies, and expectthem to make a profit and paytaxes on that profit, why make afuss when they restructure theirservice charges?

The Maoist students startedtheir agitation a month after thedecision to hike fees was made,

without even looking for anegotiation. Were they simplylooking to house their cadres inthe closed schools before andduring the planned May Day rallyas Education Minister SarbendraNath Shukla alleged? As it turnsout, over a dozen schools reportedbeing asked to shelter out-of-towncadre on Wednesday (see pic).

If the private school systemwere an efficiently workingmarket, then the consumer – the

students’ guardians – would havemore control over how the schoolsstructure their fees. The catfightsbetween PABSON and ANNISU-Rwould have to be taken out of theclassroom, and not lead to schoolclosures, because the guardianswould take their childrenelsewhere. However, this is notan efficiently working market. Likeso many things in Nepal,consumer rights are underminedby political capture.

It is particularly distressing inthe case of schooling becauseguardians deem education of theirchildren so important (rightly) thatthey are prepared to be riddenover roughshod by both schoolsthat charge them ridiculous feesfor non-existent facilities andpowerful political unions. InKathmandu, the cost of educatinga primary school student is, onaverage, Rs 11,844 per year(without the admissions fee) whilethe average annual income isRs 45,900. A principal at a well-regarded private school saysparents are willing to pay beyondtheir means to ensure theirchildren get what they consider isa good education.

The problem with the currentsystem is that the guardians haveno rights or bargaining power. Nopolitical party will come to theiraid and risk being vilified as elitistwhen extra taxes get whackedonto private schools, or when theyare fleeced with extra charges.What is needed is to secureconsumer rights and improve theirbargaining power. Regulation isonly the means to the end ofhelping the real consumers, ratherthan politically affiliated studentunions. Apolitical bargainingneeds to be mobilised, too, sopolitics doesn’t hold the future ofchildren hostage.

Ultimately, the debate shouldshift to whether education shouldbe a profit-making industry. Inmany countries, educationalinstitutions are given charitystatus and therefore are taxexempt. You cannot be penalisedfor seeking an education. It is aneed, not a luxury. It should betreated as such.

If private schools are business entities,shouldn’t they operate as such?

Marketing schools

KIRAN PANDAY

A

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #50012|NATION

n early April, Himalmediaconducted the latest in itsseries of nationwide public

opinion surveys. The poll team,overseen by professor of politicalscience at Tribhuvan University,Krishna Khanal, interviewed5,005 respondents in 38 districts.This included a one-day poll

An extended CA and a

KUNDA DIXIT (7 April) in 28 urban areas to aimfor accuracy in a fast-changingpolitical scenario.

The intention was to gaugepublic opinion and measure thegap between what the majority ofNepali people want and thepreoccupations of the politicalparties, the relative popularity ofthose parties, and the level oftrust people have in politicalpersonalities.

obstacles in the peace process(30.1%), 26.8% strongly believedthey would renounce arms andviolence for good and 40.7% hadsome belief this would be thecase.

Most Nepalis expressedconcern about the constitutionnot being written on time. Abouthalf blamed the CA members,35.8% felt it was thegovernment’s fault and 31% saidthe Maoists were responsible. Themost popular course of action wasa constitutional amendment toextend the term of the CA(42.6%), followed by CAdissolution and fresh elections(12.7%). Most rejectedpresidential rule (2.8%) or areturn to the 1990 constitution(2.5%). There was almost nosupport for a new uprising(0.8%).

To resolve the power-sharing

What should be done if the Constituent Assembly (CA) is unable tocomplete writing the constitution by May 28?

Which three parties would you choose tolead Nepal to prosperity?

The most dramatic, butperhaps not surprising, outcomewas how the public’s trust in thepolitical leadership hasplummeted since the elections in2008. To the question ‘Since thedemise of Girija Prasad Koirala,which political leaders do youtrust to take the peace processforward and finish writing theconstitution?’, respondents mostfavoured Maoist leaders PushpaKamal Dahal and BaburamBhattarai with 38.7% and 29.7%respectively. But apart fromMadhav Kumar Nepal (23.4%)and Sher Bahadur Deuba (20%),no other leaders have really madean impression on the public,with 27.8% choosing ‘don’tknow’.

The poll also sought answersto public perceptions of theMaoists. While they were seen tobe most responsible for creating

deadlock, 24.4% favoured theMaoists leading a new coalitiongovernment while a further 20.7%favoured a UML or NC-led unitygovernment including theMaoists. Only 16.4% wanted theMadhav Nepal government tocontinue, with negligible supportfor handing over power to thepresident (or the former king, forthat matter).

Respondents appeared to bealmost equally divided inassessing the army chief affair oflast year that led to theresignation of the Maoist-ledgovernment. Although 41.6%professed ignorance, 22.4% feltthe president’s move was correct,19.9% thought the Maoists wereright, and 14.8% thought bothwere wrong. Unsurprisingly, Tarairespondents were moresupportive of the president’smove.

I

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500 NATION|13

From 5-18 April 2010, 76 interviewers fanned outacross 38 districts in 146 VDCs in the mountains,midhills and plains of Nepal to survey 5,005 peopleselected through scientific random sampling. On7 April, interviews were conducted in 28 urban areason the same day. The survey was led by TU politicalscience professor Krishna Khanal and an experiencedteam of pollsters who have taken part in previousHimalmedia polls. After fine-tuning 31 questions,interviewers were given thorough training in selectingrespondents and conducting the survey, including theimportance of conducting separate interviews inprivate.

In a post-survey debriefing, interviewers said theyfound a marked difference from the Himalmedia pollof 2003. During the conflict, people were reluctant totalk and there was considerable tension and fear.“This time, we found respondents much morerelaxed, even though there was apprehension that thecountry could slip back into to war,” said poll teamleader Hiranya Baral.

Maoist-led government

As with previous polls, there were large numbers of‘undecideds’ that made it difficult to come to aconclusive verdict based on the survey results.There were at least as many people who didn’t wantto say or hadn’t made up their minds on thequestion of the political personality they trustedthe most as there were poll votes for Pushpa KamalDahal, who led the list. Similarly, on the questionof which party was the main obstacle to the peaceprocess, undecideds made up 40.9%, far ahead ofthe second choice, the Maoists (30.1%). On thequestion of what should be done with the Maoistsin cantonments, undecideds (30.2%) outnumberedthose who felt combatants who met the criteriashould be integrated into the national army(25.1%). A Himalmedia poll predating the 2008elections suggests that most undecideds end upvoting for the Maoists.

Interestingly, though, there were very few don’tknow/no comments for the question on whetherthe monarchy should have been abolished, or onthe question on whether Nepal should be a Hinduor secular state.

Nearly a third of Nepalisdon’t know how to resolve thedispute over the assimilationand rehabilitation of Maoistguerrillas. A quarter said onlythose who met the military’scriteria should be integrated intothe national army, and 18.3%felt there should be wholesaleintegration into the army as theMaoists want.

In the future constitution, amajority (70.8%) wanted Nepalito be the language for officialgovernment business, althoughNepali as lingua franca received79.2% support in the hills(including indigenous groups)and 61.2% support in the Tarai.

The country seems dividedover federalism, with thoseagainst it making up 36.3% ofrespondents and those for itmaking up 27.2%. But 32.2%didn’t know. Slightly morepeople in the Himal and Taraiwere against federalism,including many from ethnic

Sunita Shrestha, a pollster in Kanchanpur,ended up being interviewed herself after completingthe survey when she was asked: “Now you tell us,what will happen after May 28?” Many, especiallywomen, either didn’t know or didn’t want to answersome of the questions. But they wanted to know ifthe political deadlock would drag the country backto war. In Rolpa and Palpa some respondents werestill wary of talking about the Maoists and refused toanswer some questions. In Gulmi, a femaleinterviewee even came up to a pollster andwhispered her answer to a question on whether ornot the Maoists had given up violence for good.

Despite this, many interviewees wanted to engagethe pollsters in conversations and although manyblamed the Maoists for the political deadlock, theyalso felt the party had improved with regards to theirbehaviour. “The Maoists are seen to be the best of abad lot of politicians,” said Bhim Karki, whoconducted interviews in Banke, “but the generalfeeling was they were responsible for destroyingthings, so they should be the ones to fix it.”

What surprised many interviewers was howquickly Nepalis seem to have forgotten about themonarchy, although pockets of supports were found,for example among Muslims in the western Tarai.

communities. If federalism is togo ahead, however, about equalnumbers (25%) favour federalismalong ethnic/linguistic andnorth-to-south territorial lines.Interestingly, 16.1% favourretaining the currentdevelopment region or zonalsystem, which to a large extent isdemarcated from north to south.The One Madhes proposal of theMJF, however, was opposed by65% of respondents, althoughnearly half the respondents inthe Tarai supported it.

It’s no surprise perhaps thatwith the prevailing atmosphereof insecurity and confusion,along with all the talk of ethno-linguistic federalism, 76.1% ofrespondents felt Nepalinationality was under threat(82.6% in the Tarai). Moresurprising then that it is interand intra-party conflict, far aheadof communal or foreign forces,that’s considered the primeculprit.

To what extent do you believe that the Maoistswill permanently give up arms and violence andjoin the political mainstream?

Nepal has been declared a federal state.What do you think?

How should the Maoist combatants in thecantonments be managed?

2010 survey Don't know/No comment

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #50014|FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Interview with ShalikramJamarkattel, President of theAll Nepal Federation of TradeUnions, in Janadesh, 27 April

What kind of demonstration is itgoing to be on 1 May?We have two programs:celebration of May Day andlaunching of the ‘people’srevolt’. The Maoists haveannounced the ‘people’s revolt’to coincide with May day. It istherefore going to be a historicday. This movement is aimedat dissolving the ‘puppet’government and forming anational unity governmentunder Maoist leadership aswell as to achieve peace andwrite the constitution.

Are the Maoists planning to capture power in the name of May Day?The Maoists have not said they will capture power just yet. This protestis for civilian supremacy, dissolution of the puppet government, nationalunity government under Maoist leadership, peace and the constitution.Constitution-writing and the peace process will not be completed underthis government. The political parties in power and reactionaries areexaggerating a peaceful protest. They are afraid of people taking to thestreets. This will be a show of strength by the Maoists.

Is it going to be a ‘people’s revolt’ or a demonstration on the day?We will take rallies from major junctures of the city that will convergeinto a mass gathering in the open air theatre in Tundikhel. ChairmanPrachanda will address the gathering. If the puppet government doesnot step down and allow the Maoists to lead the government, then aprogram of agitation will be announced from the same place.

What do you say to the remark that industries are being forced to closedown and some are even investing abroad due to the labour problem?This is not true. Those who do not want labour to unite spread rumours.There are two reasons for closure of industries: wrong policy of thegovernment and wrong activities of the industrialists themselves.

Interview with Shankar Pokharel,Information Minister andgovernment spokesperson inDristi, 27 April

How has the governmentevaluated the activities of theMaoists?The government has assessed theactivities of the Maoists based onreports received from across thecountry. It has readied itself forwhat it takes to deal with thechallenges.

Do you think Maoist policy isto capture power through apeople’s revolt?This is what they have been sayingpublicly. The Maoists declare inmass gatherings what the CA issupposed to declare. Thedeclaration of federal stateshowever did not get legality. Sincethe episode of the army chief, theirgame plan is to force the presidentto resign and force the PM toresign through street protests, andinfiltrate and split the parties intofactions. Having failed in allattempts, they have been bluffingwith an ultimate revolt to bringdown the government from thestreet and complete theconstitution-writing process. Theywill not succeed in this. The

“May Day willbe a historic day”

Maoists’ real transformation willbegin after this.

Has the peace processcollapsed?Let’s not say it has collapsed, butit is a breach of the peace accord.The Maoists have been reiteratingtheir commitment to the peaceprocess, but their activities areagainst the peace accord. Theupcoming Maoist protests willtake this to that level.

The Maoists are demandinga national unity governmentfor consensus. Why do youoppose this idea?After the election, UMLsupported the Maoists as thebiggest party to form thegovernment. The problem beganwhen the Maoists tried tosideline the UML and NC bycalling them losers and trying tomove ahead alone. But no onestopped them from trying to forgea consensus when they were ingovernment. Instead, during thisperiod YCL created havoc in thecountry, Maoists murdered NCand UML cadres, and theyattempted to remove the armychief unconstitutionally. TheMaoists have lost the opportunityto lead the government.

What if an agreement is notreached with the Maoists?Are there chances of militarymobilisation?The democratic forces hope toforge a consensus and moveforward. However, the Maoistagenda alone can never be thebasis of consensus. It is the 12-point agreement, the peace accordand Interim Constitution whichform this basis. Maoistcombatants are still incantonments, even though theirdischarge was meant to becompleted within six months ofsigning the peace accord. But theMaoists don’t even attend themeetings of the special committeeto manage ex-combatants. Theyhave only one agenda:government.

Is there a possibility ofmobilising the army or not?The peace accord has itslimitations. There is nopossibility to mobilise the armyagainst the Maoists under theexisting peace accord. But if theiractivities cross certain limits, thegovernment can mobilise thearmy if deemed necessary,anytime it wants. I don’t thinkthey will go as far as to breach thepeace accord. They will step back.

“They willstep back”

Prachanda: “Chacha…baba…chacha!”

Balloons: Happy BirthdayCradle: RepublicKhukuris: Strikes

Batsayan in Kantipur, 28 April, 2010

PICS: KIRAN PANDAY

30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #500 CONSTITUTION 2010|15

here is less than a monthleft to draft theconstitution. The political

parties are not sure whether thetenure of the CA should beextended or if they can draft theconstitution within the giventime frame, while the debatepersists on fundamental issues.The big three parties are clearlydivided: NC and UML want toextend the CA by one year whilethe Maoists are totally againstthis. Instead of engaging in

constitution writing, the Maoistshave announced an indefinitegeneral strike. Since the biggestpolitical party in the CA is on thewarpath, the constitution-writingprocess is uncertain.

It should be obvious to all bynow that constitution will not bedrafted by 28 May. According toNC leader Ram Sharan Mahat,there are three alternatives: draftthe constitution by extending theCA, announce new elections orleave the country in aconstitutional vacuum. Sincethere is no possibility of holdingnew elections, he says, extensionof the CA after 28 May is the onlyway to avoid a constitutionalvacuum.

Amod Prasad UpadhyayNC CA member, Morang 2

Where is the country’spolitics heading?Now is the time to set a newpolitical trend through anew constitution. But thepolitical parties did not actas they should have, whichhas resulted in the currentpolitical deadlock.

Can the CA come up with aconstitution in thissituation?Time is running out toresolve the politicaldifferences and draft a new

constitution. But we should not rush the constitution – it would bewise to find a lasting solution even if it needs two more months.

How do you think things should go if the constitution is notwritten by 28 May?It is sad that the constitution-writing deadline will not be met.This was all our fault. It is still the political parties that will haveto take responsibility to deal with the situation after May. Thepolitical parties have to come up with a constitution anyway.

What prevented political parties from reaching a consensus?The CA should have been kept away from political prejudices,which unfortunately did not happen. The CA Regulations say thatCA members need not obey their party whip in the CA sessions,but this did not happen in practice. We defended our politicalideologies even in the CA.

What is your take on federalism?We have already approved the federal system. We took thedecision on federalism thinking of the prosperity that the systemmight bring. We were not expecting the people to be divided onan ethnic basis. We cannot afford to risk the prosperity of thecountry under a federal structure by demanding politicalprerogatives in the provinces drawn along ethnic lines.

Tashi Shyahngo GurungseniUML CA member, Mustang

In which proposed provinceare you?I am in Tamuwan province.The entire Mustang districtis in Tamuwan province.

Do you think the identity ofthe people of Mustang isguaranteed under thisdivision?We are not Gurung. We arefrom the Bahragauncommunity. Therefore, thereshould be a ‘Bahragaunautonomous region’.

How can provinces become ethnic in a secular state?The country should be secular but the provinces should beethnic.

Don’t you think people of other communities in a province willfeel bad if we name provinces after a particular community?It will definitely hurt them but we cannot help it. The proposedmodel is yet to be finalised. There should be special provisionfor minorities in the new constitution. I don’t fully agree with whathas been proposed now.

How many are you from your community in the CA?I am not Gurungseni. I belong to the Bahragaun community. I gotthe surname Gurungseni while acquiring citizenship. Thischanged my identity. I feel bad about it. No one from the 5,000households of our community has ever got any position inpolitics, government or the bureaucracy so far. I am the only onefrom my community to become a CA member.

Better latethan never

We lost our identityby writing ‘Gurung’

DHRUBA SIMKHADA

Uncertaintyreigns

Twenty-three months havepassed but contentiousconstitutional issues remainunresolved. These are unlikely tobe resolved in the next month,either. To proceed with theconstitution-writing process, theCA should resolve the differenceson constitutional issues first andthen address other issues.

The CA should decide on theforms of the governance, the basisof federalism to address theconcerns of differentcommunities, and the integrationand rehabilitation of the Maoistcombatants in the cantonments.

Unfortunately, the politicalparties have not been able to agreeon what political system is bestfor Nepal. Britain and Indiafollow a multiparty parliamentarysystem with an executive primeminister while America has anexecutive president. Israel has adirectly elected executive primeminister and a ceremonialpresident. If we do not decide onthis issue, constitution-writingcannot move forward.

Federal model is another issueto be resolved. The InterimConstitution proclaimed Nepal afederal republic state. Thepolitical parties also came upwith different federal modelsduring the elections, which have

changed over time. Now, theentire country is divided on theissue of federalism. Some are infavour of ethnicity-basedfederalism while others haveopposed the idea. The fear ofcommunal conflict is gettingstronger due to the issue offederalism.

Endorsing a new constitutionalone will end the currentpolitical chaos. The concerns ofthe Maoists, parliamentaryparties and ethnic communitiesshould be addressed in the newconstitution. On 9 November2009, janajati CA memberstorched the draft concept paperon fundamental rights anddirective principles in front ofthe south gate of the CAbuilding, claiming their rightshad not been addressed. Thismight be repeated in the future ifgrievances are not addressed. Butthere have not been any studieson the issues that need to beaddressed in drafting such aconstitution.

The issue of PLA fighters isanother big challenge in movingahead with peace and theconstitution-writing process.There has not been anyagreement on how and when thePLA fighters will be managed.The political parties have theirown interpretations of the peaceaccord and weaponsmanagement, which have onlypolarised the issue, and even thenumbers of combatants to beintegrated in various securityorganisations has not beensettled. Without this, neither theconstitution nor the peaceprocess can be brought to aconclusion.

T

Time is slowly but surelyrunning out for theconstitution, but the songremains the same

KIRAN PANDAY

ISSN

181

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CDO Regd No 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No 09/066/67

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30 APRIL - 6 MAY 2010 #50016|BACK SIDE

he Only in Nepal AbsurdQuote of the Week must beDeb Gurung explaining

nationwide Red Guard exercisesto the BBC Nepali Service: “Akhukuri is not a weapon”.Right. The man should try takingNepal’s knational knife throughairport security and see whathappens. Deb Dai went on toexplain that the khukuri is acultural item used to decapitatebuffaloes and no one should beunduly perturbed about Baddiesbrandishing it about. After all, itis keeping the Bhojpur knifeindustry in business and is goodfor the economy. Just likethe breakdown in law and orderis good for the economy becausethe sale of armour-plated Mercshave gone up?

The Second Runner-up to thisweek’s funny headline contestmust be this one from aKathmandu daily about thenation’s finest being on highsecurity alert: “Police Confiscate350 Sticks”. What the Ass wantsto know is why those sticks arenot in the containers that the UNis guarding like a hawk.

PKD asked media moghuls thisweek why they were complainingabout being extorted when

Better late than never

businesses were forking outdonations without even beingthreatened. Then he was askedwho he was alluding to when hesaid a ‘Hidden Hand’ didn’twant the Maobaddies to come topower. His reply (actual quote):“It is hidden, so how can I tellyou who it is? However, if thereare certain foreign forces youthink I am referring to when I sayhidden, and if those forces arethe ones I am thinking of when Isay hidden hand then you willnot be too widely off the mark.”

And someone tell me this itemfrom the Zimbabwe Herald(Published by the Government ofZimbabwe) is not real:

VP Mujuru Hails China’s SupportHARARE, 20 April: VicePresident Joice Mujuru hascommended the Chinesegovernment for its continued

support for Zimbabwe and hascalled for strengthening ofbilateral ties.

VP Mujuru said this at a luncheonshe hosted yesterday for workersfrom China Jiangsu, the companythat refurbished the NationalSports Stadium.

”When the President talked aboutthe Look East Policy many peoplethought it was a joke, but we havemany programmes set out andthere is a lot that is in thepipeline,” she said.Zimbabwe supports the OneChina Policy on Tibet, Taiwan,Hong Kong and Nepal.

Copyright © 2010 The Herald. Allrights reserved. Distributed byAllAfrica Global Media(allAfrica.com).

And in other news: A Bad Boyattacked college students with anon-lethal khukuri last week, got

himself arrested for attemptedmurder and then was releasedbecause his cohorts went on arampage. A cantonmentcombatant was found with 35grenades on a nightbus, detainedand released due to politicalpressure from a higher-upauthoritarian. Khao Baddieswere not satisfied with theamount of ‘donation’ they gotfrom three educationalinstitutions and made arses ofthemselves by resorting to arsonand torching eight yellow schoolbuses. Police arrived promptly atthe scene and took the busesinto custody.

The Awful One is making alast ditch attempt to seize powerby launching a hunger strike andrefusing to dine with thepresident and prime minister.Things must be really bad ifShitall Nibas dinner diplomacyis not working. His Fierceness isso desperate to get back tosleeping in his 100Kposturepedic bed he does notwant a consensus candidatefrom his own party to be PM.The Baddies are really beggingCutwall & Co to take overbecause they need an enemy.Last one leaving the city, pleaseturn the lights off. Oops, sorry,they’re already off.

Those of us who got a rudewakeup call last week as cannonfire rent the air at dawn must bethinking: how many DemocracyDays do we need in this country?Trouble is we have at least twowords for democracy in Nepali:Prajatantra and Loktantra. Andwhen we usher in JanabadDibas, we will observe that tooby blasting howitzers at anungodly hour and scaring all thecrows.

Baddies are so much intoextortion these days that theythink pyramid schemes are greatbusiness. Comrade Lil Babadurtold the honchos at Unitywho run an illegal networkbusiness: “When we form thegovernment, we will implementyour scheme as governmentpolicy.” Why not just declare lootand plunder govt policy?

Pradip the Giri waschief guest at a booklaunch the other day.He came an hour-and-half late. The title ofthe book: ‘SamayalaiSalam’.

ass(at)nepalitimes.com

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