 |
| |
|
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
|
|
Squabble continues over Petty issues
Kathmandu : Trivial issues are being taken up even by major political parties.
Non-issues have been dominating the country's political scene which is what should have been abandoned by responsible political parties who have had engineered the April change for a positive conclusion.
The tussle that is on in between and among the leading political parties over the nomination of the Nepali Ambassadors to be posted in different world capitals does speak of the inner ambitions of the parties concerned which indicate that the change that has been brought in the country were merely for "grabbing" posts and "facilities".
What is more than a puzzle is to see the King of the Jungles until a few months back too have been in the skirmish and been demanding some Ambassadorial posts in some key capitals of the world. This is not all.
They already created panic among the population last week protesting over the unilateral nominations made by the Koirala led government of some ambassadorial posts.
According to the Maoists, the nominations were done by the government without consulting their party and hence the postings must be halted.
In one way, the Maoists logic appears rational in the sense that the government under Koirala must have consulted the Maoists for it is this party of the rebels which is all set to assume power in a matter of days. After all, analysts say, when the government accords top priority to the Maoists in order to bring the latter into the mainstream politics of the country and that the rebels who are very close to the power corridors and have assured the countrymen that they would abide by the democratic norms and behaviors, too should have been consulted as a matter of fact for the nominations of the ambassadorial posts. But they were not perhaps which is why the Maoists exhibited their military prowess last week by ordering their militant cadres to come out of the cantonments in protest of the government's unilateral decision as regards the diplomatic posts.
Koirala says he had enough consultations with Prachanda and that he did the nomination after consulting the rebel chief.
"Had there been consultation in this regard, we are not that fool to have expressed our reservations", lamented Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai recently.
Be that as it may, the manner the Maoists reacted to government's nomination does indicate that should they differ with government's future decisions, they will come out of the barracks come what may.
Thanks the patience of the Nepal army that any mishap which could have taken place was averted.
To sum up, what comes to the surface is that the present tussle between the parties, Maoists included, will continue which will remain confined to the "distribution" of the lucrative posts. Each political party will demand its share in the states' power structure thereby ignoring the real and pressing issues of the country.
By and large what has also come to the fore is that the rebels too were no exception in so far as demanding rewarding posts for their cadres were concerned.
This trend, indeed a sad one, if continued for long then what is for sure is that a perennial fight in between and among the major political parties can't be ruled out.
Fiery speeches and lectures apart, lust for power and pelf has become the Nepali trait.
New dictator in the offing!
Kathmandu : It has not for nothing been said History repeats itself.
This has come to true in Nepal's case if one were to closely read in between the lines what have been drafted in the yet-to-be promulgated interim constitution.
A cursory glance over the draft of the interim constitution gives one the impression that the drafters of the said constitution concentrated their entire efforts in empowering the country's interim prime minister and brought at par with the powers that generally are executed by the Head of the State.
This is exactly what had happened during the Rana oligarchy which ruled the country for a century plus by keeping the Head of the State, the King in Nepal 's case, to the confinements of the Royal Palace .
History is on record that such empowerment of the prime minister not at all times becomes beneficial to the state and her people. If the rule of the Rana prime ministers were any guide then what could now be said of this country is that, analysts presume, Nepal as a nation-state is being pushed to the same oligarchic rule of the prime minister.
Democracy believes in separation of powers. Democracy believes in decentralization of powers and democracy believes in making compromises in order to allow the system to function in a smooth manner.
However, the drafters of the interim constitution appear to have been misguided by some invisible quarters and made the prime minister all powerful who is supposed to remain above the law.
This is unacceptable to a democratic system. Nevertheless, Nepal will have to bear with such a prime minister in the coming days as there has been no provision to kick him out.
The Prime Minister can't be held responsible for any mis-conduct or even undemocratic moves as there has been no mechanism compiled in the draft of the interim constitution to check his or her wrong doings.
Analysts presume that the drafters of the constitution believed that Nepal will have a "benevolent" prime minister and concluded that it would be politically wise to equip all the powers to this personality instead of providing the same to the now defunct Head of the State.
But what if the presumed compassionate prime minister acts in a dictatorial manner?
It has also been said in the theory of political science that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
What is the guarantee that the presumed benevolent chief of the executive turns out to be a dictator?
The interim constitution has no provisions to control this dictatorial trend of the prime minister. In that case the country men and its people will have to bear with this trait as there are no options left with them other than to reel under the tyranny of the prime minister.
Secondly, no specified dates have been set for the interim government to function in the said draft constitution. This should mean that if the men in the government so desire they can prolong their rule under one pretext or the other. This also means that should the political parties in government decide the postponement of the much publicized CA polls, they can do so very easily as the parties have yet to decide upon the dates for the CA polls.
This finally means that the country will be left to the mercy of the SPA leaders Maoists included.
This is not only dangerous but frightening as well for the draft of the interim constitution in the name of cutting the limbs of the King have facilitated the way for the emergence of yet another dictator.
The said interim constitution has come under scathing criticisms from various quarters. Constitutional experts say that the draft is not only misleading but dangerous in content as well. They opine that the constitution has empowered the prime minister in such a manner that the man in the seat as the chief of the executive would be easily tempted to become a dictator.
Be that as it may, the constitution is yet to be promulgated. Who will be the next prime minister is still a matter of guess works only. Under these circumstances, analysts prefer to wait and see how the events unfold after the promulgation of the controversial constitution.
Numerically strong Left prepared to outdo Liberals
Kathmandu : The interim constitution has been drafted presuming that the next prime minister of this country for the interim period would be a benign political celebrity who will restrain himself in exercising the rights and the prerogatives accorded to him by the new draft of the constitution. 
Some even say that the interim constitution has been basically designed keeping in mind the towering democratic personality of the incumbent prime minister-Shri Girija Prasad Koirala.
Well, others say fine if Koirala takes over the charge of the next prime minister as this political stalwart knows the values and the ideals of democracy and thus he would in no way and in no circumstances kill the real values of democracy. This section believes that since Koirala is a die hard democrat and hence to expect that Koirala will exceed his limits will be a premature conclusion.
But then what if Koirala fails to be a man of consensus among the SPA leaders and the Maoists for the candidacy of the next prime minister?
A section of the analysts see the preparation of a grand design being framed at some dark corners of Kathmandu wherein it is being discussed on how to replace Koirala by some one who is not from the congress and fill the vacant post by some one liked and selected by this group of people sitting in the dark.
Chances are that the next prime ministerial post this time might not go to the fold of Koirala as easily as someone might have in his or her mind. 
Look at these figures set for the next interim legislature. The Nepali congress under Koirala will have seventy three seats of the total seats in the next parliament. Let's presume for the moment that the two congress parties unite. In this eventuality the total number possessed by the united congress would come out to be just 121.
Look at the other side of the coin.
The Maoists have been allowed to have 73 seats in the next legislature. This is not a frightening figure in itself. What if this figure is allowed to swell to the strength of 145? This figure, analysts presume, the Maoists will have with them if in the name of the formation of a broader Left front, the Maoists and the present day UML join their hands and push their candidate for the next prime minister forwarding their claim that since they have outnumbered the Congress in the parliament numerically, they should be given the right for the nomination of the Prime ministership.
If it is so then the Congress will be obliged to go the way the Maoists-UML combine desire. The UML has been given 72 seats in the parliament. Recently Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, a Maoist leader is on record to have urged the UML for the unity among the two left parties. This adds to the strength of this analysis.
In this eventuality, the congress ambition to grab the next Premiership will remain a mirage only.
The worst is yet to come.
Some 48 seats have been allocated for the civil society members and independent personalities.
If the past events that changed the country's political shape last April were any guide, one has to admit the bitter truth that it were the members of the civil society who were ferociously vocal against the Royal regime and were judged by acclaimed independent analysts to have been closer to the Maoists.
If it were so as judged by the analysts then what comes to the fore is that the combined numerical strength of the UML-Maoists will further get swelled when the majority of the civil society vote in favor of the broader left front inside the parliament that will chose the next prime minister for this country for the interim period.
This is just an analysis. Nothing to panic though. However, what is for sure is that if the broader Left front is formed and joined by those mentioned just above, the next premiership will certainly go to the pockets of the Left and that too in an easy manner.
Logically the captainship should go to the Left in that case. If it is so then how the liberals housed in different camps will fare politically in the days ahead will have to be watched.
It would also be interesting to watch how the international community would treat the government of the Left thus formed legally garnering the required numerical strength in the parliament.
Will the Palestinian precedence be applied by the west?
Who is spreading communal discord?
Kathmandu : The freshly concluded CC meet of the Maoists has come out with fresh political agenda to be taken up by the party prior to going to the CA polls.
The CC meet listened to the political presentation of Prachanda wherein the latter indicated that his party have yet to fight against the remnants of feudalism and "uni-polar imperialism" which, according to him, were posing various challenges to the party. 
Prachanda urged his cadres to carry the ongoing proletarian movement to a new height. He also felt the need for the polarization among the left forces scattered in the country and also held that the old structure of the party needed reforms and restructuring in order to cope with the new challenges.
A press note issued by the party says that Prachanda's political presentation was adopted.
A close look at the press note tells that the Maoists have yet to reconcile with the American administration and the rebels see an enemy in America for understandable political reasons. Is it because American Ambassador James Moriarty's insistence to the Nepal government that the Maoists could well be inducted in the interim arrangement only if they laid down their arms and weaponries unconditionally? Perhaps this condition set by US Ambassador is hurting the Maoists which appears to have prompted them to see and enemy in the US line of thinking vis-à-vis the Maoists.
Interesting enough, for the Maoists, India now no longer remains an expansionist nation. The fact is that, as the cartoon will reveal, India continues to encroach upon our lands here and there. The Maoists' silence over this fact is no less intriguing.
The far flung USA for the Maoists continues to be an imperialist country. How come this paradigm shift in looking at India ? Will the Maoists convince the population? What changes they saw in Indian policies vis-à-vis Nepal that they preferred to look India not as an expansionist force? They are answerable to this. They must convince the population citing proper instances.
A modest plea to the Maoists. Never trust India . India could be with any one who served her prime interests in this country. Achtung! Be careful in reading Indian designs. Remember your party's first four demands that you pushed to the perusal of Deuba government as back as in 1996. Or else it would be concluded that your party has deleted those first four points that are genuinely nationalistic in nature and content, analysts maintain.
The press note, however, remains silent over the clandestine Indian maneuverings which have, says bluntly the SANGHU weekly in its front page write-up, been delaying the promulgation of the interim constitution, interim government and finally the polls to the constituent assembly.
The weekly in its December 25 issue bluntly declares that practically all the major political parties have become subservient to Indian designs which have caused irreparable damage to the very body politic of the country.
The weekly even sees the ongoing unrest in the Terai belt as to have been clandestinely engineered by India which in the weekly's view been spreading communal discord in and among the Nepalese living in the Terai, whether they be Madhesis or Pahades. Analysts say the persons involved in spreading communal disharmony must be located and brought before the laws of the land. They say that the Nepalese have ever remained peaceful and have never quarreled with each other on communal and fanatic lines. Wherever we are, we are Nepalese first, analysts opine. Nevertheless, the Teraians have some issues of their genuine concerns which ought to be addressed before it is too late.
According to the weekly, while on the one hand India appears to be in a mood to protect the institution of the monarchy in Nepal come what may, on the other the Indian establishment's support to the Nepali leaders who subscribe to the Loktantric views.
The weekly states that recently concluded merger in between the parties led by Keshar Bista and S. B.Thapa as an Indian ploy in order to protect the institution of the monarchy. It also predicts that it would be no wonder if Indian establishment boosted the morale of the Royalists and made them to go against the supporters of Loktantra.
This India would do only when she concludes that the leaders of the Loktantra were good for nothing for the Indian establishment in terms of serving Indian interests in Nepal .
Nevertheless, India would seek support first from the Loktantric leaders in getting the extradition treaty passed and will also exploit Nepal 's water resources at a cheap dirt price. If they honor the Indian proposals it would be Okay. If not, says the weekly, India would not mind in boosting the sagging morale of the Royalists to the extent that the Nepali political parties will be forced to plunge themselves in an internecine war with each other which would keep the country ever unstable. It is at this juncture, whether it be the King or the Loktantric people at the helm of state affairs, India will twist the Nepali arm which is not an unknown phenomenon at all.
The rest the cartoon printed here would explain.
Mediocre peace!
Kathmandu : Hardly it has been eight months the Maoists' have joined the competitive politics. Hardly people in the country have taken a sigh of relief from a decade long bloodshed that engulfed the country in totality. The changes brought about by the bloodshed are yet to be felt in general.
Yet, another from of conflict has already arrived with a big bang at the doors of the otherwise peaceful people of this country. Some analysts declare that the impact of this conflict, the seeds that were sown long time back is going to be much larger in magnitude than the Maoist led rebellion and will have much higher impact in the being of the nation as a whole.
A curfew was imposed in Nepaljung, must probably first time after the April change. The issue is obviously the much ignored issue of Madhesi and Pahade.
Clashes erupted between the Madhesi and Pahade during the Nepal Sadvawana Party(Anandi-Devi), an ally in the current SPA led government declared closure in the area. The NSP(A) cadres vandalized some shops and vehicles as well.
The party has demanded that election constituencies for the constituent assembly polls be determined on the basis of population instead of what has been drafted in the interim constitution.
Enbref
Bhutanese refugee crisis: India says "NO" to mediation
Kathmandu: Nepal's request to India for help in the repatriation of Bhutanese refugees is unlikely to yield positive result, as India is still unwilling to involve in the matter, Indo-Asian News Service reported quoting Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who recently ruled out Indian involvement in the crisis, saying that the problem was a bilateral one between Nepal and Bhutan.
More than 105,000 Bhutanese refugees are living in UN-supported camps in eastern Nepal since early 1990s.
Mr. Mukherjee in his recent visit to Kathmandu paid no interest to questions posed by journalists on Bhutanese refugee crisis in Nepal .
Labor export declines
Kathmandu : The latest report issued by the department of labor indicated the low export of Labors that went down by around 5.5 percent to 73,998, compared to 78,332 recorded in the similar period last fiscal year. The figures show that for the first time in the last 2. 5 years, the number of people leaving Nepal for employment purpose has declined.
A drop in demand from Qatar, and the workers reluctance to go to Malaysia due to stringent policies for migrant played a crucial role in bringing down the figures," the report indicates. The signing of the peace accord in the country could have also caused the decline in the number of workers leaving home this time, the Labor Department officials indicated.
Carter Center team to arriving shortly
Kathmandu : A Carter Center team will arrive early in January to monitor preparations for the Constituent Assembly elections, news reports indicate. "This team will monitor the election preparations and provide recommendations as appropriate to key electoral actors," news reports quoted a member of the visiting team.
The international observers from the Centre would have diverse roles in creating an electoral environment free from fear, violence or fraud which will be critical to ensuring a successful holding of the elections.
The reports also stated that 10 long-term observers (LTO) will come to Nepal roughly five months in advance of the elections. The observers will monitor the election environment in the districts and help build confidence in the democratic process, he added.
Dabur-Nepal in Banepa closed down indefinitely
Kathmandu : The Dabur Nepal, Banepa branch, an Indian venture in Nepal has closed down its herbal plant due to security problems.
According to the company the female workers working in the green house face security problems, this is the main reason e to shut down the operation indefinitely, an official indicated. Whereas news reports claim that labor problem in its factory, situated in Birgunj has forced it to close down the factory's production unit.
Nepal-China Boundary JIC meet begins
Kathmandu : A 12-member Chinese delegation led by Li Quinguan is participating in the Fourth Regional Session of the Joint Inspection Committee (JIC) of Nepal-China Boundary meet.
The meeting of the JIC will review the outcome of the fieldwork of joint inspection carried out along the boundary jointly by Nepal and China during April and September 2006.
Nepal Israel establish air link
Kathmandu : Nepal and Israel are entitled to operate four passenger and three cargo flights per week.
This was said amid a function as Israeli Ambassador, Dan Stav and Madhav Prasad Ghimire, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation signed an Air Services Agreement between the two countries.
No fund to feed Butanese: WFP
Kathmandu : The UN World Food Program (WFP) has said it would not be able to provide full food rations to more than 106,000 Bhunatese refugees living in camps in eastern Nepal from January 2007, unless there is an immediate infusion of fund from the international donor community, a statement released by the WFP-Kathmandu indicated.
"The donor community has always come through and provided critical assistance to the Bhutanese refugees since 1992 but no funds at all have been forthcoming for the next two-year program, which starts on 1 January 2007," the WFP office stated.
The WFP spent about 9.3 million U.S. dollars in 2006 to feed the refugees, news reports indicate.
