Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Mrs. Savitree Thapa Gurung

Table 1. Statistics of the conditions of Women.

Source: census 2001, Central Bureau of Statistics

Gender equality enables both men and women to develop in a more balanced and multifaceted way, and to discard the stereotypes so crucial to shifting family dynamics and to accord women full access to the world of work. It also enables both sexes to recognize each other's need building awareness vital to the resolution of the issues associated with women's health. It also enables the replacement of unequal relationships and tendencies toward domination and aggression with genuine partnership between the sexes characterized by collaboration and sharing of resources and decision-making.

6.2 Exclusion/Inclusion : Development cannot be attained excluding majority of the population (e, g, from different background caste/ethnicity, sex, religion, class, and region) including most energetic youth population. On the contrary to this thesis, exclusion is rampant in Nepal , obviously shown from 237 years when the great King Prithivi Narayan Shah unified Nepal . Exclusion is also one kind of exploitation. You pay no attention to people of not your choice. You give chances to the people who are of your preference in every sector of state, e.g. in executive, legislative and judiciary and other state owned and more of semi government and even private sector. You do not do this by force. You build such mechanism that the whole process goes well, and there is no room for question. No one questions why there are those and why not the other. Then you give them that are because of meritocracy. You do this by one religion, one nation, one culture policy and of course one sex policy. So you cannot see much women in the fore even if they are from mainstreaming line. Even women from high cast and elite group are not in there because the remote control is in high caste Hindu male and of course elite. However because of the one religion/culture policy caste people who are not in position of controlling the of resources get better condition for their livelihood than those who are not in this class. For example Dalits is Hindu by religion, but they are excluded to practice the religion by not welcoming to any Hindu Temple is an irony. Similarly, the women of caste by religion are welcome. However it is the Hindu myth, which forbids them to take part in religious and social performances when they get menstruation. During this period, they are treated as untouchables even to go to the cow shade for those days in far western region of Nepal . However, it is necessary to understand that they have some sorts of privileges and they get trickle down effect of some sorts of benefits because of being born in high caste. Renowned women right activist Kamala Bhasin (1993:16) says "Women have always shared the class privileges of men of their class as long as they were under 'the protection' of a man" …for women, other than those of the lower classes, the 'reciprocal agreement' went like this: in exchange for your sexual, economic, political, and intellectual subordination to men you may share the power of men of your class to exploit men and women of the lower class. For this problem of exclusion a quote from Mahendra Lawoti is perfect to mention here. Lawoti (2004:167) "Without inclusion, it is hardly possible to develop human resources in Nepal because exclusionary policies of the state are responsible for the illiteracy and underdevelopment of various Socio cultural communities and their members. Thus, if Nepal wants to achieve economic development it is high time that it includes its large segment of the excluded population".

6.3 Employment : Youth and employment is interrelated and I think when there is no unemployment there is more development. People older than ten years old are regarded economically active. Though the number of young people ranging from 15 to 29 is 12.9, which is by now 27 percent, the economically active youth mass is just 36.39, which may be by now different. This is, hence, the problem of employment is considered the main problem of the youth. The statistics, however, doesn't state information of the youth in terms of employment. The bulk of employment of Nepalese youth is on agriculture. More than 81.1 percentage of the people rely on agriculture who is more than ten years old (Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture, 2053). On the one hand, large section of Nepalese youth is deprived from educational opportunities, like skill education and on the other hand, educational unemployment is still persistent. Lack of proper educational environment and skill and job oriented education, a large number of youth are helpless.

Exclusion is also one of the causes of unemployment. Those group who are not elite, and not in mainstreaming easily get unemployed. According to Todaro, "The most conspicuous dimension of the unemployment problem in Third World countries is its prevalence among people between the ages of 15 to 24 years. Youth unemployment affects both educated and uneducated, women as well as men. Unemployed young people tend to be concentrated in urban areas. Many have recently migrated from the rural countryside, and their expectation of finding well-paid work are often unrealistically high. With rapid population growth rates, a sizable youth dependency ratio, and a bourgeoning labor force of younger new entrants, youth unemployment poses a serious threat to future development many less developed countries" (Todaro 1997:242).

6.4 Education : Education is the fundamental to overall human development. More to that we should be aware that youth is the group who need the education which is very necessary to development. Not only formal but also a lot of informal knowledge and information is necessary for these group to escape from many undesired complications. In this regard, the Kathmandu Post in 'youth at risk without sex education ' reports how without education one woman became commercial sex worker in the age of eighteen when her husband abandoned her. She never knew about sex related complexities and had sexual relation when she was 11 years old. By the age of 18, she already had two children. There are lot examples of this kind. In the same article, it was reported, a quoting of Ramesh Uprety (Programme Manager of youth department in Family planning Association Nepal) who says, "young people are dragged into multiple problems due to lack of knowledge and information about sexual and reproductive health" (27 December 2005).

6.5 Conflict : Increasing poverty, violence, and hopelessness in many neighborhoods threaten young people's welfare and make developmental opportunities scarcer for several reasons. Crime and violence affect young people's ability to move about their neighborhoods safely to participate in-after-school activities. Conflict has created very complicated scenario in Nepal in general and in Villages of Nepal particular. The revolutionary's wing of Nepal Communist Party Maoists, most of them are all youth ranging roughly 15 to 30 Years old, which has pushed the country to ever rising tension, and for those who are to flee foreign countries to seek job are large numbers of youth. And there are equal numbers of youth being displaced to their own country. The causes of all this phenomenon are supposed to be deprivation of opportunity, under employment, unemployment, social exclusion, non-performing governance, discrimination, uneven distribution of wealth and human resources

The conflict situation is forcing out young residents of war –torn western districts from their homes, with most of them flocking to Kathmandu Valley every day in search of job and security. In this regard, the report from the Kathmandu Post ( Jan. 27, 2005 ) is notable example. Santa Bahadur Ale who is working in brick factory in Bhaktapur expresses his sorrow thus "Maoists demand us to join n militia, the army arrests doubting us to be Maoists". One youth expresses his sorrow who had recently fled his hometown to Kathmandu and puts his words "Only women, children and some elderly people are left in the villages. When they die, there will be no-one to perform their funeral rites" (in Kathmandu Post 2005, Jan, 27). Young boys and girls in Rukum, Rolpa, Dang, Salyan and periphery districts are the most affected area by Maoist insurgents. They are fleeing every day in thousands to India , and nearby capital if not Kathmandu . While their fields are barren in village, they have to work like donkey to earn one time meal.

Conflict not only creates the problem but also increases the problems. As many people go to different parts of India because of the conflict situation, they turn out to be the HIV positive when they return to home. A report of the Kathmandu post estimates that trafficking of women and girls (mainly from young age group) into India for domestic servitude of work in carpet factories, circuses, farms, road construction and other purposes, and more to sexual exploitation, has increased HIV AIDS due to armed conflict and displacement of people which is going on from February 1996. The same report maintains that "the armed conflict has caused population movements to and from high HIV AIDS prevalent areas such as parts of India and also sexual violence, an increased presence of armed personnel separated from their families for extended period periods". ( Jan 27, 2005 the Kathmandu Post). Increased level commercial sex work by girls displaced by the armed conflict is also a contributing factor.

6.6 Migration : Mostly youth who migrates into various countries of the world, which has long term effect into the development of such nation. Due to growing conflict in the nation, the huge number of women youth has fled to foreign countries in search of work and opportunities. According to the recent statistics, the number of women have gone to foreign country has sharply risen to 351 within the month of Kartik of this year, against the data of the last year's annual data 893. This is an indication of women's courage to go to foreign countries for the opportunities, where as the country is raising voice against women's' cause. Work of this kind has not made women to seek alternative family income, but also has sought a possibility to open new door to the national income says Durga Ghimire, a renown social worker (Paudel, R., 2005, 25 December).

Another form of migration is American Diversified Visa (DV) which is the lottery system of United States of America (USA), from which every year many Nepalese are fleeing to America dreaming of better future. This is the age of exploring new opportunities for survival and in some cases for better career. The people who have the survival problem cannot go there because of money and other limitations. Lots of youth who are going to Arabian world have a quest for financial family survival. From the DV system of migration, USA is getting the skilled youth human resource free of cost, are the product of long-term investment of Nepal . According to theory of economics the youths are the main source of production. So, this is the total loss for country when they go to USA under DV. The people who are not skilled and educated cannot get the visa even if they get lottery. The youth (mostly) population who go to Arab world they bring remittance, however the people who go to USA through DV they neither bring remittance but its against they sell their all property to permanently settle in USA . And the British Gorkhas have also found new opportunities as the government have facilitated them get indefinite visa to UK which is another problem for economic sector. Nepal is facing this irony, because it has not able to create good opportunities to educated youth.

6.7 Peace : Peace is the thrust of all in contemporary Nepal . Without peace no development can be achieved. Our country has been war- turned right now and there are a lot of conflicts going on. It seems the peace is far dream for Nepalese people. So many youth populace has jump into Jungle and so many are in security force. Youth has significant role towards peaceful condition, which leads to development of the nation. In today's situation, so many of youth population have been involved in insurgency (the Maoist insurgency which has began in February 1996 by Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist), which is obvious in every Nepali citizen's eye. The people who are killed from February 1996 to December 2004 are total 10,681. Out of the total killed, 6,991 or 65.6 percent were killed by state (INSEC file in Gurung 2004). So those who are killed and those who kill mostly from youth population mainly is the tragedy to the nation. All group in general and youth in particular has to play vital role to establish peace in country through inclusive democracy where every person of caste/ethnic, region, language, sex, and religion has their proper share/representation/say in state's political, economic, cultural and social sector

6.8 Media : Media sector has gone to its rapid growth after the 1990. Media personnel claim that they have contributed to form the public opinion more to the nation in one hand on the other hand mostly do not agree in this opinion. Most view that media play according to partisan interest. According to Bhattachan (2004) "There are hard evidences that media professionals are often males, mostly from Bahun-Chettri castes and some from the Newars (Onta in Bhattachan, 2004). Representation of indigenous nationalities, Dalits and Madhesis is nominal. Representation of Madhesis indigenous nationalities and Madhesi Dalits is almost negligible". Media are not free from prejudices to do fair analysis n most of the cases. However there is no debate that media can play a vital role to create public opinion, which directs nation and mostly youth are engaged in this sector.. Government owned media always advocate government activities, program, plan and policies and private media according to their interest. More than that since media sector also dominated by High Hindu caste elite and male, it seems always bias to other sector of the society. For example Acharya talks about gender bias of Media, "Ahile RAPRAPA bhaneko Kangress ka lagi gharania pariwar bata bhitriaeki sahrai mukhale dulahi justi bhae raheki cha…" (Khagendra Sangraula, Saptahik Jana Astha, Kartik 15, 2052 in Acharya 2003).

To give small view what percentage of women are in Media:

Table 2. Percent Women in Media

Source: Asmita Publishing House, 2003 in Acharya, 2003.

Media can play important role in the youth program directly and indirectly. It, first of all, helps the youth to be aware of their civic rights to the society, there by making them capable to discharge their roles as political sensitive citizens of a country. If they become able to understand their role, it portends a positive not only to the political program but making them planks to spread such programs throughout the country.

Finally, for the development and egalitarian society, first of all, the conflicting and chaotic situation of Nepal should be resolved. To resolve this present stalemate so many scholars and party leaders have given so many visions, which is well known to this noble gathering. Many scholars and party leaders have talked about inclusive democracy for the long impending political imbroglio in Nepal . Some have emphasized on multiparty democracy and constitutional monarchy, however others have given emphasis on constitutional assembly, thereby writing a new constitution for the establishment of peoples' democracy. In any case this stalemate should end. For the establishment of a democratic society, which only can lead to prosperity of the nation, youth has a vita role to play. They are the most energetic group of people and the change of society. The demand of inclusive democracy is not so easy task even if there is contracting point among many political parties now on the verge. The whole country should be restructured to get a just and egalitarian society. For that inclusive democracy is the demand of the time. People of caste/ethnicity, language, gender, and region all should get their proper share, representation and recognition. All sectors and groups in different in social, cultural and religious diversities should have right to be different, and should also get access to representation in mainstreaming government which is parliament, executive, judiciary, administration, international representation, local level organization and so on.

Telegraph Special:

Sherpa society and the status of their women

Sylvia Ehrhardt, Germany (Currently FES intern in Kathmandu)

There are about 23 Mio. human beings living in Nepal. Around 50 % of them are Women. They are living in the hilly area in northern, western and eastern part of the country, in the plains of southern part called Terai and they also have their living and working places in the Kathmandu-Valley.

Besides the Nepali inhabitants can be divided in to two main ethnic groups. The first is called Indo-Aryan group to which belongs castes like Brahmin, Chhetri, Newar and Damai. The second one is the Tibeto-Burman group like Gurung, Rais, Tamangs, Limbu and Sherpa, too.

I’m working as a volunteer at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nepal. This article was written by me after finishing of two months studies about Sherpa society and the role of their women. I will continue my work until end of February and this article is a good chance of making an abstract.

There are around 155.000 Sherpa women and men living in Nepal: that’s only 0,68% of total inhabitants of the Hindu kingdom.

Sherpas’ ancestors came from different localities in the Salmo Gang district of the Kham region of eastern Tibet, between 1480 and 1500. Their reason for leaving was apparently to escape the turmoil of war being carried on by the Mongols in eastern Tibet. Sherpa as the name can be derived from “sher-wa”. That means like “people from the east”

They crossed the Nangpa La ( Nangpa Pass) between the border of Tibet and Nepal went down to the Solu Khumbu region and settled in the higher area of southern Himalaya range. Today they are still living there.

In the present days many Sherpas also live in the Katmandu-Valley because of the tourist sector. Most of them look for jobs as a guide or porter for trekking tours or mountain expeditions.

People staying in their homeland have often built new lodges and guesthouses for the tourists from all over the world visiting this area.

Sherpas are both sociable and commercial people. They have a good hand for business making and you can find many trekking agencies leading by Sherpa. No marvel because they are the specialists in mountaineering and have many experiences with tourists from all over the world.

During my first two months of working as a volunteer at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nepal I have got an impression of the Sherpa society and – of course – what is the status of women inside this ethnic group. I would like to give some examples:

Rituals for Naming

When a little child was born it will take place a ceremony only few days later in order to give him or her a name. All neighbors, friends and the family will be invited. Everybody brings gifts or money – this is the principle and the etiquette in Sherpa culture.

During the Puja a Lama will announce the name of the little baby. Guests, both women and men will take part in the ceremony. Every time the hostess and host offer tea (salty or sweet) and it will be never stopped. The tea is offered from women, not from the hostess (she is the mother of the baby) but from younger women. They could have been younger sisters or friends.

But both hostess and host are looking every time that every guest is feeling fine. During the naming the mother is holding her child and the husband sit on her right site. The Lama announces the name of baby and gives both woman and baby water to drink. Finally father, mother and child have got an own katar and red chain as a sign for relatedness.

After finishing the Puja the meal is offered and it is celebrated the whole day with dancing and singing. The meal is also prepared by younger women.

Preparation of a Wedding

During my traveling to Solu-Khumbu I’ve got the chance to participate in a wedding preparation in Namche Bazaar. The parents of the daughter who will marriage one month later in Kathmandu, had to invited all relatives and friends from this area to give a party. Because not all of them have the opportunity traveling to Kathmandu. Therefore the parents had decided to give a pre-wedding-party for all. No expense or effort was spared to feel all guests very comfortable. Such like me was invited spontaneously. Both hostess and host had participated on the party the whole time. The food was prepared by a catering company. The guests were also equal, spoke and played together. Later in the evening women and men were singing and dancing together.

Working and general conditions

All Sherpa women who I have got to know the last two months are working and spending their own money for instance as a leader from travel agencies, they work as nurses or teachers. That means they are independent of her men’s salary, they have to make their own decisions and all of them met many different human beings every day.

At home Sherpa women supervise their household. Together with their husbands they are responsible for a good education of their children. They also often make decisions together. That means within features like working, decision making and celebrating Sherpa women have an equal status in the Sherpa society.

Nepal Sherpa Women Association
But you can’t generally say that all Sherpa women are the same like I have described.

There are also women needing help. Therefore Nepal Sherpa Women Association was founded. This organisation is situated in Boudha and is from Sherpa women for Sherpa women. Together with them I’ve got the chance looking into life and work of Sherpa women.

Nepal Sherpa Women Association (NSWA) was established in 2003 as a non-profitable, non-political and non-governmental organisation by a nucleus of some enthusiastic Sherpa Women in Boudha.Its first and general objective was to raise the social, economic and political status of Sherpa women.
After few months of working many women from different ethnic groups turn to NSWA and ask for help. Since that time the Nepal Sherpa Women Association supports women from all ethnic groups of Nepal and contributes to a mutual and peaceful understanding.

Major Programs

(Address of NSWA: Nepal Sherpa Women Association, P.O.Box: 2796, Boudha – 6, Jorpati, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel.: 00977-4-485 461, Fax: 00977-4-485 461, Email: atesnimi@wlink.com.np)

Summary

During the last two months of my studies I’ve got the chance to learn more about the Sherpa society and the status of their women. Generally speaking the Sherpas are very hospitable, sociable and helpful. They have also good hands for business making (both men and women).

In the face of my article and the experiences I have made during the last time I can say that within features like above mentions Sherpa women have the same rights like Sherpa men. They are self-confident, spend their own money and make their own decisions.

But there are also different features (like inheritance, marriage etc.). All these I will examine in the next two month.

Correct approach will address insurgency

Dr Thomas A Marks, Risk Consultant , USA

Dr Thomas A Marks is a political risk consultant based in Honolulu , Hawaii , USA . He is a scholar with hundreds of articles and research papers including books on Maoist insurgencies worldwide to his credit. He frequently visits Nepal to study the ongoing conflict. Dr Marks regularly contributes to Counter Terrorism magazine published by International Association of Counter-terrorism and Security Professionals based in the US .

He talked to P Rana of Nepaleyes on his recent visit here. We at the Telegraph have decided to reprint for the readers interest. We thank the Nepaleyes and Mr. Rana-editor. Excerpts:

How do you analyze the conflict in Nepal ? Any likelihood of peace, or will one side prevail decisively?

Let us be frank: Miscues by all concerned have resulted in stalemate. The Maoists, having established themselves in rural areas, have come face-to-face with the structural realities underlying Nepali underdevelopment. The result is marauding gangs of young people who are rapidly becoming minor warlords. Maoist misbehavior and miscalculation have given them a rump state with the GDP of the Sahara Desert and a sullen, resentful, captive population. Maoist illegitimacy, however, cannot be exploited by a state that has not resolved its own issues of legitimacy. These require little elaboration by me, save to state the obvious. Having proceeded erratically in its approach to the insurgency, the state finds its political position weak and its security forces, stronger though they are, able to project power anywhere but unable to remain and consolidate gains. Instances of indiscipline remain common enough to negate the advantage provided by the Maoists’ own problems with indiscipline, unbridled kidnapping, murder, and robbery. The major political parties, hamstrung as ever by their lack of vision and determination to engage in obstructionism, have decided that their battle with the monarchy takes precedence over all else. “Peace” is the card they are presently playing in their bid to return to power. Yet there is not an inkling that they have given any more thought now to the particulars of good governance than they did previously in their decade of mismanagement. They simply state that they have learned their lesson. As for the foreign presence: it is fairly evenly divided between those working behind-the-scenes to bring down the royal government and those wishing “compromise” could be rendered into Nepali. In summation, no side is able to prevail decisively, and the likelihood is for more of the same.

If the Maoists somehow win and take over Nepal , can they sustain their radical regime given Nepal 's geopolitical situation and the current international system?

As I have stated earlier in this forum, key to the nature of such a hypothetical regime is what the Maoists are really after. One thing for sure, they simply are not saying what the political parties claim they are saying. This evidence is not hard to come by – the Maoists themselves disseminate it. Prisoners and captured documents confirm it. Leaving this point aside and moving further to address your question, it is noteworthy that no radical regime in the past century has been able to sustain itself, unless one places in that category North Korea . Still, as with its predecessors, North Korea is collapsing. But in collapsing, radical dictatorships have always functioned as killing machines. This is integral to the nature of the beast. They ultimately find themselves isolated, unable to go on. In the short-term, though, such regimes can find support for their crimes. Simply look south, where on the 16th (of this month) the Indian legal Marxists rallied in support of not only Pyongyang but of those other shining examples of democracy and development – Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela – and the Nepalese Maoists and their Seven-Party Alliance pseudo-comrades! India itself, winking at the actions of left-wing members of the ruling coalition, is foolish in thinking it can “buy off” the Nepali Maoists, even as New Delhi ’s own Maoist problem surges.

You have intensively studied the conflict in Colombia . Do you see parallels between Nepal and Colombia ? Can we learn anything?

Both major insurgent groups in Colombia see themselves as Marxist-Leninist: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the National Liberation Army, or ELN. They are not Maoist but advance many of the same hackneyed slogans and programs as does the CPN (M). FARC does utilize for its operational doctrine the same “people’s war” approach as the Nepalese Maoists, so one sees a close correspondence in developments on the ground. In fact, by mid-1998 in Colombia, elimination of police presence, attacks upon government main forces, and lack of national strategy and planning had produced a serious situation that some saw as stalemate. That events have turned around so dramatically does offer lessons for Nepal . A federal system of democracy, based upon maturing local autonomy, especially at the local level, produced a superb wartime president in Alvaro Uribe. He was able to implement an integrated, multifaceted strategy to Colombia ’s challenges by using a greatly reformed military as the shield behind which social and economic development could further political legitimacy. Negotiations are part of Uribe’s approach, but all has depended upon security forces that, in 2005, are better than those of most NATO member states – and only vaguely resemble those of, say, 1995, when the situation began to deteriorate.

Defense experts in Nepal say the government lacks coherent military strategy to defeat/contain the insurgency. What advice would you offer to the government?

Any military strategy must exist only to facilitate the political struggle, which in turn includes the economic and social campaigns. The Maoists, as the counter-state, are quite aware of this and have played their cards rather better than the state. The generic advice is as simple in concept as it is complex in implementation. A counterinsurgency campaign gets in place that which is correct and sustainable, then it plays for the breaks. A “correct” approach is one that addresses the causes of the insurgency. Legitimacy is always the center of gravity, certainly it is in this case. A “sustainable” approach is defined by the state itself, most particularly in terms of human and fiscal cost. “The breaks” come from those shifts in internal and/or external circumstances that lead to a change in the correlation of forces. Countries such as Thailand , the Philippines , and Peru have all been through this process. Operationally, what they did was set in motion a plan that built upon local democratic capacity, sound governance, micro-development, and social equality in order to mobilize the state against the Maoist “new order.” They all articulated a vision. It is not enough to fight against something; you must fight for something. If you can’t state why you fight, you’re lost.

Do you, as an expert see the insurgents serious about peace and their commitment to multi-party democracy this time?

What is noteworthy about Maoist insurgencies is that they say and advocate the same things – and they all claim they will be “different,” avoid the crimes of the past. Unfortunately, the crimes are part and parcel of the structural “answer” they advance to society’s ills. It’s simply too easy, under a dictatorship of the proletariat, by whatever cover name, to stop trying to convince people and to kill them instead. Yes, the Nepali Maoists have stated that they will be different. Yet their strategy has been textbook in all its particulars, right down to the present use of nonviolent means to accomplish violent ends. They see themselves at an epochal moment when they can play Mr Outside to the seven parties Mr Inside, classic salami tactics of the first (Leninist) order. This is also what they are telling their people. Does this mean there is no room for accommodation? Certainly not – but not under the terms of reference as tabled by the UML, claiming to faithfully represent what the Maoists have undertaken. The UML is either naïve or quibbling. The Maoists have stated quite clearly that “absolute democracy” – which means ousting the monarchy – is to be achieved by a united front (they use other terms) of themselves and the seven-parties. That doesn’t sound like compromise.

Do you think the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) is under equipped to deal with the rebels? If yes, what does it need? Leadership, strategy, materials or all of them?

RNA needs to be part of a national strategy for democratic governance. Tangible weapons are secondary to intangible ones, such as leadership and planning. Operationally, RNA has not yet accepted that there is no way around the classic force-multiplication conundrum inherent to counterinsurgency save through mobilizing local forces. Call them Home Guards, call them neighborhood watch; debate all you like whether they are to be armed with their agricultural implements, firearms, radios, or simply whistles; when all is said and done, security forces must duplicate what the Maoists have done – mobilize a mass base. It is Maoist crimes that allow this to be done, whether one talks about the Thai Maoists’ attacks upon the monarchy, or the Philippine Maoists’ attacks upon restored democracy, or the Peruvian Maoists’ savagery. Nepal ’s Maoists have behaved in similar fashion, despite the efforts of their apologists to paint them as Robin Hoods. What is needed, then, is not weapons as I believe you have in mind but rather the ultimate weapon (ask the Maoists!), mobilization. But mobilization only works if it grows out of democratic capacity. The Maoists have shown that their version of society is youth gangs led by apostate teachers and politicians from the old-order. A Nepal that is to stand against that version must be a Nepal that grows out of the demand for democracy but channels it into constructive action, such as development of hydropower. Notice where we’ve come: mobilization comes from local democracy extending to national democracy; it comes from enforcing the already passed laws of social equality; it comes from finding a means to deal with corruption and to institute good governance; it comes from economic development that will be built upon micro-development. And that micro-development needs to move beyond the tired solutions of the development community and tap the “liquid gold” that makes Nepal second in the entire world in hydropower “reserves.” As odd as it sounds, this country should be an Asian Switzerland, not a conflicted basket case. Realizing that is what counterinsurgency is all about – the RNA has to provide the shield behind which is happens.

Has the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) lost much popular support? If this is so, would you like to suggest anything on how an embattled army can manage its image?

In any conflict of any sort, whether a civil rights campaign or general warfare, information shapes reality. That is why no state can simply state, “We allow a free press,” and leave it at that. Even before the Maoist insurgency began, Nepal ’s media were only just beginning to come to grips with issues of accuracy, accountability, and professionalism. In no area were they more deficient than in knowledge of conflict. Add to this an isolation bred of position, and you have a recipe for what you see today, a mix of the very good and the very, very bad. RNA, early on, produced some personalities who demonstrated an understanding that media were no longer an annex to the operations order, rather the very oxygen which all involved in the struggle breathed. These RNA personalities were targeted by the Maoists, consequently their policies languished. In targeting them, the Maoists knew very well what they were doing. The result today is the active hostility of much of the media to anything save parochialism, whereby even standard issues of state interest and responsibility are considered an infringement upon “freedom of the press.” Combine this with the “learning curve” that the security forces have been going through in moving from a peacetime army to one on a war footing; add the involvement of international human rights organizations and their own narrow view of “human rights,” and the result is on full display here. The security forces are labeled the enemy.

As a US citizen, do you think the US government should provide military aid to Nepal ? Is there any US interest involved in either helping Nepal defeat the insurgency or letting the Nepali government fend for itself?

Yes, the US has and should continue to assist Nepal . Military aid to a legitimate government is part and parcel of that. It is the question of legitimacy, as determined by our law, that place the US in the difficult position it now occupies. On the one hand, it has long been a major force for development in Nepal . On the other hand, security assistance is a normal part of our relations with the country. Now, amidst the conflict we are discussing, one can appreciate the delicate line any embassy must walk. It wants things “to work out.” Ironically, all the elements necessary for compromise would seem to be present – but men of good will, shall we say, are in short supply. But let us end where we began, by speaking frankly: you can’t believe in Maoism and not have given up your critical faculties. You can’t claim to be a citizen of a global community in this day and age yet put up pictures of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. Why not add Hitler? Or Pol Pot? In that sense, the Maoists have played their cards very poorly, because they claim to be “good guys” even as they wave the bloody red banner responsible for the greatest crimes humanity has ever witnessed. Thus the US , while willing to examine tactically all viable forms of compromise, strategically will remain committed to a set of principles and their tangible expression that is quite the opposite of those trumpeted repeatedly by the Maoists. If the Maoists are serious about compromise – and the UML, for that matter – let them put away the butchers’ pictures and furl up the flag of tyranny – and walk like democrats rather than simply talk.

Source: Population Census 2001.

Dito.

Michael Opitz: Geschichte und Sozialordnung der Sherpa, Innsbruck-Muenchen 1968.

Sherry B. Ortner: High Religion. A cultural and political History of Sherpa Buddhism, Princeton 1989, p. 26.

More about the hospitality in Sherpa culture: Sherry B. Ortner, Sherpas through their rituals, New Delhi, p. 61.