"One Point Agenda For The Transitional Government Is To Bring About The Good Elections"
Dr. Andrew Hall
British Ambassador Dr. ANDREW HALL is not a new name to people of Rasuwa District as he along with his wife had stayed at Thulo Syaphru for two years in 1970 to complete his Ph.d. Unlike previous time, Dr. Hall went to Rasuwa as an ambassador and as a chief guest of mountain bike competition by Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program (TRPAP) this week. In Rasuwa, he spoke to KESHAB POUDEL in Dhunche on various issues. Excerpts:
What is your first impression of Rasuwa after visiting here as a British ambassador after 14 years?
I have come back to Dhunche after nearly 14 years. We had a wonderful welcome. It is really nice to be welcomed by Tamang ladies singing their traditional songs and to be welcomed by local people in their custom. Looking around Dhunche, I feel most of the places are developed and grown. There are hotels, telephones, internet and modern facilities, which were not there 14 years ago.
How do you compare Rasuwa in those days as a researcher and now?
It is completely different from those days. During those days, there were no roads and you had to walk at least four days from Trishuli to come here. There were very few tourists and very few foreigners who came to visit this region before. Those days it was a major event to see a foreign face in the village. Dhunche was a very small place those days.
How do you see the potential for Rasuwa to promote as a tourist destination to alleviate its poverty?
Well, I was learning a little bit about the work done by Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program (TRPAP) which has been supported by UK and also by UNDP. It really seems to me that it has already made a big difference developing not only Dhunche but the villages around the district by training them and giving them some ideas on how to look after tourists and helping them to improve the facilities for tourists. I think there are already results as more people are coming to this direction. Of course, it is not enough as we have to pursue more people to learn about Langtang to realize that this is just beautiful as Solukhumbu and Annapurna . And tourists should come to Langtang.
As a person having first hand knowledge about this part of the region, what kind of program do you think is necessary to bring changes?
Of course, there is a lot of work to do on development. I think improving the road will be one key thing - which you come by is quite difficult journey taking eight to nine hours to come from Kathmandu . Good quality black-topped roads would make the journey that much simpler and people would have better access to markets, to services and to opportunities in Kathmandu. I am sure we have to keep working in agriculture, forestry, education and health because all those are important parts of development. And it is very difficult to reach services and facilities in this quite remote area.
How do you see the social and cultural transformation?
I think every thing is similar. It is absolutely familiar to me. They have still kept their traditional culture alive which is very good to see.
Is this the same pattern in which people welcomed you previous time?
It is just as it used to be. It is always a very welcoming place. It is very nice to see that it has not changed. Every tourist should get such welcoming as I get.
Could you share something about your project back here in those days?
I came from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies where I was doing my Ph.d. I was very interested in Anthropology and I was very interested in Nepal . I thought that I put these two things together and came to Nepal and studied anthropology and tried and found some groups which had not been studied before. When I did some readings, I found that some already had done studies on Sherpas, Gurungs and Limbus but I could not find anybody who had really made any study on Tamang. So when I thought I would study on Tamang. I started looking around where Tamang people lived. We wanted to be not too far from Kathmandu because we had our baby daughter with us and my wife and I were searching the place which was not more than one week of traveling time from Kathmandu. So we set off to this area to Dhunche, so we walked different valleys, to different villages meeting people and talking with them. Finally, we found Thulo Syaphru. It is a very nice and big village and there were many interesting things for me to study. We rented a house there and started to live with the nice people there. I spent a year doing my study on Tamang culture and particularly Tamang religion. When we arrived in Dhunche, I saw bamboo during the dance and I was very interested in the study of bamboos - their belief system, their trading, how they operate. This is also a Buddhist area so there are a lot of Lamas and Gumbas. I was also interested in Buddhism in the region as well. That was the main focus of my study but it was a traditional study.
How do you see differences of the people living in Himalayas like Sherpa, Tamang, Thakalis and others?
Yes it is interesting but you find many similarities across all these different mountain groups. You can find something they have in common. But, you can also find quite a big variation. Even among Tamang, you can find a quite a big variation in different parts. Tamang are a very large group in Janjatis. They speak different dialects in different areas. They have different customs in different areas. Those like who live close to border area, they are more influenced by Buddhism and those who live close to Kathmandu and cities are more influenced by Hinduism. So even in single Janjati you can find different variations. If you compare the Sherpas and Rais living in east and west, you get more variations.
As an ambassador living in Kathmandu and coming to see the real life of people in village, how do you feel about it?
One of the important things UK does in Nepal is to assist your development. I think that is major role here. We are probably the large bilateral donor in Nepal and our program is now about 35 million pounds or 70 million dollars. It is going to be increased this year. It will be about 43 million pounds or 85 million dollars. This is a very big development program operating in many different districts and in many different fields including rural roads, livelihood forestry, the system of education and the system of health and HIV/AIDS. This is something we are deeply engaged in all over the country. It is very good for me as an ambassador to be able to come and experience myself what we are achieving. The project we are looking at today, the TRPAP, has British assistance. Again, it is appropriate to come and see impact.
You also recently visited Sankhuwasabha, what was your impression?
We did have a political discussion when we were in Sankhuwasabha. All the eight political parties and their representatives met our minister and we had interesting discussions about the elections, about the law and order situation and about whether the situation was good enough to hold free and fair elections and how people would go. In Sankhuwasabha, people seemed quite positive. We heard a lot of stories of abuse and intimidation in Kathmandu . This is going on in some areas but people in Sankhuwasabha seemed reasonably quiet, reasonably relaxed and confident that they will be able to hold the good elections.
How do you see the situation in Rasuwa?
About Rasuwa and this project, it is wonderful for me and my wife to come back to Rasuwa. We were here thirty years ago living in Thulo Syaphru village. At that time there were no development in Rasuwa and it was very hard indeed for its people and the opportunities were very few. You could say that experience finally brought me as a British ambassador thirty years later in Nepal . This was from learning from Nepal and my knowledge about the region, ultimately my career developed and my government decided to bring me back as an ambassador with the knowledge and experience of the region. So Rasuwa has helped to make my life what it is.
How do you see TRPAP?
I am grateful for this. I am delighted to hear how successful TRPAP has been. I am delighted to say that there is substantial funding contribution there. That funding is directly coming from British people and their taxes coming into Rasuwa district. I am glad that their taxes are spent effectively here to promote development here. I hear that everybody wants to say their desirability to extending this project for further period which brings me into the point of UK's development strategy. Whether to extend the project or not is open to the government of Nepal and United Nations, as they look for the funding from donors in order to continue. I don't know whether British government or DFID will be partner or not but I certainly will feed back the messages you gave me.
What about the country's development priority?
Peace and development need to go together. There is a short term development issue and a long term development issue. Short term development issue is to support the peace process. So it is really most important to make it sure that parties will agree on new date and agree to proper time table for action like restoring law and order, voter education, making all the proper technical preparations for the elections. So it is a good process. I think it is in everybody's interest. Somebody is saying we don't need to have elections so we can postpone it. You need to take peace process forward. This is in the Maoists' interest so it is important for them and it is important for all the political parties if they really go to the people. People need to know that their voices are being heard in the assembly so they can draw new contract for Nepal 's future. So, we support all those things - law and order, elections, reforming the police and helping the police in their task to restore law and order building up the whole public security and justice. We need to look at the cantonment issue to make sure that they are properly handled. It needs to be ensured that they are demobilized. Some are not 18 years and some were never in PLA and were recruited after peace agreement. These kinds of people need to be taken out from cantonment. The government has also works to do on internally displaced population. They need to support their resettlement.
How hopeful are you about the future?
It is very important that the government and parties maintain their focus very clearly where they are. For the moment, one can see distractions and they are arguing about different issues. We have one duty now, the duty is to create the conditions for good elections and make sure that the elections will be held and the whole process can be forged ahead. That is what I urge the political parties to do - just to focus and concentrate on the matters of elections.
What should be the role of transitional government?
One point agenda for the transitional government is to bring about the good elections. There is need to have elections where people are confident and people can go out for vote without anybody intimidating - the elections where parties go and campaign freely so that they can put their points of views. The most important think my government at this moment supports is your peace process. Development is obviously there. You cannot have long term development program if you have conflict. Not only for tourism but for the development of Nepal , you need peace and stability. So most important thing my government wants to support is the current peace process and help the government of Nepal to succeed in that. Successful development comes when you hold constituent assembly elections where all the opinions of marginalized groups, Janjatis, Madhesis and other excluded groups, every sort of people in Nepal (are respected). Only after that you can have election and then you can have a long term development
