NC Lays Down Seven Conditions For Cooperation
The central working committee meeting of the Nepali Congress (NC) concluded, Monday (May 12), by laying down seven conditions including dissolution of Young Communist League (YCL), dissolution of Maoists’ parallel organizations and surrendering of weapons of their combatants, among others. The NC conditions also include amendment of constitution to insert provision whereby governments can be formed and dissolved based on simple majority. It has called for creation of political machinery for integration of combatants and their rehabilitation. The party has also called for keeping judiciary, constitutional bodies, government media, police-administration and army away from the shadow of party-wise politics. The meeting also concluded that the insecurity and fear psychosis propagated by YCL were the major reasons for the party’s unexpected defeat at the recent election. Leading dailies report
Chinese Envoy Dissatisfied With Govt Action
Chinese ambassador to Nepal Zheng Xianglin, on Monday (May 12), urged the Nepal government to take strict action against the separatist Tibetans demonstrating in Kathmandu. “The activities of these monks and nuns should be clearly defined and they should not be allowed to participate in political activities,” the ambassador said at an interaction. He said Tibetan monks and nuns residing in Nepal are engaged in politics rather than in cultural activities. “There is no meaning of arresting demonstrators in the afternoon and releasing them in the evening,” he said, adding that the Nepali government is under huge pressure from outside. “UN staffers are present at demonstrations. This is a serious violation of UN charter,” he maintained. Leading dailies report
Accident If Monarchy Removed: Thapa
President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP-Nepal) Kamal Thapa has said that there would be an accident in the country if monarchy is removed by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA). “The exercise of the right to implement republic, in a haste, could lead to big accident,” he said at an interaction in Reporters’ Club. “Let us keep monarchy in status quo till the processes of writing constitution are completed,” he said. Thapa who has been acting as go-between Maoist leadership and the King, said, “The King is in no mood to leave Nepal. I have found a surprising degree of self-confidence in him.” He said he has also told Maoist chairman Prachanda not to declare republic in haste. He also revealed that in private most leaders favor keeping monarchy but they speak in revolutionary tones in public. Leading dailies report
Maoists Torch Prachanda’s Effigy
A few disgruntled cadres of the CPN-Maoist today burnt the effigies of party chairman Prachanda, party’s CA poll candidate from Rautahat-3 Prabhu Shaha and Bhojpura sub-state chief Hari Bhakta Kandel. They accused the party of sidelining Dalits and Madhesis while nominating CA members under the PR system.
The rally called by the Maoist District Working Committee Rautahat was taken out from Gaur. Shouting slogans, the rallyists passed through the thoroughfares of the city and torched the effigies at the BP Chowk. In Shivanagar of Rautahat, cadres of the Rastriya Mukti Morcha torched the effigies of Prachanda, Kandel and Shaha, said district president of the Morcha Lila Shaha. The Himalayan Times reports
No Change Yet In Nepali Maoists' Status: US Official
A senior government official the United States has said there is "no change" in the status of Nepal's Maoists, who are listed in the US terror watch list. "I don't think there's any change. There's no change in their status," PTI news agency quoted State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack as saying. He was commenting on the issue in the backdrop of a meeting last week between US ambassador to Nepal Nancy J Powell and Maoist chairman Prachanda. McCormack added, "There's a particular listing. And I don't have in front of me what exactly what it is, but at this point there's no change." The State Department spokesperson's clarification comes amid expectations that the Maoists might soon be removed from the terror list with the latter emerging as the largest party after the recent constituent assembly polls. Besides, the Prachanda-Powell meeting on May 01 marked the starting of formal contacts between the Maoist party and the US government. The US had listed the CPN (Maoist) as a terrorist organization in 2004. Nepalnews.com reports
Republic Tops Maoist Agenda: Dr Bhattarai
The Maoists are intent on driving the country along a democratic and a high-growth path once the agenda of the republic is implemented, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, the leader of the CPN (Maoist) said. Dr Baburam Bhattarai said
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the agenda of the party is to declare a republic, form a constitution and drive a transitional economic development program focusing on infrastructure and employment. “We want to create a positive investment climate,” he said, adding that the Maoists are serious about making the relationship between entrepreneurs and the laborers smooth. “The main problem is that you have not been able to increase productivity,” he said. “If you produce more, then the capitalists’ profit margin and the laborers’ wage margin will also increase.” He said the Maoists could drive the country on a high-growth path because they are different from the previous rent-seeking class and have direct connections with the poor and marginalized people. “There was never a class interested in massive industrial development, job creation and growth,” he said. “It depends on who is leading the state.” He also said the Maoists’ top priority development projects include a fast track road link from Kathmandu to Nijgarh in Bara to ease Kathmandu’s congestion. “We will use local resources to develop small and medium projects to end load shedding,” he said. “For big projects, we will have to invite foreign countries.” The Himalayan Times reports
Prachanda Consults With PLA Commanders
CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda has said that the party is engaged in "last minute preparations" for the formation of a new government under its leadership and that the process of army integration would begin immediately after that. Prachanda gave this assurance during discussion with the divisional commanders of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the party's military wing, in his residence Tuesday morning. This remark by Prachanda who is also the supreme commander of the military outfit that was in a decade long war with the state has come when the seven-party meeting scheduled to be held on Friday is believed to determine the composition of a "government of consensus" that would be formed soon. The role of the Maoist PLA combatants in the changed context, their thoughts (suggestions) on army integration including other pertinent matters were also said to have been discussed during the meeting. Senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattara and four deputy commanders and heads of seven divisions of the PLA were present at the meeting. CPN-Maoist party which is likely to lead the new government following its surprising victory in the recently concluded polls, has put army integration after 'democratizing' Nepal Army and making PLA 'professional' on top of its priority list. Prachanda had issued another directive to Young Communist League (YCL) cadres yesterday, asking them to avoid intimidations and attacks against the activists of rival political parties as it could tarnish the image of the entire party. Nepalnews.com reports
YCL Announces Month-Long 'Development Campaign'
The Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) has announced a month-long campaign to mobilize and motivate youths for development and corruption control.
The decision to launch the nationwide campaign was taken by the two-day meeting of the YCL central committee which concluded on Monday (May 5), YCL chairman Ganesh Man Pun informed. Speaking at a press conference in the capital Tuesday, Pun said tens of thousands of cadres would be mobilized for traffic management, development activities and 'corruption control' during the campaign. The announcement comes at a time when the Maoist leadership is facing pressure from other parties to control YCL 'highhandedness' with some parties even demanding that the Maoist party dissolve its youth wing. Nepalnews.com reports
Norway To Extend Assistance
Visiting Norwegian Deputy Minister for International Development Hakon A. Gulbrandsen has said Norway is ready to continue its assistance in Nepal for peace, development and democratization process. Informing the press about his meetings with political leaders, at the Norwegian Embassy on Wednesday, Gulbrandsen said, "I have said that Norway is ready to assist the peace and democratization process in way that the Nepal themselves find most appropriate." He said Norway "prefers to listen first than act." The Norwegian minister further mentioned that he told the Nepali political leaders that maintaining the "spirit of the interim constitution of consensus and cooperation" in the ongoing political negotiations is very important. While in Nepal, Gulbrandsen's program included meetings with key political leaders including Prime Minister GP Koirala, Maoist chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML leader Jhal Nath Khanal. He also inspected some development projects funded by the Norwegian government. Informing that the possibility of Norwegian support in utilizing the hydropower potentiality was one of the issues discussed with political leaders, Gulbrandsen assured that he would try to encourage Norwegian investors to invest in the hydropower in Nepal. Compiled from reports
UN Wraps Up Electoral Office
The United Nations Electoral Assistance Office in Nepal is wrapping up after its role ended here following the technical aid and advice it provided to the country's Election Commission (EC) for recently concluded Constituent Assembly (CA) polls. "The role of the Electoral Assistance Office has ended," Fida Nasrallah, Chief Electoral Advisor with the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), said on Wednesday, adding that she will deliver a final report in June based on the written reports of electoral advisors. "I would describe the experience overall as having been extremely successful," she said. UN electoral advisors visited polling centers to monitor the process on the election day, and since then have also helped analyze the election results. They have also trained political parties in selecting candidates to meet quota requirements, as well as setting up media monitoring for non-electoral periods. Compiled from reports
