End the violence

The Maoist insurgency problem continues to plague the nation like other problem had in the past. People continue to die in the name of Maoist and democratic ideologies. The tragedy is that no side will ever win this kind of conflict no matter how modern the weapon used by either side. The insurgency could be suppressed for the time with the use of all available force against the rebels and by anticipating their every move – a very difficult task at the best of times. But that will not root out the basic cause which gave rise to the insurgency in the first place. Similarly, the Maoists can hardly ever hope for a military victory against the government. Since this is the case, the only thing that is certain is that unless the problem is resolved amicably, there will be more killings by both sides. It thus stands to reason that none but those who harbour ill will towards Nepal will rejoice at the mutual killing match. For whether the Maoists, police or innocent people – and may be later, soldiers – are killed, it is ultimately the Nepalese who will be losing lives and it is Nepal that will have to bear all the consequences including the obvious setback to development in every sense. The killings of policemen at Kalikot the other day and in Dunai (Dolpa district) in September, the shooting dead of Maoists by the police and the slaying of the so called informers by Maoists, these are indications of how grave the situation is. In addition, the Maoist seizing of a helicopter and its subsequent release after obtaining an undertaking that the helicopters would not be allowed to be used against Maoists is no laughable matter. They all point to the need to initiate dialogue between Maoists and the government to put an end to violence in the country. The Maoists, through their writings and clever use of the media have indicated their willingness to sit for talks. The government must not be seen as lagging behind.

Apart from the areas where Maoist insurgents are active, there is general perception among the people that the law and order situation in different parts of the country has deteriorated. Even urban areas including the capital and the prime minister’s home town of Biratnagar are facing these problems today. Unfortunately, those responsible for law and order are seen to be impotent, incapable of doing anything about the situation. The Koirala government which seized power in a legal coup from the Bhattarai government using this very issue, has performed even worse. Several opportunities for talks with Maoists have evaporated, with each blaming the other for failing to talk. The result: more killings.

Neither side must take the desire on the part of the other side for talks as a sign of weakness. In fact, talks are the only sane, sensible and lasting course for peace. As a responsible institution, the onus is on the government to ensure that the Maoist problem is solved through as little use of tax payers’ money as possible.

Simply put, it means that the government must exhaust all other avenues before spending money on new arms and ammunition and raising a new combat force to tackle the insurgency. Both the government and Maoists must realise that killing each other is no solution to any problem.

Essence of quality tourism in Nepal

By Prachanda Lal Joshi

Tourism is not only the world’s leading service sector but is also considered to be an important foreign exchange earner around the world. The net foreign exchange earnings from tourism are high as import content is low. Tourism is considered as a socially useful and economically productive activity by almost all nations in the world. The growing importance of tourism industry and its ever increasing role in building national economy as a means of fostering goodwill and social understanding are well recognised throughout the world. All the countries in the world strive for economic benefits by developing tourism on infrastructure for attracting tourists.

Since Nepal, is lagging far behind in the production and export of industrial products due to cost competitiveness and the WTO related factors. It is in this sombre backdrop, and due to its own geographical, cultural and historical reasons that Nepal has tremendous possibility of earning from tourism sector. Tourism sector is a viable as well as vulnerable sector after agricultural and hydropower sectors, which can contribute significantly to the national coffers.

Tourism potentials: There is growing concern over the negative aspects of tourism in Nepal. These aspects hinder the spirit, and purpose of tourism. In the name of increasing accessibility to the region and to facilitate and encourage tourism, new roads have been constructed and are under construction. This has further created many hazardous activities including exploitation of mountain resources, mining, quarrying, felling of valuable timber, soil erosion, etc. The resulting massive deforestation can be seen along trekking routes in all regions of Nepal. Nepal has to pay the price for the degradation of the Himalayan watershed. Destruction in the country's alpine region has led to frequent landslides, mud slides, silting of rivers. Environmental deterioration creates obstacles to tourism development.

Environmental degradation as well as increasing pollution and solid waste in major tourist areas like Kathmandu valley is a matter of concern. Other problems include overuse of trekking trails, road congestion and exploitation of local people. Both private and public sectors are currently seeking to tackle these problems. The private sector is very active in investing, operating and promoting facilities for tourists.

Unless the tourist site is free of pollution, tourists will not stay for long. Local bodies like ward committees and youth clubs can play an assertive role in conserving tourism sites. The government should empower such committees so that they can execute their programmes with consensus of other local political parties and support of local people and service establishments through coordination under community participation approach.

In this way, such a committee, in the process of local development in the context of tourism, can establish itself as a strong sub-monitoring body and even be a pressure group that can alert the government about necessary implementation of minimum basic needs for conserving tourist sites.

Subsequently, such a committee will also help provide employment opportunities to local people. Likewise, tourism entrepreneurs involved in this industry also have equal responsibility to provide quality tourism service through healthy competition.

There must be sincere commitment and mutual understanding among tourism entrepreneurs on quality service. The quality of tourism entrepreneurs, we have at present, will seem not be up to the level. Mainly, there should be a common goal to establish Nepal as a major destination country.

The government should give top priority to boost genuine tourism entrepreneurs by introducing effective guidelines and providing facilities and excellence awards after close monitoring and evaluation so that they can promote their business professionally through healthy competition and provide direct employment opportunities and contribute substantially to revenue collection.

Joint approach: All related agencies like Nepal Tourism Board, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Nepal Television, diplomatic missions, electronic media and, other tourism related associations and NGOs including the government must move ahead more effectively and efficiently with frequent interaction and close coordination that is aimed at promoting quality tourism in the country. Whatever resources we have at present will be sufficient if proper use is made.

It is good that Nepal Television is moving shortly to the satellite channel. NTV can now play a catalytic role by airing tourism based programmes.

Similarly, having a number of foreign and private airlines alongwith RNAC, will contribute by increasing the number of air seats. It is high time we contemplated on the future of Nepalese tourism and acted accordingly. We need to take a result oriented approach.

Prospects for the tourist industry: His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, together with the private sector have developed a liberal policy for tourism, aiming to attract a large flow of tourists and lengthen their average stay. Just to recapitulate, the year 1998 was declared the "Visit Nepal Year" and the government has created the necessary environment and infrastructure to increase tourist arrivals. The objective behind "Visit Nepal Year 1998" was to revitalize the tourism industry of Nepal, promote its image in the international arena to steer Nepal into the 21st century, enhance the quality of tourism related services and widen the domestic tourism market. Destination Nepal 2002 will provide a new impetus in the promotion of tourism in the country.

Youth of this country

By Sunit Giri

It is said and believed, that the future of a country is in the hands of her youth, for youth are the ones with unlimited energy and immense enthusiasm. They are the ones with advanced information and are well equipped with a vast amount of knowledge. They are the storm that can bring revolutionary change in the country. But, is this true of our country? I have a few doubts.

Travelling from Kakarvitta to Kathmandu, the sight of young people playing carrom at every station was very common. I haven’t been able to understand how these people so called "the future of the country" have all the time in the world to spend day after day playing the same old game time and again. As if carrom and ludo were not enough, we now have pool and snooker. Forget about the time they are wasting, think about the money these youngsters are spending. We are supposed to be the poorest country in the world and every now and then we have bandhs for this price hike and that and ironically the same individuals or groups who are involved in these bandhs are the ones spending evenings at pool and snooker houses with probably a beer in their hand and a few plates of sekuwas in front of them. I do believe that these so called bandhs employ these people at frequent intervals.

One more thing very noticeable in our country is the best use made out of our holidays. Believe it or not, a large number of people o spend their holidays playing cards. They have mastered this art. "The Art of Gambling." Now days it doesn’t have to be Dashain or Tihar. Every Saturday and Sunday is Tihar. The government of this country is in fact very, very generous to give the people of this nation five days of work and two days off. What a good way of utilising our two days off.

It is true that opportunities are very few and the competition is very high. Added to it is the Aafno Manchay ko Chalan. This is just another hurdle for the ones who really deserve. But is that all that can stop the storm that can build if our youth is properly guided and utilised. But the problem is who is going to guide and where are they going to be utilised. This argument is regularly put forward by youngsters during counselling.

Today the world is in your hands. If you are capable, you don’t have to go to US or UK or Australia and slog yourself. In fact you can get them here by pressing a few correct keys on your keyboard. Haven’t you realised the opening of so many multinationals in our country? These multinationals are borrowing manpower from neighbouring countries and abroad. Why can’t it be you, me of some of our own brothers and sisters who have the calibre but are wasting time expecting a miracle to happen. Wake up! Pull up your socks. Stop blaming others and create or find something creative and useful for yourself. Don’t forget you are the future of this country and mind it, you will have to answer your next generation all the questions they put forward. If you do not change and do something now, then it will be too late and you cannot blame anyone else but yourself, for you are the youth that can still make this poor motherland of ours proud of you.

Kleptocracy, PR, WTA and all that

By M R Josse

For a change this week’s column will focus on a clutch of issues rather than concentrate on a single one.

Kleptocracy: While one frequently reads or hears about ‘mobocracy’, particularly in the opposing context of ‘democracy’, no one here uses the term ‘keptocracy’ although, day in and day out, there are both credible reports and lurid grapevine accounts about blinding corruption engaged, among others, by those astride the political or administrative high horse.

I suggest we now do so — just as, for example, we did some years back with "Pajero democracy".

Wouldn’t kleptocracy elegantly — and accurately — describe what Nepalese democracy seems to have degenerated into within a span of a decade?

After all, as a correspondent stated in the Times of India’s letter column recently, "kleptocracy is the form of government in which democratically elected representatives steal from the state or accept bribes and grant privileges that subvert the law or when employees paid by governments to enforce the law, steal from their employees or accept bribes."

Though that letter-writer argued his/her point wholly within the Indian political context, it would seem not to be irrelevant here. For, as the said correspondent expounded, inter alia: "Today, kleptocracy has become so widespread that when attempts are made to enforce existing laws it is considered unreasonable.

In fact, enforcement alters the status quo and causes great hardship. Thwarting kleptocarcy results in mobocracy. Controlling mobocracy by using force is a short-term measure. The long term cure is to control kleptocracy with greater force and urgency."

Wouldn’t you, then, agree that such a commonsensical prescription could usefully be applied here too?

Moving on, I would now request you, gentle reader, to mull for a moment over what Nepali Congress stalwart Arjun Narsingh KC stated at an interaction programme recently.

Predicting, among other things, that Prime Minister and NC president Girija Prasad Koirala would win the party presidency by "an overwhelming majority" at the party’s conclave in January, KC let on that "Koirala has already started the process of making (the) Nepali Congress a democratic institution." Touche.

When us lesser mortals blithely assume that Nepali Congress is the "only" democratic party in Nepal and that its very name is "synonymous with democracy", here comes a leading light of that very party confessing that "the process of making" it into "a democratic institution" has only just "started". Some blushing confession, that, wouldn’t you say?

WTA/PR systems: After munching on that delicious disclosure for awhile, take a look at what Lani Guinier — an American law professor and advocate of civil and voting rights "committed to enlisting and empowering those marginalised" by the American electoral system — has been arguing with respect to the winner-take-all (WTA) and proportional representation (PR) systems. In the context of this year’s weird American presidential elections, when literally "every vote counts", that bright lady’s views vis-a-vis WTA and PR are particularly thought-provoking.

Guinier, so one is informed, argues that the WTA system is not only unrepresentative but actually discourages participation! As such, she favours a PR model such as prevalent in South Africa, Germany and Israel, among others, for America.

As she has been saying for years now, more and more people in America — mainly the poor and coloured but also significant segments of the white population — "don’t vote, or are prevented from doing so, because they feel that their votes do not count."

As per Guinier: "The WTA system limits the players to two parties, awards all the power to those with the most votes, encourages centrism instead of consensus and disempowers a diversity of sections that might well add up to a bigger majority.

"The loser is kept out and his votes are left without representation or voice in the legislative process of, say, the US Congress." To cut a long story short: wouldn’t we, too, profit by switching over from the WTA model as enshrined in our present Constitution to a PR system?

In this context, recall, if you may, that a PR model is now increasingly being suggested by politicians and other members of the Nepalese political class.

Also ask yourself if the tyranny of the WTA system isn’t one of the cardinal reasons why the warring Maoists have gone outside the pale of the Constitution.

Ditto for the related query of whether or not it might genuinely be encouraging centrism instead of consensus and disempowering whole sections of the population who might genuinely feel that their votes don’t count.

Tosh: Finally, now hear this. Top-notch US mandarins visiting Nepal recently have let on that South Asia has become important for the United States because of democracy. What tosh.

Aren’t Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait vital for America? Is that because all three Arab states are shining, thriving democracies or because of oil? Doesn’t the US deal with China, Vietnam and even North Korea? Else, why did President Clinton dash off to China and Vietnam and is reportedly preparing to visit Pyongyang?

Why, indeed, did the US [as Japan, West Germany (then), Britain, France et al] continue to do business with Nepal when the latter was governed under the Panchayat system for three decades? Indeed, why is Washington now cutting deals with Thimphu?

By all means let us sing hymns to democracy. However, let’s not confuse hard national interest with fuild maudlin humbug.