‘Singh an inspiration’

 Butwal, Nov. 9 (RSS):  Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ram Krishna Tamrakar, addressing  a   function organised by the Nepali Congress district committee at Siddharthanagar to mark the 85th Memorial Day of the late NC leader Ganeshman Singh today, said that the late Ganeshman had been an inspiration for all as he had fought for 65 years for the restoration of  justice to the people.

Minister Tamrakar said that the ten years of restoration of democracy has not been pessimistic. He pointed out the need for all to be thoughtful for ending the existing anomalies and aberrations existing in the country.

Coordinator of the landless problems resolution commission, Rupandehi Shailendra Adhikari expressed the confidence that the problems surfacing in the country will be resolved as per the vision of the late Singh.

Central election observer of NC Chiranjivi Shrestha said the leaders should be able to put into practice the thoughts of late Singh for the institutionalisation of democracy.

At the function presided over by NC Rupandehi district president Baburam Rana, various other speakers including vice chairman Rafi Ahamad Kidbai and Rupandehi DDC member Mrs. Rama Aryal also shed light on the personality of late Singh.

Constitution assures equal rights: CJ

Kathmandu, Nov. 9 (RSS): An interaction programme on gender equality and justice kicked off here today under the joint auspices of Society of Judges, Ministry for Women, Child and Social Welfare Nepal Gender Equality Streamlining Programme, UNDP and Pro-Public Forum.

Inaugurating the programme, Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya said that although the present constitution has provided equal rights to both men and women, this could not be fully guaranteed as a result of the existing traditional social and economical structure, old educational concept, poverty and superstitious belief prevalent in the country.

Mr Upadhyaya underlined the need for giving top priority to the public awareness campaign in order to generate awareness among the   general people towards the issues relating to gender equality and women rights.

Stressing the need to refine the existing laws relating to human rights, women empowerment and uplift inaccordance with universally accepted practices, he said that it has become necessary to implement these laws effectively at all the levels.

More than 34 per cent of the law suits relating to family feuds which are complex from the legal view point are delayed in our courts, he said, adding there should be a separate family court to settle family disputes through reconciliation and coordination rather than through general court procedures.

The Chief Justice stressed the need to formulate a separate law to curb domestic violence.

Supreme Court Justice and chairman of the Judges’ Society Harishchandra Prasad Upadhyaya said knowledge of gender equality is a must for all the judges who hand down verdicts.

Referring to the unforeseen discrimination that takes place without  ill-intention, another Supreme Court Justice Laxman Prasad Aryal said the Constitution upholds the concept of equal rights for men and women but it has not been put into practice.

Resident Representative of UNDP Dr. Henning Karcher said the judiciary, civil society, non-governmental organisation and donor agencies should work unitedly to put into practice the gender equality guranteed by the Constitution.

General secretary of the Society Sriprasad Pandit, convenor of the Asia Pacific Advisory Forum Unjudicial Education on Equality Issues and Judge at Appellate Court Butwal Kalyan Shrestha, Dr. Shanta Thapaliya, and programme convenor Mona Shrestha highlighted the objectives and importance of the programme.

At the three-day interaction programme, discussions on how gender equality rights can be maintained by exercsing human rights standards for settling dispute on violence against women will be held, and additional information on gender equality will be procided to the judges.

 Altogether 25 judges of Appellate Courts and district courts are taking part in the three-day interaction programme.

‘Socialism is relevant’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 9: The International Conference on Socialism organised by the Madan-Ashrit Memorial Trust concluded today. The Conference, entitled Socialism in the 21st Century, ended with the pledge that the 21st century will be the century of socialism and that socialism will ultimately win over capitalism.

According to a press communique, the participants at the conference expressed the view that the socialists must lead, support and participate in people’s movement for the attainment of civil liberties and to end discrimination related to gender, race and caste, that they should intensify resistance against common threat from imperialist globalisation and continue to lead and support the national liberation movements and movement for democracy, respect different forms of struggle to achieve socialism; and that socialists around the world should forge alliance and strengthen solidarity.

At the conference, three separate plenary sessions had discussed on building socialism and the role of the socialist state, consolidation and mobilisation of people’s power for socialism and alternatives and possibilities in building socialism.

Pradip Nepal, Coordinator of the Conference, said at a press meet today that the conference had agreed that there can not be a single role model for socialism, but the path, method and tactic of each country’s socialist movement may differ according to the characteristics of that country.

He said globalisation has become the main challenge and threat to the socialist movement and to the sovereignty of the small countries. But, he said, the conference agreed to find globalisation according to a country’s specific need and necessities.

He said the conference did not discuss about the Maoist-waged ‘People’s War’ in Nepal. He, however, said that if the Maoists in Nepal are willing to try to understand their form of struggle his party, the CPN-UML, is also ready to try to understand the Maoists’ form of struggle.

Parties for protest against POL price hike

Kathmandu , Nov. 9 (RSS): The group of four leftist factions organised a mass meeting protesting the exorbitant price hikes in petro-products at the open air theatre today.

CPN-UML standing committee member and MP Ishwor Pokhrel, addressing the meeting organised by the CPN-UML,  CPN (Unity Centre), CPN (Masal) and Samyukta Janamorcha, urged the government to roll back the petro-products prices increased recently.

The movement will further intensify if the hiked prices are not reversed, he warned.

MP Chitra Bahadur KC of the CPN-Masal noted that since the rise in petroleum products is not the problem of a one particular party, all the people should be united against it.

Various other speakers including Nara Bahadur Karmacharya of the CPN (Unity Centre) also spoke at the function chaired by CPN-Masal’s Govind Singh Thapa.

A procession taken out earlier had gone past through Ratna Park, Bhotahity, Putali Sadak, Bhrikuti Mandap, Shahid Gate, Bhedasingh, Bangemuda, Thahiti and Ranipokhari before converging at the Open Air Theatre.

Hoteliers threaten shut down

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 9: Hoteliers will inform their clients that they are forced to close down their hotels if the hotel-employees’ unions do not take back their shut-down- strike ultimatum by November 11, hoteliers under the banner of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) said here today.

“Though we do not wish to close down our hotels, we will be forced to do so,” Narendra Bajracharya, President of HAN, said at a press meet here this evening.

The hoteliers took the decision to inform their clients about pulling their shutters down in wake of the one-point demand made by the hotel workers’ unions. The organisations of the hotel employees have been demanding a 10 per cent service charge from every service offered to the tourists in hotels. They have demanded that the 10 per cent service charge thus levied should be distributed among them as tips from the guests.   

The Central Union of the hotel employees has even fixed a deadline – November 19 – for their demand to be met. Or else, it has warned of a nation wide strike in hotels.

The hoteliers, at the press meet today, made it clear that they are not in the position to meet the demand. “We cannot force the tourists to pay the 10 per cent service charge,” said Bajracharya. “We already are making tourists pay 12.2 per cent tax. If we add the 10 per cent service charge being demanded by the workers, the tourists will have to pay 23.2 per cent extra money as tax.”

Bajracharya furnished a list of reasons claiming why the hoteliers cannot include the 10 per cent service charge. “This is something that has been debated for the last 20 years and even a committee formed some three years ago could not decide on the issue.”

He said that the tourism industry was already suffering from a 14 per cent decline in the tourist-arrival this year. “That means our revenue is also going down.”

The hoteliers also warned that if the hotel industry starts paying the 10 per cent service charge to the employees as tips, workers in the other service industries would also make a similar demand. “This will have an adverse impact on the entire economy.”     

The hoteliers said that they would like to negotiate with the unions but only if they decide to withdraw the ultimatum of closing down the strikes. “We cannot talk to them with the ultimatum lurking above our heads like Damocles’ Sword,” said Yogendra Shakya, President of Nepal Incentive and Convention Tourism Association.

The hoteliers also blamed that the hotel employees’ unions were instigated by the trade unions close both to Nepali Congress and the Communist factions. “Had it not been for these trade unions close to the political parties, the employees would not have even thought about closing down the hotels.”

They said that the government was informed about the approaching crisis. “All these months, we have been waiting for the government to intervene but nothing has happened so far,” said Shakya.

He said that the Labour Law is based on social justice and that the labourers are protected by the law at the cost of the businessmen’s woes. “Everything else in the economy is based on open market but it is only the labour issue that has been protected unreasonably.”

The protesting unionists were chanting their demands outside the Nepal Tourism Board building where HAN members were having their emergency meeting this afternoon.

Bajracharya said that hoteliers would collect the 10 per cent service charge to pay as tips to their employees if the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Finance Ministry makes the decision to levy the charge after conducting a thorough study.

Around 800 hotels are registered with the MoCTCA. The official record shows an average of 12 days stay of tourists visiting Nepal. Nearly 500,000 tourists visited the country in 1999.

‘NC for coordination among top leaders’

Kathmandu, Nov. 9 (RSS):  Leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress have emphasised the need for efficient and capable person having the ability to provide the right direction to the party and the country to take over the leadership at the 10th general convention of the Nepali Congress to be held in January.

At a programme hosted by the Reporters’ Club of Nepal here  today, they said that if leadership was taken over by an active and an experienced person who could give news ideas to the party, the problems of the country could be resolved.

They were of the view that if there could be constant coordination and understanding among the top leaders of the party, democratic culture developed within the party, and if the leadership respects the views of all the party activists, not only the Nepali Congress but democracy would also be strengthened and the country as a whole would benefit.

At the programme, National Assembly vice-chairman Chirajivi Prasad Rijal said that as the problems of the country could be resolved only if there is unity in the Nepali Congress, the leadership should be handed over to the person who rejuvenates the party and provides stability to democracy.

Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Narendra Bikram Nemwang said that as the forthcoming general convention of the Nepali Congress, which had grown in democratic culture, would be very important for the people and the country, the leadership of incumbent President Girija Prasad Koirala was necessary to deal with the problems of the country.

Former National Assembly chairman Beni Bahadur Karki said that it was natural for contest at the general convention as the party had many outstanding leaders but it would be better for Girija Babu to take over the leadership again.

Former Nepali Congress general secretary Sribhadra Sharma said that there was no question of generation in politics and as Girija Babu was acceptable to all, his candidacy was proper.

Former minister Jagannath Acharya emphasied the need for energetic and active person committed to institutional development of the party to take over the presidentship and as all concerned had received active membership, there was no possibility of vote rigging.

Former minister Yog Prasad Upadhyaya said that though there were many leaders who had made sacrifices during the movement for the sake of democracy, the leadership should be handed over to Girija Prasad Koirala and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as long as they wanted and pointed out the need to make the younger generation capable of taking over the leadership under their direction.

Reporters’ Club president Rishi Dhamala presided.