Govt will make people feel secure: Poudel

Rajbiraj, Jan. 11 (RSS): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home and Local Development Ram Chandra Poudel has said that the government is committed to making the people feel secure.

Deputy Prime Minister Poudel, who was participating in talks today with the all-side action committee constituted in connection with the incident that took place here on December 3l, said the government will never excuse elements inciting communal discord in the country.

Mutual goodwill and unity among all Nepalese is the need of the day, he said alerting all against the conspiracy being hatched to divide the Nepalese and sow seeds of discord in society.

It is the duty of all Nepalese to protect democracy attained after much sacrifice, he noted.

Describing democracy and nationalism as complementary to each other, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel said nationalism cannot be strengthened in the absence of democracy and vice versa.

Stating that discriminations of all kind have registered a diminishing trend since the restoration of democracy, he said the democratic system has enabled all to maintain their self-respect.

The all-side action committee formed after the Dec. 31 incident in Rajbiraj called off its transport strike on the Mahendra Highway on Jan. 5 after the Deputy Prime Minister assured it that he would come to Rajbiraj on Jan. 11 and resolve the problem through dialogue.

According to convenor of the action committee and MP Mrigendra Kumar Singh, the assurances the Deputy Prime Minister gave during the talks today were positive.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel visited the family of Khushi Lal Yadav, who was killed in the Dec. 31-incident, and provided the family with Rs. 120,000 as relief.

Also today, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel attended a programme organised by Saptari DDC on the occasion of the 279th Prithvi Jayanti and National Unity Day.

At the programme, he stressed the need for one and all to help foil the conspiracy of elements which are out to instigate communal discord.

Meanwhile, addressing NC workers from Saptari, Siraha and Udayapur, Mr Poudel expressed confidence that the forthcoming general convention of the Nepali Congress will help iron out the differences within the party.

In Inaruwa, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel has said that as the dispute in the Nepali Congress is not one of ideology, it would come to an end after the forthcoming general convention of the party.

At a meet the activist programme hosted by NC Sunsari district committee, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel said that a latent force was active in causing a split in the Nepali Congress and eliminating democracy.

The unseen force has created animosity among Nepali Congress MPs and disunity in the party and some mps, without realising it, had been making an attempt at pushing the country towards instability, he said.

Aspiring for alleviation of poverty, peace and development, the people voted the NC to power but the bickerings in the party had only encouraged those opposed to democracy, he said.

Referring to the unparalleled contributions of the Nepali Congress in introducing democracy into the country, Mr Poudel said that all the leaders and cadres should forsake personal interests and instead work for the national interest for the sake of the stability of democracy.

Deputy Prime Minister Poudel who holds the Home Ministry portfolio also said that various programmes were on the anvil to deal with the Maoist insurgency, and assured the cadres that the people would feel completely secure within a matter of days.

NC Sunsari district committee president Ram Bahadur Basnet chaired the programme.

NC convention to end confusion, says Koirala

Kathmandu, Jan. 11 (RSS): NC president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has expressed the belief that the upcoming 10th general convention of the Nepali Congress, which is being watched with special interest both nationally and internationally, will put an end to the atmosphere of confusion and uncertainty in the country as well as in the party and provide a new direction to the country’s politics.

NC president and Prime Minister Koirala was addressing newly elected NC general committee members and general convention representatives from all districts of Bagmati zone and NC district and constituency presidents gathered here today in connection with the forthcoming general convention.

He also expressed the belief that the general convention will provide a forum for all party leaders and workers to put forward their views and ideas thereby helping the party chart a new course.

In the changed political context the world is being swept by new ideas, views and principles, and science, information technology, globalization and privatization have widened the horizon of global thinking, he said adding, the coming NC general convention will be crucial for adopting policies, principles and approaches best suited for facing up to the challenges in this changed context.

At present when there is a need to evaluate to what extent the Nepalese economy has benefitted from foreign assistance and work out economic policy best suited to the country’s diverse geographical and social conditions, much importance attaches to the NC general convention as the party needs to hold extensive discussions on all these issues, he said.

NC general secretary Sushil Koirala expressed concern over the growing individualistic attitude among party workers, rampant corruption in politics and increased mafia type activity.

He also expressed confidence the forthcoming general convention will be instrumental in rectifying past mistakes, strengthening democracy and enhancing the image of the party.

NC leader Ms Shailaja Acharya said the general convention should be utilized to end the existing differences within the party and find a solution to the problems facing the country today.

NC spokesman Narahari Acharya was of the view that the success of the general convention depends on how visionary those who are aspiring to lead the party are.

MPs Shiva Humagain and Ramnath Adhikari also expressed their views.

‘Good governance related to fighting poverty’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Jan. 11: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala officially launched today the Enabling State Programme (ESP) of the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom government.

The Programme, to be implemented in partnership with the Prime Minister’s Office, aims to achieve a pro-poor governance in Nepal through active participation of the Nepalis both in the advocacy of government reform and the design and implementation of governance reform activities. In a way, it will be a programme of the Nepalis, for the Nepalis and by the Nepalis.

Launching the programme, Prime Minister Koirala said that the issue of good governance is basically related to fighting poverty and that there has been a realisation that issues like accountability and participation needs to be addressed if the government is to be more responsive to the needs of the poor.

The Prime Minister said that past experiences have shown programmes alien programmes imposed from elsewhere have not worked because of the unique characteristic of the Nepali society. As a results, governance programme collapse particularly when donors pull out too soon, the Prime Minister said and added that this should chance and a longer-term perspective to improve governance be taken.

Sue Wardell, head of DFID Nepal, said the basic tenets of good governance was already there in the form of ideas given by late King Prithvi Narayan Shah, founder of modern Nepal, two hundred and fifty years ago.

Interestingly, the launching of the programme coincided with the 279th birth anniversary of late King.

She said the programme would seek to assist Nepalis find Nepali solutions to their current governance problems.

The agreement for the programmes was signed by Rameshwore Shah, Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, on behalf of the Nepalese government and Andrew Mitchell, Charge d’Affairs at the British Embassy in Kathmandu, on behalf of the United Kingdom government.

DFID will provide £19.5 million over the next 8 years to support the programme. In the first stage spanning four years, 13 million Sterling will be used to support specific projects that are developed through ESP. The operation of the second four-year stage will be decided only after reviewing the success of the first stage programme.

A press release of the ESP says less than 4 per cent of the total cost of the programme has been earmarked for international consultant/expertise.

ESP conceives to address the twin problem of practical understanding of governance problem and the creation of a desire for change among the key-holder of power.

The programme is the outcome of more than two years of study and evaluation of the problems and the practicalities of how to address the governance problem in Nepal done by DFID.

Michael Lowe, programme manager of ESP, said DFID in early 1998 had identified, after one and a half years of assessment on the government strategic intervention on good governance, a multitude of areas where government could be improved.

The two key-point identified by the assessment was that solution to government problems should be sought from within Nepal and many programmes did not have full Nepali ownership for change for good.

"Many of the solutions designed by so-called experts flying in for a short time has turned out to be unrealistic," he told a press conference earlier in the day.

ESP’s national advisor, Dr. Shailendra Sigdel outlined the basic ideas of the ESP and said that the programme would encompass the prime stakeholders in the governance area, including the government, NGOs, civil society and the private sector. He said the programme would work to develop awareness for a desire for change among the policy-makers and will pursue several strategies for pro-poor governance.

Likewise, Arjunmani Dixit, joint secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office said as the PMO’s office is a unit to evaluate, monitor and co-ordinate all the government agencies, this would ensure the sustainability of the programme.

PM urges NSP to call off Terai Bandh

Kathmandu, Jan. 11 (RSS): Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has appealed to the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) to withdraw its decision to organize a Terai Bandh in view of the serious concern being generated among the people because of protest activities like Bandhs which adversely affect the economy, normal life and the tourism industry.

In a statement issued in the wake of the NSP call for a Terai Bandh amidst the unusual circumstances the country has seen over the past few weeks, Prime Minister Koirala expressed dismay at the indecent behaviour meted out to nepalese people of a certain community on Dec. 26 and 27 and the loss of life and property that took place on those days.

He has also expressed deep concern over the untoward incidents that took place in different parts of the country including Rajbiraj on Dec. 31.

The government is fully committed to building an environment in which Nepalese in no part of the country need to feel insecure, he said in the statement and appealed to all Nepalese brothers and sisters to remain alert against the conspiracy of elements which are trying to create confusion and instigate communal discord.