Govt. should implement party directives

By a staff reporter

The Nepali Congress last week took an important decision, which if it materialises, could help fill the long felt void in the security challenges facing the nation.

The party’s central committee meeting on Sunday issued several directives to the government regarding the growing security threats and challenges. The first directive is for the preparation of an effective national security policy.

"The need for an effective and efficient security policy and strategy has been felt in view of the new security challenges from both inside and outside the country," said NC spokesman Narahari Acharya after the meeting on Sunday.

The security policy, as pointed by the NC spokesman, will be oriented towards the protection and promotion of multi-party democracy, constitutional monarchy, human rights, adult franchise, independent judiciary, security of the people at large and their right to live peacefully.

This might be a rude awakening to the government after several incidences, from both inside and outside, which led it to be more concerned about the security situation of the country.

The four and a half-years-long Maoist war has been the biggest internal security threat to the present government. Externally, the accusations by India that Nepal’s land has been used by Pakistani intelligence agency for anti-India activities have given rise to concerns about security.

Incidences like the seizures of explosives, narcotics and fake currency and also the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane about six-months back have pointed to the need for Nepal to be more alert to the new challenges in international security.

Moreover, reports saying that Nepal is increasingly being used as a transit point for narcotics trade, also raises concerns. Meanwhile, the formulation of a security policy will require the cooperation and coordination of all the political parties and others. Such a policy would be a lame duck one if the political parties start bickering about its formulation and implementation.

Meanwhile, the second directive of the ruling party relates to the initiation of steps to enact laws for strengthening of all forms of institutions related to national security and for coordinating them and their integration.

In the third directive, the party has asked the government to take into confidence the opposition parties and discuss on how the Maoist issue could be solved peacefully. And in the fourth directive, the government has been instructed to take immediate steps to formulate a concrete programme and an all party monitoring mechanism to look into the development problems faced by the districts affected by the Maoist violence.

Meanwhile, this is the first time the government has been instructed to formulate the national security policy.

One of the things politicians, political thinkers, intellectuals and also others have been blaming the governments till now, is that they do for not have comprehensive security and foreign policies to address the new challenges. Also, it is often alleged that (and quite rightly so) the country’s policies in important sectors like foreign affairs and security matters shift like sand dunes with every change of government.

The controversy regarding whether the army should or should not be deployed against the Maoists rebellion is an example of the lack of a comprehensive and coherent national policy. The recent decisions of the Nepali Congress may help in formulating the basics in those areas.

Meanwhile, the directives indicate that the ruling party has finally awakened and realised the need and importance of the national security policy.

The ability of the government to control the insurgency, maintain the law and order and then resolve the Maoists issue through talks, will indicate how serious the Nepali Congress is about doing what it says.

The vicious visa business

By a staff reporter

Going to the US of A, who doesn’t think about it? Now with even greater opportunities promised, hordes of people all across the world are making a bee line to the "Land of promises".

But it is no more as easy as hopping on a ship or even an airplane and entering the "Melting Pot" as many pioneers of this land did. The doors are virtually closed to most people, specially those from the developing countries.

However, till just about a decade back, any Nepali could just walk into the US Embassy office at Brahma Cottage and apply for a visa. There were no fixed days or long lines to wait for. Yes, visa applications could be rejected even then, but the process to get one’s visa was no big deal.

It is no longer so. It costs more than Rs. 3000 just to apply for a visa and this amount is not refundable even if a person’s application is rejected. Does it cost so much to just go through a person’s visa application?

"This is highly unethical of the US Embassy. Nowhere in the world does any embassy charge so much just to apply for a visa," an applicant said. The Embassy may have opted for this move to discourage visa seekers, but going by the crowd one sees in front of the US embassy, it seems this hasn’t worked, though it earns a tidy sum annually for the embassy.

Naturally, it is the right of any country to either grant or no grant entry to an outsider, but this right could be used more gently and in a more humane manner, say visa applicants.

Many Nepalese complain that officials at the US Embassy here, don’t even look at the papers. "They just reject your application by looking at your face," one applicant whose application had been rejected complained.

Indeed there are many instances when even persons with the best of references, and those who would not at all want to stay back in US having had their visa application rejected, just because the visa officers think so. Just one week back, a highly successful businessman who has a factory here and also a shop doing roaring business at Bishal Bazar, had his visa application turned down. Furthermore, he had toured to all parts of Europe several times over, yet, he was told he may not come back from the US.

Similarly, a man in his mid-forties, who had been invited to attend an international conference in Washington DC, was not given a visa. He was to have returned from the US an attended follow-up meets in South Korea and Japan a few weeks later. "Even if I had a chance, my age would not allow me to stay back," he said.

Applicants who line up in front of the US Embassy at Pani Pokhari tell how they have to reserve a place from the night before, if they wanted to get a chance to submit their visa forms. "We pay a whopping amount which in not refundable, then we stay for hours outside the Embassy and then inside we face the rude behaviour of embassy officials," an applicant said to this reporter.

There have been many media reports of how high handed embassy workers are to the Nepalese, who treat the applicants like beggars. One weekly reported of how even top Nepali artist Santosh Pant was not given a visa. The newspaper had alleged that some officials were involved in corruption.

To corroborate this, one manpower agency’s owner challenged that he could get a visa from any embassy, provided the price was right.

It is a fact that the Nepalese themselves are to blame for the poor treatment they receive at many embassies and airports around the world. There have been incidents when MPs have been involved in illegally taking people abroad and also government officials themselves overstaying in countries like US, Japan and Germany.

But still, to put all people in the same baskets just because some had made mistakes, is another mistake. A super power like the US, must act more benevolent and not stingy, at least in treating people, if not in giving visas.

Sounds of SLC results scandal

By Dhana Thapa

The much awaited SLC (School Leaving Certificate) results are expected to be out within one week’s time. Called the "Iron Gate" by many young students, as thousands of them fail each year in this exam, the SLC result is a much looked forward to event, by both students and parents.

How much of a hurry people are in to have a look at the final outcome, was seen when last year police had to disperse the crowd with force at Gorkhapatra Corporation, which publishes the SLC results.

But sadly in recent years, there has been growing controversy regarding the fairness in the merits of the exam, specially in declaring the top ten students. There are allegations that some schools and also parents pay huge amounts of money to influence the officials of the Controller’s Office, which has a final say in the results.

Looking for names and numbers : The SLC results is a much awaited event every year, though it has been tainted with scandals in recent times.

It has been no different this year as well. A vernacular weekly has even published the name of the student who will top the SLC exams. This student is called the "Board First" student and his or her name will be remembered for many years and much honor will be bestowed on that youngster.

To come back to this year’s controversy, the weekly has alleged that Sumnima Singh of Siddhartha Banasthali School is going to be Board First. A daughter of an Engineer working with HMG, the weekly says the school and parents of the girl have paid Rs. 1.5 million for Sumnima to top the SLC exams.

It is true that in an interview given to another vernacular weekly that appeared on Friday, the founder Principal of Siddhartha Banasthali, Laxman Rajbansi had declared that three students of his school would come in the Top Ten list and Sumnima would come first. The weekly has rightly challenged how Rajbansi could make such an open declaration unless he has advance information.

Last year also there were allegations that much money changed hands when the top ten students were decided. In fact the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority started a special investigation to look into the matter. Officials had disclosed that all the answer papers were confiscated by the CIAA, but till now, nothing has been said of what became of this investigation.

The Government must look into the present allegations, before the results are declared, as the whole credibility of the examination system of SLC is being questioned. Furthermore, the fate of more than one hundred thousand young pupils is at stake and it is no laughing or commercial matter for them. Whether they pass or fail or come in the Board, they want the shapers of their fate to be honest, not money taking crooks.

Teachers' demand still not fulfilled

By a staff reporter

When will the government give temporary teachers a permanent status? Though the government had expressed its commitment to give them permanent appointment almost a year back, the issue still remains unresolved.

Temporary teachers sitting-in at the Ministry of Education last year.

According to the executive members of Temporary Teachers’ Movement Central Committee (TTMCC), when Bhattarai government was ruling the country, Minister for Education, Yog Prasad Upadhaya announced to provide permanent appointment to all temporary teachers who have worked at least a year as a temporary teacher. However, the government has not yet started procedures to that effect.

In their bid to pressurize the government, the TTMCC organized a relay sit-in programme from 15 Kartik 2055 at the entrance of Keshar Mahal. After almost 52 days of continuous sit-in at the Ministry of Education entrance, the government finally agreed to make an agreement with the TTMCC. As a result, the government and the representatives of TTMCC reached an agreement on 7 Poush 2055.

According to the agreement, the government committed to transform all temporary teachers who had completed one year of duty as temporary teachers on 7 Poush 2055 to the permanent teachers. As days passed, their own party cadres toppled the Bhattarai government and the implementation to that effect remained in the darkness.

Recently, the members of the TTMCC handed an appeal to MPs urging for some quick relief to the temporary teachers, who are more than fifty thousand in number. "We have asked the lawmakers to understand the plight of more than fifty thousand temporary teachers and provide them relief," said Umesh Lamsal, general secretary of TTMCC.

Japan's in human resource development

By Bibek Bhatta

Ex-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, inaugurating the 10th anniversary of the Association for overseas technical scholarship (AOTS) Nepal Alumni Society said Japan is the biggest donor for Nepal which is supporting various sectors like health, education, human resources, transport etc. He gave thanks to the AOTS and NAAS (Nepal AOTS Alumni Society) for their contribution to the Nepal’s human resources development on June 25.

He also said that it is essential to promote the friendly relations between the two countries at people’s level. He also presented letters of commendation to the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), Japanese Embassy and Garments Association Nepal.

Japanese charge de affairs, K. Yotsuya expressed the view that Japan will increase its economic and social development help to Nepal. He also presented Yamamoto award to the outstanding personalities of NAAS, Amira Dali, Madhusudan Bhattarai and Asta Shakya.

Japanese president of AOTS, Kanichi Ito said that AOTS is established with the objective of providing technical assistance for development and industrialization in poor country.

A video presentation highlighted various activities and progress made in the area of human resource development by the society in 10 years.

NAAS organized a talk programme on "Human Resources Development in Nepal in the new millennium" on Saturday. National planning commission member Dr. Shankar Sharma said the government is running various programmes to develop human resources in tourism and information technology sectors that held good prospects in terms of national development.

Narendra Bajracharya, the president of Hotel Association of Nepal said that the government has not given due importance to tourism development that occupies about 20 percent of country’s foreign currency earnings and provides employment to 4.5 million people directly or indirectly.

Rajib Subba, General Secretary of computer association Nepal said that we have missed the industrial revolution and green revolution but we must not miss IT revolution.

Towards greater understanding of mountain issues

By a staff reporter

Spiny Babbler, the arts and literature organisation, is holding a high school level, short story programme involving more than twenty nations of the Asian Pacific region. Nations participating in the programme include New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, India and Nepal, according to a Spiny Babbler press release.

Students have been invited to write stories related to mountain issues. Such stories may be based on broad-ranging topics such as the environment, wildlife, culture, geography, economy and human experience. Para Limbu, Chairperson of Spiny Babbler and Project Leader of the programme said that the Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) is supporting this effort of the organisation.,

The short story competition is among a series of global interaction programmes being scheduled by Spiny Babbler as it approaches its tenth anniversary. The October edition of the literature journal is to cover approximately fifty contemporary poets of the United Kingdom. Patricia Oxley, editor of Acumen, one of the finest poetry journals of present-day England is putting together the edition.

Stories submitted to the programme will be published in a special edition of the Spiny Babbler monthly journal and distributed in about thirty countries worldwide. r

Olympic Day Run
Place sport at the service of humanity

By a staff reporter

The start of the Olympic Day Run 2000 in Biratnagar on June 23.

This year’s Olympic day run was organized in Biratnagar on June 23. Despite the heavy rain nearly 500 participants including school children, athletes, coaches, sports officials and other distinguished persons and sports enthusiasts participated in the run. Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) organized the run in cooperation with Eastern Sports Development Committee under the aegis of the International Olympic Committee. President of NOC/Nepal, Rukma Shumsher Rana, inaugurated the run says a NOC press release.

Inaugurating the programme, President Rana, on the occasion, relayed the messages issued by IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. In the message they expressed that the goal of the Olympic Movement is to place sport at the service of humanity, by harnessing its great potential to the global struggle for peace, prosperity and the preservation of human dignity.

The Vice President of Nepal Olympic Committee, Dhrub K. Timilsina, Mayor of the Biratnagar sub metropolis, Ramesh Chandra Poudel also attended the function. Prior to this the Olympic Day Run was also organized in Birgunj, Pokhara and Lumbini.

The run is organized every year in commemoration of the first General Convention of the International Olympic Committee held in Paris on June 23, 1894 at the initiative of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympic Games.

Nepal, India agree for watershed based agri development

By a staff reporter

The Secretaries in Ministry of Agriculture of India and Nepal, on June 23, signed a new Work Plan in New Delhi to continue cooperation in the field of agriculture between the two countries. This Work Plan was signed at the end of the three-day visit of a ten-member Nepalese delegation to India to attend the Fourth Meeting of Joint Agricultural Working Group, according and India Embassy press release here. The Group was constituted under the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Governments signed in 1991. Both sides also agreed to take necessary steps to extend the validity of the present MOU by another 10 years after its expiry in 2001.

Both sides have agreed to cooperate in implementing the programmes for watershed based agricultural development in eco-fragile zones of two countries for increasing the income level of farmers and mitigating the problem of floods. The two delegations also agreed to enter into a dialogue to conclude a bilateral agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures encompassing plant and animal quarantine and food safety requirements.

Among other notable achievements of this meeting include agreement on exchanging information and advanced technologies for upgradation of cash crops including horticulture and spices. The Indian side also offered to supply farm machinery and sprinkler/drip irrigation systems on negotiated commercial terms for agricultural development in Nepal. The Nepalese side welcomed the Indian offer.

Both sides reiterated the need for eradication of rinderpest and BCCP diseases and agreed to exchange team of experts to formulate a Plan of Action in this regard at the earliest.

Under the same MOU, another Work Plan between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) is also in operation simultaneously and a number of programmes have been successfully implemented under this Work Plan.

CIS to maintain strategic stability

By a staff reporter

The heads of states of the CIS (Commonwealth of the Independent States) have agreed to maintain strategic stability in the world and have issued a declaration on the condition of the international agreements, which constitute its basis.

The meeting on June 21 in Moscow also welcomed the ratification by Russia the START-II, CTBT and the 1997 agreements on ABM Treaty.

Accord to a press release of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nepal, the CIS heads of states have expressed their adherence to the cause of strengthening strategic stability and international security.

"The leaders of the CIS have marked historical significance of the May 26,1772 ABM treaty as a cornerstone for ensuring world peace, security and strategic stability and confirm its imperishable value under the current circumstances, and that they count on ratification of all these documents by the United States."

It further adds that they firmly believe that the ABM treaty will remain the time-tested basis of further reduction of the nuclear arms in the world in which the international community takes a deep interest.

The declaration says that any steps washing out the goals and provisions of the current ABM treaty would have a negative effect on security not only of the participants of this treaty but also on security of all members of international community and would undermine the global strategic stability and steps towards further reduction of nuclear arms.

The heads of the states support the international community’s line to ensure firmness and integrity of ABM Treaty, and call to make extra efforts to preserve this Treaty by means of its strict and complete observation in order to keep it as a corner stone of the global strategic stability, international security and peace all over the world.

Foreign aid policy to come soon

By Neeraj Vajracharya

Nepal received the very first installment of foreign aid after the end of Rana rule in the country in 1950. Since then, foreign aid has become one of the most important resources to Nepal. In the past fifty years, external resources has fulfilled almost two thirds (33.14%) of the country’s total national expenditure.

Despite the important role of foreign aid in the country’s economy, Nepal has not yet developed a definite policy on foreign aid. After almost 50 years of external loans and grants to the country, Nepal has suddenly felt the need of foreign aid policy recently. Presently, officials at the Ministry of Finance are devoting their days and nights in preparing a blueprint on it. According to sources, the government is planning to announce the policy in a few weeks time.

Though the need of such thorough policy in the coordination of foreign aid was being felt since a long time, the news of its being under preparation came as a surprise to many people. That had came for the first time immediately after Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya’s visit to Paris in connection with the meeting of Nepal Development Forum, one major highlights of which was aid effectiveness.

As Finance Minister Acharya informed the Parliament about the completion of the foreign aid policy in a few weeks on Thursday, many people began to speculate over it. Their major concern seemed to be on the identification of priority areas where Nepal is spending foreign loan and grant money and on monitoring of the impact of the targeted programmes.

In the past fifty years, foreign aid constituted more than sixty percent of the country’s development expenditures. The percentage share of foreign aid in terms of the total development expenditure for the second and third plan period was 79.7 and 56.2 respectively. The share of foreign aid dropped to 42.2 percent in the fourth plan period while it increased to 48.3, 67.9 and 70.6 percent respectively.

With the percentage share of external aid in the total development expenditure of the country remaining as high as 65.5 percent during the eighth five-year plan, it undoubtedly is an indispensable factor in the Nepalese economy. Despite the huge amount of foreign assistance, Nepal has not been able to address its top priority problem of poverty alleviation. Poverty, in fact, is increasing in different ecological divisions of the country.

Many critics point out that due to the lack of policy, Nepal has not been able to attract foreign aid towards its priority areas. This is largely because donors have their own priority areas and there is no link and coordination among different donors and the government in monitoring the impact of their activities, they say.

"All the donors have been complaining that there is no strong and positive relationship between priority identification and resource allocation," said prominent economist Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal during a recent interview to The Independent.

"HMG has given top priority to rural infrastructure. But if we look at the contributions of the donors, their resources for addressing rural infrastructure development is meager," he said. "As such, both the donors and the government should think about why they are not able to address the priority area," he added.

According to Ministry sources, the upcoming foreign aid policy would help in the institutionalized development of foreign aid coordination, help in setting the terms and parameters of foreign aid, financial management and rational management of foreign aid in Nepal. It would also ensure the stability of implemented projects, encourage the donor agencies to take the role of the facilitator rather than the implementing agency and set the development priorities of the country.

While responding to MPs queries last week, Finance Minister said that the policy has been developed for the proper and efficient utilization of foreign aid to expedite national development and sustainable economic growth. According to Ministry sources, the main concern for Nepal at present is regarding the best use of the foreign aid and maximizing its benefit to the target areas.

In whatever form external resources might come - foreign aid, grants and cooperation - the ultimate objective of foreign aid is to make the country self-reliant so that it will not have to depend on foreign aid any longer. As such, while shaping the country’s first foreign aid policy, the government should develop an inventory of priority-based feasible projects and stringent rules and regulations. At the same time, it should also be accountable and transparent.

Is the UML afraid of govt. - Maoist talks?

By a staff reporter

Does the CPN-UML have an apprehension about the talks between the government and the Maoists? The main opposition party made a rather curious, yet a serious, proposition last week, when its General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the talks with the Maoists should be followed with yet another general election.

"If the talks is to succeed and the Maoists to lay down their arms, the government should announce an early poll to bring the Maoists into the fold of the parliamentary practice," he said.

The rationale given to this proposal was that if the Maoists are to be made to lay down their arms and stop their violent campaign they should be brought into the fold of the parliamentary system, as soon as possible, and there is no other way for this than to hold an early election.

The proposal came when it is not yet certain when the talks will take place or what course the talks might follow and, more importantly, such a demand has not come from the Maoists and till date they have not shown any inclination to take part in the ‘bourgeoisie’ election.

The UML seems anxious that if the talks take place and the Maoists problem is solved peacefully, it might elevate the Maoists as a potential political force in the Left and, on the other hand, it will also lift up the ruling Nepali Congress party’s image in the people’s eyes.

The UML’s proposal has also come at a time when, for the first time, in the last four and a half years, there is a glimmer of hope that the Maoists’ violent campaign will end peacefully.

For the people, any attempt by anybody, especially the ‘responsible’ political parties, to undo the small achievements towards a peaceful solution of the problem will be in a very bad taste.

The general election last year gave a mandate to the Nepali Congress party, and with the realisation that a majority government may deal with this and other problems more effectively than a hotch-potch government of different ideas and thinkings.

It might be mentioned that the unstable coalitions and the frequent makings and breakings of governments are also to be blamed for the escalation of the Maoist’s rebellion.

So, there is nothing but some ulterior motives behind the UML’s proposal. The UML’s proposal can be compared to the oft repeated term of trying to fish in the muddy waters.

The UML either must come up with a more rationale explanation or its image as a responsible political party will be tarnished.