Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

KING GYANENDRA MET WITH C.P. MAINALI, general secretary of Communist Party of Nepal – Marxist Leninist (CPN-ML) and Salim Miyan Ansari, chairman of Socialist Party of Nepal on Wednesday (April 28). Following his audience with the King, Mainali said that he told the King that all party government led by a leader from among the mainstream parties and as per their recommendation should be formed to end the crisis. “The King was not negative at my proposal but he added formation of any government should be based upon definite political, economic and social agenda,” Mainali said. He quoted the King as saying that drafting such agenda as well as determining who should be the Prime Minister were the responsibility of the parties. He added that the King was in favor of a common agenda that could address the concerns of both the parties and the Maoists. King Gyanendra had also met with five political leaders including three former prime ministers Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Kirtinidhi Bista and Marich Man Singh Shrestha on April 27. Likewise, he also met with M.S. Thapa and Gore Bahadur Khapangi, two leaders of ethnic parties.

ACCORDING TO DR. SHANKAR PRASAD SHARMA, vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC), Nepal will be a part of the proposed Asian highway. He recently signed an agreement in connection with the operation of the Asian Highway held in Shanghai, China. The Asian Highway network will be nearly 150,000 km long and cover 32 countries in Asia. This includes 1311 km of the East West Highway, Arniko Highway and the Kathmandu-Narayanghat-Hetauda-Raxaul Highway. The highway network is expected to boost trade and tourism in the region.

THE UNITED STATES SENATE HAS APPROVED the nomination of James Moriarty as the new American ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal. President George Bush had nominated Moriarty. Talking to AFP after the approval, Moriarty said that America will fully support Nepalese government’s fight against the Maoists and would continue to provide international assistance in this regard. He said he will work to strengthen democratic process and human rights situation in the country. He said that he will advise the King and political parties to come together and go for general elections to end the crisis.

FRUSTRATED OVER THE LACK OF FULFILLMENT of government pledges to rehabilitate them, a group of Kamaiyas have come to Kathmandu all the way from far western districts like Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya and Dang together with 12-point demands. Their demands include distribution of land to Kamaiya families. Although Kamaiyas (bonded laborers) had been liberated by the government four years ago, the state of majority of them has not improved till now. “We want the government to keep its promises and provide us with land,” said Pashupati Chaudhary, general secretary of Free Kamaiya Society.

IN A PROGRAM ORGANIZED TO DISCUSS PRIVATE sector’s concerns in the run up to the May 5-6 Nepal Development Forum (NDF) meeting, Binod Chaudhary, a leading industrialist and president of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) complained about the various pressures on this sector. “Since 1990s, the focus has been on private sector and rightly so. However, the private sector, too, has its limitations,” he said, adding, “There are pressures from various fronts for us to perform and then, we are also suffering from underground taxes on business enterprises imposed by the Maoists. At the same time we are also expected to compete with international business enterprises in free trade regimes. So, we are in a difficult situation.” At the program Prof Bishwambher Pyakuryal, president of Nepal Economic Association (NEA) stressed on the incorporation of new technologies to help private sector play crucial role. Chief Secretary Dr. Bimal Koirala said that although donor support in financial and technological aspects were necessary, it was ultimately the Nepalese who had to perform. The program was participated by private sector, government officials and donor community.

THE STUDENT WING OF THE MAOISTS HAS GIVEN a stern warning to make the education up to secondary level free in government schools and to reduce the fee by 29 percent by the private schools. It has threatened to close down all schools beginning mid-May in case their demands are not fulfilled. The Private and Boarding Schools Organization of Nepal (PABSON) has said that none of the private schools have raised their fees officially for the last five years. It also asked to refrain from victimizing private schools from time to time.

WOMEN ACTIVISTS FROM VARIOUS SECTORS of life went to the Royal Palace on Monday (April 26) and submitted a petition demanding that the King appoint a woman Prime Minister. One and a half dozen women activists belonging to political and social sector went to the Palace and also submitted their roadmap. Led by former minister Anuradha Koirala, former chairperson of National Women’s Commission Dr. Durga Pokharel and activist Shanta Thapaliya went to the palace with the request under the banner of Solidarity of Women for Peace and Dialogue. According to Dr. Pokharel, they made the request to appoint a woman PM because Nepal had seen many male PMs but none could perform.

THE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF NEPAL (MAN) organized a talk program on the Public Service Reforms on April 30. Dr. Madhu Nidhi Tiwari, a former member of the Public Service Commission (PSC), presented a paper on the subject. He detailed the history and background of Nepalese administrative system. “The whole DNA of the current bureaucratic system needs to be changes to make them service-oriented,” Dr. Tiwari said. He also highlighted the need to bring in talented people in the bureaucracy to be able to deal with highly competitive private sector. Deependra Purush Dhakal, former governor, Rajendra Kumar Khetan, an industrialist, and Bishnu Bahadur KC, former auditor general, commented on his paper.