In-depth Analysis

UML political skill to be tested!

Kathmandu: As the Congress by-polls sweep begins to be capitalized by the Bhattarai segment of the Nepali Congress, focus will gradually shift to the special session of the Parliament where this assertion will be made more visible in the context of the Nepali Congress infighting- more than the expected to connote.

Indeed, Prime Minster Bhattarai has already begun to make such assertions elsewhere. speaking off the cuff at public gatherings Bhattarai has begun to impress in public speeches that he has neither family nor core relatives and friends to nurture through corruption, implying perhaps that Girija Babu has.

While the UML has reason to bemoan its Jhapa loss, covered perhaps by K.P. Woli's trade-off elsewhere, the government can gloat little over its Morang win and Prakash Koirala's Rauthat thumping victory was perhaps too much a certainty for Bhattarai to make any claims.

Nevertheless, the congress has reason to be more confident than the UML and if there is any serious loser in the long run who should be shaken by the win, it is perhaps, ironically Girija Koirala of the Congress itself.

This is not to suggest that the Congress Chairman is incapable of turning the table all at a go. It is likely that the strongman will project the congress victory as product of its organizational skills, which despite government non-performances yielded results for the Congress. Even the understanding that the Prakash Koirala win will be to Bhattarai's benefit may be used to favor Girija if his position in the Koirala family is used with skill.

The fact is that Prakash Koirala is BP's son and Girija Babu is BP's brother. While the commonality will favor Prakash Koirala's induction in Bhattarai's cabinet, this need not mean that Prakash will turn against Girija at KP's possible instigation. Nevertheless, it may be safe to state here that Prakash Koirala may help cement the widening Congress gap and turn the situation to his personal benefit in the name of Congress unity.

Outside the Congress, an assertive Prakash Koirala is hoped to increase his "nationalist credentials" given his previous statements on issue of national interests.

Outside the parliamentary parties, however, focus is gradually shifting to the campuses where student politics appears to be witnessing the emergence of Maoist cadre to considerable extents. It has been noted that the Left Students appear virtually dormant in the race of increased activities by the apparently better mobilized and vocal extreme while the Congress predominated student organizations appear hesitant to cope with the violence on their own.

This trend is significant in the sense that it brings the radical movement in the urban areas through the educational institutions. If it is then predictable that Campus violence will show a rise in frequency by time of Union Elections, the inability of Parliamentary party student wings to garner support to cope with the violence plus the increased resort to administrative methods as a solution will have connotations of significance to national politics at the urban intellectuals levels that this is the decisive sector of political change in the country gives these developments' connotations that cannot be minimized.

It is not without reason therefore that the UML activity in the imminent future must be watched. Having succeeded in materializing the special session on plea of dealing with pressing popular issues Such as price hikes and law and order, the UML must prevent a slide in their most potent student and grass-roots cadre by appearing to deliver from the special session. While they can't distance themselves to make the situation for K.P Bhattarai too precarious, they must nevertheless, begin asserting their role as the opposition. For the UML this is easier said than done.

Strip News:
UN/ESCAP Beijing meet concludes

Kathmandu: The 'Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Enhancing Utilization of Industrial Complementarities and Tripartite Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region' was held in Beijing, China from 1 to 3 December 1999.

The meting was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN/ESCAP), Asian and Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) and the host China International Trade Research and Training Center for the Asia-Pacific Region (RTC).

Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal, Professor of Economics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, attended this scholarly gathering as a resource person who had worked as a consultant for the UN/ESCAP to complete a three month's study on 'Industrial Complementarities and Tripartite Cooperation: Sub-regional Study on South Asia' covering Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal. The study made an assessment of the state of industrial development in the South-Asian Sub-region and investigated the emerging opportunities for utilizing industrial complementarities. The study has also offered proposals for Sub-regional and regional cooperation for utilizing complementarities along sub-group of countries.

Manufacturing had become more important in the economic structure of South Asian economies with a relative decline of the agricultural sector. However, South Asia faces the problem of inadequate infrastructure, unstable prices and foreign exchange rates, non-transparent economic policies, low levels of intra-regional trade, and political instability at the national level which prevent the effective utilization of industrial complementarities in the sub-region despite great potential in sectors like electronics, electric machinery, telecommunications and automobiles. Bilateral political differences too have prevented realizing the full potential of regionalism in South Asia and the effective sharing of water and power resources among countries as well as the regional utilization of transportation networks such as roads.

Dr. Pyakuryal's report revealed that there is a need for policy action to promote the effective utilization of industrial complementarities with focus on promoting intra-trade and investment. Furthemore, a change in the current rules and regulations covering the issues related to utilization of industrial complementarities and sharing of resources is urgently required. In this context, the Bejing conference expressed fervent hope that SAFTA would achieve closer economic integration. In addition, the establishment of sub-regional growth triangles based on the establishment of resource-based joint ventures could be considered.

A consensus emerged in the Beijing meet which stressed that it was essential for South Asian countries to remove and rationalize trade and investment barriers in various sectors such as computer parts and components, automobiles and intermediate textile and apparel products in order to effectively utilize industrial complementarities and promote intra-regional trade and investment and technology transfer in these areas. In addition, countries have to upgrade technology and quality of products in these areas, it was also agreed.

The meeting was attended by 14 senior officials of government from Asia-pacific region.

Box news:
Will Koirala support Bhattarai?

Kathmandu: The UML initiated special session of the Lower House has already commenced.

UML's bid to force the government this round of the session to take back the increased prices of Diesel, Kerosene oil and electricity appear bleak if one were to believe the blunt statements made Tuesday by Congress stalwart Mr.Narhari Acharya to a congress affiliated weekly newspaper.

This notwithstanding, the threat loaded signals that have emanated from Madhav Nepal's camp in which he says that the "options" were left to his party in case the government does not yield to their demands which Nepal considers were all in the "interests " of the people.

"The Parliament and the streets" both would be utilised this time to press the government to roll back its decisions that increased the prices of diesel, K.oil and that of the electricity so mercilessly", Nepal told a newspaper close to the fold of his own party.

These two diametrically opposed statements coming from two different quarters amply hint at the possible collision between the two political giants in case some face saving formulae is not devised.

Fortunately, the UML enjoys the support from other minor parties currently in the opposition including the Sadbhavana and the RPP as well. However, the voices of support that have come from these minor parties were subdued as if they wish neither to antagonize the government and the people as well.

High placed congress sources say that given the uncomfortable situation in the congress created by the widening gap in between Girija babu and Premier Bhattarai, the former might instigate the sponsors of the special session to go in for a fight that finally brings the latter down. After all, it is no secret that President Koirala was not at all happy with Premier Bhattarai for obvious reasons. Koirala has reasons to be displeased with Bhattarai for the latter has every time taken his instructions in a light manner. And that the fresh decision of the government to nominate Sher Bahadur Deuba, a political rival of Koirala by all angles, for heading a committee that has been entrusted to deal with the Maoists' issue, has only added fuel to the fire. Thirdly and most importantly perhaps, the secret alignment of Junior Koirala with the Bhattarai camp too adds to the mental agony of President Koirala.

How the two congress stalwarts support each other at this crucial juncture will perhaps determine the fate of the UML sponsored special session. Undoubtedly, the special session must have come for the congressmen as a frontal attack from the main opposition. Yet what could be safely said that if the UML is pressed hard by the government and also if the party feels that they can't preserve the people's interests roaring only in the Parliament, the UML in that case might seek the clandestine support of President Koirala. A minimum support from Koirala to the UML perhaps will bring Bhattarai down. To recall, Madhav Nepal only recently had said that President Koirala also had approached him asking UML support. However, Nepal did not elaborate for what purpose Koirala needed UML support.

How the congress faces the UML challenge is yet to be watched.

Politics now in hands of students

Kathmandu: Nepal's fluid politics appears to have slipped from the grips of the mainstream politicians in the recent days. Indications to that effect get reflected from the fierce and violent incident that took place the other day in Pokhara.

The event took a nasty turn when a contingent of police personnel rampaged the venue where Revolutionary Students ( All Nepal National Free Students Union-revolutionary) were proceeding with their 16th Kaski district convention. Retaliating to the police overtures, the students then created havoc and a rough estimate has it that the enraged students damaged property of the Prithivi Narayan Campus to the tune of five crores.

The police appear to have intervened the students' convention assuming that some top hats of the Maoists movement could be nabbed at one place. This however, did not happen because the leaders of the movement were not in the said venue.

Why the police personnel's used their full force upon weapon less students has become a matter of mystery.

Normally the police force is allowed to enter an educational institution when the chief of the institution so desires. In this case, the police force entered the campus without the permission from the designated authority. The Campus chief later came to the violent scene and ordered to policemen to get-out of the institution compound.

Similarly, the policemen only a few days back too had interrupted a student assembly that was held in Kirtipur.

While these speak of the fact that the state machinery has geared up its efforts aimed at nabbing the suspected Maoists, then it concurrently speaks of the police high handedness being exhibited these days which have, to put it plainly, only threaten the lay men. Unconfirmed reports have it that the police forces have recently taken into custody some top ranking Maoists leaders right from the capital district. However, the Maoists' have yet not accepted the government's claim.

In the meanwhile, Morang district too has become the target of the Maoists. Only a fortnight ago the Maoists looted the office of the Small Farmers development in Letang and have reportedly burnt most of the important paper documents. This event has created a sense of terror among the officials and the common men of the area.

Nepal's failure lies in governance says US scholar

Kathmandu: The Nepal Council of World Affairs Monday organized a talk program on "Governing the Commons: the Development of Local Institutions in Nepal."

The keynote speaker was an American scholar of international standing Professor John T. Scholz who basically teaches Political Science at the New York University.

Professor Scholz has visited Nepal several times in the past and is well abreast with the basic problems of this beleaguered Himalayan Kingdom.

Addressing the gathering Professor Scholz bluntly said that the topic of local governance in Nepal was a critical one and that Nepal's policy priorities generally reflected the donors' interests.

"Development infrastructure in Nepal is simply incredible. However, the failure lies in governance", added the US scholar.

Professor who is also the author of "Nepal-Profile of a Himalayan Kingdom" felt sorry for the pitiable conditions of the Nepalese people.

During the lecture Scholz did not mince words and maintained that Nepalese leaders give only lip service for the devolution of power from the center to the local institutions.

He also made it clear that government every where in the world were only the facilitators of national development. The responsible citizens must take the lead in the development and the empowerment of the local institutions so that the people down at the local level benefit.

For a local institution to function in an effective manner the systems of information; negotiation and the enforcement part must be taken in to proper account as these were closely related with each other, concluded the American scholar.

State of World's Children 2000 released

Kathmandu: The UNICEF released the State of the World's Children 2000 report on December 13, 1999.

The report takes a glimpse at the achievements of the last decade, the significant gains made in social development when the ideals of human dignity, justice and equality became a reality through the actions of governments, organizations and individuals.

The report amply delves into the staggering impact that increasing poverty, armed conflict, HIVAIDS and gender discrimination is having on the lives of the children and women around the globe.

Based on the belief that intergenerational patterns of poverty, violence, disease and discrimination can be broken in a single generation, the report concludes on a positive note.

Mr. Stewart McNab, the UNICEF representative in Nepal has also urged the Nepali media to extend support to the UNICEF activities and help popularize the findings of the fresh report so that people become aware of their duties towards the children who have of late been the victims of poverty, violence and discrimination.

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