In depth Analysis

Girija much ahead in congress tiff!

Kathmandu: Last week saw both Prime Minister Koirala and his rival former Prime Minister Bhattarai attend separate congress ceremonies assuring the public that their internal dissent was almost over. Regardless of the official media highlighting this claim, reading between the lines however, can lead to other conclusions. Firstly, the very fact that Bhattarai and protégé Sher Bahadur Deuba were absent from the congress central regional meet purportedly in preparation of the Pokhara national convention is itself a reminder that the breach has in no case been removed. Secondly, both Koirala and Bhattarai appear to be making claims approaching the issues from two different ends allowing them to claim the bottle as either half empty or half full. Bhattarai, for example, claims he is close to a breakthrough because Koirala has accepted three of his five demands. Koirala on the other hand says Bhattarai will see reason regarding the impossibility of the fulfillment of two of his demands. Thirdly, as much as it is significant that Koirala and Bhattarai were attending two separate functions, it is more so that Girija babu was attending a Kathmandu district organized party function while Bhattarai and Deuba were attending a similar Kathmandu district function as well. The latter, one must stress was organized by he women’s organization dominated by the erstwhile G.M.Singh supporters who are said to be more influential congress men in the district but have been sidelined by the Girija lobby.

It is these continuing contradictions at the organizational level which deny the possibility of the two factions meeting unless Bhattarai drop the demands and negotiate accommodation in the Girija dominated congress. Indications that Girija babu is preparing a serious shaking of the congress central committee after Pokhara is found in his non-compromising organizational standpoints that is also reflected in the Kathmandu district shake up. It is understood, however, that such standpoints gain for Girija now converts from power, if for example, it is said that Prakash Man Singh has been distanced, P.L.Singh has been brought closer as the congress rumors go. These organizational nuances will reflect themselves at Pokhara, it is said, and the Bhattarai lobby is losing ground forcing the chances of compromise. Girija has in so many ways made it clear that he is not going to give up his candidacy on the dictates of any particular lobby in order, in his point, to preserve democracy in his party.

This makes it abundantly clear that the prime target of the Bhattarai lobby, to prevent a Koirala predominance and have a larger governing say in the central committee prior to the convention appears to have been defeated for the moment. Whether the postponement of the Pokhara meet will give Bhattarai valuable time to reverse the situation remains to be seen.

Dinner diplomacy facilitates ‘treaty of peace’ in congress party

Kathmandu: The three weeklong high-powered "power struggle" drama staged by the two "old" boys of the Nepali congress has been given to understand to have come to a "happy" end with the two top hats using the old and time tested formulae of ‘give and take’ for the moment.

Such entertaining scenes in the congress party is nothing new, say those who have been watching the congress politics carefully since all along these ten years of the advent of the new system in the country.

That the new armistice arrived at between the two warring parties after a lavish dinner at the Baluatar Palace this Sunday evening is of a ephemeral nature gets reflected from the fact that most of the disgruntled members of the congress with whom Bhattarai had sided for quite long time and gave the impression that he was fighting for their just cause appear to have felt suddenly cheated.

In their opinion, their main demand had been to force Koirala to resign from one of the two posts currently he has been enjoying-the Prime Ministership and the Presidency.

"Surprisingly, Koirala is silent over our main demand and our man Bhattarai tells us that every thing has been finalized", lamented a powerful member of the disgruntled lot.

That the members of the Deuba-Bhattarai camp who created troubles for Koirala all along three weeks or even more were not at all happy with the new scheme devised by their own party top brass got reflected from their fresh meeting held at the Deuba headquarters in Baneshwar Monday to assess the gains or for that matter the evident loss accruing from the Koirala-Bhattarai handshake.

"’Some thing is better than nothing", reluctantly admitted Khum Bahadur Khadka-the real source of the trouble for Girija this round.

Rest of the members in the Deuba-Bhattarai faction have yet to reconcile from the new cease-fire arrived at Sunday that claimed to have done away with the ongoing congress crisis once and for all.

Interestingly, the temporary ‘treaty of peace’ was arrived at Sunday, August 27. However, the press release issued by the Baluatar regarding the points agreed between the two congress stalwarts is dated August 23. Frightening indeed.

"Here lies the real conspiracy", commented a newspaper close to Bhattarai this Tuesday.

According to this tabloid, the points agreed in between the two congress septuagenarians are as follows: Koirala will not fight for the next presidency; the central committee and the cabinet will house members from both the faction in reciprocal terms; a five member committee would be formed to conduct the ninth party convention in a free and impartial manner; convention should be shifted for three more month than the current date; some one non-controversial personality should be brought in the post of the party general secretary; previous faults committed by the party be corrected; from now onwards the party and the government be regulated through the joint wisdom of the two congress top stalwarts.

Here lies yet another conspiracy. What has been agreed between the two is in the written form with due signatures of those trusted ones from both the rival camps but has again been agreed not to publish the agreed memorandum of understanding.

To recall, the Godavari consent too had been in the written form but later Bhattarai alleged that Koirala did not comply to the agreed agenda to which Koirala flatly denied.

For the moment the congress apparently is over. All would now depend on Koirala how he satisfies the "ego" of the men belonging to the rival camp at time of the revamping of the congress CC and the impending cabinet reshuffle.

How the dinner diplomacy would work remains to be seen.

Polish scientist in town

Kathmandu: A Polish scientist of international standing is currently in town.

Professor. Dr. Kazimierz Strzalka is a Biochemist and is at the moment a tutor at the world famous Jagiellonian University based in Krakow, Poland.

He came last week Nepal at the invitation of some Nepali scientists currently manning the Nepal Molecular Biology Society.

Dr. Strzalka made a special lecture Sunday afternoon at a one-day symposium organized by the Nepal-Molecular Biology Society on "modulation of molecular dynamics of lipids in model and natural membranes of the carotenoids".

The lecture first ever made of its own kind in Nepal on completely a new subject mentioned above drew accolades from the university students studying the molecular biology discipline.

Dr. Kazimierz is presently the director at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Krakow.

He has received several awards among them notable is the award from the Polish Minister of Education. He is concurrently the visiting professor at the University of Japan, USA, Canada and Germany as well. He is also the visiting fellow at the Oxford University.

Talking on the functions of the carotenoids, the Polish scientist said that the main functions of the carotenoids were to harvest light; protect against photodynamics; antioxidant activities; anti-cancer agents and modulation of membrane molecular dynamics and the likes.

"Humans do not produce carotenoids but receive it through different vegetables", added the scientist.

According to the Polish scientist, membranes are a very dynamic system. At the end of the lecture Professor Kazimierz clarified the factors that affect membrane fluidity and the effect of different temperatures on the fluidity of the membranes.

Dr. Rebati Man Shrestha earlier introduced the Polish guest to the audience at the seminar. Likewise, Dr. Surya P.Manandhar, Joint Secretary of the society spoke about the need for exchange of scholars between Nepal and Poland. The Polish scientist instantly accepted the idea. On this count, the Chairman of the Nepal-Poland F. Association urged the Polish scholar to put this proposal in front of the Chairman of the Warsaw based Poland-Nepal F.Association, Mr. Andrzej Wawrzyniak.

Dr. Kazimierz has already visited important historical and religious places in the valley. He has also been to Nagarkot to watch the rising sun.

Today, the Polish scholar will be the guest of honor of the Nepal-Poland Friendship Association.

The Chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists Suresh Acharya will throw a luncheon in honor of the visiting Polish dignitary today. Dr. Kazimierz will also be meeting a few noted Nepalese media men at the Federation of the Nepalese Journalists’ today morning. The Federation Chairman will greet the Polish scholar at his office in Kathmandu.

Dr. Kazimierz will leave for his home country tomorrow.

Ambrosini is new French Ambassador

Kathmandu: Mr. Claude AMBROSINI is the new French Ambassador designate to the Nepali court.

Sources close to Nepal’s foreign ministry say that the new French Ambassador might land in Kathmandu some time September next month to present his credentials.

Monsieur AMBROSINI (58) is a career diplomat having vast experience in Southeast Asian politics and economy as well.

He has already served the French missions at Peking, Sanghai, and Vietnam.

Mr. Ambrosini prior to his Kathmandu appointment is talked to have served as Consulate General in Canton, China, since 1997. Because of his long stay in China in various capacities, the new French Ambassador designate could be guessed as a China expert.

Ambrosini succeeds Michael Lummaux in Kathmandu.

Ambassador Lummaux is currently the French Ambassador in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Telegraph adds: The Dance Mandal and Lalit Nasakhala in close collaboration with the Alliance Francaise organized a Sacred Music and Dance of Nepal Mandala at the latter’s premises last week.

Lalit Nasakhala is a newly created association of young coppersmiths of Patan and this group is one of the ten musical ensembles who participate to the famous annual Buddhist festival of Mataya.

Lalit Nashakhala and the Dance Mandal had come together last week at the AF to present an overview of the Newar csacred music-Naumati baja- and dance. The program was an "Avant premiere" of their first European concert tour next month. The group is to exhibit their performance in France, Switzerland and finally in Italy.

The French artist who is leading this Nepali delegation to Europe, Mr. Franc Bernede, gave the salient features of the Nepali culture and tradition and hoped that the Europeans will surely enjoy from Nasakhala’s performance.

Nepal and B’desh to combat common diseases

Kathmandu: A delegation of the Nepal-SAARC Journalists’ Forum last week paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim at Hotel Soaltee.

Minister Selim had come here to attend the Southeast Asian Health ministers conference, which was held under the aegis of the WHO.

On the occasion, the SAARC forum appraised the minister of the activities of the forum and sought the minister’s support in managing at least one scholarship annually for the Nepalese media men to study journalism course in Dhaka.

The SAARC forum also stressed the need for exchange of littérateurs, academicians, journalists and personalities from different walks of life between the two countries in order to expedite the existing state of bilateral ties.

The minister assured the Forum that he would upon his return to his home country talk to the concerned ministries in these regards.

Minister Selim talking to the members of the delegation opined that since Nepal and B’desh had so many diseases in common which could be minimized or even eradicated through greater coordination between the medicos and the government of the two countries. Diseases like AIDS, Kala-Azar, Malaria, Anaemia and more so poverty and some contagious diseases were common in these countries.

He also divulged that the number of scholarship for Nepalese students in Bangla medical universities would be gradually increased keeping in view the ever-growing friendship between the two SAARC nations.

Minister Selim also told the pressmen that efforts in the establishment of a joint venture in the pharmaceutical sector could also be initiated.

"There are many areas where Nepal and Bangladesh could work jointly for mutual benefit", concluded minister Selim.

Ambassador Cyril Sikder and Counsellor Abdul Kader Khan also were present on the occasion.

King Birendra listens Ghulam Ali Ghajals!

Kathmandu: Unconfirmed reports have it that King Birendra greeted personally one of the greatest Ghajal singer from Pakistan, Ghulam Ali, at the Royal Palace last week when the Ghajal wizard came to the stage to perform his songs. A rare honor indeed.

Ghulam Ali by and large has become very popular in this Himalayan Kingdom through his heart-touching songs. This is his third trip to Kathmandu.

Mr. Ali is considered to be one of the top most Ghajal singers in South Asia whose prestige and popularity has gone much beyond this region.

Reports say that Ghulam Ali was to perform at the Palace on that particular day for one hour but the program had to be stretched unimaginably to almost three hours.

After the advent of the new system of governance in Nepal, Ghulam Ali is the first South Asian personality from Pakistan to have performed inside the ramparts of the Nepal’s Royal Palace, it is learnt.

On second of September, Ghulam Ali is to perform at the Birendra Convention center, it is also learnt.

Why the Palace authorities downplayed this event is still a mystery.

Telegraph adds: The chief editor of this newspaper had met this outstanding Pakistani personality as back as in 1984 in Lahore.

SAARC and WHO sign MoU

Kathmandu : The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) August 23 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the realization that health is central to the process of socio-economic development. Health is both a determinant as well as an outcome of development.

In the presence of the Hon. Ram Baran Yadav, Minister of Health of Nepal and Chairman of the eighteenth Meeting of Ministers of Health of the WHO South-East Asian region, and the Health Ministers and diplomatic representatives of all seven SAARC Countries, the MoU was signed in Kathmandu by Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei, Regional Director on behalf of the WHO and by Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, Secretary-General on behalf of the SAARC.

The MoU takes account of the Charter of SAARC and the Constitution of WHO and the established cooperation between WHO and the Member States of SAARC.

SAARC and WHO have agreed to mutually cooperate in agreed ways to help Member Countries to strive towards the goals of Health for All.

Among mutually agreed possibilities that would be pursued under the MoU are collaboration with the SAARC Tuberculosis Center in Kathmandu and other institutions in South Asia, particularly those active in the field of malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS. Research, analysis and dissemination of information
are to be promoted on enhancing technical cooperation and human resources development, including in respect of programmes for women and children and mobilizing innovative action in favour of the underprivileged.

Madhav Nepal’s remark creates ripples

Kathmandu: The UML leader, Madhav Nepal is hitting the media headlines these days.

Only the other day Madhav Nepal described the Maoists insurgency as a "friendly force" and concurrently urged the insurgents not to trouble UML activists through the acts of violence.

This sudden volte face observed in the UML’s line of thinking vis-à-vis the Maoists insurgency has not only surprised the Nepalese intellectuals, but its own cadres from the top to the grass-roots level.

To recall, well after the killing of one of the activists of the UML, Mr. Yadu Gautam, by the insurgents, the UML party had distanced itself with the party of the insurgents who have been waging the People’s War since all along five years or so.

Madhav’s fresh assertion has given a new turn to the UML politics and has concurrently invited severe criticisms from his bete noir K.P.Woli.

Insiders of the UML say that the two rival camps- Nepal and Woli’s- are at the moment fiercely fighting for bagging the majority in the central committee so that a show-down against each other could be easily managed.

"The fresh views of Madhav Nepal regarding the Maoists’ insurgency has allowed Woli the upper hand"’, commented a UML insider.

However, sources close to Madhav say that whatever Madhav Nepal has said of the Maoists is solely to influence the next elections through the tacit support of the insurgents who normally boycott "parliamentary elections"’ and the likes.

This notwithstanding, Woli supporters outrightly reject this theory but suspect some clandestine "internal linkages " in between Madhav Nepal and the top hats of the Maoists leaders.

The UML leaders’ citing the Maoists insurgency as a friendly force is loaded with significant meanings.

By this time, however, the Maoists have not yet made public their rejoinder to Madhav Nepal’s "most friendly comment".

Other political parties too have remained silent so far on this meaningful comment.

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