In depth Analysis

System shakes at actor's antics

Kathmandu: That Nepali politics is entering a turning point is clearly indicated by the trumped up denunciation of Dhirendra Shah's case in parliament and the sudden toning down of the allegations that followed it. The former prince attended a function where a speaker voiced his independent opinion declaring his readiness to "shoot" the current leadership and the mainstream parties whipped their members to lambaste Dhirendra Shah. This shows a degree of desperation at the need to revive the "revivalists" and "reactionary" issues, which indirectly point the fingers at the monarchy as a threat to the multi-party system. What factors hastily whipped the parties to tone down the allegations is another matter. However, the threat concept is real.

The fact is that the bulk of the populations conclude that the mainstream parties don't have the answers to current national problems. They have indeed aggravated it to the point of undermining national interests. It is these mainstream parties that contribute to the problem.

The Dhirendra Shah issue thus becomes real. Alternatives to the congress and the communists have not emerged over the decade because of salient Nepali features that grant the congress and the communists their monopoly. The fact that three decades of partylessness allowed the monarchy sole leadership of the entire political process with congress and communists opposing it becomes a real factor in the emergence of a unanimous leadership that can encompass the anti-congress, anti-Communists stream of thoughts in Nepal. The fact that it was the monarchy's leadership, which was asked by a people's movement to accede to demands for a multi-party system in the country, has also contributed to the disorganization in the previous Panchayat ranks. The fact is also that the former Panchas who organized under the RPP tried as best as possible to distance themselves from their Panchayat association and, by doing so, isolated the grassroots workers who were in real terms, along with the monarchy, the backbone of the erstwhile system. Indeed emulating its congress and communists competition, the RPP leadership also chose to demonstrate its viability by touting its proximity with Indian political forces.

The reaction in current Nepali politics is real. Nationalists' mainstream exists in Nepal. The congress and the communists see in Dhirendra Shah's presence the possibility of galvanizing this mainstream. Many a congress and communists workers unexposed to the India linkage and the personality based leadership style of the mainstream parties in their quest for democracy now publicly voice their disenchantment at their own political parties. The emergence of an effective alternative is likely to effect a mass slide to such an option. It is this that has exposed the degree of desperation in the parliament.

As stated previously the mass now sees either the monarchy or the Maoists' as the only source of options. The monarchy has constitutional commitments. Dhirendra Shah does not.

Will Koirala honor these conditions?

Kathmandu: Apparently though former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has assured his nearest political rival, Prime minister Koirala, that he would offer him a grace period of three more months, yet insiders of the congress say that Bhattarai's assurances were his private ones and that if certain conditions were not met at the earliest, Koirala will be forced to relinquish power.

Informed sources say that of the aired conditions, the first one was related with the revamping of the present ad hoc party's central committee in a fashion that embraces all including those whom Party president Koirala considers almost like enemies. This is attached with the condition that the dates for the next party convention are declared at the earliest and the now dissolved district committees are summarily revived including the one recently dissolved Women's Organization affiliated to the party.

The second condition instructs Koirala to immediately effect a reshuffle in the cabinet or else he could not be allowed to run the nation for more three months. However, a small condition is attached to it as well. While effecting a reshuffle in the present cabinet, Koirala should talk to Sher Bahadur Deuba in finalizing the new names to be inducted in the new cabinet.

The NC activists wish the convention to be held somewhere around March next year to which Koirala and his men perhaps differ.

Whether Prime minister Koirala will heed to these conditions put forth by his own party men prior to his India pilgrimage or immediately upon return will in all likelihood determine his stay in power.

However, some quarters also hint that Koirala being an unbending personality, the chances to fulfill all these awkward conditions appear remote. This notwithstanding, the parliamentarians who wish to occupy a berth in the next reshuffle appear determined in getting their demands met this time come what may.

Talks with the Maoists still in limbo

Kathmandu: The much-hyped talk with the Maoists' continues to be in a limbo.

Despite the preparedness and the readiness exhibited by top rank stalwarts of the Maoists' insurgency through newspapers or using the good offices of third party mediators, the government under Prime Minister Koirala still stands undecided.

Former Prime minister Deuba who has been assigned the job to talk with the Maoists by the government too appears reluctant in initiating the talks with the insurgents due to the lack of necessary support and inclination from the government side, more so from the Prime minister.

Indications are that Prime minister Koirala yet possesses a strong desire to initiate the talks on his own by sidelining his political rival Deuba for he fears that if Deuba bags success in this count his prestige and popularity will attain a new height much to the detriment the PM's own chair. Those who support Koirala in this regard, among others, is home minister Joshi whose expulsion from the cabinet are being demanded by the congress MPs. Koirala remains undeterred.

That he wishes to do so has come to the open.

A newspaper supposedly close to Bhattarai-Deuba, Tuesday, has revealed that Prime Minister Koirala has already taken the lead in this regard. According to the news report, the former official representative of the Maoists' movement, Comrade Ashok, was found three weeks back at the private residence of Sashanka Koirala-the nephew of the Prime minister.

To recall, K. Ashok has already had the first round of talks with Sher Bahadur Deuba at time when Bhattarai was in power. Deuba later admitted this occurrence to the media.

As per the report, those who attended this "secret" meeting with Maoists' representative were among others Padma Ratna Tuladhar- a Human Rights activists having left leanings- former foreign minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya and albeit Prime minister Koirala included.

Tuladhar reportedly arranged Ashok's tete-e-tete with the nation's chief of the executive. The talks apparently continued for quite some time.

Revealingly, upon the conclusion of the "friendly talks" with Koirala, when Ashok left for his destination, the police men in civilian clothes stationed outside junior Koirala' house nabbed him. Thanks, the Prime minister himself intervened that allowed Ashok to move out of the venue.

These happenings definitely hint at the fact that Prime minister prefers to bring a solution to the overly stretched Maoists' insurgency through his own initiatives and thus keeping Deuba under the illusion that he continues to be the person on whom he really relies for the solution.

Deuba is aware of such clandestine moves and hence prefers now to release the suggestions compiled by his team regarding the possible ways and means to contain the threats emanating from Maoists quarters and also to bring the insurgency in the main stream body politic.

Sources close to Deuba also reveal that after submitting the report to the government, Deuba would reveal the details of his talks with the Maoists and the mindset of the insurgents of what he could grasp during his talks with them.

The double standard posture acquired by the Prime minister on this count and Deuba's reluctance in going ahead with his talks with the insurgents for obvious reasons apparently has conveyed a message to the insurgents that the government is not interested on having meaningful talks with them. Perhaps all these put together, the insurgents have stepped up their activities in the recent days and weeks.

SA economic journal launched

Kathmandu : Two scholars from South Asia have ventured to publish a "South Asia Economic Journal" on a regular basis.

The journal will appear every six months.

The Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, Tilak Rawal launched the publication at a brief ceremony organized by the SAARC Secretariat last week at its premises.

The two co-editors of the journal are Nagesh Kumar, India and Saman Kalegama, Sri Lanka, respectively.

Lauding the new publication, Tilak Rawal hoped that the journal would be useful for those intellectuals who wish to study the current South Asian economy. South Asian nations, Rawal opined, must now move towards expanding their cooperation in a coordinated manner.

Saman Kalegama, one of the co-editors of the new journal, shed light on the salient features of the journal and divulged that time permitting, the journal will be made four times a year.

Lamenting over the slow pace of the growth of the South Asian economies, Kalegama said that the SAARC nations should now stop talking on peripheral issues but rather concentrate their efforts aimed at expanding their regional trade whose volume today stands almost to a negligible level.

Nagesh Kumar said that the journal had been the outcome of the Colombo Declaration of the 10th SAARC Summit.

SAARC Secretary general, Nihal Rodrigo congratulated the authors for their hard work.

National Seminar on Development of Strategies for Uplifting Dalits in Nepal

Kathmandu: The National Seminar on "Development of Strategies for Uplifting Dalits in Nepal" was organized by Centre for Economic and Technical Studies (CETS) in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) at Nepal Administrative Staff College, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on July 8 & 9, 2000.

It was for the second time that FES supported CETS in organizing such an important event on the Dalits of Nepal. The distinguished participants and resource persons of the seminar included, eminent personalities from governmental and non-governmental agencies, trade unions, political parties, Dalit organizations, academic institutions, research organizations and media.

The seminar was inaugurated by Rt. Hon'ble Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi, Chairman, Raj Parishad Standing Committee (State Council). Prof. Hari Bansh Jha, Executive Director of Centre for Economic and Technical Studies (CETS) chaired the function. Ms. Durga Sob, Chairperson, Feminist Dalit Organization and Dalit NGO Federation, Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwokarma, President, Nepal Dalit Sangh, Dr. Alfred Diebold, Resident Representative of FES and Mr. Ganesh Bahadur Pariyar, Vice-Chairman, Upekshit Utpidit Ra Dalit Barg Utthan Bikas Samiti, Ministry of Local Development addressed the function. The eminent speakers threw light on various facets of challenges and strategies of Dalit upliftment in Nepal.

Altogether six papers were presented in the seminar, which were commented upon by both Dalit and non-Dalit scholars.

The first session of the seminar on July 8, 2000 was presided over by Nepal's senior journalist Mr. Madhab Rimal.

Mr. D.B. Sagar, Managing Director of Academy for Public Upliftment presented his paper on "Core Issues in Dalit Upliftment." During the second session "Social Issues in Dalit Upliftment," two papers were presented – one by Mrs. Divya Jha on "Removing Social Evils among the Dalits" and the other by Mrs. Ranju Thakur on "Internal and External Violence against Dalit Women."

The third session of the seminar on July 9, 2000 was presided over by Dr. Shankar Sharma, Member, National Planning Commission (NPC). Prof. Hari Bansh Jha, Executive Director of CETS presented his paper on "Poverty Alleviation among the Dalits." In the fourth and the final session, two papers were presented – one by Dr. Madhab Bhattarai on "Status of Religious Freedom among the Nepalese Dalits," and the other by Mr. Motilal Nepali on "Reservation System for Dalit Upliftment."

With a view to attracting the attention of the government, planners, policy makers, national and international organizations towards the problems of the Dalits, the participants passed certain resolutions, including the one to celebrate "2001 as the Year of Abolishing Untouchability".

Usha Khadgi bags Miss Nepal title

Kathmandu: The producers of the San Miguel, Golden Tiger and Guiness beer(s) in close cooperation with the Hidden Treasure and the Kathmandu Jaycees organized a Miss Nepal 2000 competition.

The competition thus arranged declared Miss.Usha Khadgi (20) as Miss Nepal 2000.

This honor now allows Ms.Khadgi to attend Miss World event to be held in London.

The first runner up, Biva Maya Ranjit managed her position to take part in the Miss Asia-Pacific contest to be held in the Philippines, it is learnt from the organizers.

The executive director of the Brewery-Dr. Daman Amatya honored Khadgi with one hundred thousand rupees.

Himal cement bags success

Kathmandu: The Himal Cement Company having a target of producing 12 lakhs of sacks of cement annually appears to exceed this year its own target set by the company itself.

For example, only last month the cement factory set a record production of one lakh fourteen thousands of cement bags. This means that the annual target will go up by considerable percent.

The internal management, say officials at the factory, is likely to award bonus to its staffs including the workers who remained instrumental in bagging this resounding success.

Notably, the factory till a few months back could not operate the two kilns under its possession for certain reasons. However, with the new management currently in place, both the Shaft kilns have contributed to this achievement.

This success story of the cement factory would in all likelihood reduce considerably the import of cement from alien countries.

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