In depth Analysis

Government in isolation; crisis brews

Kathmandu: Increasing congress squabbles on who is to attend the January convention that is to elect the congress Chairman is likely to be the focus of the ruling party’s agenda between now and then. What is certain is that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is to ensure that his candidacy to the post will be a successful one. But what is also certain is that former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will oppose him tooth and nail. As predicted, the Girija lobby will make sure that they have tame voters in Pokhara-the venue for the January congress convention. Already reports of fistfights and disciplinary action accompany rumors of more lethal battles within the congress.

Yet another visible indication of the rigid lines that are being drawn comes in the shape of cross-party demands. The Deuba lobby has support from outside the party including the UML on matters regarding talks with the Maoists’. The UML is breathing hot on the need for constitutional reforms, something which the Maoists are saying and the Maoists now are demanding a new role for the Monarchy. Observers here are not quite unaware of the significance of the constitution day message from King Birendra. (See editorial also).

It is enough to note that this year’s constitution day was replete with the occupation of reforms in the constitution with even those denying the need for reforms making public admissions that the system had been threatened by gross preoccupation with political power and partisanship.

Incidents of bomb-blasts in Kathmandu valley this week only stress the approaching crisis. The talks have been officially closed between government and the Maoists. Violence has entered Kathmandu-the seat of the government. The opposition insists on talks. Government is adamant.

The isolation that Koirala government finds itself in is likely to reflect on its performance in the coming weeks. A crisis is definitely brewing.

No confidence motion likely against Koirala!

Kathmandu: Unmistakably, the ruling Nepali Congress is in a total mess.

The two camps led by Deuba-Bhattarai combine and Prime Minister Koirala respectively are at their daggers drawn and apparently in a mood to continue their fight to finish.

The Deuba lobby has been charging the other rival camp of having deliberately deleted the names of those ‘active members’ of the congress party who could have voted in the former’s favor at time of the election of the party chairman during the Pokhara convention scheduled for early next year.

This lobby has formally protested and lodged complaints at the party office to correct the ‘blunders’ at the earliest or else face consequences of highest dimensions.

However, the Koirala camp remains undeterred from the threats emanating from the rival quarters and apparently been conducting primary elections whose victorious candidates would later select the congress chairman.

To recall, the Koirala camp summarily rejects the allegations from its rival quarters and maintains that no manipulations or whatsoever has been made which would affect the January election of the congress presidency.

A frustrated and sinking Deuba lobby has sharply reacted to Koirala overtures by creating scenes at time of the primary elections in various places of the country but in vain.

The main blunder of the Deuba lobby has been that on the one hand it is protesting the overt and covert manipulations led by Koirala clique to affect the elections in their favor, on the other this camp is participating in the primary elections unhesitatingly.

"Such participation at the elections will only legitimise the outcome of the election and embolden the Koirala lobby to the extent that they could brush aside the allegations of the rival camp at time of the Pokhara convention", says a congressite who claims himself to be neutral in the whole affair.

However, the Deuba lobby has some dangerous plans reportedly to implement in the near future.

In their bid to frustrate Koirala designs of grabbing party’s presidency for yet another term, Deuba and his supporters apparently were planning to unseat their political rival from the seat of the Prime Ministership through moving a no confidence motion. This they plan to bring in to effect at the earliest.

However, sources close to Koirala lobby cut joke at the inability of the opposition camp to muster the needed numerical strength for moving a no confidence motion.

"Had they the required numbers under their sleeves, they would not have waited for so long. This means that the rumor of a motion against Koirala is not more than a wishful thinking", said a beaming Koirala loyalist.

In the final analysis, the present crisis in the congress possesses potentials of a vertical split should both the camps remain adamant in their present stand.

The ongoing fight in the congress could also be understood as a war in between those who wish to free Congress party from the dynastic-familial rule of the Koirala family or those who prefer the leadership falling in the hands of the second generation leaders of the party.

Vigorously pursue reform agenda’, suggests WB official

Kathmandu: The Country office of the Kathmandu based World Bank Monday organized a reception to bid farewell to its outgoing Country Director Mr. Hans M. Rothenbuhler.

The reception was participated in by the local media men.

On the occasion, Shri Rajib Upadhya, the Senior External Affairs Specialist at the Nepal office lauded the sincere efforts of Hans which contributed in rallying donor support behind HMG’s efforts at articulating a homegrown agenda for institutional reforms.

"Last April, his efforts resulted in the revival of the Nepal Development Forum-previously called the Paris Aid Group Meeting, which had not met for the past four years. In Paris, Nepal’s development partners committed themselves to supporting HMG’s reform agenda and also conveyed the message to the Nepal government that the donors were solidly behind Nepal provided that it makes progress in the direction of poverty reduction", Upadhya added.

Addressing the members of the press present on the occasion, Mr. Hans Ruthenbuhler suggested the Nepal government to "vigorously pursue reform agenda to which she was committed".

"The reform agenda must come first from the technical level and then it should go to the top political level", added Ruthenbuhler.

Regarding the menace of corruption in the country, the outgoing WB Nepal chief opined that " some encouraging verdicts have come to the open which time permitting take care of other anomalies that have gripped the Nepali state and the economy".

The WB office in Kathmandu, moreover, assesses Nepal’s existing scenario in the following fashion more so in the sector of governance. In the words of Para Suriyaarachchi who one of the senior official at the WB says: "Governance issues have been a major factor undermining the effectiveness of public spending, increasingly so in the last 4-5 years. These have taken many forms, notably excessive political interference at key points in the project cycle and increasing corruption. Such interference has led to increase politicization of the civil service and insecurity among public officials and has also created an environment which is conducive to leakages and lack of accountability.

Finland to study Nepal’s performance on governance, accountability and transparency

Kathmandu: A high powered delegation from Finland is arriving Nepal this week.

Sources at Nepal’s foreign ministry say that the team might land Kathmandu on 16 November 2000.

The Finnish team comprises of three members and the leader of the delegation is Sauli Feodorow.

Other members of the high level team are Mr. Matti Jaskari and Ms. Leena Rikkila.

The Finland team during a weeklong tenure in Kathmandu will meet Foreign and the Finance ministry officials of the Nepalese government.

The delegation from Finland is coming at a time when the ruling congress party is in a total mess and the insurgency of the Maoists’ is at its peak. More so, the possibilities of constructive talks between the government and the Maoists at least at this juncture appear simply remote.

Mr. Sauli Feodorow, the head of the Finnish delegation, is Deputy Director General at the Finnish Foreign ministry, it is learnt from the Shital Nivas sources. Mr. Sauli is also the in-charge of the Asian and the Latin American desk.

It is Sauli’s desk reportedly, which finalizes the donations to these countries as part of Finnish assistance for the development of some key sectors in the countries, which receive donations.

The Finnish tem this time apparently will study in depth Nepal’s turbulent political situation including the abrupt failure of the talks between the establishment and the insurgents before finalizing the future deal with Nepali government.

The team is expected to discuss matters related to the speed of the democratic development and its consolidation efforts carried out by Nepal. Apart from this, the Finnish side will assess the Human Rights issues and problems in Nepal and a host of other matters related to the "governance" in the country.

The first set of talks between the Nepali and the Finnish side will be held with the Foreign Ministry officials of Nepal, which will later pave the way for talks with the finance ministry. This will happen on 20th November, it is also learnt.

The talks with the finance ministry officials will determine the volume of aid/assistance to be provided by Finland for Nepal’s development efforts which perhaps at the moment has taken a back seat.

Finland attaches some pre-conditions prior to pouring in aid which relate to democratic development, HR conditions, good governance, transparency and accountability as well.

French help in Kavre region

Kathmandu: The French Ambassador designate to the Nepali court, Mr. Claude Ambrosini, has said that the exhibition entitled "Architect and Farmer" currently on display at the premises of the Alliance Francaise will enable all of us to discover one of the key aspects of the friendly cooperation France develops in this Himalayan Kingdom.

Ambassador Ambrosini further opined that his country feels honored in having associated itself with the restoration of temples, patis and schools in and around Panauti area.

He also revealed that Nepal-France cooperation in the agriculture sector existed even if it were in an experimental farm.

" This program was started some ten years back and will conclude next year. We now have to think of a way France can pursue its action in the Kavre region. On my part, I visited Panauti only a few days after my arrival here and thus I could see on the spot the works accomplished by the Nepalese and French teams all along these years", the French Ambassador designate concluded.

Ambassador Ambrosini is to present his Credentials to H.M.King Birendra on 17 November 2000.

Charity NGOs receive Thai donation

Kathmandu : As a token of the cordial relationships between Thailand and Nepal which celebrates its 4oth anniversary of its diplomatic relations this year, Mr. Powthep Vanachinda, the Ambassador of Thailand to the Kingdom of Nepal, last week handed over the cheque for their extensive contribution to the five Nepalese charity organizations on behalf of the Royal Thai Government. Those who received this charity from the Thai government are, namely, the National Health Foundation, Nepal Red Cross Society, Children's Forum Nepal, Pugata Bhoomi Hetwan Vihar, and Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust.

Each organization was presented of about 56,410.70 Nrs. to operate its philanthropic activities.

Previously, the International Buddhist Society of Lumbibi, had received the same amount of contribution from the Royal Thai Embassy on 23rd. October 2000 for its public health charity.

This is stated in a press note issued by Royal Thai embassy in Kathmandu dated 1 November 2000.

Greek FM visiting Nepal!

Kathmandu: The Ambassador of Greece to the Kingdom of Nepal, H.E Ya Zepos is arriving Kathmandu this afternoon.

Ambassador Zapos resides in Delhi.

According to the embassy sources in Delhi, Ambassador Zapos will today meet a section of the Nepali media at the Hotel Hyatt Regency and brief the attending media men about the existing state of Nepal-Greece bilateral ties.

High placed officials at the Nepalese foreign ministry say that the foreign minister of Greece is likely to pay an official visit to Nepal by the end of the year.

Sources here say that Ambassador Zapos’ short trip to Kathmandu might be in connection of the impending Nepal visit of the foreign minister.

HD South Asia 2000 to be launched next week

Kathmandu: Under the initiation of the UNDP, the Human Development Report South Asia 2000, is being launched next week, it is learnt.

The theme of this year’s HDR is " The Gender Question".

The report has been prepared by the Islamabad based Mehbub-ul-Haq center.

The HDR 2000 report is fourth in series, which brings to light the various forms of gender discriminatory practices in legal, economic, political and social spheres.

Minister of State, Ms. Kamala Pant, will launch the report on 20th November next week at Hotel Himalaya, it is also learnt.

Telegraph/FES Media Seminar
ADB Chief to chair seminar session

Kathmandu: The Telegraph/FES media seminar is scheduled for 23 November 2000.

The venue of the seminar is Hotel Orchid, Tripureshwar, Kathmandu.

The opening ceremony will begin at 2.30 pm and will last for about 45 minutes. The first session will commence around 3.30 pm.

SAARC Ambassador Nihal Rodrigo has kindly given his consent to be the chief guest of the media seminar.

Likewise, the Chief of the Asian Development Bank, Nepal office Mr. Richard Vokes has accepted to chair the first session of the media seminar in which Prof. Dr Ram Kumar Dahal will present his working paper. Similarly, the second working paper will be presented by a senior political analyst and journalist Mr. Shrish Rana.

Dr. Dahal is presently associated with CEDA, T.U as a research scholar.

The topic of the seminar is "Role of media in enhancing good governance in Nepal".

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