In depth Analysis

Politics to take new turn after NC Pokhara meet!

Kathmandu: The intention in the Girija lobby of the ruling party to ensure at last 80% of the votes at its Pokhara convention for Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala may demand the use of more muscles than anticipated. If the Dhankuta vote for the Mahasamiti is any indication, district committee statements in preference of Girija babu may not tally with the district vote at the convention. Reaction to central intervention is profuse in the current electioneering.

This is not to say that rival Deuba is to get more votes than that designed by the Girija lobby. Sources say that there will be many a deserter from the Deuba camp as well. At least General Secretary Sushil Koirala is aware of the benefits of the pretense of democratic elections for sake of the very legitimacy of the predictable results of the January convention.

Clearly the government and the party ruling machinery are engrossed in the machinations of the Pokhara convention from the district level upwards. What is undeniable is that these machinations have left congress party workers themselves unsure of the supposed democratic content of the party elections.

Pokhara will nevertheless ensure that Girija babu will be firmly ensconced as the party leader. Jokes are already afoot that the traditional congress squabble regarding the party Chairman not assuming the Prime Ministership-One man, one post-has now been settled-One man, two chairs.

The uncertainty lies on what Girija babu’s certainty will precipitate. There is every indication that Sher Bahadur Deuba will contest the election regardless of the results. But what the certainty of the results will provoke in the party becomes the focus of public attention.

Former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s job, it is felt, is to ensure that no provocation on party unity is meted prior to the Pokhara convention. But the highhanded dealings allegedly conducted in course of the conventions’ preparation are very likely to aggravate the situation at Pokhara and so its results outside the elections to the party remain very volatile.

It is therefore likely that the lull in the current situation will find additional provocation after the current obsessions with the congress Pokhara meet waits. Already the ruling party and the opposition have assumed contradictory public positions regarding the now increasingly discussed matter of constitutional reforms. The public at large, moreover, regardless of the UML standpoints on reform increasingly voices the inability of the constitutional process reforming itself. Nor is the public opinion convinced of the current constitutional process absorbing reforms. The opposition-the UML, for example, would have been taking Girija babu’s standpoint that there is no need for reforms had they been in government given Girija babu’s advantage in government.

Curiously, moreover, neither the Bhattarai nor the Deuba voices touch upon the wide public and private concern on the issue of the constitutional crisis and reforms.

In the process, the most noted options presented on reforms are those put-forth by the Maoists’ insurgents who have now made it the major condition in talks which have been called-off. It is this that makes the constitution itself the most outstanding issue contributing to the glaring political crisis emerging in the country.

Nepalese economists discuss WTO membership nitty-gritty’s at NEFAS/NUSACCI seminar

Kathmandu: Nepal’s noted senior economists who influence the national economic matters discussed Tuesday at length on the WTO schemes, its membership and the benefits a country enjoys after gaining the membership and the likes at a Nepal Foundation for Advanced Studies, NEFAS, sponsored two day seminar that began today morning.

The seminar has been organized in close collaboration with the Nepal-USA Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the US Embassy in Nepal as well.

The scholars also took note of the fact as to what benefits Nepal could enjoy from her WTO membership and also discussed conversely the losses, which might be there as a result of not joining the world body.

A section of the intellectuals opined that "proper home work has got to be done prior to the joining of the WTO club".

Similarly, yet another set of the economists maintained that Nepal could enhance her economic competitiveness with regard to the production and the distribution of the same in the world market by joining the WTO machinery.

Consensus was there for joining the WTO mechanism but with proper homework.

To recall, the signing of the Marrakash Agreement in April 1994 marked an end to the Uruguay Round of talks on General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GAAT, and laid a firm basis for the establishment of what is now called the World Trade Organization or otherwise the WTO.

This new organization has been given an extensive mandate to enforce the multi-lateral trade agreements on member states, review their domestic policies and establish a fair means to settle their disputes. There is a growing sense of hope in the LDCs that in a rule based regime, they will have a fairer chance to defend their national interests and participate in the formulation and execution of evolving economic rules and norms that govern the world markets.

Welcoming the mammoth gathering of the economists, media men, diplomats and personalities belonging to various walks of life, NEFAS executive director, Mr. Anand Shrestha said that the "evolution of the WTO has not been easy implying that member countries work hard to be a responsible member of the world trading system".

"Theoretically, Nepal is expected to gain much from the WTO membership but the question posed is whether Nepal is capable of ensuring that the gain accrues in practical terms", added Shrestha.

He also gave the salient features of the two-day seminar on WTO, Globalization and Nepal and reiterated the objectives of the ongoing event.

The FNCCI President Pradip Kumar Shrestha said "economic activities in the country have come to a grinding halt and that the way country had been moving in this regard could be termed as critical.

"How can Nepal benefit maximum from the WTO membership is the real issue rather that shying away from joining the world trading organization.

Mr. Larry Dinger, DCM, US Embassy in his speech lauded the Nepalese decision in having applied for the WTO membership. In his opinion, Nepal can fully participate in the international global economy after the accession, which is supposed to take place as early as 2001.

" In order to benefit, you have to play", said Larry adding that the "benefits to Nepal by joining the WTO will be opportunity to build an increasingly robust, globally linked economy for years to come".

Among the most significant benefits of WTO membership for countries having small economy, according to Larry Dinger, was the WTOs Dispute Settlement Body which for countries like Nepal would be a potentially invaluable tool which can place the country in a much stronger position when negotiating trade disputes with much larger economies.

The Nepalese minister for Commerce, Industry and Supply, Ram Krishna Tamrakar said that Nepal was all set to enter into the WTO membership, however, certain "issues" have delayed the whole affair. The minister however maintained that "we can even capture the markets of Japan, USA and others if we could increase our competitiveness in the world market after the WTO accession".

Mr. Narendra Basnyat from the chair wished the seminar a success.

Altogether six papers related to the WTO are being presented at the seminar.

SA women remain invisible in economic scene says Mrs. Haq

Kathmandu: The Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr. Mohammad Mohsin launched Monday the Report on "Human Development in South Asia 2000- The Gender Question" at a simple ceremony arranged by the UNDP Nepal office.

Welcoming the attending guests, the UNDP Chief coordinator, Dr. Hening Karcher said that the "plight and discrimination experienced by the women of South Asia is generally known and well documented and that in every South Asian country the gender related development index.GDI, was lower than the Human Development Index.

Dr. Karcher , talking on the status of the Nepalese women opined that it was characterized by a gender hierarchy and discriminatory social realities of men and women across caste and ethnicity.

According to Dr. Karcher, the high maternal mortality rate (47. 5 per 100,000 live births and low literacy rate of women of 27.6% as compared to 62.4% for men were a clear reflection of the lack of capacities and opportunities that characterize the daily life of Nepali women.

"’ Increasingly, Nepal is seeing a convergence of and consensus on the issues of advancement of women and gender equality", Dr.Karcher added.

Mrs. Khadija Haq, the President of the Mahbub ul haq Development Center based in Islamabad who was specially flown in to Kathmandu for this ceremony in her remarks said that the invisibility of women’s work in economic accounting systems is a worldwide phenomenon but in South Asia this invisibility is particularly pervasive. According to her no country in the region has yet made substantive progress toward achieving gender equality despite the commitments made at the Beijing Conference and that firstly, South Asian women are mostly invisible in their national income statistics, secondly, women do not enjoy legal equality with men in any South Asian country despite constitutional guarantees of equality, thirdly, South Asia presented a shocking profile of educational deprivation of the girls and women and fourthly, gender discrimination in access to health services results in very high maternal and girl child mortality rates.

Mrs. Haq also told that both men and women in South Asia were vulnerable to many preventable and curable diseases, which become life threatening when the diseases were exacerbated by lack of health, sanitation and safe water facilities. However, the burden of disease tends to be heavier for the women folks.

Concluding her remarks, Mrs. Haq suggested that there should be equality under the law; equality of access to capacity building; equality of economic opportunities and equalities in governance for the South Asian women.

Winding up her remarks, Mrs. Haq quoted her late husband Mahbub ul Haq who had once said that " it is important that we place this revolution for gender equality in its proper development perspective an that the gains made by women do not mean a loss for men, much less for society".

Women activists demand equal right in governance

Kathmandu : The Federation of Nepalese Journalists in cooperation with the Sancharika Samuh the other day organized a seminar entitled, "Consultative workshop on mainstreaming Gender in Media".

Others who supported this event were MGEP, Mainstreaming Gender Equity Programme of the UNDP and the Ministry of women.

Welcoming the guests, the Cahirman of the Sancharik Samuh, Mrs. Bandana Rana gave the salient features of the one day workshop which according to her was specially designed for the senior media persons of the nation so that they could understand better the multifaceted of Gender.

"’In fact when we talk of Gender issues in Nepal, people in the media and elsewhere instantly take it as an issue solely related with the women folks", clarified Bandana.

In order to erase these (mis) conception from the minds of the media men, this workshop has been designed, added Bandana.

The resource person at the workshop, Mrs. Arzoo Deuba highlighted the plight of the Nepalese women and also those in the South Asian region.

Various women activists voiced their serious concern over the gross negligence exhibited by the State regarding the rights of the women. They also demanded that the state must remain sympathetic towards their burgeoning problems pertaining to education, health, and participation in the national governance and property rights as well.

Greece help in Nepal’s tourism sector likely

Kathmandu: The foreign minister of Greece is arriving on a friendly visit to Nepal next month.

George A. Papandreou will be staying here for two days, it was learnt from the Ambassador of Greece to Nepal. Mr. Zapos.

Ambassador Zapos, who was here last week told a select group of the Nepalese media men that the visit of his foreign minister will be to explore the possibilities of greater and enhanced cooperation with Nepal on bilateral lines.

Minister Papandreou might declare some significant support to Nepal during his two-day sojourn in the Kingdom, the Ambassador hinted.

"A group of hydropower experts are all set to come to Nepal January next to study the power generation prospects in this country which might result, if found favorable, in establishing more contacts with Nepal on the initiation of joint venture projects", added Ambassador Zapos.

Greece, said Zapos, is a country with ten million population but yet receives about double the number of the tourists from abroad, said the Greek envoy.

"Tourism could be one added sector where Nepal can enjoy our expertise", explained the diplomat.

The minister’s trip to a selected few South Asian nations this time is a part of Greece’ preference for establishing greater bilateral contacts with the nations of this part of the world, the journalists were told.

Minister Papandreou comes from the respectedpolitical Papandreou family which gave two prime ministers to Greece.

George Papandreou will later proceed to B’desh and then to India.

Is S.B.Deuba really a sinking horse?

Kathmandu: Nepali congress as a party is in the news. This is but only natural for it is this party which firstly is in a political mess and secondly it is this party and its activists, which is being targeted by the Maoists’ insurgents for unknown reasons.

Remaining undeterred by Deuba and his followers’ ultimatum for "correcting" the list of the ‘active members’ of the party, the Koirala lobby is proceeding with the primary elections and reportedly has bagged considerable numerical strength who could later vote in favor of Koirala at time of the congress presidency elections scheduled next January.

The apparent highhanded dealings conducted by Koirala and his lobby to ensure a Koirala victory in Pokhara in the on going primary district elections, the Deuba lobby appears helpless other than to "issue" strong worded statements which so far have gone to the dogs.

"Deuba’s winning the congress presidency elections in Pokhara is remote as he is only a ‘sinking horse’ who could be abandoned by his close followers even at time of the convention", said a confident Koirala loyalist.

No body puts his or her bet on a sinking horse at the racecourse, added the same source.

At the moment, sources close to Deuba say, since "our man" is sick so all the game plans what we have in store for Koirala have been shelved.

However, this lobby now charges the opposite camp-read the Koirala coterie- of using foul methods to woo the voters in the districts by pumping money in to the pockets of the voters.

Fairly neutral sources in the congress party maintain that the battle in between Koirala and Deuba for capturing the congress presidency at Pokhara is already over. According to them, the Koirala camp has already calculated that from the primary elections it would bag a numerical strength of the Pokhara voters to the tune of sixty-five percent plus who would surely vote in favor of Girija Prasad Koirala.

In their opinion, the rest 35 percent might or even not go in favor of Deuba-the number one rival of Koirala.

At best, conclude Koirala loyalists, what the Deuba group in retaliation could do is to move a no confidence motion against the Prime Minister prior to the Pokhara convention and for that too they do not possess the required numbers as of today to push such a motion in the lower house of Nepal’s parliament.

This means - if one were to believe this theory - that the Deuba lobby finds itself in between fire and frying pan. No way out other than to accept Koirala’s supremacy for yet another round.

However, newspapers close to Deuba lobby predict that should the Koirala lobby push them to the wall some epoch making negative events might grip the party close to the Pokhara meet.

Israeli rejection to Palestinian request

Kathmandu: Israel on 20th November strongly rejected the stationing of an international force in the are.

Reacting to the Palestinians’ call for the stationing of an international force, the State of Israel says that "it is in truth no more than a calculated attempt to internationalize and politicize the on going conflict there.

A press statement issued by the Israel embassy in Kathmandu dated 20 November has to say in part in this regard: (sic) "Israel’s experience with both UN peacekeeping forces and other UN for a has been problematic and that the UN bodies which function on the basis of majority rule have been used time and again by the Arabs as an effective political tool for the coercion of Israel by a coalition of pro-Arab states.

The statement also feels that the Palestinian goal in this regard apparently has been to bag the world sympathy and thus increase international pressure on Israel and it was likely that the presence of international observers would only exacerbate the violence.

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