In depth Analysis

Dashain festival not to leave politics!

Kathmandu: All indications are that the government is on a warpath. At least this is what may be read from the Home Ministry circular issued the day after Prime Minister Girija’s return home stating that it is not going to brook any "torch processions" on grounds of public safety. The notice also calls for the public to reach out to police personnel in case it needs protection. A notice asking that the public not make donations that fund violence preceded this.

Already the nine minor Left parties that have called a Bundh this Thursday are said to have asked their workers to court arrest by proceeding with their scheduled torch processions this evening Wednesday. The minor Left has their standing alignment with the CPM-ML, which backs the Bundh. It is also learnt that close Maoist associates claim that the Maoists’ too will back the Bundh as a consequence of which the Home Ministry issued the statement banning the torch procession.

It is yet to be learnt whether talks with the UML courting their participation have succeeded. The notice from the government quarters is said to have provoked the UML to respond that it is "undemocratic". By this evening the Girija congress may find itself beginning its isolation in the body politic. Those who are hesitant and see the Dashain festival atmosphere preventing any major political move issuing immediately may well be proved wrong. One activist is known to have commented that the public effect of agitation amidst festivities is likely to be more impactual.

At the other level, Sher Bahadur Deuba was not at all hesitant last Monday when he chose to show policy differences with the Prime Minister while calling for more Nepal-China transactions through the Northern passes at a seminar. This is in stark contrast to government policies and is indicative of the continuing congress schism. In the event of a Left challenge in public, Girija babu might find himself alone from even within the congress. As it is, reports are already circulating here that the anti-Girija lobbies in the congress have already begun meetings to pressure the Prime Minister for the concessions he has promised them.

One indication of continued preparedness in the political sector is found in the remaining presence here of parliamentarians and political workers. In normal circumstances Kathmandu sees an exodus of politicos, workers, and students to their constituencies during Dashain festival.

Stupa and Temple co-exist in Hanover, Germany

Kathmandu: The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal has presented itself at the EXPO 2000, Hanover, and Germany with an authentic temple complex.

Its well-planned Himalayan pavilion has united the traditional Asian architectural styles by combining a Stupa, a Buddhist cult structure, with a Hindu temple. The Stupa is a round, domed edifice, while the temple is as usual rectangular. All of the components of the Nepalese pavilion have been made in Nepal. Almost 900 families and a total of 2,000 people worked to give the complex a Nepali style such as wood carving, metal engraving and stonemasonry.

The pavilion components were shipped to Germany as back as in 1999 itself.

The building now already erected is tentatively 22 meters high. The pagoda and the Stupa have been mirrored in a crystal-clear pond. Similar to a typical Nepali snow clad mountain, the pavilion has been set in a meadow landscape.

During the exhibition that is already in progress, the pavilion has been presenting new topics and activities related to Nepal every week. Visitors from across the world are watching many interesting programs that includes Yoga, meditation and pottery, which is demonstrating the real Nepalese way of living. Live shows of Nepal’s acclaimed musicians will perhaps round up the programme by the end of October next month.

On the Nepalese public holidays, for example, the Dashain and Tihar which falls this year in October, hang-glider competitions and traditional types of sport has been arranged for the international visitors.

To recall, Nepal’s Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, has already visited Nepal pavilion only recently when he was in Hanover, Germany.

The pavilion is the first full-scale building outside Nepal. After the exhibition, it is to be set up in a big German city, and-true to the idea of sustainability-be based as Nepal Promotion Center, Germany.

"We are planning a unique structure for our exhibition appearance," said Amrit Shakya, Nepal’s EXPO Commissioner, when presenting a model of the pavilion at the BMZ in Bonn prior to the beginning of the EXPO.

Nepal interprets the motto, "People, Nature, Technology" in a philosophical way, for, as Shakya explained, sustainable development also means the "opposite to reconcile"’. The pavilion is to symbolize how different religions and ethnic groups in Nepal live side by side in peace and harmony. The Stupa will has space for visitors to meditate, and in the temple they can learn about the country: its natural riches, history and cultural and religious traditions, and also about Nepal as a business partner.

Nepal is one of the 90 countries whose participation in EXPO2000 the GTZ is supporting on behalf of the BMZ, it is also learnt.

People could not feel ‘good governance’ in Nepal over the last decade, say intellectuals

Kathmandu: Nepal’s noted intellectuals have taken full stock of the manner the country had been governed in the last decade after the restoration of the multi-party system in this Himalayan Kingdom.

The men of letters concluded Tuesday at a national level seminar held in Kathmandu that the concern with governance had raised appurtenant questions about the appropriate role of the government in maintaining political stability, promoting national security and pursuing rational development processes that are inclusive and just.

The informed citizenry of the country also maintained at the seminar that governance was very important because it impacted heavily on the lives of the teeming millions and the marginalised sections of the society and that the poor people can not afford the consequences of bad governance because they do not have ample resources at their disposal.

The literati attending the seminar also questioned as to whether the actors of governance were subject to democratic control?

The salient issues, concluded the intellectuals, at stake in the country were: how to build the democratic architecture of governance in the new context of informational and technological progress and the accompanying new value system affecting national governance? How can the partnership of the state, the market and the civil society provide synergy for social integration and nation-building?

The final conclusion arrived at was that the past ten years could not give even the feeling of "good governance" in the country though the nation was ruled by various types of governments.

The seminar was organized by Nepal Foundation for Advanced Studies. Presenting his paper in the first session Tuesday morning, senior media man Shrish Rana said that judging the ten years of performance of the multiparty order now in vogue what could not be ignored was the state of the economy, of education, of foreign policy, of security and the likes and that the overall conclusion that the most informed people will arrive at, added Rana, was that not all had been well with the ship of the State.

Concluding his presentation, Rana observed that the "real truth lies in the fact that partisan politics needs resources and, for good governance, these resources need public transparency. The truth, again, is that organizing with a view that the spoils of government will nurture the organization can compromise governance.

Professor Sushil Pandey chaired Mr. Rana’s session.

Mr. Bhesh Raj Kanel presented his paper on Information Technology and Governance at the second session. Kanel in his paper noted that IT was a very handy helping tool for good governance but that was only a tool and was not the only tool for achieving good governance." Primary driving force for good governance is the will of the State, the private sector and the civil society", Kanel concluded.

The third paper was presented by Dr. B.B.Karki in which he said that politics and politicking were the thought of the day today and that every thought were on partisan lines and it was the political squabbles that had been the real achievement of the political parties over the last decade of the order in Nepal.

In the beginning of the program, Prof. Anand Shrestha of the NEFAS welcomed the attending participants. Dev Raj Dahal, FES advisor, talked about the salient features of good governance.

The seminar will continue today as well.

Sporadic clashes on September 21 can’t be ruled out!

Kathmandu: The government under Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala knowingly or otherwise is slowly but very steadily pushing the country towards an abyss from where its safe return would be next to impossible.

The fresh decisions taken by the Koirala regime in the recent days in the name of preserving the law and order situation in the country undoubtedly possess the potential of destabilizing the nation gravely whose consequences could be more frightening than any one could have imagined of.

Consider, for example, the abrupt banning of the torch processions by the Koirala establishment on the eve of the nine left parties’ scheduled program of holding torch processions on 20th September, a day ahead of their call for Nepal closure, has not only annoyed the sponsors of the closure but have also invited scathing criticisms from the opposition parties.

The ML and the UML and other small parties all have described the government act of banning the torch procession as "undemocratic".

Even media men close to the congress lobby- albeit belonging to the Bhattarai faction- have openly described the government decision as "most undemocratic".

The country is slowly adopting the autocratic rules of the erstwhile regime, writes a newspaper close to the Bhattarai-Deuba faction in the congress for exposed reasons.

Media in the opposition camps too have not taken this decision in good taste. They have rather predicted that the torch procession scheduled for September 20 would be very violent if the establishment dared to crack down on the activists of the nine left parties who would be on the streets during the procession today evening.

"We have advised our activists to proceed with the scheduled program of the torch demonstration and if the government comes in our way violently, we will retaliate with full possible force", said one leader of the nine minor left party.

Political pundits of the capital say that the government is inviting troubles for itself and is alienating her from rest of the mainstream political parties.

They further say that if the government would have been wise enough, the torch procession should have been allowed to go their way.

However, the banning of torch procession will only aggravate the situation, add analysts, which , according to them, might go out of control of the establishment in case the lay men and some clandestine forces come to the support of the nine minor left parties.

In effect, the government’s intervention on the torch processionists will determine the scale of violence and its direct impact would be felt on Thursday’s Nepal closure, opine political scientists.

"’The government perhaps has forgotten the Newtonian theory which says that ‘to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’, added the same source belonging to the group of nine left parties that have sponsored this Bundh and torch procession.

A sort of terror like atmosphere has already dawned in the capital and elsewhere due to the impending Bundh and its possible impact on the overall state of the nation.

This notwithstanding, the government appears undeterred and is all prepared to face the challenge posed by the nine minor left parties who perhaps enjoy the backing of the underground Maoists as well.

Under the prevailing situation, what could not be ruled out is the likelihood of a direct confrontation in between the activists of the nine left parties and the government’s police force.

Koirala’s detractors become restive!

Kathmandu: The days ahead for Prime Minister Koirala, politically speaking, will predictably be not comfortable.

The naked fact is that Koirala’s enemies come from his own party, which fortunately he heads at the moment.

At a time when the government under Koirala is struggling very hard to face the challenges posed to it by the nine minor left sponsored Thursdays Nepal closure, the opposition camp in the congress is all set to unseat Prime Minister Koirala from his current coveted seat in case the latter fails or postpones to accommodate some of the influential members of the Bhattarai-Deuba camp in the much publicized reshuffle of the cabinet and the restructuring of the party’s central committee.

This camp believes that Prime Minister Koirala will act as per the agreement arrived at between him and his dearest rival, Bhattarai, prior to his New York "agenda-less" trip.

To recall, the last battle Royale in the congress saw a cease-fire when Koirala agreed to accommodate some of the Bhattarai’s men in the cabinet and the party’s central committee.

This notwithstanding, rumors are already afoot that Koirala upon his return from ‘foren jaunt’ has tentatively decided to act on the agreement after the Dashami festival much to the discomfiture of the other rival camp.

" We will not settle for less this time come what may", said a congressman from the Bhattarai camp.

This means that this camp is prepared to face any eventualities in case Koirala defers either with the dates or the persons to be inducted in the cabinet and the party.

However, close chums of the Prime Minister have apparently told Koirala that since the opposition camp-read the Bhattarai-Deuba section- continues to be weak numerically and hence the so-called verbal agreement could be postponed sine die or could even be dumped for good.

However, the fact is that the Bhattarai-Deuba lobby has already become restive and fears some sort of betrayal from the other camp vis-à-vis the agreement reached between the two rival camps prior to the New York excursion.

This camp also suspects the very motive of the party general secretary Sushil Koirala who reportedly deleted or even omitted some of the good names in hundreds and hundreds of those congressmen who were its active members since long.

"This is definitely a ploy of the Koirala brothers to manipulate the election of the congress presidency scheduled early next year", said an annoyed congress activist who undoubtedly belonged to Bhattarai camp.

In the meanwhile, K.P.Bhattarai too has sounded his reservations on the publication of the supposed ‘defective list’ by junior Koirala.

"I think that in doing so, Sushil has exceeded his functions. I will talk about it with President Koirala", told Bhattarai to a set of his followers who found their names missing in the list issued by Sushil Koirala only last week.

If the allegations made against Sushil are correct then what could be concluded even at this stage is that senior Koirala will not only stand for the presidency but would win the seat even if he has to face challenges of the Himalayan order from his own party men. Mind it that Koirala is the Prime minister. He has the government resource plus the force. In essence Koirala is equipped with the proverbial 3Ms-the media, money and management.

This also follows the definite possibility that Koirala’s detractors led by Deuba-Bhattarai combine would create havoc at time of the election of the presidency come what may.

The total congress voters who are to elect their president early next year comes out nearly to the tune of fourteen hundred fifty only.

Events that will unfold in the coming days would be entertaining indeed.

Colombo to launch coastal resource management

Kathmandu: Sri Lanka will soon launch the coastal resource management project at the cost of 80 million US$ to shore up the coastline and install other measures for sustainable management of the coastal resources and for the protection of coastal environment, it is learnt.

Media reports said the project, co-funded by the Asian Development Bank and the government of the Netherlands, will be executed by the ministry of fisheries and aquatic resources development.

The coastal zone accounts for nearly 80% of fish production and 70% of the industrial output.

However, coastal erosion has threatened the economic activities especially in the densely populated western and southwestern coastlines.

The project will construct shoreline protection works in the most affected coastline in six districts along the northwestern, western and southwestern coasts. This will benefit small-scale fishers and prawn farmers, fish processors, lagoon fishers, coral miners, fish vendors and other workers in the fishing industry and the allied fields.

The project will also address other major problems such as over-fishing population and the uncontrolled exploitation of lagoons and estuaries, coral reefs and mangrove swamps, grass-beds and other wetlands. The project as described, as a critically important one will establish integrated management of coastal resources in Sri Lanka to tackle resource degradation and manage coastal fisheries to improve its sustainability.

The project will be completed in 2005.

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