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Indepth Analysis Kathmandu: No grain of doubt remains that the Army is capable of containing the Maoists insurgency. There is little doubt also that the emergency has allowed the army to conduct its anti-insurgency campaign. Where there are doubts is in the capacities of the Nepalese society to divert and sustain the investments effective for effective anti-insurgency moves. There is no doubt that the emergency is costly economics for the country.
There is also no doubt that the emergency is costly politics. Every Maoists death is more than likely to leave lasting impacts on his or her immediate family. If the emergency has proved one thing, it is the manner with which the Maoists movement is widespread at the grassroots. The Maoists leadership appears to think that this cadre is expendable enough to be snuffed enmasse at the hands of the Army. It is this politics also that threatens Nepali society. What is even more threatening is the fact that, as yet the anti-insurgency campaign appears thoroughly lacking in any political move at the grassroots to win over the Maoists. The Army can contain and defeat the Maoists military designs. But it is the political establishment that must win over the masses. The political sector is already divided. Despite the appearance at the congress meet Sunday of a united party backing for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, calls for his replacement have already emerged from the Girija camp. Deuba on the other hand has not allowed the emergency to prevent him from appointing his supporters in key government institutions threatening Girija and allowing for the continued appearance of the distribution of spoils in lieu of loyalty. The Left on the other hand has already announced its intentions not to support the emergency when it comes up for the parliamentary approval "within three months" of the declaration of the emergency. Even more worrisome perhaps is the fact that the government has not performed its primary duty to educate the masses on the actual implications of the emergency. In the evident appearance of the emergency not impinging upon daily lives, the masses have yet to be told that the emergency is a result of serious societal upheaval threatening it. Indeed, processed news reports have made the otherwise near-anarchical media coverage to tame for reading to the extent of actually questioning the credibility of such. That this has also been fueled by the organized political sector opposed to the Deuba advantage in the emergency makes the situation even more critical. In the long run the utility of the emergency must lie in how the grassroots are won over for societal confidence. At the moment, it is this that is not happening. It is this that is dangerous. Strip
news: Kathmandu: Analyzing Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Monday utterances what could be fairly predicted in advance that the state of emergency in the country would be surely lengthened come what may. "The army will be carrying out its duties until they disarm the terrorists"', is what declared a serious Sher Bahadur Deuba Monday in Kathmandu. This means that the government under Deuba itself is not confident of the fact that the Maoists insurgency could well be controlled within the first three months of the existence of the state of emergency. This concurrently means that the government itself is hinting the citizens to tighten their belts for quite some time to come and to bear with the state of emergency. This finally means that the battle currently being waged by the nation's military force against the Maoists will be a long drawn affair. While on the one hand this could be the government's wish or say even compulsion to continue with the emergency in order to tame the terrorists, on the other the entire Opposition camp appears explicitly against the imposition of the state of emergency. Though the opposition forces have not condemned the government for resorting out to this measure, however, they concurrently also have not taken it as a welcome move. In essence, various opposition factions Monday held a meeting at the initiation of the main opposition, the UML, and decided to present a memorandum to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba informing him about the alleged excesses committed by the security men in the districts which include the unnecessary harassment meted out to personalities belonging to various political camps in the name of searching out the terrorists. The opposition maintains that the nation's prime minister must keep his assurances wherein he had assured the men in the opposition that the security machinery would not cause troubles to their men in the districts. However, the fact is that says the opposition, that security men were creating troubles for the general movement of the people out in the districts and at times some of the political leaders too were harassed. To recall, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been assuring the population that there was nothing to panic from the imposition of the state of emergency and that the measures were brought into force only to tame the terrorists. However, the opposition apparently differs with what Deuba is claiming. Understandably when the army is out and is in search of the terrorists and hence in the process some innocent civilians too could have been rounded up. However, military sources have told explicitly that those found innocent have all been summarily freed after the investigation was over. This notwithstanding, the government could advise the security personnel posted in the Maoists affected districts not to create panic among the civilians during their "'cordon and search operations". After all, the military men too were as good Nepalese citizens as we claim to be and hence things could be corrected if the allegations of the opposition forces were correct. Be that as it may, the defense ministry of late appears to have become more transparent in disseminating the news for the consumption of the population. A remarkable change has been that the defense ministry sources not only now "disseminate " their "success stories" but also been informing the public of the sad casualties occurring in its camp as well. However, yet, what would have been very much appreciated by the majority of the Nepali population is that if the government would have been able to supply the prompt flow of information from the battleground so that the public at large could keep themselves abreast with the latest situation. The government understands this eagerness of the people but then says that existing Nepalese topographical conditions do not allow them to do so. To sum up, the government is seemingly willing to continue with the emergency. The opposition possesses visibly strong reservations against government's scheme of things. The people remain confused. The confusion gets more compounded when one is told that there existed sharp differences well within the ruling party itself regarding the imposition of the state of emergency. However, one question that is boggling the minds of the lay men is that: what will happen if the opposition does not approve the state of emergency for yet another round in the impending session of the parliament and the government bulldozes the opposition? Box
News: Kathmandu: The "'dislodge Deuba campaign" that was already set into motion by Deuba detractors in the party got a set back when the Prime Minister under compulsion had to impose a state of emergency in the country in order to tame the Maoists threats and their insurgency. However, the fact is that the imposition of the state of emergency has not at all deterred Deuba detractors in the ruling party to initiate actions in order to dislodge Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
That some quarters in the ruling Nepali Congress were still active in their bid to dislodge Deuba came to the fore when the other day at the Congress party meeting some thirty active members of the party hinted Deuba to resign. Most vocal among them was notably former minister Surendra Kumar Choudhary who point blank suggested the Prime Minister to resign from the post for the latter had assured the nation immediately after bouncing back to power for the second time that should he fail in resolving the Maoists issue for good he would resign and that too voluntarily. It is however not yet clear whether Choudhary exclusively spoke his mind or was forced to ventilate some of his other colleagues' internal desires. To recall, Deuba is on record to have made this comment indeed. The last meeting of the congress though did not attack Deuba directly but then yet hinted the latter that if the government failed to contain the terrorists on time and that if the freedom of the people continued to be curtailed for long then it would not be Prime Minister Deuba who would be hard hit but it would be the party in effect that will have to face the entire consequences. The meeting however suggested Prime Minister Deuba to remain "alert" and handle the "present situation" with utmost care. Insiders of the congress reveal that prior to the imposition of the state of emergency in the country, a powerful section in the congress had already managed some 52 signatures of congress lawmakers in order the press the incumbent prime minister to resign. However, the entire idea of dislodging the Prime Minister then got disturbed by the imposition of the state of emergency. This notwithstanding, the party exhibited superficially its total backing for the government's fresh moves initiated against the Maoists insurgency and wished to pass on this message to the public at large. However, the fresh congress meeting wherein some thirty plus lawmakers sought resignation of the incumbent Prime Minister does amply hint that all was not well inside the congress camp. Revealingly, the 52 signature which Deuba rivals had collected before the emergency reportedly enjoyed the backing of the kingmaker of the congress, Minister Khum Bahadaur Khadka". Sources in the congress say that in making or for that matter breaking a Nepali congress government one would do well to enjoy the support of Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka. The same sources reveal that minister Khadka had already given his "nod" to Deuba's archrival that is G.P.Koirala. This clearly means that Minister Khadka continues to be the strong man in the congress which implies that should the present differences in the congress attain new heights Deuba is gone. Be that as it may, the imposition of emergency in the country has definitely come as a disadvantage for Deuba detractors politically speaking for it has tied their hands for obvious reasons. By the same token Deuba has gained for he can rest assured of his detractors that at least at this crucial time they would not dare to destabilize his regime for fear of inviting wrath from within and without. But the moot question is will Deuba detractors wait for long? What would be the process acquired by Deuba detractors to destabilize his regime at time of the continuing state of emergency? We leave it up to Deuba arch rivals to decide. Miscellaneous: Kathmandu: It has become quite clear that the ruling congress party activists, leaders and the likes sharply differ over the "'justification" of the imposition of the state of emergency in the country. A section of the congressmen opine that the government would have accomplished its targeted job of containing the threats of the Maoists insurgency imply by issuing curfew orders in some of the most affected districts. Others say the time for the imposition of this state had not come yet. Yet another section in the congress say that the government could have tried this measure only after enjoying consensus from among all the political forces now in operation in the country. Diffrerent brains different theories indeed. However, Ms. Shailaja Acharya, a declared Deuba critic in the party too has voiced her strong reservation regarding the declaration of the emergency in the nation by the Deuba regime. Ms. Acharya though reveals that there were differences in her party regarding the imposition of this measure but then on her part she maintains that the state of emergency in itself is a very dangerous weapon and that the government could have attained its goal through the very use of the terrorist act brought through the use of the Royal Ordinance. "Since at time of the emergency, certain basic rights of the people are curtailed and that the people are not allowed to comment on the actions and the activities of the military men and that news of the civilians killing if any apart from the Maoists by the military do not come to the open"', adds Ms. Shailaja Acharya. "In my opinion, the state of emergency should not have been imposed", continues Ms. Acharya. She suspects that an artificial cover is being given to the existing scheme of things, which is what she opposes. Ms. Acharya is of the firm view that the state of emergency has got to be immediately lifted. She further claims that she told Prime Minister Deuba recently to recall his assurance made to the nation and resign immediately as the latter could not sort out the Maoists issue. Ms. Acharya is known for pushing the internal desires of Party president Girija Prasad Koirala. Insiders of the congress say that whatever Ms. Acharya is saying she is doing so on behalf of his family-relative Koirala. If this theory is taken for granted then what could be fairly guessed is that President Koirala too wishes the lifting of the state of emergency possibly things would be much easier for him to dislodge Sher Bahadur Deuba from the chair. Kathmandu: The timing of the visit to Nepal by a US Administration high placed official Mr. Donald Camp is loaded with meaning indeed. Though the visiting US dignitary remained tight lipped during his meeting Tuesday morning with a select group of Nepalese journalists, he, however, did mention that the US "supported" Nepal government's fresh moves in containing the threat of terrorism in the country. The US official wished not to comment on whether that support meant his administration's support as well for the imposition of the state of emergency. "'I have come here to learn about Nepal and assess the prevailing situation in the country. In the process I met the Prime Minister, chief of the military staff and foreign ministry officials and held talks with them, said the US official. Local intellectuals opine that the visit of the US official must have strengthened the hands of the incumbent regime in Kathmandu in its dealing with the terrorists as the US itself was currently engaged in a sort of war against terrorism in Afghanistan. In what "form and kind" the US is to extend its "'support" to Nepal in the future will perhaps come to the fore only after evaluating the seriousness with which the government takes up the issue of the Maoists terrorism. The US official wished to learn more from the attending journalists than answering critical questions from the Nepali media men. Robert Kerr, the Director of the American center introduced the visiting guest to the journalists. Mr. Donald Camp left Kathmandu Tuesday afternoon for a similar trip to Colombo. He was in India prior to Nepal visit. Indian assistance for gravel road Kathmandu: A Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) was signed on December 4, 2001 between Apart from gravelling
of the road, a bridge at Mariya-Bakra, six nos. of RCC culverts and six nos. of Hume Pipe
culverts are also to be constructed as part of the project. The proposed road will cater
to the Telegraph/FES media seminar next week Kathmandu: The Telegraph Weekly in cooperation with the German Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, is organizing a media seminar next week. The topic of the media seminar is "Role of Media in promoting good governance". The date for the seminar has been tentatively fixed for December 20, this month. However, the venue of the seminar is yet to be fixed. This is the seventh seminar organized by this weekly in close cooperation with the FES, Nepal office. The seminar is expected to be attended by University professors, local intellectuals and prominent media personalities of the nation and Kathmandu based diplomats as well. |
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