Indepth Analysis

Pincer targets Palace!

Kathmandu: The UML move to allow government reprieve in parliament and discuss its programs prior to the budget is to be watched. It has by no means aborted its demand for resignation from the Prime Minister. Nor is it likely that the Prime Minister will resign after the discussions conclude. The test therefore has only been postponed.

The leadership situation in the Nepali Congress itself will be ruse enough to allow Mr. Koirala to continue in office. Girija babu has ensured that the ranks in his opposition within the party have been so depleted as to be re-elected leader of the largest party in parliament which constitutionally must have government and so any attempt at proving the majority in the house is likely to favor Koirala and none else.

This is, of course, in the event that Koirala's opponents within his own party do not chose to vote elsewhere. What happens if and when the number defies the whip and votes against party ruling is likely to be a matter that will put the constitution to test once more. Regardless of the UML stance to oust Koirala whichever way, this matter will itself invite yet another crisis.

And so the budget session is unlikely to be the smooth proceeding appealed for by Nepali constitutionalists and parliamentarians. Unless an agreement, covert or overt, is arrived at between the Prime Minister and the UML, the standpoints that have been publicly taken by both parliamentary powers makes it easy to predict a crisis.

Add to this the subtle maneuvers underway targeting the Palace and one finds meaning even deeper than that publicly professed in the actions and the speeches of the current political establishments. The example of a deputy prime minister and home minister seeing publicly Nirmal Nivas, King Gyanendra's private residence, as the ultimate source for the Maoists (see Himalaya Times daily dated June 19, 2001) is merely one of the two extremes posited in the current game plan. The other lies in the public declaration by the Maoists that their hit list will now only include the supporters of the NC-Girija and King Gyanendra is the other extreme. The Palace thus appears the target of a pincer between the government and the radical Left. Something not without meaning surely.

The crisis being invited by the political organizations thus appears to be openly targeting a Royal Palace that is only now recuperating from the calamitous events of last month and is gradually assuming its sombre public responsibilities. Clearly, public eyes are very much scrutinizing this very role of the country's apex, which will be put to very severe test in the widely expected event of a crisis in parliament.

Confused Nepali scholars' debate over the nitty-gritty's of WTO arrangement

Kathmandu: An utterly confused Nepali population including students belonging to the financial discipline gets more confused when they listen to the nitty-gritty's of the World Trade Organization at Katmandu's never ending seminars on the said topic.

More confused visibly seems the congress led establishment and the salaried bureaucrats at the National Planning Commission working under it which till today talks of providing some special concessions to the least developed countries like Nepal for easy access to the WTO membership. The fact is that the people have been given to understand that the WTO membership for this country was already round the corner, which in essence is not. The utterly lethargic NPC members themselves admit that it could consume some more time.

The government which in effect should have thought of informing the people regarding the internal dynamics and the tangible benefits that would accrue from Nepal's membership at the WTO, but instead it is some scholarly organizations, for example, the NEFAS, which has remained instrumental in disseminating the ABCDs of the WTO process. Two events go to the credit of the NEFAS which at least gave opportunity to the confused scholars to understand the primaries of the WTO arrangement.

Speaking at a NEFAS program on WTO, Globalization and Nepal, Monday afternoon, the executive director at the NEFAS, Anand Shrestha opined that there could be no doubt that Nepal does have a large potential for economic growth provided that prudent use of natural, cultural and human resource is well planned and that Nepal will thus need to raise its efficiency and international competitive edge in both product specialization and diversification.

Robert Kerr, US embassy official expressed his firm conviction that free trade has already been proven to be essential for achieving economic growth and that a recent study, added Robert Kerr, conducted by the WB arrived at a conclusion that the economic performance of globalizing and non-globalizing developing countries were different.

"The study found that in the 1990s, the income per person for globalizing developing countries grew more than 5% per year whereas the non-globalizing countries annual income declined by more than 1 percent per year. (See the full text inside-editor).

Scholar Dr. Narayan Manandhar preferred to look into the negative sides of the WTO membership as well because of late people in various countries have come out with protests. He expressed his doubt over Nepal's joining WTO arrangement earlier than 2005.

Intellectual Birendra Shrestha scathingly criticised the western nations who dictate the stringent terms and the conditions for WTO membership to smaller countries like Nepal. He however, said that Nepal would have to join the WTO mechanism ultimately.

The "lone expert" on WTO as he is generally treated and invited for practically all the seminars of such sorts, P.R. Legal appeared more confused than the attending participants as it became evident from his appeal to the developed west to offer concessions for smaller countries like ours for the smooth and easy entrance to the world body.

Legal is the NPC vice chairman.

Yet another stalwart of the Panchayat economy turned diplomat, Dr. M.M. Sainju talked on the peripheral matters regarding the WTO arrangement. He however, also failed to talk on the tangible benefits that could accrue from Nepal's membership at the WTO.

The book entitled WTO, Globalization and Nepal, a NEFAS publication enjoys the financial support of the US embassy.

Government loosing citizen's confidence

Kathmandu: Albeit the government claims that their existence remains intact in the country. However, the people consider it just the otherwise.

The fact is that the people could not feel the existence of the government at time of the Royal massacre of June 1 last month and perhaps many will agree that the existence of the government, if any, is confined to radio and the television broadcast which in essence is of no practical use to the general population.

The Prime Minister said he was lately informed of the June 1 sad event and hence he could do nothing. In effect he could have done "'some thing" had he been responsible for his duties towards the nation. However, he took the whole affair lightly and dumped all the lacunae onto the Royal Palace.

The presence of the government people could not notice for two weeks at least.

All of a sudden, a beaming home minister informs the "foren" media instantly after the June 1 ghastly event at the Royal Palace that Crown Prince Dipendra was the "'killer".

This he said without substantiating the news and the "foren' media created havoc out of that small piece of news supplied by minister Poudel.

Later Poudel corrected his version for unknown reasons.

Later comes the report compiled by the Committee led by nation's Chief Justice on the Royal massacre of June 1 and one senior and most honored member of the CJ committee presents the entire report in a most ugly and hated manner that was condemned by all and sundry within and without.

He however, did not apologize. The people were left with no options other than to gulp the incredible manner the report of such a grave nature was presented.

Add to this the saying of the Army Chief Prazzwal Rana that the preservation of the internal security systems inside the Palace was not the job of the Nepal Army. Surprising indeed.

The corruption investigating authority, the CIAA, subtly implicated the nation's Premier in the Lauda scandal, the chief of the nation's executive took it very lightly and instead of resigning on moral grounds preferred to form a committee to harass the person who warned the office of the prime minister to remain alert while finalizing deals of the sorts of the Lauda.

The democratic government, as we have been told it was, pushes twice the Armed Police Force bill through the back door using the Royal Ordinance in order the tame a powerful force with guns and bullets instead of the use of the "dialogues".

HR activists and democratic minded-peace loving people wish the government facilitate the Maoists to come to the negotiation table before it is too late, the government instead prefers to irritate them but remains unable to contain their threats which is definitely on the constant increase.

The government instead of taking general lay men into confidence and steering the country to new heights imposes on them instead stringent regulations aimed at curtailing the rights guaranteed the constitution. The people retaliate, the government thinks that the lay men favor the Maoists. This is not in essence. People wish to live a secured life but with all the rights and privileges remaining intact.

In the process, the media sector is almost terrorized resulting in the institutionalization of an unprecedented unity in and among all the nation's journalists who stand all now against the security regulations. Here again the government bags loss indirectly.

Summing up, if this were the manner the country is supposed to run and that too by the present easy-going and irresponsible leaders, including the men in the opposition, then the results could definitely be chaotic. Such state in the nation will definitely encourage the forces inimical to the present establishment.

It is time that the Nepali leaders come to their senses and regain the confidence of the people whom it has so far neglected for known and unknown reasons.

Maoists acquire new strategy?

Kathmandu: Emboldened definitely by the pretty weak and conflict ridden government at the center, the Maoists insurgents of late have stepped up their activities causing concern among the lay men.

The Maoists insurgents, to recall, have been ventilating their "reactions" to the new political environment that has so suddenly befallen on the nation more specifically after the sudden demise of their beloved monarch late King Birendra through the use of their writings and statements that find space in national newspapers.

It is altogether a different matter on how the national population have taken their controversial views regarding the present monarch and more specifically about the government structure led by Prime Minister Koirala. However, the fact is that the Maoists of late apparently have acquired a strategy to flood the Nepali media through their mind boggling and baffling statements and articles so that the government at the center remains busy in devising suitable strategies to counter those views and they in turn act as per their wishes in far flung districts and more recently in Katmandu as well.

In the process, the Maoists activists dared to plant a total of three or four explosive-gelatin right at the very heart of the capital city which was discovered by a panicked population hanging on a banner last week. Thanks the Nepali army men and the police officers who could defuse the bomb and thus saved many a precious lives.

This act, if it were of the Maoists, summarily could have been done to hint the establishment that they could do any thing right here in the capital should they wish to do so. This also means that the insurgents were in quite good numbers in the city and that they could show their presence through the exhibition of such terrifying acts. It could be thus concluded that the security systems in the city continue to be pretty weak or else how could the insurgents plant the explosives in the city center. At least, the whole planting affair could have consumed at least half and hour. What the patrolling policemen had been doing then? More disturbing is the fact that the insurgents have used a ladder for the planting of the explosives. Who supplied them with the ladder? This finally means that people sympathetic to the insurgents were in abundance in the city.

This notwithstanding, the other side of the story is that if the Maoists in essence had planted those explosives then the Maoists would do well in convincing the Kathmandu population whether this was an appropriate method to frighten and terrorize the local people? Could such measures, which create panic among the lay men, be considered right and justifiable acts? Or even it could be asked whether the method adopted by the insurgents would be taken in good taste by the trembling lay men?

The fact is that the lay men have become the victims of the security men during the day and of the insurgents in the night. It is a case that puts the common men between the fire and the frying pan. The Maoists must not terrorize the already terrorized population.

More frightening of all is the fresh statement issued by Comrade Prachanda which point blank says that his party will spare all those, political parties, groups and individuals, from a possible physical attack who do not support the present Koirala faction of the Congress. This applies also, adds Prachanda, to those who support the present constitutional monarch His Majesty King Gyanendra.

In doing so Prachanda appears to create a grand divide in and among the Koirala supporters and detractors from within and without. Could be a new strategy to further weaken the government who knows!

How the government reacts to this dangerous statement will have to be watched. However, what is for sure is that this statement might bring the new King more closer to His Majesty's Prime Minister.

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SASJAN awards Thapa and Basnet

Kathmandu: The South Asian Sports Journalists' Association Nepal, SASJAN, Monday organized a program to commemorate the World Sports Journalists Day, which falls every year on July 2.

Chief guest Marshal arts champion Ms. Susmita Kandel gave awards to Mr. Lok Deep Thapa and Gopal Basnet for their laudable contributions in the Nepal's sports sector.

Ishwar Man Singh, the chairman of the SASJAN also handed over a cheque to the two distinguished award winners Mr. Thapa and Mr. Basnet.

The SASJAN, which was established in the year 1996, has all along been commemorating the World Sports Day in Nepal since its inception at the call of the World Sports Press Association.

To recall, the World Sports Association was formed as back as in 1925 in France.

Mr. Thapa is also the Vice President of the Nepal SAARC Journalists' Forum established in the year 1995 and concurrently is the chief editor of the Rising Nepal-an English daily.

Prior to the award presentation ceremony, the attending participants condoled the death of late His Majesty King Birendra, HM Queen Aishwarya, HM King Dipendra, HRH Nirajan and HRH Shruti Rana and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed Royal souls. The meeting also condoled the demise of other sports men.

Accepting the award, editor Thapa vowed to work for the enhancement of Nepalese sports sector in the future and appreciated the role of the SASJAN.

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