I n d e p t h    A n a l y s i s
Parties break on government

Kathmandu: - A national government is in the making. This has been the effort all along. The problem is with the major political parties who have since the past decade and more sought the advantage of government during elections. Their stance is that it is they as monopoly organizers of the people and as representatives of the now dissolved government who must be granted the prerogative of election government.

The completion of one year of agitation against what these parties call "regression" and the extension over a month now of their "decisive" campaign to topple the government appointed by the King has merely demonstrated that the country is back to square one in as much as the formation of an election government is concerned. If the parties have demonstrated their cadre is precisely because the people are aware all along that this is purely a power tussle of the type that has brought Nepali Democracy and Constitutionalism to this self-defeating phase.

The king as constitutional monarch appears very much aware of the need to cajole the vested interests that have contributed to the current distortions in order to set things right. He has been consistent in asking for a representative national government with the participation of the political parties in order that this national government be competent enough to settle the Maoists problems and remove the impediments to thwarted elections so that a new parliament can take up the constitutional process which has been derailed for so long.

In the process it has been made abundantly clear that no government can be allowed constitutionally to seek extension of office on the plea that elections can’t take place-thus the dismissal of Deuba. Two Supreme Court decisions have been emphatic against the restoration of the dissolved parliament-thus making redundant the Girija Koirala standpoint on the basis of which Madhav Nepal’s candidacy to government was forwarded.

Having put themselves into an untenable Constitutional corner, the major parties agitate to pressure the King to heed their demands with the threat that they can be as radical as the Maoists in turning republican if these demands are not met.

The fact is that the King can’t constitutionally meet these demands.

The major political parties who have gambled on the premise that the Army, which is the strength of the palace, is over stretched in this preoccupation with the Maoists rebellion have miscalculated on their strength amidst the people. In actual fact, the parties have stretched their resources and yet a public whose support they seek turn increasingly belligerent against their violent agitation.

And so the third round of the talks the King has opened with the political sector for the formation of a national government reveals the same anomalies that have contributed to the current disarray. Deuba insists as he did twenty months ago that he head the electoral government. Both Girija and Madhav are at odds still regarding the solution and so the stalemate each other when it comes to an agenda to meet the King.

In the process, it is revealed that L.B.Chand was their candidate for PM after they failed to secure consensus on their own candidacy to head the election government. At least Koirala is on record of having admitted that he had also acquiesced to S.B.Thapa’s placement as Prime Minister upon Chand’s resignation. This, after the second round of talks at the palace repeated the same failures when it came to nominating themselves.

The third round of talks has again ended in the same stalemate. The five party agitation now demands resignation of Thapa but fails in an agenda for the national government with Koirala and Madhav Nepal differing on even the meeting with the King fearing that emergence of separate standpoints which prevented the formation of a national government on two separate governments over the past twenty months.To boot, the continuation of a Thapa government in-charge of elections would seem untenable to Madhav Nepal but suitable to Koirala. Koirala finds it impossible to agree to a Deuba appointment. So far this stalemate is advantageous to Thapa and by default to Koirala. This makes it a desperate situation for Madhav Nepal whose own party has done well to corner him in a position that is self-defeating both ways.

Something must break somewhere and this international donor community has signaled well by ignoring the five party demands to postpone the NDF meeting of donors beginning today. At least the international community has signaled its awareness of democracy and constitutionalism and continues to insist on the need for the parties to cooperate with the King.

And so the third round of talks is on. That Thapa must go is a demand that is virtually consensus. There is also a consensus on the need for a national government. What role the parties will play in the formation of the now definitive electoral government is something they will have to decide themselves.

Donors legitimize King appointed Thapa government!

Kathmandu: Despite the Himalayan efforts of the agitating political parties to defer the Kathmandu meet of the Nepal Development Forum sine die, the international donors, however, rebuffed their appeal.

In doing so the international donors did in no uncertain terms sided with the Nepal’s Government that was in place at the moment.

" It’s a matter to be decided upon by the government and we consider it the internal affairs of the Nepal government", is what the international donors communicated to the agitating political parties who had made a fervent appeal for a postponement of the meet forwarding the reasons that since the government under Thapa were an "unrepresentative" or even a sort of "illegitimate one" and hence the meet be deferred until a legitimate government assumed the office in Sigh Durbar.

The donors exhibited their mood in favor of the meet as per schedule.

However, in doing so, the international donors did recognize Thapa set up, as not only a representative one but also put their stamp on its questioned legitimacy.

The donors’ changed attitude towards this government is in contrast with their subdued voices being expressed against the government at the unofficial levels.

But then yet, the donors yet continue to express their dissatisfaction over the long absence of the local and central elected bodies. They also express concern over the tussle that is going on in between the King and the political parties for over a year or so.

With all the reservations intact, the donors still have come to attend the meet beginning today.

The successful conclusion of this meet will automatically add one more feather in the cap of the Thapa set up which had begun trembling when it learnt of the opposition appeal to the donors to shift the meet indefinitely. However, that did not happen and wisdom prevailed hinting at the fact that for the donor community the country and its people counted most.

Analysts prefer to push some suggestions to the donor community meeting today in Kathmandu.

Firstly, the donors should tell the State to patch up their differences with the political parties. Secondly, the "reform process" must continue at a faster rate so that its impact is felt on the population; Thirdly, the donors must tell the State that they will not "tolerate" embezzlements and "inefficiency" at the development projects run under their donations. Fourthly, the donors should see to themselves that their projects go to the western region-the region that remained neglected for decades and decades thus facilitating the growth of the insurgency. And finally, the donors must indicate the government that they demand "good governance" and delegation of authority to the villages and districts.

DFID Announces new plan for Nepal

The donor countries, which came to the rescue of the Thapa government, were, the United Kingdom, United States, India and the likes. Its corollary would be that while rescuing the Thapa establishment, the international community of the donors, knowingly or unknowingly, also provided a clean chit to King Gyanendra and his moves that he made after October 4, 2002.

Analysts ponder as to what would have happened to the image of the monarch and his government in Singh Durbar had the donors taken a decision as demanded by the political parties fighting against what they call "regression".

Vocal among the donors was DFID, the department for international development, Monday pledged about forty million Sterling Pounds for Nepal for the fiscal year 2004-05 and for the rest of the period has not yet been determined.

This was declared by DFID country director, David Wood, Monday while announcing new assistance policy towards Nepal.

Koirala cajoling parties of his ‘preference’

Kathmandu: The King is sending signals that he is ready not only talk to the agitating parties but also prepared to for a national government provided the parties came up with a consensus candidate.

If this is so then what could be inferred from King’s signals is that he has of late become a bit flexible and is all set to accommodate the demands of the political parties now in agitation.

This should be a good news for the agitating parties.

However, rumours and partisan media reports have it that the King is still as rigid as he was in the early days of October 2002 and that the King prefers a personality to head the election government of his own choice.

The parties dismiss the King’s role in the selection of a new prime minister and say that it was their prerogative and not of the King.

Whether the King has this wish or otherwise will come to the open when the monarch would push his choice for the prime ministerial post as against th4 consensus candidate of the five agitating parties when the latter meet the King.

The King has sent hints that he was still waiting the agitating leaders’ to see him in the palace. He indicated this while he met a set of prominent women activists Monday evening. To the utter chagrin of the agitating parties, the women leaders who met the King returned pretty satisfied with King’s explanations as regards the affairs of the nation. The women leaders indirectly even hinted that the King was ready for the talks and that it was the political leaders who had been dilly-dallying the talks with the monarch.

If this is so then what could be concluded is that the King is willing to meet leaders. Now the leaders have to decide as to when to meet the King and whom they should push as a consensus prime minister. Coincidently, this is what the Nepal’s donors too demanded from the agitating parties. The donors maintain that the political parties too should cooperate the King by sending the name of their choice of prime minister.

The stalemate continues.

The other side of the story is also very interesting.

While Koirala is all thrilled to see the King. Were it left to him, he would have seen the King even last week itself.

However, his hands are tied. It is the resistance from other coalition partners that blocked Koirala’s meet with the King last week. The UML and the smaller parties in the coalition fear that if Koirala is allowed to see the King in private, he can negotiate any thing under the sun and defeat the gains of the almost one year long agitation against regression. Koirala says that he would not act against the coalition mandate but would convince the King that he will benefit if he reconciled with the agitating parties.

Deuba too remains sceptic of Koirala’s meeting with the King. Says Deuba, "If Koirala meet the King at best he will damage my prospects of becoming the next prime minister and might plead the King to elevate his own ranks".

Rumours have it that the King has also sounded that he will continue with Thapa as prime minister until he receives a consensus candidate from among the political parties. The political parties have so far failed in pushing their candidate.

The fact is that the agitating political parties sharply differ on a common candidate. Koirala has developed a strong desire for himself. Madhav Nepal claims that he continues to be the consensus candidate which junior congress leaders dismiss and claim that the "situation" has changed. Deuba claims the post for himself. The smaller factions contained in the coalition neither have the courage nor the ability to steer the nation with the weighty post of the prime minister. This means that the tussle lies in between the NC and the UML for this lucrative post.

However, Koirala has separate plans for himself if he is denied the post he loves most. In that case, he will have a joint alliance with the RPP-Thapa and the NSP-Anandi Devi. These parties are considered to be the birds that flock together.

To counter this election alliance, naturally the UML will wish to bring closer the Deuba congress and the establishment faction of the RPP headed by Rana and naturally NSP-Mandal will also be included.

The rest of the smaller communist factions’ will have to find their suitable partners themselves.

In effect, if this equation has developed or is being developed then what is for sure is that the five parties coalition is a mess now.

Nevertheless, when the leaders meet the King and if they meet at all, how the King reacts to their proposal will have determined the fate of the new equation that is in the making.

From red star to gold stars
Headline in Slovenia's Delo on EU enlargement

Niraj Aryal

Kathmandu: It was in the cold December 2002, in the EU summit in Copenhagen, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, announcing the historic breakthrough officially extended the invitation to additional 10 states to join the existing 15 states in the Union.

Addressing the gathering Rasmussen had said " We warmly welcome to our family. Our new Europe is born."

He further added, "We have finally closed the bloody chapters of the Cold War and two world wars devastating Europe and its people. We have replaced them with a clear and common vision of an integrated Europe."

Here, worth remembering is that the enlargement process was started almost 10 years earlier that was also under the Danish Presidency.

The German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer while commenting the enlargement process said, "Our gain in terms of security and economic growth is invaluable. Therefore enlargement is in our interest and in the interest of our children and grandchildren."

As was expected the celebration of the biggest expansion in its history, Europeans welcomed the move very happily, which was very clearly observed in the European press of the next morning.

Comments across the European Newspapers

From Germany:

"This is a great step, despite all the concerns and reservations... Europe is emerging from the long shadows cast by Hitler and Stalin... It ranges from the reconciliation of arch enemies to the stabilization of young democracies and the banishing of poverty from Western Europe's former poor houses."

Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

From Poland

We are today overcoming the last borders of the old world... More and more of us, day by day, will grow up in Europe, with its new possibilities for everyone. Greetings Europe. We have arrived.

Commentary in Poland's Trybuna

From France

From midnight we are 25. Twenty-five members of the European community. The third largest population bloc, the second largest economic bloc, and, yes, the largest trading entity on the planet. This Europe is the conclusion, for the first time in history, of a process that was both voluntary and peaceful.

France's Nouvel Observateur

From Hungary

The first of May is a historic date which is going to be written in flaming letters in the golden book of Hungarian history. However, it is wise to treat these historic dates cautiously. There will be country-wide street festivals for the joy of exhibitionists, but there will be no choirs singing the praises of Prime Minister Medgyessy and Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs.

Hungary's Magyar Nemzet

Europe from May 1 is no more divided into eastern and western region. It is now a single entity with varied cultures, traditions, languages and beliefs vowing to live together in harmony.

For those living in the eastern part of the Europe, this process has ended the bloody division of the cold war and has become a landmark for the European Unity. Equally important or them now is to face the challenges ahead in marching with the rest.

The admission of the 10 new member states; the process was lengthy and indeed a difficult one.

But now it is the past and has set-up an example to the rest of the world.

As the current enlargement process is being celebrated the next phase is being planned. The countries left behind this time Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey could well be part of the union in 2007.

For the rest of the world it is to be seen how this mega Europe will take the lone superpower in the power milieu? By all means this Europe and the process of the re-union itself must have sent chilling signals to the lone superpower - the US.

Apprehensions are also there as to whether this united Europe with vast territory in its possession will repeat the actions in the manner the former Soviet Union behaved with its immediate small neighbours.

3rd May: International Press Day

Kathmandu: Various media organizations in Nepal observed International Press Day, May 3 with great fanfare.

To commemorate this occasion, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, the umbrella organization, Monday morning organized a morning-rally, which was participated in by the leaders of several media institutions. The rally looked impressive.

The FNJ President, Tara Nath Dahal, dwelt at length on the importance and the very significance of this day for the media men the world over.

He also spoke on the need to protect the freedom of the press in the country.

Later in the day, the FNJ organized a talk-program on the topic of Media Freedom in Nepal.

Seen in the inset if the FNJ President, Mr. Dahal.

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