Messenger Chat With Purandar Ghimire

Purandar Ghimire: hey wass up
Purandar Ghimire: how is things in nepal lately
Paramendra Bhagat: are you not in nepal?
Paramendra Bhagat: nc convention is the big news
Paramendra Bhagat: http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/
Purandar Ghimire: nope i am in washington dc
Paramendra Bhagat: are u a journalist?
Paramendra Bhagat: ok
Purandar Ghimire: yes i am
Paramendra Bhagat: for whom?
Purandar Ghimire: fo IFJ affiliated National Union of Journalist
Paramendra Bhagat: sep 16 is also a gathering storm
Paramendra Bhagat: oh ok
Purandar Ghimire: yes i am comming there
Paramendra Bhagat: so you work in DC? when i got your email i was thinking maybe you are based out of nepal
Paramendra Bhagat: see u there then
Purandar Ghimire: nope in dc
Purandar Ghimire: okies
Paramendra Bhagat: do u think a lot of DC nepalis will show up?
Purandar Ghimire: yes indeed
Paramendra Bhagat: wow
Paramendra Bhagat: since it is a friday, i figured less might
Paramendra Bhagat: sep 16 might set a new record for nepalis
Purandar Ghimire: i am raising awarness about nepal in us congress, world bank, imf and the think tanks
Paramendra Bhagat: so a lot of ppl r taking day off on sep 16
Paramendra Bhagat: that sounds great
Paramendra Bhagat: i am aware u DC guys are really into it
Purandar Ghimire: inedeed
Purandar Ghimire: we are
Paramendra Bhagat: so u r a union member, that is your job? u r not with a particular publication?
Paramendra Bhagat: can't wait for sep 16
Paramendra Bhagat: did u have a particular query for me, or u just wanted to chat, touch base kind of?
Purandar Ghimire: okies what i do is i send my dispatch to union head quarter in ktm, then they will distribute it to respective news paper
Paramendra Bhagat: oh ok
Paramendra Bhagat: cool
Purandar Ghimire: i used to be chief of Nepal news agency RSS
Paramendra Bhagat: wow, that is huge
Purandar Ghimire: and publisher and chairman of gorkhapatra
Paramendra Bhagat: wow, that is really huge
Paramendra Bhagat: i guess u r really accomplished in ur field
Purandar Ghimire: and in 90s used to be washington correspondent for ktm post and kantipur
Paramendra Bhagat: how does it feel to see those organizations taken over for state propaganda by the royalists? not too good?
Paramendra Bhagat: u know, now that you tell me these things, your name has started to ring familiar .. a name i might have read off and on
Purandar Ghimire: on my tenure it was free i was appointed by democratically elected PM
Paramendra Bhagat: but i have been gone from nepal so long .... and i only got back into the thing in an active way b/c of 2/1
Purandar Ghimire: actually i am doing one man show in dc
Purandar Ghimire: of my own...
Paramendra Bhagat: how long b4 democracy again? what is your reading? i think it is 6 months max for this regime, if that
Paramendra Bhagat: yeah?
Paramendra Bhagat: so how do you support yourself?
Purandar Ghimire: it will take time....
Purandar Ghimire: i support myself
Paramendra Bhagat: more than 6 months?
Paramendra Bhagat: entrepreneur?
Purandar Ghimire: my idea is to raise awarness about nepal in key points
Purandar Ghimire: and right points at the right place
Purandar Ghimire: nepalese issues is not heard that much at the key points in washington Purandar Ghimire: and perception of American government is not clear at all
Paramendra Bhagat: is there a group you are part of for the democratic cause?
Paramendra Bhagat: is it an organized effort?
Paramendra Bhagat: i belong to the 6 month school
Paramendra Bhagat: i think it should not take more than that
Purandar Ghimire: rally and protest is good..but u have to raise awarness among Americans too so that they will pressure their congressman and senators
Purandar Ghimire: you will not be surprise that there will be another compromise Purandar Ghimire: and Strongman is buying the time that is it
Purandar Ghimire: so don't be so much oppestimics
Purandar Ghimire: if there is compromise then another time buying
Paramendra Bhagat: don't you think there is less of a chance for that after the policy changes the two big parties have undergone?
Paramendra Bhagat: what could be the compromise?
Purandar Ghimire: maybe reinstment of parliment
Paramendra Bhagat: king g might be too smart for his own good
Paramendra Bhagat: how would that be bad?
Purandar Ghimire: maybe king will play role there
Paramendra Bhagat: reinstatement also leads to a CA
Paramendra Bhagat: As long as the end product is a CA, I am open to how we get there.
Purandar Ghimire: okies if he rinstat then he will buy more than 50 parlimentrains then there will be big conflict
Paramendra Bhagat: what do you mean buy?
Paramendra Bhagat: who could he buy?
Paramendra Bhagat: buy for what? to not go for a CA?
Purandar Ghimire: hey money and power play big role in Nepal
Paramendra Bhagat: they do
Paramendra Bhagat: but buy to what effect?
Paramendra Bhagat: i think there is no stopping a CA
Purandar Ghimire: CA will be disater with king's leadership
Paramendra Bhagat: there is too much of a groundswell for it
Paramendra Bhagat: it will not be king's ca, it will be an all party gov's CA
Purandar Ghimire: king will win like MUsareff
Paramendra Bhagat: he will not have that option
Paramendra Bhagat: all party gov goes to CA
Purandar Ghimire: have a insightful thougts
Purandar Ghimire: how can party play role with king's leadership
Purandar Ghimire: and who is giving CA
Paramendra Bhagat: once an all party gov is formed, the king goes into the background
Purandar Ghimire: and who is holding it
Purandar Ghimire: who formed all party government
Purandar Ghimire: so if king is there he always will be winner
Paramendra Bhagat: once the parliament is revived, or even if it is not, an all party government gets formed as an outlet
Purandar Ghimire: who is reviving parliment
Paramendra Bhagat: u mean only a republic will save the day?
Paramendra Bhagat: Supreme Court?
Purandar Ghimire: indeed that is the main point
Purandar Ghimire: it will shape the country
Paramendra Bhagat: the SC has become much bolder recently
Purandar Ghimire: and who will initiate SC decesion
Purandar Ghimire: nope they are doing for the shake of doing
Paramendra Bhagat: once the SC has decided, the parliament comes back to life, the king does not have to do anything to revive
Paramendra Bhagat: legal mumbojumbo complicates thing .... but the solution to the crisis has to be done politically
Purandar Ghimire: my freind you will not see that day
Paramendra Bhagat: the day of a CA?
Purandar Ghimire: yes indeed
Paramendra Bhagat: if not, then what are we struggling for?
Purandar Ghimire: under the control of political party
Paramendra Bhagat: if not a CA, what other possible democratic goal is there?
Purandar Ghimire: we have to go for republic
Paramendra Bhagat: well, the UML and NC both now agree with you!!
Purandar Ghimire: in the main time we will have some kind of in security but in long run country will take a shape
Purandar Ghimire: i don't like this short term patching up
Paramendra Bhagat: but neither have shown the people a roadmap to that republic? will it be through a revolution? or what?
Paramendra Bhagat: i am not attached to the monarchy, but i am not an ideological republican either
Purandar Ghimire: indeed that is mistake from their side
Paramendra Bhagat: i lay my thought out in a transparent manner on a regular basis here: http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/
Paramendra Bhagat: if it is to be a revolution, then the constitutional provisions do not matter much ....
Purandar Ghimire: indeed
Paramendra Bhagat: but i don't think the UML and the NC have made that clear
Purandar Ghimire: let's see
Paramendra Bhagat: i am for peace and democracy and social justice ..... it is just that i am for all three together
Paramendra Bhagat: there can not be a priority list of this first and this second and this third
Paramendra Bhagat: u know, i was thinking ..... do u mind if i publish this conversation at my blog, b/c it is reflective of the fog in the democratic camp right now
Paramendra Bhagat: this is also journalism!
Purandar Ghimire: yes u can
Paramendra Bhagat: how long have you been in DC?
Paramendra Bhagat: i will
Paramendra Bhagat: but let's keep talking for now ... thanks
Purandar Ghimire: okies
Paramendra Bhagat: my first choice proposal is to retain a constitutional monarchy still, so as to avoid a headlong confrontation, but that decision does not rest with the democrats
Paramendra Bhagat: the ball is in the king's court, it has been for a long time now
Purandar Ghimire: indeed ball is there
Paramendra Bhagat: and the longer the stalemate goes, less the incentive or political possibility to retain the monarchy in any form
Paramendra Bhagat: the two biggest parties detaching themselves from the monarchy over the past few days .... that is huge
Purandar Ghimire: yes indeed they are
Paramendra Bhagat: that shows a major shift in public opinion at the ground level
Paramendra Bhagat: a major groundswell
Purandar Ghimire: indeed
Paramendra Bhagat: the Maoists must be happy ... their slogan of a Democratic Republic has been adopted by two of the biggest bears in the ring
Paramendra Bhagat: i am glad for the work you are doing in DC
Paramendra Bhagat: that is important
Paramendra Bhagat: public protests are important, but ultimately you have get a little sophisticated and hit the corridors of power
Purandar Ghimire: yes indeed, but you got to know who are real maoist and who are running it
Paramendra Bhagat: what do you mean?
Purandar Ghimire: do you why Maosit are fighting for???
Paramendra Bhagat: bhupi said: yo halli halla ko desh ho
Purandar Ghimire: indeed now u come to the point....
Paramendra Bhagat: well, choice 1, communist republic, choice 2, democratic republic
Purandar Ghimire: so that we do less halla and collective things
Paramendra Bhagat: yo hallai halla ko desh ho ....... by that i mean, i personally am skeptical of outlandish conspiracy theories
Purandar Ghimire: democratic republic
Paramendra Bhagat: yes, that is what they say
Paramendra Bhagat: they are aware they can not get anything more
Paramendra Bhagat: a communist republic is out of question, a democratic republic is hard enough
Paramendra Bhagat: UML, NC, Maoists, People's Front ...... they all have lined up for a Democratic Republic
Paramendra Bhagat: the king is losing precious time
Paramendra Bhagat: sep 16 protests are really going to boost morale in kathmandu and elsewhere in nepal
Paramendra Bhagat: u know, i think we should establish democracy in nepal, and then we should export it elsewhere in the region, like maldives, burma, pakistan
Paramendra Bhagat: u there?
Purandar Ghimire: hello
Purandar Ghimire: u there
Paramendra Bhagat: yes
Paramendra Bhagat: it's ok if u are busy, we can catch up some other time
Purandar Ghimire: okies
Purandar Ghimire: it is my pleasure to talkign with u
Paramendra Bhagat: same here
Paramendra Bhagat: i will email you soon
Paramendra Bhagat: more later
Paramendra Bhagat: and see you on the 16th .... it is going to be a day when history gets made
Purandar Ghimire: okies
Paramendra Bhagat: bye .... later