NC, UML And A Democratic Republic

It is so obvious major polarizations have been going on. If the two large parties were to hold general conventions and allow their cadres to decide on the issue based on one person one vote, they would very clearly opt for a democratic republic. Girija and Madhav Nepal can hold the tide for only so long. That is the ground situation.

The king has been bent on deriving solace from his small coterie of soldiers of regression. These conservative elements claim to speak for the nation - hence their repeated claims democrats are anti-nation - but it is not within their vocabulary to get a mandate from the people. Power is in the hands of those who have never contested elections. The few who have will lose if they were to contest elections now.

This stand-off can not go on forever. And the longer it goes on, more the king has to lose.


It will only take a few key events to trigger a mass precipitation, at which point the mood would swing wild and rapid, and then there will be no stopping the Democratic Republic tide. At that point you are talking about the crowd as an organism. This or that political leader will not be in any position to stem the tide.

In The News

• Giri repays Rs 3.5m of loan Kantipur ..... an Indian national D S N Pandey had handed over a check issued in the name of Bank of India to NBL a few days ago. "The check was cashed on Thursday," said the source who added that Pandey has also agreed to own the total outstanding liabilities of Himalayan Plastics. Pandey's identity has been kept top secret ...... also agreed to clear the remaining amount within a period of 12 months through equal monthly installments ..... Credit Information Bureau, had at NBL's request, blacklisted Himalayan Plastics and Dr Giri along with two other promoters in 1997 after the company failed to clear its loan liability.
• ‘NC faces a choice: Monarchy or democracy’ Kantipur ...... "NC is confronted with the choice of democracy or monarchy," says the paper presented by chief of the policy and program department of the party, Ram Chandra Poudel. The paper further adds, "It has already become clear that democracy cannot remain safe as long as monarchy exists in the country." ...... If the CWC endorses the paper, it will be presented at the general convention as an official party line...... urges the king to accept constituent assembly elections to bail the country out of the current crises..... the party adopt "social democracy" as its guiding principle...... there is slim chance of the CWC meeting amending the policy paper as "it is already soft in language and clear in its goal"...... more than 40 NC district committee presidents have urged the party not to get divided on the issue of republic, but simply drop the idea of constitutional monarchy from the party statute. They have also demanded that Girija Prasad Koirala be elected unanimously as the party president....... NC proposal for policy changes came a day after one of its major allies in the ongoing joint movement, CPN-UML, decided to direct the movement to achieve democratic republic....... some dissenting opinions coming from party leaders like Speaker Tara Nath Ranabhat. But they are not strong enough to redirect party policy........ Acting Executive Director of BICC, Chhatra Bahadur Rayamajhi, citing "orders from above" informed the NC that the convention centre would not be available to the party. NC had paid Rs.150, 000 on July 1 as booking advance and has already paid Rs. 16,67,000 as four-day charge for the convention hall...... NC is now preparing to hold its convention at the party office in Sanepa.......the BICC has been rented out to the government for SAARC Information Minister's meeting to be held on August 29 and 30. "The meeting was earlier scheduled to be held at Soaltee Hotel as it is a small gathering."
• Ex-Indian PM for democracy in Nepal Kantipur ...... Former Indian prime minister Chandrashekhar has urged the king to immediately hand over executive power to the peoples' representatives...... According to a press statement released by Nepalese Democratic Youth Council in USA (NDYCUSA))- a New-York based organization of Nepalis in the US, the former prime minister has also urged the Nepali Congress Party to end intra-party feud and get united to face the challenge posed by the king's rule. He made the remarks while meeting representatives of NDYCUSA in the US, Friday. "The king has no choice but to give up his absolute power to its rightful owners immediately. Peace and order cannot be maintained until and unless democracy is fully gained," the statement quoted Chandrashekhar as saying during the meeting....... He also lauded the role played by the Nepali youth in the USA to restore democracy in Nepal.
• UML decides to go for 'democratic republicanism' NepalNews The ongoing Central Committee meeting of the CPN -UML Thursday passed the political report presented by general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, proposing “democratic republicanism” as the main goal of the democratic movement of the seven parties........ democratic republicanism, through an election to constituent assembly calling upon the allies of the seven-party movement to push for it........ Mukunda Neupane, Bishnu Poudel and Krishna Gopal Shrestha, tabled their note of dissent......
  
• Businessmen to organize peace rally NepalNews ..... organised jointly by Birgunj Chamber of Commerce, Bara Chamber of Commerce and Hetauda Chamber of Commerce, the rally will march from Pathalaiya to Birgunj..... newly elected president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Chandi Raj Dhakal...... The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has blamed the government of failing to provide adequate security to industrial establishments in the wake of increasing Maoist attacks.
• The govt. refuses to provide Convention venue: NC NepalNews
• Missing former minister Sanwa joins Maoist: reports NepalNews .... Former Population and Environment minister and CPN- UML leader, Ambika Sanwa who was missing since the last seven months has joined Maoists ..... joined the Maoists willingly when he visited his house in Khoklang VDC, in eastern Taplejung ...... “Sanwa was extremely disappointed with our merger and split politics,” Nepal said, adding, “He stayed independent after UML party and its splinter group- the ML- was united.”....... According to Nepal, a huge mass that left UML in 1996 to join its splinter group- CPN- ML- never returned to the mother party though the parties united afterwards....... Appointed a minister for Population and Environment ministry, Sanwa was elected from constituency number 2 of Taplejung district representing CPN-UML party in the general election of 1991.
• His Majesty visits Dang NepalNews ..... arrived in Dang’s Tulsipur by a special helicopter ..... thousands of ordinary citizens thronged to Tulsipur to welcome the monarch. The King walked on foot from the army Brigade in Tulsipur to the Zonal Administration Office and curiously conversed with ordinary men and women lined up on the road for his welcome.
• Negative media coverage of Nepal affecting tourism industry: Pandey NepalNews .... Highlighting the importance of information as power ..... We all suffer from the negative publicity of our countries by powerful international media
• Bangladesh prepares for SAARC summit NepalNews ....
  
• King should stay away from politics: RC Poudel NepalNews .... “The royal regime is going in such a way that it has not even left any space whereby the parties could ponder upon their past mistakes and correct them.” ..... said the convention is going to be a major stride from one era to another. In his view, the convention would work out plans and policies for the restoration of total democracy in the country..... the Congress party, too, needed to exercise internal democracy, maintain transparency and make the election process fair..... “Democracy doesn’t give birth to heroes but it facilitates a healthy process of selecting leaders having equal ability.” ...... the parties would move ahead only after becoming clear about the bottom-line of the rebel side.
• Supreme Court starts studying House revival case NepalNews .... the court would decide whether to deliberate on the case only after consensus of all justices of the apex court. A majority of the 11 justices must agree ...... chief justice Dilip Kumar Poudel and justices Kedar Prasad Giri, Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Ram Nagina Singh, Anup Raj Sharma, Ram Prasad Shrestha, Khil Raj Regmi, Sharada Prasad Pundit, Sharada Shrestha, Arjun Prasad Singh and Hari Jung Sijapati...... Thursday’s discussion was adjourned, ordering the bench assistant to make a list of differences and similarities between the three SC precedents on house dissolution in 1994, 1995 and 2002. The apex court had reversed late prime minister Man Mohan Adhikari’s decision to dissolve the house in 1995 while it had upheld ex-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s decision to dissolve the house in 1994.