To: Girija, And The Pahadi Parties
Step 1: Krishna Sitaula resign. Declare all those who have died during the course of the Madhesi Movement martyrs.
Step 2: Declare there will be 205 constituencies of equal population.
Step 3: Declare federalism now. If all eight parties are for it, why wait three and a half years to get it? Adopt the Maoist map. Now. Declare a republic. Now.
Step 4: Declare all Madhesis will be issued citizenship papers before the constituent assembly elections. There will be no cap at 33 lakh. The estimated number is more like 60 lakh.
Step 5: Organize a fair census before the constituent assembly elections. It will be a first in Nepal's history. Allow people to register three primary identities. One, male female. Two, Madhesi, Janajati, Dalit, etc. Three, caste and subcaste based, etc.
To: The Madhesi Movement
(1) Stick to these five basic demands. Do not budge. No talks unless these demands are met.
(2) Stick to non-violence. This is not a Pahadi-Madhesi ethnic riot. This is a non-violent movement for Madhesi equality. The struggle is with the state, and it is agenda-based. Invite progressive Pahadis to join the movement. Invite the Janajati to join. Keep the country shut down unless these demands are met.
(3) If there is brutal police/military repression, the agenda of a separate country can legitimately appear and we can attain it nonviolently. But otherwise we do not want to become a separate country. The world is moving towards political and economic integration, towards globalization. Why would we go in the other direction?
(4) Turn Madhesi Janadhikar Forum into a political party now. Expand organizationally into all wards in all towns, into all villages in the Madhesh. Turn it into the largest party in the Madhesh. All Madhesis who are now in the Pahadi parties should abandon those parties and join this new party. Call it Janata Dal. Expand ad hoc now. We will host the first convention after the Madhesi Movement attains victory.
(5) Let's become our own media. We need to get the world community on our side. We need to put a ton of photos online, and we need to put a ton of video online. Expose all acts of police brutality. Use Flickr, use YouTube. Tag: madhesi. Do it in all Terai towns. Document all street action.
राजावादी, सामन्तवादी भनेको बाहुनवाद हो, िहन्दु कट्टरपन्थी भनेको बाहुनवाद हो।
पिवत्र मधेशी अान्दोलनलाई बाहुनहरूले राजावादी चालखेल, िहन्दु कट्टरपन्थी चालखेल भन्िदएका छन्। यो त उल्टे चोर कोतवालको डाँटे भने जस्तो हो। सामन्तवादको इितहास केही सय वर्षको हो। शाहहरू राजस्थानबाट भागेर अाएको कित नै भएको छ र? तर बाहुनवाद भनेको त दश हजार वर्ष पुरानो रोग हो। बाहुनवाद भनेको सामन्तवादको बाप हो।
मैले अिहलेसम्म िजन्दगी भर पर्खेर बसेको यसै मधेशी अान्दोलनलाई हो। िजसका मुझे था इन्तजार, वो घडी अा गयी, अा गयी, अा गयी।
Gyane In April: 3 Speeches, Girija In Magh: How Many?
Inbox 5
Inbox 4
Inbox 3
सत्ताधारी सात पहाडी पार्टीको घैंटोमा अझै घाम लागेको छैन
Girija Koirala: Address To The Nation: Madhesi Movement Partial Victory
The Movement Will Not Stop, It Will Go To Step 2
Dragonfly Without A Wing Loses Hearing Capacity
Inbox 2
सरिता गिरी: अशान्त मधेस, नया नेपाल
Hamro Nepal Press Release: Only A Political Outlet To The Madhesi Movement
Inbox
माघे क्रान्ित, राजावादी र िहन्दु कट्टरपन्थीबारे
The Maoist Map Is A Pretty Good Map
Kamal Thapa Should Be Arrested, But Not For The Madhesi Movement
Madhesi Movement Invites The Dalit, The Janajati, The Mahila
The Ball Is In Girija's Court: A Response To Pramod Kantha
Gagan Thapa On The Terai
Anand Jha: Raising Dust At SEBS
Need For A Mahila Movement
ANTA Press Release: Stop The State Terror
Stop The Shooting, Give The Speech
Feedback, NSU, USA Canada Chapter Press Release
डटे रहो
Sahana Pradhan, Sarita Giri, Chitra Lekha Yadav, Pratibha Rana
Ram Sah, Ratan Jha, Lalit Jha, Pramod Kantha: Madhesi Diaspora, Pahadi Diaspora
Why Are The Pahadis Quiet?
B. K. Rana: Carter, Palestine and Apartheid
Girija, Give A Speech Like Gyane Did In April
Stop Shooting, Give Concession Speech, Calm Down The Streets
Brikhesh Chandra Lal: Who Will Take Responsibility?
Madhesh Is Burning
शान्ित वार्ता क्या, िवजय घोषणा करो
8 Parties Need To Declare 205 Constituencies Of Equal Population
Madhesi Movement Is April Revolution Part 2
Look Who Is Talking
Madhesi Movement: Write To The Media
बराबर जनसंख्याबाला २०५ सीट
मधेश जल रही है
Girija Koirala Is A Crook
205 Constituencies Based On Equal Population, And Reserved Seats
New Jersey Madhesi Gathering: Photos
Anand Jha: Slugging It Out At SEBS
Ram Manohar Sah: Madheshi Murmurings
Mihir Thakur: Paper On Madhesh Samasya 2051
Madhesi Gathering, New Jersey
Prabasi Madhesi Are With The Madhesi Movement In Nepal
My Role In The April Revolution: The Butterfly Effect
Typhoid And Typhoid Victims
Madhesi Alert, Nepalgunj Pahadi Attack On Madhesi, Raw Email, Video Footage
िफर से कह दो एक बार इन्िकलाब
पहाडी मधेशी दंगा, मधेशी जनजाित गठबंधन, र िनर्णायक, अिहंसात्मक अन्ितम अान्दोलनको खाँचो
सद्भावना रोडम्याप
नेपालमा दमजम अान्दोलनको अावश्यकता
नेपालमा संसारको नम्बर एक लोकतन्त्रको स्थापना हुन सक्छ
राजतन्त्र, बाहुनवाद र भर्ष्टाचार समाप्त पारौं
राजतन्त्र, बाहुनवाद र भर्ष्टाचार समाप्त पारौं
Transparent Party Finances: A Must In Interim Constitution
Nepali Organizations In New York City
Tackling Bahunbaad
प्रस्तािवत संिवधान
In The News
PM's address incomplete says MJF; Indigenous community, too, dissatisfied NepalNews
SC issues show cause notice on Rayamajhi report
Eight parties will address demands of Madhesi people: Prachanda
Police Sub-inspector, protester killed in Biratnagar
Bandh hits normal life in eastern districts normal life has been hit once again in some eastern districts due to the three-day bandh (general strike) called by the Limbuwan Liberation Front. ...... Marketplaces, industries and educational institutions remain closed due to the strike. ..... Vehicles remained off the road from early morning in all major towns in the eastern region. Only ambulances could be seen plying on the roads. ..... The Front called bandh in Mechi, Koshi and Sagarmatha zones from Wednesday, demanding proportional electoral system and regional autonomy, among others. ..... Organisers padlocked all the government offices and education institutions operating in Ilam district for defying the bandh call.
NRN-A concerned over terai unrest
Eight-party meeting yet to start
Biratnagar still under curfew
RPP also wants amendments in interim constitution
Nine student organisations lend their support to Terai agitation
Federal state after elections: Nepal PM Peninsula On-line, Qatar
Death toll rises as Nepal PM promises federal state
Nepal: Death Toll Climbs to 10 OhmyNews International, South Korea
Nepal: Eight Die as Protests Continue
Nepal: Confusion And Finding Scapegoats Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand
Koirala pledges federal Nepal Indian Express, India
We are ready for talks: MPRF Kantipur Chairman of the Madeshi Peoples' Rights Forum (MPRF) Upendra Yadav said the forum is ready to sit for dialogue with the government. .... he said protests in the Terai region would continue until the government prepares proper environment for them to sit for dialogue. ..... their demands of federal republic, proportional representation on the basis of population, the Terai as an autonomous region haven't yet been addressed ....... An emergency meeting of the forum today evening also condemned the recent attack on journalists during protests in the Terai region. "I appeal to all Madeshi brothers to maintain restraint, and stop targeting journalists," he said. "We will continue our peaceful protests." ....... the indigenous groups took the PM's call for dialogue positively, but said the remarks couldn't address the real issues of the indigenous, Dalit and marginalized people. .... "We had demanded guarantee of our representation in the interim constitution," said Pasang Sherpa, chairman of Nepal Indigenous Nationalities' Federation. ...... Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) charged that the PM's address came out without its consent. The party has called its national task-force committee to make public tomorrow, its position regarding the PM's address. ..... Nepal Sadbhawana Party, one of the protesting parties, has also taken the PM's call for dialogue quite positively. But, the party, in a statement issued today said the address didn't tackle issues of the Terai people "As the Terai communities were demanding amendment in the interim constitution by including federal state structure, special national census and structure of constituencies on the basis of population, the PM's address hasn't clearly addressed them ...... Madhesi National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Terai front of the CPN-Maoist, led by its central member Matrika Prasad Yadav, however strongly condemned the PM's address and said it decided to launch protest programs from today. ....... "The PM couldn't scientifically address the genuine demands of the Madhesi communities rather it stoked the movement ...... We want the declaration of federal structure of republic, proportional representation on the basis of population ..... CPN-UML said the PM's address has rightfully addressed the issues raised by the Madhesi communities.
PM addresses nation; calls for dialogue
Madhesi activists kill policeman in Biratnagar
PM's address draws mixed reactions in Terai
Seven parties, NSP at odds over electoral constituencies
Ethnic organizations shut down eastern Nepal
Terai agitation cripples industries
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2 comments:
Although proportional representation seems democratic, it cannot be a perfect system. As Ameet Dhakal says in the perfect, questions I have for you are:
1) Does it make sense for Kathmandu, Kaski, some of the most underepresented districts to get more constituencies?
2) Does it make sense to consolidate Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Mustang and Manag into one electoral constituency since the total population of these five districts is just 138,645. How will a candidate, say from Manang, campaign in Humla?
The total area of this single constituency would be 22,898 square kilometers. In terms of geographical size this constituency will be larger than the 14 terai districts (with 71 constituencies) spreading from Jhapa to Dang (i.e., Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Dang). These 14 districts together cover only 22,594 square kilometers.
Just from a practical sense, how difficult will it be to conduct an effetive election campaign in such a large area with the worst transportation system in Nepal?
Here are some facts:
In Terai, households within 30 min of primary school and heath post are 97.6% and 76.2% respectively.
In Mountain region, households within 30 min of primary school and heath post are 80.3% and 37.3% respectively.
In Hilly region, households within 30 min of primary school and heath post are 86.6% and 50.9% respectively.
Do you think people from mountain region given the hardship of transportation will be fairly represented by proportional representation?
Missing flip side of the coin
By Ameet Dhakal
KATHMANDU, Feb 1 - On face value the demand for representation based on actual population in each district, as raised by various terai groups including ruling coalition member Nepal Sadbhavana Party, sounds justified.
But amidst the heat of a terai in flames the flip side of the coin is being completely missed, and even facts are being distorted.
The issue of "under-representation" from the terai should be viewed from three angles:
A. How severe is the case of "under-representation", and more importantly, whether it is deliberate? B. The practicality of redrawing the constituencies in proportion to the population C. Brining a development dimension into the representation issue.
Population is the first criteria, as it should be, in the current demarcation of the constituencies. Representation is not exactly in proportion to the population in the terai districts, but the terai is also not unfairly under-represented. Based on 2001 census- which is the latest one - for every 112,933.77 population there should be one electoral constituency. Let's us do a reality check in the eastern terai districts, where the agitation is currently concentrated. If constituencies were to be redrawn in proportion to the population, Siraha (where the current conflagration sparked) would have 5.06 constituencies, Saptari 5.02, Sunsari 5.5, Sarlahi 5.6, Dhanusha 5.9 and Morang 7.4. Now let's look at the number of the current constituencies in these districts. Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, Sarlahi and Dhanusha have 5 constituencies each and Morang has 7 constituencies. How seriously underrepresented are these districts? Only by a fraction.
Is there a deliberate bias behind under-representing of ethnic Madhesis?
Currently, Kathmandu, Jhapa and Rupandehi are the three most under-represented districts. Based on population, Kathmandu should have 9.5 electoral constituencies and Jhapa and Rupendhei should have 6 each. But Kathmandu has only 7, Jhapa has 5 (after the deletion of one constituency this year) and Rupandehi also 5. Newars are the dominant ethnic group in Kathmandu, while Bahuns as a cast group are dominant in Jhapa and Rupandehi.
Now let's see the representation issue from the practical point of view. If constituencies are redrawn in proportion to the populations, then five districts in the northern-western strip - Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Mustang and Manag - will have only one electoral constituency since the total population of these five districts is just 138,645. How will a candidate, say from Manang, campaign in Humla? The total area of this single constituency would be 22,898 square kilometers. In terms of geographical size this constituency will be larger than the 14 terai districts (with 71 constituencies) spreading from Jhapa to Dang (i.e., Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Dang). These 14 districts together cover only 22,594 square kilometers. One can also compare the difficulty of campaigning in this mammoth constituency with electioneering in a constituency in the terai that a candidate can make two rounds of every day on a bicycle.
The problem with the current dispute on representation is, it's being argued as if headcount alone matters and geography is irrelevant. But the American experience says otherwise. For instance, the state of California has a population of over 36 million while the tiny northern-eastern state of Vermont has a population of just 623,000. Yet both states send two senators each to the US Senate. The US is not necessarily the best model, and we don't necessarily have to follow it. But there should be a fair balance between geography and population. That's why after 1990 the constituencies were redrawn dismantling what used to be either one or two constituencies per district during the Panchaayat era.
Finally, let's analyze the representation issue from a development perspective.
The argument for fair representation is that under-representation weakens the voice of a region which will have implications in policy formation and resource allocations.
If this argument is true, the representation of backward regions should be increased instead. In other words it makes little sense to increase the representation of districts with high Human Development Index (HDI) such as Kathamndu (HDI, 1), Rupandehi (HDI, 5), Jhapa (HDI, 18) and Kaski (HDI, 3) and reduce the representation of districts with low HDI such as Mugu (HDI, 75), Bajura (73), Kalikot (72), Bajhang (71) and Jajarkot (70).
By agreeing to increase the electoral constituencies in the terai districts in proportion to the rise in their population while keeping the number of constituencies in the hill districts unchanged, the government has tried to strike a balance. It should address the grievances of under-representation of the Madhesi population and also the representation needs of the sparsely populated hill districts.
Bhagat,
How about one more demand for Giriji:
6. Ethnically cleanse off all Pahades from Madhes region to create a pure and clean Madhesh?
Wait, that's already happening thanks to your "peaceful" protestors.
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