I am so glad the Alliance conducted its election the way it did. I have been pleased for the past few weeks to experience the enormous buzz this election created. I have also been amused by the characterizations by many people: Alliance le yasto kina jhagada gareko, sabai Nepali Nepali milera gaye hundaina? That is the voice of those used to kothe rajniti.
The Alliance was founded for the movement in 1990. It has some history. Many prominent Nepalis in New York City have led it at various phases of its growth. It has members across America, and wellwishers across the world. It is a well known name among the members of the political leadership and the civil society in Nepal.
Friday evening I was at a party at Yak thrown by Sonam Sherpa for the award he got from the city government for his contributions to the local South Asian community, the same awared Tara Niraula received last year. (Tara Niraula At City Hall, Tara Niraula Recognized By NYC Government) There Somnath Ghimire, one of the two contenders running for Alliance President, told me he had endorsements from the likes of Daman Nath Dhungana.
Both Somnath Ghimire and Anil Shahi are members of the digital democracy organization I lead: Hamro Nepal. Anil was the one to give the organization its name and its hard core republican character. He also stayed its founding Vice President for a year. Anil is also one of the earliest investors into my tech startup. I told Upendra Yadav at the event on Thursday Anil was a "good Pahadi." (Upendra Yadav Was In Town) He is a Thakuri by birth, but he believes inclusion has to be proactive. That was evident in his panel of candidates. He actively recruited a diverse group. Recruiting was not easy.
I was impressed with Somji's manifesto. I hope the victor will find a way to incorporate him and his agenda in some capacity. There is this part about securing $100,000 in funding from the UN. That should be secured regardless.
Other Nepali organizations in America need to learn from this Alliance election. It is simple. Respect two basic principles: democracy and transparency. Democracy is all members of an organization have one vote each. Transparency is all book keeping and decision making has to be posted online. Both are easy to do as long as there is the will.
It is not possible to empower the Nepali diaspora without its organizations embracing the two basic principles. I am so glad Alliance is taking the lead. And I think Anil is going to give two exciting two years. Alliance is as relevant today while Nepal struggles with diversity issues, as it was when Nepal was struggling with the basics of democracy and human rights. DaMaJaMa equality falls under the purview of the human rights agenda.
I look forward to the annual Alliance picnic on Saturday. It is going to be a blast.
Alliance Election Results
Anil Shahi
144 votes cast for the Presidency (of 192 members, minus about 20 with invalid email addresses, so 172 total eligible voters) really does say something about this historic ADHRN election. I sincerely hope that this is the begining of much-needed transformation of how Nepali organizations operate in the future.
Election results, in numbers, are forwarded below.
Dear friends of Alliance,
First and foremost, I would like to thank Somu for a highly spirited, enthusiastic, and positive participation in this election. Had it not been for him and his team, Alliance today would not have been what it is today -- we all can be proud of the fact that a truely democratic process has seen it's way through into Nepali Diaspora in New York. Also, Somu needs to be lauded for the contributions he made to the Alliance in the capacity of a Vice President in the past two years. So, once again, Somu, a big thank you!
Allow me to take this opportunity to also remind everyone that despite our differences and the results of this election, I am of the belief that we do not have differences in our goals and aspirations -- intentions were, I believe, genuine. Differences in perceived methods of achieving those goals should not be reasons not to continue to work together towards our greater goal. The new Alliance is NOT my Alliance, or my team's Alliance; rather, it belongs to every Nepali aspiring for stronger democracy in our beloved homeland, From within, or without the Excutive Committee, every Nepali and friends of Nepal can, and should, contibute in their own ways towards achieving the goals of Alliance, i.e., greater, stronger democracy in Nepal.
Friends, winning an election is just the beginning. Having gone through a historic process of having to ask for votes from you all, I am -- and I am sure my whole team is -- fully aware of the pressure to deliver on our promises. In this regard, we will be organizing periodic community meetings to present to you our action plans, and to intake your suggestions and criticisms. As I had stressed again and again during the campaign, we are a voluntary organization, and the Executive Committee members have separate regular jobs, or schools, or families to take care of. In this limited capacity, though, I, as the new President, promise you one thing on behalf of our team: COMMITTMENT to do whatever we can towards promoting and strenthening the values of democracy and human rights in Nepal. We are looking forward to accomplishing small but meaningful steps towards our common goal.
Govinda Koirala dai and Binod Roka dai need to be thanked from the bottom of our hearts for undertaking the difficult task of making this election possible. I am sure it was not easy, but they did it, and they did it superbly. Any well-wisher of Alliance must be eternally thankful to them for making this history possible. So, THANK YOU!
Also, another individual deserving of heartfelt gratitude is the out going President, Sanjay Parajuli. Having had the opportunity to work closely with him in the past two years, I can personally vouch for his dedication to progessivity within ADHRN. Had it not been is for his dedication and vision. Alliance would not have evolved as it has, insync with the needs of the modern times. As a matter of light banter, I constantly tell him that he is the Gorbachev of ADHRN, making much-needed changes and adjustments within ADHRN possible. I, for one, look forward to continued involvement from him -- in any way he can -- in ADHRN activiies in the future.
Last, but not the least, I would like to thank YOU, the member-voters of ADHRN for making this historic election possible. One remarkable aspect of this election is that we had over 75% participation! The history was possible because YOU chose to take part in it and make your voices heard. We look forward to your continued greatest participation in Alliance activities in the future. Without your willingness to remain aware of, or get involved in, ADHRN activities, will cease to be.
For equality and justice for ALL Nepalis,
Anil Shahi
President-elect, ADHRN.
From: Govinda Koirala gkoirala@gkoirala.org
Subject: ADHRN Election Results
Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2007 23:06:43 +0000
Dear members of the Alliance
We are proud to announce the results of ADHRN election. ( you can also see the results in ADHRN web page) All the members and the candidates deserve our sincere thanks for making the election process truly a democratic one. It is the process that is more important than wining or losing the election. In this way, all the candidates are the winners, but some of you may need to refine your working styles, to present yourself with the members more clearly and bring them on your side in the future. With this kind of energy and enthusiasm, we hope all of you will make the ADHRN a very dynamic organization in the future and help to fulfill its objectives.
In any case, we like to congratulate the winning candidates. It is now your duty to make all the members proud for making you to go to the voters and present yourself to them.
Once again, we like to thank all of you for your enthusiastic participation in the election process.
Sincerely,
Election Committee Members
Govinda Koirala
Binod Roka
ADHRN Election Results
President
Votes received
Somnath Ghimire 41
Anil Shahi 103 Winner
First Vice-President
Bindu Chaudhary 98 Winner
Krishna P Pokhrel 44
Second Vice-President
Prakash Bom Winner (Uncontested)
General Secretary
Nagendra Ingnam 105 Winner
Ram Chandra Regmi 37
Joint-Secretary
Shanti Gurung, 103 Winner
Bikash Mahat 38
Treasurer
Narbada Chhetri 40
Anup Kaphle, 100 Winner
BOARD MEMBERS:
Yub Raj Acharya 100 Winner
Homraj Acharya 100 Winner
Dil B. Bishwakarma. 96 Winner
Kamala K. Bishwakarma 134 Winner
Lab K. Budhamagar 132 Winner
Srijana Chettri 133 Winner
Munindra B. Nembang 134 Winner
Ram Devi Palikhe 41
Pramod Rai 135 Winner
Sapana Ranabhat 41
Phurba Sherpa 135 Winner
Kedar Shrestha 38
In The News
Baidya says CPN-M still trains cadres in guerilla warfare NepalNews Vaidya, who is often referred to as the ‘ideological guru’ of party chairman Prachanda .... it is continuing to train guerillas even now in different parts of the country .... the Maoist party is fully committed to constituent assembly election .... the election could be free and fair only if it is conducted by first announcing the country a republic through a parliamentary declaration. .... The Maoist leader also stressed the need to consolidate eight-party unity for a republican front.
Elections will be held at any cost, says Nepal "There may be obstructions in the polls, bullets may be fired, booths may be looted, but the elections will take place," Nepal said .... the eight parties can fight any conspiracy if the Maoists can improve the behavior of the Young Communist League (YCL).
Chinese delegation visits PLA cantonment
MJF chief says Terai movement is not for separation the Terai movement was not for separation or communal conflict. ..... Speaking at a discussion organized by Association of Nepalese Teraian in America (ANTA) New York Chapter recently in New York, Yadav said the Madhesi demands were neither aimed at separatism nor for disturbing the communal harmony, and affirmed the need for federal structure, republic state, proportional representation, and overall, an inclusive democracy for the new Nepal. ...... The discussion had an extensive participation of the Nepali Diaspora, both from Terai and pahadi communities. .... his party believes in non-violence and is committed towards communal harmony. Yadav also shared with the participants the 26-point demand presented to the government talks team, which included issues such as formation of state restructuring commission, inclusion of Madhesis in all state organs, federal system of governance and proportional representation
King loses his ‘cultural right’ as PM witnesses Bhoto Jatra
Killings, intimidation continue in Terai a murder was taking place in broad daylight in Bara at almost the same time, and there were series of bomb blasts in the commercial town of Birgunj. ..... Violent gangs in Terai seem to be unmoved by the government’s warning to deal with them with an iron hand if they do not comply. However, for several weeks now, there have been reports of killings and abductions taking place on a daily basis. Law enforcement agencies look helpless. ..... Apart from nearly a dozen armed outfits of questionable political motives, untold number of criminal gangs are engaged in murder, abduction and extortion in Terai. ....... an unidentified gang shot and killed a local trader in Bariyapur village in Bara district. Shyam Kishor Kushwaha, 32, of Pattharhatti, Bara, was shot by four gunmen who came on two motorbikes. Kushwaha, who owned a bicycle shop in Bariyapur, died while being rushed to a hospital in the district headquarters Kalaiya. ....... n Siraha district, one Rakesh Kumar Nandan, who was abducted by unidentified gang from Siraha Bazaar Thursday night, was found dead in Chatari VDC today. ..... Reports from Birgunj say six bomb simultaneous blasts occurred in front of a commercial building Sirpur this afternoon while an exploded crude bomb was found in front of a school in the town. ...... police said one of the several criminal gangs involved extorting money from local businessmen might be behind this.
Nepali Political Sorcery: Secularism’s Ritual Kingship and Communism’s Bourgeois Democracy According to a long-time Washington insider, Jimmyji from Georgia had not received this much media adulation even from the Washington press when he came to the White House, circa 1970s. ......... Within a year of the great Janaandolan II, the New Nepal is back to self-doubts and despondency reminiscent of the Old Nepal. The sense of victory and epochal accomplishment has been overshadowed by anger and accusation, suspicion and cynicism in every quarter. ..... the announcement of the third constituent assembly election date in less than a year .... it was the sudden firestorm in the Terai that not only swept away the triumphalism but also the very foundation of the new state alliance. ........ the present peace - the normalization of violence and lawlessness as transitional alibi - ...... many enthusiasts characterized the April change as being unique, unprecedented, and a historic mark on the canvass of the 21st century. ....... the only issue that is still keeping the winning alliance intact is their shared hatred of the Crown that has been put in a kind of political coma by the interim constitution. ...... where would the grand alliance now be without the benefit of a royal bogey? .....unless something creatively drastic is undertaken, the fundamentals of Nepali economy will remain the same for the foreseeable future: unsustainable subsistence cultivation, export of cheap labor, widening trade deficit, and massive unemployment amidst abject poverty. ...... the masses should perhaps be forgiven for giving credence to Trishul Baba’s doomsday prediction or for reading dire omens in the sweat beads rolling down Bhimeshwor’s temple in Dolakha.
Need of A Creative Vision Towards Infrastructure Management
YCL vandalises office of RPP, RJP the YCL also accused the two parties of secretly marking the birthday in Dhankuta as well.
NRNA conference in October The 3rd World Conference of Non-Resident Nepalese (NRN’s) is going to be held from October 15 to 17 for which a committee under the chairmanship of the foreign minister has already been constituted. The recent cabinet meeting had also decided to allocate Rs 2 million for holding this conference. .... committee comprises, among others, a member of Nepal Planning Commission (NPC) and secretaries of the ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of finance, ministry of industry, commerce and supplies and ministry of culture, Tourism and civil aviation. .... the presidents of Federation of Nepalese Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Chamber of Commerce and Non-Resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) are also among its members. The vice-chairman and general director of FNCCI and CNI and member secretary of the NRNA Kathmandu secretariat are in the organizing committee
NC meeting withheld after Chandra Shekhar's death the leaders discussed the unification of the two Congress parties and the deteriorating security situation .... asked the party leadership to move faster with the party unification process. .... Chandra Shekhar died at Apolo Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday morning at the age of 80.
MJF trains its cadres to use domestic weapons the MJF has formed Sunsari Madhesi Youth Forum (MYF) and provided training on wrestling, lathi-charge, using swords, bows and arrows etc. The Sunsari president of the MYF, SN Mehta said that they are preparing to provide combat dress to their cadres. ...... warned that his organisation will deploy youths with domestic weapons to foil the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections planned in November in case the government does not fulfill their demands before then ..... retired police and army men are providing training to the MYF cadres with the intention of checking the activities of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL). ..... around 800 cadres are receiving training in Sunsari district ..... they will, however, not be trained to use other weapons .... planning to increase the number of cadres in Sunsari's MYF to 1500 within two weeks ...... they will make public their combat dress after that. .... training was being provided as per the decision of MJF central committee and would be expanded to cover all Terai districts. He added that if the government fulfills their demand then they will mobilise their cadres to ensure that the elections are held successfully.
CPN-UML leadership divided over Maoists A serious dispute has arisen between CPN-UML’s general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and the party’s standing committee members Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam on the way of classifying the Maoists ...... the 13th day .. of the ongoing central committee meeting ..... a “radical leftist force” or a “democratic force”. ... during the heated discussion that ensued, Nepal had reiterated his stance that the Maoists can’t be defined as a democratic force as long as it holds on to extreme leftist views. ..... is stated in Nepal’s ‘political paper’ that the monarchists, bourgeoisie reformists, radical leftists and revolutionary democratic forces are active in Nepal’s current political realm.
Construction of 750-MW West Seti hydel to start by year-end will be the biggest power plant in Nepal ..... will be completed in five years at an estimated cost of USD 1.2 billion ...... construction company West Seti Hydro Limited (WSHL), a subsidiary of Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) of Australia. ...... Nepal government has 15 percent share in West Seti project being financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and three Chinese banks. ..... Under the project agreement (PA) signed in June 1997 the Nepal government had assured to grant all licenses to WSHL for the development, construction, ownership and operation of the project, including generation and transmission licenses for a period of 30 years from the date of issue of the license. ......The electricity generated from West Seti will be exported to India. Nepal government will receive revenue for the 10 percent of the power generated as royalty payment. .... the project would be handed over to Nepal government after 30 years
MJF trains its cadres to use domestic weapons the MJF has formed Sunsari Madhesi Youth Forum (MYF) and provided training on wrestling, lathi-charge, using swords, bows and arrows etc. The Sunsari president of the MYF, SN Mehta said that they are preparing to provide combat dress to their cadres. ...... warned that his organisation will deploy youths with domestic weapons to foil the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections planned in November in case the government does not fulfill their demands before then ..... retired police and army men are providing training to the MYF cadres with the intention of checking the activities of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL). ..... around 800 cadres are receiving training in Sunsari district ..... they will, however, not be trained to use other weapons .... planning to increase the number of cadres in Sunsari's MYF to 1500 within two weeks ...... they will make public their combat dress after that. .... training was being provided as per the decision of MJF central committee and would be expanded to cover all Terai districts. He added that if the government fulfills their demand then they will mobilise their cadres to ensure that the elections are held successfully.
CPN-UML leadership divided over Maoists A serious dispute has arisen between CPN-UML’s general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and the party’s standing committee members Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam on the way of classifying the Maoists ...... the 13th day .. of the ongoing central committee meeting ..... a “radical leftist force” or a “democratic force”. ... during the heated discussion that ensued, Nepal had reiterated his stance that the Maoists can’t be defined as a democratic force as long as it holds on to extreme leftist views. ..... is stated in Nepal’s ‘political paper’ that the monarchists, bourgeoisie reformists, radical leftists and revolutionary democratic forces are active in Nepal’s current political realm.
Construction of 750-MW West Seti hydel to start by year-end will be the biggest power plant in Nepal ..... will be completed in five years at an estimated cost of USD 1.2 billion ...... construction company West Seti Hydro Limited (WSHL), a subsidiary of Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) of Australia. ...... Nepal government has 15 percent share in West Seti project being financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and three Chinese banks. ..... Under the project agreement (PA) signed in June 1997 the Nepal government had assured to grant all licenses to WSHL for the development, construction, ownership and operation of the project, including generation and transmission licenses for a period of 30 years from the date of issue of the license. ......The electricity generated from West Seti will be exported to India. Nepal government will receive revenue for the 10 percent of the power generated as royalty payment. .... the project would be handed over to Nepal government after 30 years
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