In The News (40)

राज्यका संवेदनशील निकायकै संलग्नतामा इन्धन लगायत वस्तुहरुको ठुलो मात्रामा तस्करी/कालोबजारी भैरहेको जनगुनासो छ है!राजनीतिक नेतृत्व सुतेकै हो?

— Baburam Bhattarai (@brb_laaldhwoj) November 14, 2015

Cost of obduracy

This government can probably still bear the cost of its vacuous patriotism. But the nation will have to pay a heavy price ......... Mohammad Ali Jinnah was an icon of Hindu-Muslim unity till the early-1940s. In less than a decade, he called for the ‘Direct Action’ that resulted in one of the worst carnages in the world. The British India became two independent countries of India and Pakistan. Indians haven’t yet forgiven a person that Pakistanis revere as the Quaide-i-Azam—the Great Leader. The Quaide, however, changed not just the political geography of the region but also the trajectory of its history. ..... Having once been a close confidante of H. S. Suhrawardy, the architect of Jinnah’s Direct Action that consumed lives of thousands of innocent Bengalese prior to the Partition,

Sheikh Mujibar Rahman was initially a staunch Pakistani.

History had a different destiny for him in mind: It first turned him into the Father of the Nation and then sacrificed him on the altar of nationalism. The legacy of Bangabandhu continues in the country of his creation, but his dreams don’t appear safe as Islamism and militarism dig deeper roots in the nation-state of Bangladesh. ......... Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah wanted to be at the top of the political heap after the departure of the British. Creation of two political units became inevitable to accommodate their ambitions. ...... A new country was forced upon Bangabandhu when the military-bureaucratic nexus in Islamabad refused to recognize the identity and dignity of Bengalese. However, his ambition to be the savior of the new nation probably led to his demise in a military coup. Prabhakaran cashed frustrations of Tamils with moderate leaders to build one of the most vicious militant organizations in the world. Horrendous for as long as it lasted, the end of his mission was no less tragic. ...... Obduracy, defined as the tendency of stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action, isn’t very common among politicians. Called the art of the possible, politics is ultimately a game of compromises. Even parties that fight a war have to mostly end it all on the negotiating table. .......

Premier Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has been unabashedly against republicanism, federalism, secularism and inclusion. The history has thrust the responsibility of implementing all these goals of every People’s Movement in the country upon his unwilling shoulders.

...... when it comes to Madhesh, Pahadi politicos of all persuasions—notable exceptions apart—become unanimously obstinate. There is a reason Samuel Johnson pronounced that patriotism was the last refuge of a scoundrel: Excessive love for a person or a country closes all rational faculties. The patriot or the lover refuses to retreat even when obsession begins to harm the object of his or her passion. ....... Most Madheshi claims for political reorganization are a lot less revolutionary or progressive than the overthrow of monarchy. Delineation of electoral constituencies on population basis is an expression of “one person, one vote and equal weight to all votes” principle of democracy. Proportionate inclusion in the structures of the state has emerged as one of the universal values. ....... One among half-a-dozen deputies of Premier Oli is being hounded by the ghost of Sikkimization. Another Deputy Premier feels re-demarcation of federal boundaries will lead to disintegration of the country. But no matter how one creates federal provinces, national unity, integrity, sovereignty and independence remain secure as long as benefits of staying together outweighs its costs. Unfortunately,

every politico that spouts patriotism seems to be causing more harm than good to the stability of the country.

....... the country is headed for a crisis ...... Social costs of the crisis in Madhesh are difficult to estimate. Schools have remained closed for four months. Hospitals have been doing little else than treating victims of police brutalities. Unlike in Madhesh Uprisings I and II, activists have been careful this time in maintaining goodwill between Pahadi and Madheshi communities. But reason is a poor antidote to apprehensions—many Pahadis are less certain about their future in Madhesh than they were before. The existing divide between communities has deepened. ......

a person accused of suppression of political movements of 1990 as well as 2006 is a Deputy Premier.

...... No investigation has even begun against police officers that went beyond the call of duty and shot unarmed protestors in the chest or head with an intention to kill. ...... Involvement of security agencies in the smuggling of goods across long and open Indo-Nepal border is difficult to establish but impossible to deny. There is a reason petrol is available in the open market of Kathmandu at three to four times the scheduled price. ......

the immoral negligence of the plight of earthquake victims is indefensible.

....... ambitions and obsessions of a few high-caste Hindu males of mid-mountains ........ The politics in Madhesh can swing towards radicalization of existing parties or their complete eclipse with the emergence of extremist forces championing secession. Patriotism at this juncture entails taking measures to prevent such outcomes, not spewing hate against Madheshis or Indians. This government can probably still bear the cost of its vacuous patriotism. But the nation will have to pay a very heavy price.

There is no workable alternative to immediate political settlement with Madheshbadi parties.