Wednesday, August 24, 2005

To Meet Or Not To Meet


I personally welcome this democratic exercise. As for the meeting, so far I have not seen any initiative from the other side: maybe they are even less interested than we are. I hope there is, and I am still up for meeting. My personal agenda for any such meeting I have already made public. What you see is what you get.
A movement for democracy itself has to be democratic.

As for dialogue, the South African experience comes to mind. Nelson Mandela negotiated with the apartheid people, and the apartheid people were outright heinous. I would not put the king and his comrades in the same category. They are many steps ahead of the apartheid types, and several steps ahead of Burma, and a few steps ahead of Pakistan. Nelson Mandela was jailed for almost three decades: that is practically a lifetime. Aang Sang Su Kyi is in jail. Benazir Bhutto is in exile. (To: Benazir Bhutto, The Junta Is Defiant: Is It The Burma Option They Have In Mind?, Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka: Lessons For Nepal, Burma Option Or Pakistan Option) Message 1

....... I personally have no political interest but I am a loyal citizen of my country who is now working outside Nepal and have every rights to meet our present king if given opportunity. I am saying me personally. I am saying anyone of you who understand out common voice. I have seen and read many articles about many politians like you and me who do excellent demostration in front of the public and media by burning tires and slogans but when the real time comes to take the challenge when the real opportunity comes to talk and take leadership we usually slip down and stoop down to our knees loosing one's dignity. I know and hope you're not one of them.

Don't get me wrong, my all intestions is to cut down on more killings on innocent Nepalase and children. That's all I care and this is one more strategy towards that goal. I am not a political analyst or a professor of Anthropology. I would rather ask my king than the president of the United States or Prime Minister of India. I still don't believe that the situation in Nepal can't be solved internally. And your point of comparing president Bush with our king is baseless. It's good that they're not meeting and giving this opportunity to meet king with us. In that respect I would even meet Moist Leaders Prachanda or Baburam to tell them my feeling and concern about our under-powered people in Nepal.

Second concern for me is Nepal Center in the USA. My other proposal of meeting king is to ask him to see whether how big his heart is to unite Nepalese. We have seen how much effort its taking us to raise one single Temple, center of our own. I heard that present king doesn't get involve in donating or believe in charity. It all depends on WHO is asking for WHAT reason? I don't think if I request him - he would not deny my proposal for a small property like this. If worst comes, I would like to ask his personal finance and ask for a small interest free loan for a while - until we are capable on our own feet. The other solution is to ask for a bigger Nepal Embassy who does all this. Let's ask for a bigger, larger Nepali Embassy and make them more active, rich and sincere so that we civilians need not worry about promoting Nepali Culture, Language and heritage in the International arena. I want to ask him and his freinds anf family like Sarad Chandraji - if they personally can contribute on this vernture.

Thirdly, let's think for a while from a civic society perspective let's come up with a better options too. Is demostration is the only way to acheive the solution? I am for diplaying cards on Sept 16th, need to be very attractive so that our message is sent accross. I even thought of dressing like a poor beggar or a poet who is locked in a cage - like a parrot - as Lekhnath has mentioned on his poem 'Pinjadako Suga'. Something creative, artistic, and think about Gai Jatra- vibrant and meaningful, colorful. So even when the media captures- let it capture Nepali Jhanki. And after the demostration I would rather suggest to host a dinner/snacks get-to-gether WITHOUT hard drinks (I have a special reason for that) so that we know each other's committements better. I am ready to donate $100.00 for a better and fruitful outcome. Let's not start deviding people again - let's unite them for the same cause, Nepal and Nepalese. Forget about Bush or Singh or even Indra Dev from Heaven - no one can bind us if we are not ready and prepared to embrace each other !

These are all my personal reasoning and plans, you don't need to agree but I have rights to my freedom. I hope you're NOT against my freedom of writing/proposal and indicating to be nonsense and baseless idea is merely your misunderstanding about my sincerity. You're deviding us and NOT respecting each other's idea like Baburam, retired and power hungry politicians or even present day king's actions shows all this. May be think for a while - these power hungry people, political silos need our help ultimately. I love your comments and I still respect your voice - even though they're a little harse on me and on my feelings towards on my people(including king, baburam, dirty politicians) and my beautiful country. 'These all are our shit and we need to learn how to wipe them out ourselves' is my point.

Message 2

I do understand your feeling. But do you think that the King is dumb that he does not hear what news is saying, what his foreign friends told him, and what others are voicing?

This is the same King who has literally advertised Prime Minister's post and requested for application. Isn�t this mockery of governing system? So I don�t think this King is dumb or needs to hear this voice. Even I was proposed with this idea, however, I refrained from entertaining. I am not boycotting the King, but I am just letting him know that we are not for a King who wants to reign and rule. The country is of its citizens, and Kings are just mere a head of state, by virtue of their birth and Nepalese keeping monarchy as a tradition. If he really wants to rule, then he should be ready to be questioned, challenged, and approved, and as an individual born in Nepal he has equally that right to do as all Nepalese have.

Regarding the money for Nepal Culture Center, I will not be entertaining it from Sharad Chandra Shah or Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah as advisor to state, and head of State, respectively. If we Nepalese residing in USA can not come up and build our own cultural center then it should be our weakness and we don't deserve to it from Nepali state, too. Culture has to be nurtured by us, and it should try to reflect our true Nepalese culture. That is it should have our Sherpas, Tamangs, Tharus, Terai Basis (Maithali), Bahun Chetri, Newars etc. that is truly reflected but not only Bahun/Chetri Hinduism......... Nepal is conglomeration of different ethnic, religious, and cultural society.........

Finally, I am not of opinion of meeting King, and those who opt to, I don't have any grudge, too.

Message 3

Dear frends

I am sick of begging democracy with a pearson. Democracy is not his pewa.We are the master of country .You know what I mean. Since we all live in the USA. We all have used one time or other tax payer money. We Nepali pay king and his family. Now we want to beg with democracy. Begging days are over now we demand.

If king wants meet with us then he has to accept this pre-condition in public he should give-up on monarchy system and if he choose he could be interim president till Nepali could choose new head of state. Otherwise please don't try to week out republic demand. There is no room of constitutional monarchy.

Message 4

Friends;

1. First of all, let's respect people's voice in a gentle manner, that's the begining of the democray that we are invisioning and demanding for the past 10 years. Otherwise how are we in the US are different from any other un-educated but concerned citizen who are driven by this on going horrible cult of killing and dada-giri-dom. No wonder why king thinks giri and martial art dadas/well known gundas and underground don can pull this boat that is sinking in the ocean of blood day by day.

Let us be transparent here and put up our strengths/ideas together to be clear and loud - though some are still in crude form. Let's first identify the items that we agree. Our system that we are dreaming is new and so are we to execute it - but a very genuine and a way to express and fight for the right cause we need to agree on basic humanity first. Democracy is I guess a layer on top of the basic principles of protecting ourselfs from animalism[please read the article I have attached with this email]. The basic being Human Rights, Freedom of speech, education rights to the under-priviledged, food for everyone, shelter for the poor etc.

2. I personally don't believe in telling people what kind of freedom, democracy people in Nepal need. We being in the US should help them what they want NOT ask people to follow us what we want to see them to do. We are in the safest place in the world (despite of some 911 type of terrorists attack) and we all need to be vocal about demostratating what freedom is all about in general. For this I will give you one tiny example: please educate me how to resolve these type of issues in general in Nepal? Please convince me to begin with.

I was in Nepal a month back and had to go upto Banepa. My cousin offered me a ride and was driving his Maruti he just bought. While coming back a motorbike hit the car and the rider fell from the bike. Luckily he was wearing a helmet and hidn't hurt much himself. We stopped the car and asked him if he was hurt first. He said he is fine. We checked our car too - the motorbike made a lot of smudges on the side and the bumper came off. Politely we asked if he had insurance for the bike but he said "what if he died?". We told him it was his mistake and saw his red eyes and knew that he was awefully drunk. Suddenly we see 20 people surrounding us. Now what, we discussed?

a. Shall we wait for the police to come and take a report.

b. Ask people what we should do to a drunk-driver who is refusing to give his insurance/licence card? One of them replied - "Here everybody drinks and drives?"

I didn't know how to respond to that answer from the public and told my cousin to forget about the scene and go directly to the mechanics on our own. This is the situation in Nepal and we are fighting for their cause right? Think twice now when we fight for democracy in the US - these are the basic humanity or civic sense that we need to build on top of basic humanity - NOT only political division or transition is sufficient is my concern. 'Padekale bigareko desh Nepal' - I even see today - many of my good old educated friends don't bother to follow the rules of the street and feel proud in drinking-and-driving. Let's see if we can get-rid-of this freedom first !! Can we, shall we !!

Thanks. 1




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