The KP Oli Event

KP Oli 1
KP Oli 2
KP Oli 3
Oli, eNepalnews Interview, June 2006


UN General Assembly Webcast Archive
Nepal
H.E. Mr. K. P. Oli, Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs
[English] 15 minutes
KP Oli, September 24

The first thing I want to say is I was very impressed to hear Pradeep Nepal and KP Oli speak. I am right now uploading two long video clips online. As soon as possible I will display them right here. I think I have about 100 minutes of video from the event. I missed out on some of Oli's comments in the question answer session because my camcorder battery gave up on me. I wished I had taken my power cord with me so the camcorder was hooked to a power outlet all along. My camcorder had enough memory for 180 minutes. I missed the part where Oli talked about Madan Bhandari and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, two people I greatly admire.

To hear the Madan Bhandari name from someone like KP Oli was not easy. I never made up my mind on the various conspiracy theories to Madan Bhandari's death, one way or the other. Even if the official story were true, the vast impressions to the contrary in the popular imagination tells you of the huge void Bhandari left behind him. People plain miss him. There was this honesty to Bhandari that was so basic and heartwarming. There is no doubt Madan Bhandari was a huge talent who left prematurely. I think he was working his way to turn the UML into the largest party in Nepal the electoral politics way. If he was still around, his success would likely have left little room for something like the 10 year long civil war like situation. He talked republic, he talked land reform.

Bidya Bhandari: Power Woman

I am not a big believer in the knight in shining armor type thing. I don't think it takes any one person to turn a country around. Such is a collective effort. But leadership matters. One person matters. Madan Bhandari clearly would have mattered.

KP Oli is as impressive and sharp a mind as I expected him to be. He has the intellectual fiber of someone who is well read, and he has an instinct for the contours of active politics like a mountaineer to his mountain.

This was the first Nepali event in New York City where my organization Hamro Nepal, "the world's first digital democracy organization," got formally recognized. Despite my protests, ANTA still has not been recognized.

Sushil Koirala In Jackson Heights

This event was supposed to have been primarily a Tek Gurung's United Nepalese Democratic Forum's thing. But he was not on stage. And he did not speak. When the Bahuns start doling out the goodies, they start with the Janajati. That is not going to fly. What about the Madhesi? I am one of those who believe the few Madhesis in town have to take offense on behalf of the 15-20 thousand Madhesis who are not here because Nepal is not a fair country.

In quantitative terms, I am second to none in the city in terms of the democracy movement. I have been the only full timer after all. My qualitative contributions have all been transparent. Shailesh Shrestha, the emcee, actually gave me a pretty profuse introduction.

There is a lack of internal democracy in the sphere of the Nepali organizations in the city. How many members does each organization have? That information has to be public. Do all those directly elect the organization's president? When was the last time that happened?

The worst part is there is no umbrella organization. We should perhaps launch one. Association of Nepali Organizations in New York City. ANONYC. Any willing organization would be a member. Not all organizations would be equal. The voting power of each organization would be somewhat proportionate to its membership size. The president of each member organization would be a member of ANONYC. They would elect a president.

I am a basic believer in the one person one vote mechanism, and especially in its vertical implications.

Everyone on stage was a Bahun. That is when the alarm bells started ringing in my mind. For once Tek Gurung should have been the presiding officer. Perhaps Kamala Prasain could have been on stage. She is a Bahun, but she is a woman. She is political.

Shailesh Shrestha is a great emcee, a class act, but the guy ends up doing so much of the talking. If the introductions were brief, we could pack in more speakers.

But overall I am not complaining. It was so great getting to listen to Pradeep Nepal and KP Oli in person. And I am so glad KP Oli spoke at length.

The UML and the Congress argued against a constituent assembly for as long as they could. They never came to it while in power or parliament. And you could see that here. One of the speakers, a senior UML MP, actually went on to claim the 1990 constitution was superior to that of the US! I felt suspended in mid air.

This Inadequate, Improper, Insufficient 1990 Constitution

Anand Dhungana is from Janakpur. I am from Janakpur. He was there. He is a senior MP. But then no Yadav or Jha has ever been elected from anywhere in the hills. Half the MPs from the Terai are of hill origin.

One of the guests was missing in action.

The last time Anil Jha was in town, he stayed at Mridula Koirala's place along with Chakra Prasad Bastola and gang.

Seven Party Forum In Jackson Heights

Another seven party delegation is to visit town soon. There are emails from Anil Jha. Pramod Sitoula on top of that asked me at the event during an aside if I had received any email from Anil Jha. Looks like my local tirades against Bahunbaad is going to create lodging complications for Anil Jha although he himself is a Brahmin. Jha.

Madhesi Rights

I am to meet KP Oli later in the day at the Nepal mission's office. KP Oli goes to DC and then he is off to Nepal. But Pradeep Nepal will be back in town after his DC sojourn. I plan to have longer talks with him when he is back in town.

Throughout the event I kept asking myself the question, so why is the peace process stuck? I found a few answers.

The Congress-UML mentality that resisted the constituent assembly for as long as they could is still there. There is also this feeling among them that the current parliament can not be dissolved. That is a wrong position to take in the aftermath of a revolution. You got to think in terms of an interim parliament. You can argue as to the shape and size of such a body, but you can not argue against the idea of it.

Girija Prachanda Brinkmanship
Arguing With The Maoists

I think we have made a huge mistake of not setting up a Truth And Reconciliation Commission. Such a commission should perhaps be part of the package that is being talked about. I can not imagine how we will achieve permanent peace without such a commission. The idea is to take the whole country through a counselling process. It is necessary.

Land Reform, Truth And Reconciliation

The package I envision is this.

1. Maoists disarm the 100,000 militia. They should seek help to turn them into unarmed cadres.
   
2. 36,000 Maoist soldiers go into cantonments. The state feeds them. The Maoists bring extortions to a total halt. At least half their weapons are locked up, with keys with the Maoists leaders and the UN.
   
3. Set up a Truth And Reconciliation Commission.
   
4. All eight parties take specific positions on where they stand on the monarchy question.
   
5. All eight parties take specific positions on whether or not the country should have an army, if yes how big that army should be, what should be its ethnic and gender composition, and how that composition is to be achieved, and how soon. What happens to all the Nepal Army and Maoist soldiers who will lose their jobs when the composite army will be inevitably downsized?
   
6. All eight parties take specific positions on the shape of the proposed federalism. What does your map look like?
   

In The News

Seven party alliance meeting discussing agendas for "summit talks" NepalNews issues of finalizing the draft interim constitution ..... the issue of Maoist arms management, the main issue of dispute among the ruling seven party alliance and the Maoists .... discussions were held on the fate of monarchy in new Nepal, the UN role in Nepal peace process and the structures of the interim legislature, but these issues were yet to be finalized as differences surfaced among the seven party alliance in these issues. ...... Top leaders of the ruling seven party alliance except chairman of Nepal Workers’ and Peasant’s Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe are participating in the meeting. .....
Dr. Bhattarai lauds India's role for success of April movement; says Maoists are not a threat to India senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that his party would not pose any security threat to India..... we don't want to severe our bilateral relations with India by ignoring its internal security concerns ..... He further said that the 12-point understanding between the seven-party alliance and the CPN-Maoist would not have materialised had India not played a positive role. ..... paved the way for ending King Gyanendra’s 14-month autocratic rule through the 19-day peaceful agitation. ..... Bhattrai said, "As we understood the international scenario, which is not in our favour, we reached the 12-point and 8-point understandings with the seven party alliance for lasting peace and democratic republic in Nepal." ..... the seven-party alliance was reluctant to implement the agreements reached with them soon after they came to power ..... the alliance-Maoist relation was turning sour because of the alliance backing out of their commitments. .... lasting peace and state restructuring were not possible without restructuring the feudal structure of army and abolishing monarchy. .... Speaking at the same programme, India’s noted expert on Nepal-India relations, SD Muni .....
Media situation worst during the king's rule: report
Maoist atrocities have gone up: INSEC Maoist atrocities have increased across the country .... five major incidents of rights violations occurred between August 26 and September 11 ..... the government has become helpless while Maoist atrocities have gone up
No whipping boy - By Dipta Shah With recent statements made by Maoist leaders, the very rationale for UN involvement in ‘arms management’ has been thrown into doubt. Even before the Maoists reversed their commitment to having their arms managed, the absence of a high-level roadmap to constituent assembly elections already presented a significant risk to UN operations. ...... the UN’s involvement in Nepal will be a “process”. .... The pre-Dasain ‘summit’ needs to focus on producing a detailed roadmap ..... Anything less will almost certainly result in the resumption of violence, either as ‘peaceful’ street protests or all-out urban warfare.
Maoist cadre killed in clash with villagers

Security stepped up in south Nepal where lawmaker was assassinated International Herald Tribune, France
Nepal's top SPA leaders meet to prepare summit talks with ... People's Daily Online, China "The SPA leaders will discuss the form of interim constitution, ratio of representatives in the interim parliament and separation of arms and armies of the guerillas" ..... They will also discuss whether or not give space to the king in the interim constitution. .... The SPA leaders and the guerillas have agreed on conveying good message of peace to people before "Dashain"

Nepal stresses CA elections by mid-June next year Kantipur Publications
Fear of reprisal grips Belha village Even as they mourn the killings of Rastriya Prajatantra Party parliamentarian Krishna Charan Shrestha and local Ram Briksha Mukhiya, residents of Belha village fear reprisals after learning that the two assailants they beat to death were associated with Janatantric Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM). ..... Fear gripped the villagers after JTMM owned responsibility for the murders. ..... Chief District Officer Chiranjivi Adhikari said that there is no budget for immediate relief to the family.
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आज सात दल बैठक
सेनाको नयाँ प्रवक्तामा थेवे
सेना र आर्थिक पुनर्संरचनामा अड्किएका छौं’ सेनाको पुनर्संरचना, आर्थिक पुनर्संरचना, राजतन्त्रको अन्त्य र संघीय राज्यव्यवस्था चार मुख्य एजेन्डा ...... भारतीय नेपालविद् प्रोफेसर एसडी मुनीले अमेरिकाले सीधै र भारतले अप्रत्यक्ष रूपमा नेपालमा राजतन्त्र चाहेको बताएका छन् । अमेरिकी नेपाल-नीति भारतमा आश्रति भए पनि यी मुलुकबीच केही भिन्नता रहेको उल्लेख गर्दै उनले समसामयिक अध्ययन केन्द्रको कार्यक्रममा भने- 'भारत माओवादीसहितको सरकार चाहन्छ भने अमेरिका त्यो चाहन्न ।' ...... 'यहाँको हरेक गतिविधिमा विदेशी चलखेल छ' ..... मुनीले जनआन्दोलनअघि सात दल र माओवादीबीच रहेको एकता कमजोर हुन थालेको उल्लेख गर्दै क्रान्तिअघिको एकता कायम राख्न नसके परिस्थिति बिग्रने चेतावनी दिए । ..... कांग्रेस नेता चक्र बास्तोलाले मुलुकमा व्यापक विदेशी चलखेल रहेको स्विकार्दै जनता सर्वशक्तिमान भएकाले बाहिरिया शक्तिले भनेको मान्नैपर्ने बाध्यता नरहेको बताए । ..... केन्द्र अध्यक्ष्ा लोकराज बरालले दल र स्वदेशी स्रोतव्यक्तिबीच बहस हुन नसकेको औंल्याए । 'सामान्य विदेशीले भनेका कुरा तत्काल सुन्ने तर चालीसौं वर्ष यहाँको राजनीतिक चिन्तनमा बिताएका स्वदेशी स्रोतलाई बेवास्ता गर्ने प्रचलन दलले त्याग्नुपर्छ,' उनले भने । ...... रामचन्द्र पौडेलले सात दलद्वारा माओवादी छापामारलाई सात शिविरमा राखेर विद्रोही सेना र हतियार छुट्टयाउन प्रस्ताव गरेको ....
ँप्रतिगामीहरू ँकु’ को षड्यन्त्रमा’
पहिलो लोकतान्त्रिक दशैं
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