Defense And Home Stay With The Congress

Mahara says he wants Defense. That is him saying he wants Defense, but if the seven parties have problems with that, he will settle for Home. These Maoists, they really relish use of force, don't they? If they can't hold the gun, they want at least to be able to smell it.

He can be Deputy Prime Minister, but he can not have Home or Defense. What he really wants is Home. He can't have it.

Instead they can be part of an eight party steering committee that will oversee the democratization and restructuring of the Nepal Army even as the country moves towards the constituent assembly elections. That same committe could also go on to restructure the police. But the committee will be beneath the interim parliament in authority. It will be a parliamentary committee.

This is to be an eight party government. There is to be eight party oversight of the two armies. The Maoists cease to be a parallel state as soon as the eight party government is formed.

I don't blame Mahara from trying to strike a hard bargain. That is in the best interests of his party. But he will have to learn to settle for less. He can not start with one army and end up with two! That is too good to be true, even for him.

Instead the eight parties should focus on sending the two armies to school. What about mandatory human rights classes to all the soldiers in both the armies.

The Maoists might also want to retain their militia. How do you win hearts and minds? You teach them.

Or you can have Defense with the Congress, and Home with the UML.

In The News

Bhattarai criticizes government for making peace accord draft public NepalNews The Peace Committee, which is headed by general secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC) Ram Chandra Poudel, includes representatives from seven parties as well as other parties represented in the House of Representatives such as Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP), and other faction of People's Front Nepal (PFN).
Appointments by this government will not be acceptable, says Mahara any appointment of ambassadors, promotion of army generals or transfer of bureaucrats without their consent would be unacceptable to them. ...... Mahara also staked his party's claim to the Defense Ministry in the forthcoming interim government. "The interim government will have to conduct the job of restructuring the army. This is not going to be an easy job. Therefore, we have staked claim to this ministry," he said.
Maoists bargained hard for 73 seats, says Oli Oli said the Maoists were able to get those seats since UML did not resort to politics of bargaining.

Mahara to lead CPN-M in interim govt Kantipur
'Hats off to people of Nepal, we must learn from you'
Govt-Maoist-UN team inspects Palpa, Rolpa cantonment sites
Sitting House to pass citizenship bill The government wants to approve the citizenship bill that is under consideration at the parliamentary State Affairs Committee (SAC) before forming a new interim legislature ...... The bill has been languishing in SAC after some MPs, especially left-wing ones, pointed fingers at its loopholes. ...... Most of them stressed the need to send special teams to all the villages to distribute citizenship to the people. ..... RPP Chairman Rana suggested that the government send teams to the doorsteps of the people. .... Lawyer Kamal Narayan Das suggested that cut off date should be the day when the new law is promulgated. .... it will take tentatively 45 days to send the teams and the teams will take 2-3 months to complete the task. ...... Following pressure from the Terai region to scrap mandatory provision of the Nepali cap in the photos of male citizens wanting to acquire citizenship papers, the Home Ministry is in the process of scrapping this mandatory provision
BHUTANESE REFUGEES SERIES IV: Refugees are boon for some Nepalis
NSP committee to expedite party unity In order to expedite party unification with Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and form a broader Madhesi Democratic Front, Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) on Sunday constituted a five-member committee under the convenorship of party member Dr Dambar Narayan Yadav. According to a statement issued by NSP, the National Executive Committee meeting held at the party office here today adopted a decision to forge unity among Madhesis while going for constituent assembly election to ensure their fundamental rights. The NSP has become the first political party to denounce the recent historic agreement reached between seven-party alliance and Maoists saying that it was the most undemocratic and totalitarian practice as NSP was excluded from the process leading to the agreement. NSP also claimed that the eight political parties failed to address pertinent issues related to the marginalized Madhesis, indigenous nationalities and dalit communities. Citing these reasons, NSP has also decided to launch a nationwide public awareness campaign and protest programs across the country. The nationwide protest is slated for December 7.
Peace Accord draft ready The signing of the agreement will officially end the 11-year old insurgency.... the 10-point agreement ..... The 10 points in the 17-page agreement include: preamble, definitions, ceasefire, end of war, commitment to multiparty democracy, human rights principles, respect for humanitarian laws, settlement of disputes, implementation and monitoring, and miscellaneous. ..... carrying of arms will be punishable under existing law .... replacing the present Peace Committee with a Peace, Coordination and Rehabilitation Commission ...... Poudel and Prajapati, Ishwor Pokharel of CPN-UML, Tek Bahadur Chokhyal of NC (Democratic), Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Janashakti Party, Khem Raj Pandit of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Shashi Shrestha and Chitra bahadur KC of the two factions of People's Front Nepal, Rajendra Mahato of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and a representative from the United Left Front
Surya Nepal awards ad hoc increment to protesting workers
Maoists hold central committee meeting Prachanda is slated to leave for the Indian capital to attend the November 17-18 summit organised by the Indian daily The Hindustan Times. More than 20 world figures including Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh, Indian Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Malaysia's ex-president Mahathir Mohhammed will participate in the programme.
Draft of comprehensive peace agreement submitted
Action sought against citizenship recommendation forgers CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kuamr Nepal, who was also present during the discussion, said that the provision mentioned in the Bill that awards citizenship to anyone born after 1989 should be replaced with the system of lineage based citizenship. .... Ratriya Prajantra Party president Pashupati Shamshere Rana said that the problem of citizenship was the single greatest problem for the disenfranchised and the madheshis and proposed "a priority based solution" to the problem. ..... Chairman of Nepal Bar Association, Shambhu Thapa said that since the present constitution is being scrapped, there would be no legal hurdle to anything the parliament proposes. ..... legal expert Harihar Dahal demanded a straightforward citizenship mechanism for those who are born in Nepal and have made permanent residence here. ..... Dahal opined that the present provision of awarding citizenship based on recommendation from three individuals should be replaced with one that allows only government officials to make such recommendations.
संसद् र सरकारमा प्रतिनिधि छान्न कार्यदल
प्रधानमन्त्री कोइराला नै ः देउवा सात दलभित्र अन्तरिम सरकारमा प्रधानमन्त्री गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइरालाको विकल्प खोज्नेबारे छलफल नभएको ..... 'हामीले प्रधानमन्त्री 'रिप्लेस' गर्नुपर्छ भनेकै छैनौं । आठ दलमध्ये कुनै एक दलले सरकारको नेतृत्वमा विरोध जनाएमात्र छलफल हुने हो । यहाँ त माओवादीले समेत गिरिजाबाबुको नेतृत्व मानिसक्यो, हामीले नमान्ने कुरै छैन,' देउवाले भने । बैठकमा पूर्वउपसभापति चिरञ्जीवी वाग्ले र पूर्वमहामन्त्री विजयकुमार गच्छदारको नेतृत्वमा रहेको असन्तुष्ट पक्षधर सदस्यहरूले सभापति देउवालाई पार्टी एकताको प्रक्रिया तत्काल सुरु गर्न दबाब दिए । प्रत्युत्तरमा देउवाले पार्टीका जिल्ला सभापतिहरूसमेतको मंगलबारदेखि हुने भेलापछि एकता पहल गर्ने आश्वासन दिए । राजधानीमा मंगलबार पार्टीको तीनदिने बृहत् भेला सुरु हुँदैछ । भेलामा पार्टीका सम्पूर्ण सांसद, पूर्वसांसद, केन्द्रीय सदस्य, पूर्वकेन्द्रीय सदस्य र ७५ वटै जिल्ला सभापति सहभागी हुनेछन् ।
थप दुई मातृभाषा पाठ्यक्रम
समावेशीका चुनौती
वामशक्तिले बिर्सन नहुने अनुभव
पालो आर्थिक एजेन्डाको
ऐतिहासिक समझदारीका चुनौती

NEPAL: Bilateral refugee talks planned Reuters AlertNet, UK
Bhutanese refugees series- III:Death of the repatriation option? Kantipur Online
Third country settlement optional: UNHCR official Gorkhapatra
Nepal govt, Maoists finalise peace accord Times of India, India
New hope in Nepal Khaleej Times the people of Nepal deserve a new dawn of hope, having suffered as they have at the hands of corrupt politicians, a reckless monarch and ruthless Maoist rebels. .... catch up with the lost time and effort.
Nepal government, rebels set to sign formal peace accord International Herald Tribune
UN begins survey of areas in Nepal where rebel fighters will be ... International Herald Tribune
Nepal gov't proposes 10 possible ambassadors for various countries People's Daily Online, China
Maoists still envy weapons: Oli Gorkhapatra
Maoists Still Envy Guns: Oli Himalayan Times
Joint team inspects guerrilla's camp sites in eastern Nepal People's Daily Online, China
Human rights must be central after Nepal pact - UN Reuters AlertNet
‘Manisha may join Nepal politics any day’ Hindustan Times, India
Nepal - Why Prachanda Wants Girija To Lead The Interim Government Citizen Journalism Nepal, NY
Now, Restructuring State of Nepal Is the Key United We Blog, Nepal We must eradicate government employees’ dominance over local government bodies with the electoral democratic procedures. .... “The most successful modern-day communist insurgency” is how Daily Telegraph, London commented on the Nepali Maoists for their openness to the multiparty electoral democracy.
Nepal signs deal to build trans-Asian railway network Gorkhapatra, Nepal
Countries sign agreement on Trans-Asian railway plan VietNamNet Bridge Transportation and railway ministers of 17 Asian countries and Russia Friday signed an agreement on trans-Asian railway network in Busan, paving the way for further connection of the 81,000-km trans-continental railway network in Asia. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikstan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam .... starts on the Pacific seaboard of Asia and ends up on the doorstep of Europe
Nepal Maoists Release 8 from Their Captivity Nepal human Rights News, Nepal

Nepal Army to Fill 4,000 Vacant Posts Himalayan Times
UML Man Threatened of Life
Maoists Agree to Stop Disrupting Tax Collection
New code of conduct for civil servants coming aims to rid the civil service of corruption and make civil servants more efficient and accountable to the people. ..... a professional, efficient and non-corrupt civil service. ..... aims to make the civil service inclusive and give the civil servants more opportunities for personal development. ..... aims to revise the structure of ministries. ..... copies of the blueprint will be sent to all political parties to garner suggestions. The blueprint will be finally presented at the parliament. ...... Red-tapism, unclear work division and weakening morale of civil servants are major weaknesses facing the civil service ....... “Recruiting process will be simplified and made scientific, the curriculum of the Public Service Commission will be revised and salary and benefits will be fixed on a par with international standard.”
CA polls in mind, Maoists plan panel to effect a metamorphosis to re-orient the party organisation in the changed political scenario. ..... The meeting also approved a political report presented by chairman Prachanda and hailed the November 8 accord as “historic.” ...... the possibility of polarisation of the leftist forces under a democratic republic front. .... the need of massive transformation of the party’s organisations ...... pick 73 representatives the party is supposed to send in the interim legislature according to ethnicity, region, gender and socio-cultural diversity.
Sujata lambasts UML chief accused CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal of working overtime to hinder the implementation of the agreement between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists. ..... Nepal was creating problems by raising the issue of who should lead the interim government. Alleging that the UML leaders were slandering Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, she said, “The government has done a lot of work; the charges against the government will boost regression.” ..... Both the Congresses would unite soon, she said. “The issue of party unification has reached the final point; it’s near announcement now,” she added. ...... “The NC favours ceremonial kingship; not only the PM but the entire Nepali Congress wants this. The election to a constituent assembly is the best means to settle the dispute over this issue,” Sujata said.
EC forms panels to prepare for CA polls smooth conduct of elections to a constituent assembly by June 15. ...... the move to have the elections before the monsoon season.

Visitors

31 October 2006, Tuesday	501
	1 November 2006, Wednesday	308
	2 November 2006, Thursday	190
	3 November 2006, Friday	155
	4 November 2006, Saturday	118
	5 November 2006, Sunday	117
	6 November 2006, Monday	170
	7 November 2006, Tuesday	132
	8 November 2006, Wednesday	128
	9 November 2006, Thursday	122
	10 November 2006, Friday	90
	11 November 2006, Saturday	71
	12 November 2006, Sunday	130
	13 November 2006, Monday	514

Kul Chandra Gautam: Message From Gulmi

Message from Gulmi

Remarks by Kul C. Gautam
Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and
Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF

At the 61st United Nations Day Celebrations
Kathmandu, 20 October 2006


As I serve at the United Nations Headquarters, I could well have brought to you a message from New York. Instead, I prefer to make this a message from Gulmi, from where I have just returned after a short visit on home leave for dasain.

The United Nations has an amazingly positive image throughout Nepal. So the message from Gulmi could very well be a message from any of the other 75 districts of Nepal.

Nepal has been an active and loyal member of the United Nations. And the United Nations has been a true friend and supporter of Nepal.

Many people think of the UN in terms of its role in peace and security. That, of course, is very important. At this very moment, all Nepalis – from the Prime Minister to the Maoist leaders, from human rights activists to ordinary villagers – all look to the UN for its help in bringing a lasting peace and a progressive democracy in Nepal.

My colleague Ian Martin will surely address this issue when he speaks next.

But the UN’s role in Nepal is much more extensive – spanning from technical assistance for science and technology, agriculture and industry, trade and commerce; to material help for health and education; policy advice on development planning; humanitarian assistance for disaster relief, victims of conflict, refugees and internally displaced; and protection of human rights and prevention of human wrongs.

In one way or the other, the work of the UN touches the life of every Nepali.

The day I was in Gulmi, we had a massive polio immunization campaign – supported by WHO and UNICEF. This week we will administer vitamin A and de-worming to a large number of children.

I visited primary schools, where unbeknownst to the teachers and students, they were benefiting from teacher training and textbooks provided with the support of UNESCO and UNICEF.

I met retired soldiers who had served in UN peace-keeping operations in the Middle East and Africa, whose remittances are of great help to the local economy.

Yet many people remarked that there were no visible UN supported projects in Gulmi even though the highest ranking Nepali serving at the UN happened to come from that district.

Indeed there is a perception that the UN and other donors neglect districts like Gulmi, which are neither among the most remote and deprived, nor the relatively easy to reach where donor and NGO activities seem to be concentrated.

Yet here is a district that has both high level of poverty and a track record of producing good development results which ought to make it attractive for government and donor support.

The only major donor supported project in Gulmi in recent years was the Gulmi-Argha Khanchi Rural Development Project - (GARDEP) - supported by the European Commission. This project was considered very successful and was beginning to produce good, visible development results.

Unfortunately, following a series of targeted Maoist attacks, including burning of several project vehicles, the project was suspended.

Local officials believe that significant amount of funds from the suspended project remain in frozen accounts in Kathmandu or Brussels.

Now that there is relative peace, many Gulmelis hope that the Government and EC will arrange for GARDEP to resume and expand its much valued activities, and that somehow the UN will help unblock the suspended project and provide additional complementary assistance.

In spite of the conflict and suspension of many development activities, I was happy to note steady progress in basic education. Parents value education enormously, and enrolment in primary and secondary schools is constantly increasing.

An encouraging trend is the growing enrolment of girls in schools.

As more children complete primary education, parents are anxious to see them continue to secondary education. Many communities have therefore applied for upgrading of their schools from primary to lower-secondary and secondary plus schools.

While awaiting government approval, communities have mobilized local resources to hire additional teachers and build more classrooms.

I sensed considerable frustration among local officials and parents that even after many years, the Government has not approved the upgrading, accreditation and funding of a large number of public schools. I understand that this is a nation-wide phenomenon going beyond Gulmi.

I would urge the Government and donors to give high priority to large-scale upgrading of local schools as one of the early peace dividends.

I was told that essentials medicines supplied by the government to health centres and sub-health posts meet less than half a year’s requirement for most communities. There is a need for doubling the annual allocation of essential medicines to primary health care centres and sub-health posts.

If Nepal is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, a significant increase in funding for village level health, education and sanitation activities is urgently needed.

I heard people welcoming enthusiastically the announcement in the Finance Minister’s budget speech that the annual allocation of block grants for VDCs will be doubled to Rs. 1 million per year.

Based on past experience, I am confident that these additional resources will be generally well-utilized by local communities. But directives for the use of these funds have not yet been issued. It is urgent to do so.

One hopes that the CPN-Maoist cadres will not seek to take advantage of these additional resources for non-development purposes, but will join in ensuring that these funds are well utilized for the effective delivery of basic social services at the community level.

The absence of elected local bodies is obviously a major constraint in the smooth functioning of development activities. But I was impressed with the spirit of solidarity and shared objectives with which local communities continue to operate.

An especially encouraging trend I found since my last visit to the district 6 years ago, is the heightened awareness of their rights among women and dalits, and acceptance of their enhanced participation in development activities by the local communities.

This is in part thanks to the CPN-Maoists’ awareness raising campaign. Had the Maoists not resorted to extortion, violence and high handed behaviour, some of their progressive ideas and actions would have won them much genuine and lasting popular support.

It is not too late for the Maoists to change their ways, focus on their positive and progressive social agenda and abandon violence, intimidation and extortion to regain and retain genuine public support.

Although this might lead to a temporary loss of their power and influence, I would urge the Maoists to take a long-term view of what is in their best interest – and in the best interest of Nepal.

I had not been able to visit my ancestral village and district in the past 6 years because of heightened insecurity. Having heard much about the turmoil and turbulence especially during the period of the autocratic royal rule and heightened Maoist activities, I was afraid that I will find a village and a district politically polarized and divided.

To my pleasant surprise, I found the people in villages continuing to behave cordially as good neighbours and friends. I was told that it was the Maoists who came from outside the village, and the Royal Nepalese Army contingents, who also came from outside the village, who brought the fear and distrust in the community.

Left to themselves, I was told, the villagers can sort out their problems and differences amicably.

People are still afraid of the Maoists and deeply resent but tolerate their extortionist behaviour. Even a small number of unarmed Maoists seem to be able to intimidate large numbers of villagers, because of the threat of arms that lurks behind.

Minus the threat of arms, people seemed confident that they can work things out among themselves in a democratic, participatory and consultative manner.

This has some important and hopeful lessons. It is to be assumed that the Nepalese army will remain in barracks during peace time. In the case of the Maoists, if they discontinued the practice of appointing or assigning people from outside their native villages and communities, and relied on local cadres who have to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours, they will find an amicable modus vivendi.

If the CPN-Maoist formally adopt ballots rather than bullets as the only legitimate method of political change, and continue to champion their progressive socio-economic agenda peacefully, they have a good chance to emerge as a formidable political party.

Hence my advice, as a Nepali citizen and compatriot, to the CPN-Maoist to take a long-term view in their own enlightened self-interest, and the interest of our nation.

The United Nations must, and will, of course, continue to be guided by its mandate in supporting the peace process in Nepal as a neutral, honest broker and helper responding to the request of the Nepali parties.

While remaining non-partisan, the UN must, and will, of course remain faithful to the internationally agreed norms and principles that guide its work – respect for human rights, the rule of law, non-violence, peaceful settlement of disputes, and adherence to pluralistic democratic practices befitting the 21st century.

This is precisely what the people of Nepal hope and expect from the United Nations. And this was the sentiment I heard over and over again in Gulmi.

Beyond peace and democracy, and indeed as the concrete dividends of peace and democracy, people expect there to be a rapid progress in their livelihoods.

It is therefore equally urgent that Nepal begins to prepare immediately an ambitious post-conflict reconstruction and development plan that can galvanize broad national consensus and international support. As in other post-conflict situations, the United Nations ought to be ready to lend strong support to Nepal in this effort.

As many of you will have heard, this has been my constant message to everybody during this visit to Nepal. I feel passionately about it both personally, as a Nepali citizen, and professionally as a UN official.

Let us dedicate this 61st anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, to our shared hope for peace in Nepal and the world, and a renewed partnership between Nepal and the UN for the achievement of the Millennium Development goals so that the children of this country can grow up to their full human potential as productive and responsible citizens of Nepal and the world.

Thank you.



Kul Chandra Gautam: Home Trip

Re: [DFN Blog]
Kul Gautam

To:paramendra@yahoo.com
Monday, November 13, 2006 4:32:49 PM

dear parmendraji, i enjoy reading your "hamro nepal" postings on your dfn blog.

you bring fresh perspectives on many current issues.

i noted that you covered my recent home trip to gulmi/nepal based on excerpts published by nepalnews.com from a speech i gave at the u.n. day celebration in kathmandu.

fyi, i attach the full text of my statement. (See attached file: Message from Gulmi.doc)

keep up the good work to educate us all, and to stimulate fresh thinking on current nepali affairs.

with best wishes,

kul g

-----------------------

Kul C. Gautam
Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF
3 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017

Re: [DFN Blog]
Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
To: Kul Gautam

Kul Chandraji.

Thanks for taking the time to write to me. Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me.

Thanks for sending the full speech. I will publish it outright.

Thanks to you, Ian wrote to me. You gave me currency, the fact that I know you.

Tapain sanga bhent bha chhaina recently. But there is going to be a large Nepali Convention in the city last weekend in May. You will be Chief Host, since you are the most prominent Nepali in the city. It is largely a ceremonial title. You don't have to worry about anything except just showing up.

Bhent hunda guff garamla.

More later.