Tackling Bahunbaad

You have a situation in Nepal where no matter which party wins or loses, the president is going to be a Bahun for the next 20 years. That is not a good thing.

The political proposals I have to make I have codified in the proposed constitution I have written and circulated. (प्रस्तािवत संिवधान) It is not a given that this document will gain wide acceptance. It is an uphill task. The status quoists from the 1990s are still calling the shots. Most of the appointments that have been made by the Koirala government smack of Bahunbaad plain and simple.

The non-Bahuns have their work cut out for them.

Three groups are going to have to form a strong political alliance: Dalit, Madhesi, Janajati.

Dalit

The Dalits have it real tough. They are a clear case for reservations. But how do you bring about a broad empowerment of the community? How do you bring about a basic social transformation?

I have been advocating a mass Dalit conversion to Buddhism. But it does not have to be Buddhism. It could be Christianity, or some other religion. In my mind it makes no sense to try to reform the caste system. The caste system, by definition, is hierarchical. You can end it, but you can't mend it. Can you end it? Is it easier to end it, or to stop having anything to do with it? I think it is easier and better to abandon it totally.

And so I am for Dalit conversion into other religions. It does not matter what religion.

Take the Ambedkar option. That is my message to Dalits.

Janajati

It is heartening to me that the Janajati groups in New York City are numerous and organized. It is freshening to me how openly someone like Karma Gyalden Sherpa talks about Bahunbaad. I am eager to build a strong Madhesi-Janajati coalition that would have implications for the power equation in Nepal.

That coalition will have to be issue-based. There is going to have to be a conscious effort made. Otherwise the Janajatis traditionally have had the tendency to present themselves as Janajatis to the Bahuns but as Pahadi to the Madhesi community. That will not fly. That will slow down their own path to empowerment, because power is in numbers, and the Janajatis do need the Madhesis to get there faster.

Madhesi

The Madhesi are few in number in the city, few in number in the positions of power in Nepal. The powers-that-be cultivate the token Madhesi to use against the Madhesi masses and against genuine Madhesi empowerment. We have to watch out for that.

The Madhesi challenge when the numbers are small is to fight internalized prejudice. That is different from the internal prejudices of the Madhesis, be it casteism, or sexism, or classism.

Here also the idea is coalition building around a simple common minimum program.

Are people willing to meet periodically? Will they have open discussions? Can they verbalize their experiences in prejudice? Are they willing to reach out to build coalitions with other groups?

MJ, MY

Laloo Yadav built a strong Muslim-Yadav coalition to turn things upside down in Bihar in terms of the power equation.

There is a need to build a strong Madhesi-Janajati coalition in Nepal to take over power. Democracy is not going to be enough. Social justice remains a major challenge.

A New York City Experiment

The city remains a choice place for that. When I went to the Memorial Service for the September 23 chopper crash victims, I was amazed by how many of them who had died in Nepal had family, relatives and personal friends living in the city.

Common Ground

In the context of the Nepali community in New York City, the real news might be the non-status of the Nepalis in the city's politics. The Bahuns might manage to express their Bahun attitudes in their mini Bahun circles, but they are just as insignificant as anyone else in local city politics. They are going to have to realize that and allow for a democratic organizing of the 40,000 Nepalis in the city. That would be a first step. The next step necessarily is coalition building with the other Global South populations in the city.

On The Web

Caste - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indian caste system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castes of India
Caste system in modern India
Social Castes
India's Caste System
caste: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
Caste and Varna
The Caste System in Hinduism
Behavior of the high castes
Caste - Wikipédia
India | Caste and cash | Economist.com
caste -- Encyclopædia Britannica
Kamat's Potpourri: The Caste System
Caste System in India
Sub-Castes Among Dalits
Nepal - Caste and Ethnicity
[PDF]Scheduled Castes 10.70 Special Central Assistance to Special ...
CASTE - SOUTH AFRICA
India's lower castes can now go to private schools | csmonitor.com
Castes in India by Damodar K.Mavalankar - Adyar Pamphlets No. 6
Blog Castes: The Real Ranking of the Blogoshpere « Change Is Good
caste -- Encyclopædia Britannica
Caste Matrimonial Sites - Indian Castes - Shaadi.com
Castes
Sample Chapter for Dirks, N.B.: Castes of Mind: Colonialism and ...
BioMed Central | Full text | Genetic affinities among the lower ...
NPR : India Pits Affirmative Action Against Castes
The Hindu : National : Upper castes dominate national media, says ...
Mayawati, BJP rush to woo upper castes in UP- The Economic Times
Dirks, N.B.: Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern ...
national scheduled castes finance and development corporatioin nsfdc
[PDF]Scheduled Castes (SCs) 10.67 Special Central Assistance (SCA) for ...
Energetics reveals physiologically distinct castes in a eusocial ...
Economic boom blurs lines among India’s castes « Ekawaaz - One ...
Orissa temple for all castes : HindustanTimes.com
Indian caste system: Information from Answers.com
'What more do the upper castes want?'
caste of the Honeybees
Castes – Le «blog personnel» de Joe Clark
Myrms Ant Nest - Castes of Ants
WWW Virtual Library Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka Caste System
India Together: Dalit Christians: Scheduled Castes or not? - 20 ...
National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Books on Dalits, (Scheduled Castes)

Tek Nath Rizal And The Bhutani Hostage Crisis

Solve The Bhutani Refugee Crisis: Send Them West

It used to be the Bhutani refugee crisis, but not any more, not after Moriarty has offered to take 60,000 of the 100,000 refugees and several other countries have pitched in to take the rest.

Now we have a hostage crisis.

Tek Nath Rizal and his lieutenants of the so called Bhutan democracy movement are holding 100,000 Bhutanis hostage.

This reminds of Girija's mindset a few months after the king's coup. The guy had just come out of house arrest. And he still was talking against the idea of a constituent assembly. He still did not see that a constituent assembly was the only meeting point for the three political forces in the country.

And now we have Girija's second cousin Tek Nath Rizal. These Bahuns have to be related to each other.

He has been through a lot personally and I respect that. A few months back at a program I was one of the people who donated money to him.

But who has suffered more? Tek Nath Rizal or the 100,000 plus Bhutani refugees in the sub-human camps in Jhapa? Or is it really even about suffering? Is the competition to suffer the most? I don't think so. Perhaps the reverse.

Bhutan is of great interest to me. That might end up being the first country into which we export the April Revolution. It is between that and Zimbabwe. Burma can not be far behind. Both for the September 16 rally and the February 1 rally, and another non-Nepal rally I attended near the UN, I saw a few Burmese souls in quiet vigil for their country. (September 16 Protest Rally, February 1 New York Rally Photos) They deserve to be heard. And those who took part in Nepal's April Revolution are best positioned to help, because the message from the April Revolution is that you have all it takes. You are sufficient on your own.

Zimbabwe: The Constitution Is Faulty
Zimpundit: Zimbabwe

I am busy expanding my organizational tentacles.

ANONYC: Proposed Constitution
The Matrix
Nepali Convention Leadership Weekly Meeting

My friend Banshalal Tamang ( Nepal Democracy 7, Jackson Heights) here in the city is part of a Buddhist group that has started work to network into the Buddhist community in Bhutan. It is not just the Bhutanis in the south, the ethnic Nepalis, who deserve democracy. Those in the north deserve it just as much.

Tek Nath Rizal is going to have to grow out of his comfort zone. He is going to have to let the Bhutanis go. Go west from where they can organize better. Many of them might never go back to Bhutan, and that's okay. They will stay back and contribute to Bhutan's rapid economic growth after they have helped turn it into a federal republic.

But they sure are going to be some of the strongest soldiers of the Bhutan democracy movement. Further away they are going to feel even more intensely. When people are far away, they bond more easily, because they miss home. There is less petty fighting. There is more idealism.

So I say to Tek Nath Rizal, let go. You are not doing anyone favors. If your entire strategy depends on the Bhutani king doing your will, you will fail. Get more proactive than that. Depend more on your own options. Right now you have been handed a godsend option.

Moriartys' offer caught me by surprise. This is totally out of the box. It is generous. It is humane. It is pragmatic. Let your soldiers of democracy feed themselves well, so they can fight better. You don't win by starving them. Of food, of basic dignity.

Send them west.

In The News

Citizenship Bill discriminatory: OHCHR-Nepal Kantipur The current Bill is discriminatory on the grounds of gender and could result in discrimination against displaced persons and members of marginalised groups ...... international human rights law protecting the rights of individuals on matters relating to nationality and citizenship ...... any domestic laws which conflict with international treaties to which it is a State Party are invalid under the Nepal Treaty Act ....... the current draft of the Citizenship Bill is discriminatory against women and is therefore in contravention of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which requires Nepal as a State Party to embody the principle of gender equality in its national legislation and added, section 4 of the Bill sets out provisions which make it more difficult for a child born of a Nepali mother and a foreign father to gain citizenship than for a child born of a Nepali father and a foreign mother ......... the Bill also sets out provisions which discriminate against a foreign partner of a Nepali woman, in terms of their qualifying for citizenship ...... In relation to displaced persons, members of marginalised groups and of the diaspora, OHCHR-Nepal is especially concerned about the provisions of Section 8 of the Citizenship Bill which require the presentation of certain types of documentation in order to qualify for citizenship. These provisions are likely to create major obstacles for many people of Madhesi background, including from Terai Dalit communities and indigenous communities, who for historical reasons do not currently have citizenship or the sort of documentation required. Many displaced persons do not have documents such as land certificates or have not been included in any census or voter lists due to their displacement ........... These provisions are contrary to the obligations of Nepal as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. “In recent meetings with representatives from marginalised communities, such as Madhesis, Dalits, women from Terai communities and indigenous communities, I have heard their concerns about the Citizenship Bill.
Poor commitment snags resolution on women Several women political leaders encircled the Nepali Congress (Democratic) office on June 22 under their phasewise pressure campaign to make the government implement a House of Representatives resolution on 33 per cent women's participation. Strangely, none of the 10 parliamentary committees formed that very day had any woman member. .... the political party leaders also do not trust women's leadership. Due to male domination, males are prioritized when it comes to positions of power. "They think only they can take the right decisions ...... lack of commitment among the leaders and their mentality remains unchanged. ...... There should be initiatives from all sectors like education, civil service, police and army ...... "There is still the hangover that women can't perform." ...... Political parties too have a great role in implementing the resolution by giving 33 per cent of seats in the Constituent Assembly to women
No let up in Maoist extortion, abduction
Articles 8, 9 of cons-titution to be suspended The PPISC headed by Speaker Subash Nembang held its meeting on Friday which was also attended by Home Minister Krishna Sitaula and Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply Hridayesh Tripathi.
Parents lose sleep over kids conscripted into PLA
Govt-Maoist-UN representatives hold meeting
Make HLPC report public, take stern action against culprits: CPN-UML
No peace as long as there is monarchy: Acharya
Citizenship Bill discriminatory: OHCHR-Nepal
Nobel for GPK? Hardly had people started to talk about the prospect of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala (GPK) winning the Nobel Peace Prize when a friend of mine shot an email to a group of close pals on November 10: "I'm unable to vote for Girija babu for the Nobel even though I want to vote as a Nepali for a Nepali. Am I overreacting? Could you please convince me why must I vote?" ....... there are others who scoff at the very idea of nominating GPK for the Nobel as if it was the most ridiculous suggestion they have ever come across ...... his not-so-dazzling past. The Lauda Air controversy, his failure to institutionalize intra-party democracy, the unhealthy rivalry with senior colleagues, and his lackluster performance as head of government ...... faces of Govinda Raj Joshi, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Bijaya Gachchhedar and Sujata Koirala, taking a further toll on the GPK image ...... GPK fully deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007. ....... GPK is in his 60th year of relentless struggle for democracy. ...... hardly any other surviving leader in the world has fought for democracy for so long and so persistently ...... He has played a leadership role during all the three big political movements of Nepal (1950, 1990 and 2006) ..... undeclared commander of the peaceful April Uprising. His life is truly an unending hurricane of political activism. ....... it was GPK who took the bold and far-reaching step in the autumn of 2003 of reaching out to the Maoist leadership ....... From the Delhi meeting to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on November 21, Koirala has played a key role in bringing the Maoists to mainstream politics. ....... there is hardly an example in modern history where almost one-fourth of a country's population came out onto the streets demanding peace and democracy. If the leader of that successful uprising doesn't deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, who does? ....... A person who truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than any one else in the entire history of the Nobel Prize itself never got one. .... Mahatma Gandhi ...... GPK has nothing to lose by not winning his Nobel.
Existing government, parliament will soon be dissolved: DPM Sherchan
Take up US proposal as an opportunity, Moriarty tells Bhutanese refugees "an opportunity for the refugees who have been living a sub-human life for the last 16 years" ......
Punish defaulters before loan talks: WB
Maoists tax vehicles, seize paddy crop
शान्ति कोष स्थापना
दमनकारीमा सुरक्षाकर्मी बढी
वाम सहकार्य प्रस्ताव
शान्ति सम्झौताको सांसदहरूद्वारा स्वागत
अल्पसंख्यकहरूको प्रतिनिधित्व माग
समानुपातिक प्रणालीको नमुना अस्पष्ट
सम्झौता कार्यान्वयनका लागि त्रिपक्षीय छलफल
जनतान्त्रिकलाई वार्तामा बोलाउन आग्रह
सबैलाई नागरिकता नेपाल सद्भावना पार्टीको दाबीअनुसार ४० लाख नेपालीले नागरिकता पाउन सकेका छ्रैनन् । सरकारसँग यससम्बन्धी आधिकारिक तथ्यांक छैन । नागरिकता प्राप्तिका लागि योग्य भएर पनि धेरै तराईवासीहरू वञ्चित भएका छन् । तराईमा ठूलो जनसंख्या अनपढ छ, आफ्नो अधिकारप्रति सजग नभएको जनसंख्या पनि उत्तिकै ठूलो छ । उनीहरूलाई आफ्नो अधिकार प्राप्तिका निम्ति तत्पर बनाउन सक्नुपर्छ । सदियौंदेखि यही माटोमा हुर्की बढी गरेकाहरूले सहजरूपमा नागरिकता पाउन सक्दा त्यसले राष्ट्रियताको भावना कमजोर होइन बलियो बनाउनेछ । कुनै खास क्षेत्र वा समुदायमा बस्ने व्यक्तिको राष्ट्रियतामा शंका गर्दै नागरिकताबाट वञ्चित गरेर राष्ट्रियता बलियो पार्न सकिँदैन । राष्ट्रियता बलियो बनाउन राज्यले नागरिकहरूलाई अपनत्वको भावना दिन सक्नुपर्छ । प्रशासनले दिने झैझमेलाबाट वाक्क भएर धेरैले सम्पूर्ण कागजात भएर पनि नागरिकता प्राप्त गर्न सकेका छैनन् । नागरिकको घर-दैलोमा पुगेर नागरिकता वितरणलाई एउटा अभियानकै रूपमा सञ्चालन गर्न सकेमा निश्चय नै सफलता प्राप्त हुनेछ ।
राजा कस्तो हुनुपर्ने ?

House Committee approves Citizenship Bill NepalNews "The bill is related with the nationality and livelihood of the people of Terai. This is the greatest achievement for the people of Terai in the last 53 years," said Rajendra Mahato, general secretary of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandidevi).
Joint team discusses modalities of tripartite agreement
Govt provides Rs 70m to Maoists for management of cantonments
UML in two minds over joining the interim government
Annan pledges quick assistance to Nepal following peace accord
Maoist excesses continue even after signing of historic peace accord
MPs stress on implementation of peace accord, HLPC report
Government committed to implement Rayamajhi report
Bijukchhe's party not to join interim cabinet
Rights bodies demand to stop torture in custody
Carter Center agrees to observe CA Polls
Name list of all 202 Jana Andolan-II suppressors Kantipur
US-based rights organizations welcome Nepal peace accord
HLPC report will be made public soon: Govt spokesperson
Maoist excesses remain unchecked
Israel welcomes peace accord signing
Cantonment not ready, PLA cadres in locals' houses
उन्नत एकता आवश्यक ः एमाले
कांग्रेस गाउँ जाने
गायक बस्नेतले जग्गा मिचेको ठहर
मिश्रति निर्वाचन प्रणालीका गुण
अब आर्थिक क्रान्ति
मल्लिकको पाठ

Nepal's King Welcomes Peace Accord That Threatens His Dynasty Bloomberg
Chinese FM spokeswoman: China welcomes Nepal's peace accord People's Daily Online, China
NC to Fortify Ties with Maoists Himalayan Times
UML CC Meet Begins Today
Mini Polls on Nationalisation of Education
NWPP to play oppn’s role in interim govt
SAC nod to citizenship Bill today
King Gyanendra hails peace accord NepalNews
Parties, professional groups organise rallies to cheer peace accord
Int’l community welcomes peace accord
NC to launch campaign to celebrate historic peace accord
Leaders hail "historic" peace accord
Comprehensive Peace Accord signed, armed insurgency declared officially over
Chronology of decade-long conflict
Full text of accord in Nepali | English
Public holiday declared
Full text of peace accord (Nov 21) Nepali | English
Full text of the decisions of the SPA-Maoist summit meeting (Nov 07)

Taskforce hands over draft of Right to Information Bill
Switzerland welcomes signature of Comprehensive Peace Accord

AG vows to recommend actions against oppressors
PLA members start flocking to containment areas