Why Are The Pahadis Quiet?
Fwd: The Madhesi Issue
Ratan Jha
Lalit Jha
Binod Shah
Ram Sah
Biplav Yadav
Bindu Mishra
Ritesh Chaudhary
Jay Mandal
Pramod Kantha
Binay Shah
date Jan 27, 2007 10:01 AM
subject Fwd: The Madhesi Issue
mailed-by gmail.com
My e-mail to ND Forum this morning....
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ratan Jha
Date: Jan 27, 2007 8:56 AM
Subject: Re: The Madhesi Issue
To: nepal democracy
Cc: ljha@geo.com, ratanjha@gmail.com, ileshsingh@gmail.com
Dear Padam ji and Distinguished Members of ND Forum:
Thank you for bringing the attention on discussing the contemporary
issues facing Nepal. It appears to me that the Terai issue is NO
issue to majority of the distinduished members of this forum. Last
April, it was hard to keep tab on the number of e-mails...I don't
understand what happend to those e-mailers today. I cann't understand
why you all are so quiet when half of the country is burning.
I too used to bombard the forum with a Daily Update on Collection of
Funds for Victims and Volunteers of Democracy - igniting flare amongst
the diaspora to support JA-2. Today, nobody is talking about the
victims of Terai Unrest.
Is there something fundamentally wrong with us? Just wondering....
Ratan Jha
> I recommend that the forum continue discussion on the contemporary issues facing Nepal. What can the EPA and Nepali government do to steer the country away from the current flareup of violence in Terai? Is this just a hiccup as the PM said or is it a major road block to CA elections and future of democratic Nepal? Is this a genuine Madhesi revolution or is it regressive element instigated mob events that have run amock?
>
> Whatever it is, the violent trends (looting and destruction based on pahade-madhise bias) are alarming!
>
> Here is a well written article that summarizes the issue.http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=98678
>
> Padam
Ram Sah
to nepaldemocracy@googlegroups.com
cc
Ratan Jha
Lalit Jha
Binod Shah
Biplav Yadav
Bindu Mishra
Ritesh Chaudhary
Jay Mandal
Pramod Kantha
Binay Shah
Paramendra Bhagat
date Jan 27, 2007 11:49 AM
subject Re: The Madhesi Issue
signed-by sbcglobal.net
Hello All:
I take privilege to comment on Mr.Ratan Jha’s e-mail to you. In my view there is something wrong with power holders and intellectuals of Nepal in the way they look at the issues affecting Madhesh. They may have learned the books of democracy and may have capacity to think about the things that affect them but the evidence indicates that they have not been able to wash out the attitude as the colonizers of Madhesh that they have cultivated based on their backgrounds in Nepal. They have not been able to get out of the mindset that Madhesh their colony. Here are reasons for my arguments:
1. History shows that even in the times extreme situations some people showed righteousness towards the oppressed and acted against the oppression. For example, abolitionists worked under very extreme condition during slavery in the USA. In Nepal, throughout the period of Shah rule, not only these power brokers and intellectuals not feel no need to speak their mind against oppression in Madhesh, rather they choose to benefit out misery of the people of Madhesh and assisted the government in oppressing Madheshi’s. Either they did not understand what fairness was or they were selfish and dishonest. I believe that the latter is applicable.
2. In the cover of rehabilitation, they distributed vast tract of land in Madhesh among the people of Pahad (hills) with objective of changing population mix of Madhesh. Traditionally landless Musahar, Chamar and others in Madhesh were not included in rehabilitation. The planners were there intellectuals.
3. They intellectuals who crafted 1990 democratic constitution deliberately chose to be unfair to the people of Madhesh. Do not tell me that they did not know that equal representation and equal opportunity were basis of democracy. They also did not provide avenue for addressing complains against discrimination.
4. The things that come out after the recent democratic revolution also show that the intellectuals of Nepal do not want to fair to the people of Madhesh.
Let us open our minds and speak the truth even it is painful, this is the only way we can reconciliate. Durable peace is not possible without fairness and equality to all--is it so hard to understand? I do not think so.
Regards,
Ram N. Sah
12:11 pm (23 minutes ago)
to nepaldemocracy@googlegroups.com
cc Ratan Jha
Binod Shah
Biplav Yadav
Bindu Mishra
Ritesh Chaudhary
Jay Mandal
Pramod Kantha
Binay Shah
Paramendra Bhagat
date Jan 27, 2007 12:11 PM
subject RE: The Madhesi Issue
Ratan! Thanks for bringing forward valid points to the distinguished member of ND Forum. The question you posed why "Terai issue is NO issue to majority of the distinguished members of this forum"?
I would like to believe that Terai issue is of "concern " for the members of ND forum. I do wonder, to what extent (extreme) these concern are really for the ND forum members (who are not from Madhesh origin)? do they see the current terai unrest as simple "nuisance" or can they really relate in their hearts and mind the genuine double standards/discrimination the madheshi people has suffered from the rulers of Hill region over past centuries? Common sense tells me that the "true" compassion is not realistic expectation specially from the people of non-madheshi origin. However since most of the members in ND forum are educated, it is time to discuss openly and caringly about this issues.
Like most madheshi people I grew up feeling inferior to pahadi people as I made it through school and college and two year job instint in nepal. Over the recent years you and I frequently faced question like "are we from India", while attending the NEPALI CONVENTION in US. I do not think those questions were intended to be demeaning or hurtful. What this question pointed out to me is how madhesi people are PERCEIVED in the eyes of people from Hill region, even when most of them have had very good exposure of Terai. I'm afraid that most of the people from Hill region, genuinely feel that Madheshis are really not nepali. In my opinion, this perception is rooted due to the lack of proper education, and political discriminatory policy. When I see the post cards that tourist buys in Nepal, what do you see? majestic Mountains, houses and people from Hill region? very seldom you will see any post cards that reflects madheshi lifestyle and cultural stuff. whether intentional or not, the fact is that integration of Madheshi in main stream has been long ignored. This must be acknowledged from the heart first. Then we must understand that it takes time to change person's mentality. Education, fairness and tireless work are needed.
I have abhorred being treated like second class citizen. I genuinely dis- like the policy's that has led to the suffering of Masheshi people. I believe that people hurt when they see other people hurt "automatically". Knowing my friends from Hill region, I like to believe that they care because I know they are good people when you get to know them.
Education and change of heart is needed. Let us keep doing our part and pray for peace, fairness and Justice for all.
Lalit Jha
Pramod Kantha
12:28 pm (9 minutes ago)
to Ram Sah
cc nepaldemocracy@googlegroups.com,
Binod Shah
Bindu Mishra
Ritesh Chaudhary
Ratan Jha
Jay Mandal
Biplav Yadav
Paramendra Bhagat
Lalit Jha
Binay Shah
date Jan 27, 2007 12:28 PM
subject Re: The Madhesi Issue
mailed-by wright.edu
Madhesi Empowerment
Hello all: The Terai issue deserves all the attention it can get from every quarter simply because the future of Nepal depends on resolving this issue. The debate on the forum should be guided by the positive spirit of frankness and sincere desire to find a resolution; of course, remedy depends on the diagnosis. However, it appears that there is broad agreement on many important points of such diagnosis. Instead of beating around the bush, we should be looking straight at the problem as it is. I applaud the postings made on NDF by ANTA president Ratan Jha and add some preliminary thoughts of my own here. I am sorry about the long posting.
The marginalized status of the people of Terai is visible everywhere in Nepal as well as abroad. The ongoing agitation in the Terai region should not surprise any one. It has been long overdue and one should be grateful for the patience with which the Terains have endured the flagrant violation of their basic citizenship rights and denial of their basic human rights through systematic and institutionalized discrimination by the state. Defensive reaction to what is happening there will not be helpful. Dismissing the demands of the Teraians as being externally driven and inspired by misguided elements will also be only counterproductive. Instead, the national leaders (unfortunately, all of them are Pahadis!) must demonstrate their sincere appreciation of the aggrieved feelings of the people of Terai region and reassure them of their sincerity to work to resolve the underlying problems. The psychic disconnect can not be bridged without sincerity and commitment. The onus is on the national leaders to prove that this can happen.
I remain convinced that the best course for the people of Terai to resolve their grievances is that of negotiation and reconciliation. Violence will only widen the gap between the Pahadis and Madhesis leaving both the communities poorer and more anguished. Nepal has just started its journey away from the decade long trauma and devastation caused by violent course. Continuing disorder and violence will also allow room to those driven by their vested interests to aggravate the situation and advance their nefarious ends. At this critical juncture, Terai is, indeed, the soft underbelly of the ongoing political transition in Nepal. Continuing chaos and disorder in the region can truly jeopardize the peace process that has made remarkable progress over the past year. Every Nepali has a serious stake in making sure that the country completes the ongoing transition to full fledged democracy that embodies freedom and the rule of law as the guiding principles. The plight of Madhesis today is a direct result of decades of malignant political practices perpetuated by an autocratic regime. No one needs democracy more than people who have been traditionally oppressed and marginalized. One has just to look across the border at India to see the difference that democracy can make. One would not be that far off the wall in suggesting that even the current political assertiveness of the Terai people is made possible by the political opening obtained by the April revolution and consequent peace process.
Unfortunately, the unrest in the Terai reinforces the adage that squeaking wheels get the grease. In that sense, one can understand the pleasant tickle that many Teraians feel at the attention that the protests are drawing to the genuine but long neglected grievances of Madhesis. Within months, if not weeks, the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) has risen into national and international limelight. It does have a lot of work to do. However, people of Terai should not expect overnight transformation of realities on the ground. The leaders of ongoing political transition deserve benefit of doubt and one should take their pledges to address the grievances of Terai people sincerely and allow them to demonstrate through their action that they mean what they say. The MPRF and the two factions of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) should immediately join the government leaders in finding a peaceful way out. The people of Terai must show their fitness for democracy by pursuing a peaceful and persistent course of action to achieve their objectives. In return, the government must refrain from using force against peaceful protests lead the process of change.
Nepal’s political leadership has recently shown remarkable astuteness in the art of accommodation and reconciliation. With respect to Terai, however, the learning curve leaves a lot to be desired. The people of this region have not been taken into confidence during the ongoing transition and they remain outside the mainstream of Nepali politics. The best thing the government can do to pacify the unrest in Terai is to come up with a declaration that lays out the government’s response to the main demands raised by the protesters.
The Nepali state, including the police, the army and the political leadership of all major political parties are in dire need of what could be called “extreme makeover.” They need to look more like Nepal and reflect its diversity. Populated overwhelmingly by the same kind of people connected with each other with multiple reinforcing bonds of caste, kinship and shared privileged status, the higher echelons of government and political leaders of Nepal will find it hard to overcome deep seated doubts by “others” over their neutrality and sincerity.
Yet, sincere efforts must be made to achieve order and democracy. The challenge is a daunting one and the failure to tackle it will be disastrous. The charges of complicity of security forces in perpetrating deliberate brutalities against the Madhesis in Nepalganj must be investigated fairly and the report must be made public. The government must severely punish those responsible to deter such future behavior. The same should be done for other situations (Lahan, Janakpur etc). Nepali leaders should also live by their own democratic profession and accept population as the basis of representation; it is people that need to be represented not mountains and trees. National political parties must field candidates whose ethnic, cultural and linguistic profiles closely represent their constituency. All the demands of the Terai people must be given fair consideration.
By Pramod K. Kantha (The author is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, USA. Can be reached at pramod.kantha@wright.edu)
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In The News
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Rautahat tense; Madhav Nepal’s ancestral house vandalised
NSP-A leaders want the party out of the government Some central leaders of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandidevi) have urged their top party leadership to walk out of the ruling coalition government and engage in the ongoing agitation in Terai. Five central members of the party issued a joint statement appealing to the party leadership to engage in the peaceful street agitation by forming Democratic Madhesi Front. They have asked the leadership to call a meeting for the purpose. The central members who signed the statement include party treasurer Dilip Singh and members Biswanath Shah, Mahesh Prasad Yadav, Manish Kumar Suman and Mahendra Ananda. The statement has come at a time when organisations such as Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) have intensified riots and demonstrations in Terai districts demanding amendment in the interim constitution.
