Govind Shah: Peaceful Resolution

DIALOGUE FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF MADHESHI MOVEMENT
Shree Govind Shah
3 February 2007

Madheshi people staged protests and demonstrations since 19 January 2007 primarily under the guidance and leadership of Madheshi Jan Adhikar Forum. Other political organizations such as Sadbhavana Party (A) and Jantantrik Mukti Morcha were also involved in Madheshi movement, which is seen by many people and civil societies as ANDOLAN III. People from rural areas and women in large numbers are taking part in this mass movement, never seen in the history of Madhesh. If such a mass movement would have been taken place in Kathmandu, the government would have been either changed or removed by the people. Government mechanism does not seem to be very serious and people from Tarai have no faith on the present government. This would invariably affect democratic movement in the country.

Madheshi people are fighting for their NATURAL RIGHTS and survival in Nepal; equal rights and opportunities in all aspects of social, political, and economic life. The demands are as follows:
a) Federal system of governance and regional autonomy with rights to self determination,
b) Proportional representation according to population in the Constituent Assembly,
c) Redelineation of the Constituencies, and
d) Representation of Madheshi people in State organs and programmes during the transition period

These demands are genuine, very rational and legitimate.

Movement got support from Human Rights organizations, UN Mission, and the international community in Nepal. The State used police force brutally and 19 Madheshi people were killed and more than 550 people were injured till 3 February 2007. Some of the injured persons are in critical stage.

The State was put under pressure and the Prime Minister on 31 January expressed commitment for a federal system of governance and some increment to the number of electoral constituencies in Tarai region. He made a provision for forming a committee to hold dialogue with the groups staging protests and demonstrations. Most political parties such as UML, NC (P), CP Maoist, Prajatantra Party and Madheshi Jan Adhikar Forum as well as Human Rights organizations and Civil Societies have felt that the Prime Minister’s commitment could not address the basic political issues raised by Madheshi people. However, the PM’s address has opened door for dialogue, which has been accepted by some of the groups staging protests.

On 2 February, government formed a 3-member “Talk Team” led by Mr. Mahant Thakur, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives to hold dialogue with the agitating parties in Tarai, the other members being Gyanendra Bahadur Karki (NC-Democratic) and Rajendra Pande (UML). The affected Tarai political groups are still working on forming a cohesive “Talk Team”.

We assume that the Tarai Talk Team would discuss the above mentioned four demands in the in the dialogue with the government Team thoroughly and concisely. However, they would need technical support from intellectual groups and civil societies during the dialogue process. We have to make the Tarai Talk Team ‘Do it for people’.

The components of the four major issues are discussed here, which would help the groups in the dialogue process. This is not complete and I request your input to finalise it. This will be given to the Talk Team and widely circulated for knowledge and information. We would not be in the Talk Team and but we can press both the Talk Teams during dialogue; we have to influence them for acceptable outcomes.

Working Paper on Demands by Madheshi Movement

TALKS MODALITY

The first and the foremost thing is the Talk Modality. All the concerned groups involved in protests and demonstrations are to be included in all forms of dialogue. This should include:

a) Concerned groups involved in Madheshi Movement such as Madheshi Jan Adhikar Forum, Jantantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha, Sadbhavna Party (A)
b) Representatives from Civil Societies
c) Observers: International IDEA Sweden (Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) - working in the area of constituency, democracy etc; technical assistance; UN system – assistance for peace process.

Federal system of governance,

Demand I: Establishment of Federal System of Governance and Regional Autonomy with Rights to Self Determination

We can seek advice from various national and international bodies.

The following components of Demand – 1 are to be discussed and agreed by both government and Tarai groups.

1. Establishment of central government at national level and a number of provincial governments of common nationality.

2. A “Madhesh Pradesh” in the Tarai ecological region extending from Mechi River in the east to Mahakali River in the west will be established as a province under the federal system of governance in Nepal.

3. Distribution of powers is an essential feature of federalism. The central national government would exercise power over some issues and the provincial governments would exercise power over other issues. Powers among the three branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial are to be separated between national government and provincial governments. Both the Central and Provincial governments shall have three independent branches of government: Legislative, Judiciary and Executive. The framework has to be discussed and agreed by both the Teams. Some of the framework examples are given in Table 1.

Table 1. Powers distribution between national and provincial governments
(This Table is not complete)

SN National government Provincial government
A. Legislative
The Legislative body at Central and Provincial level shall function independently.
Defence, national security, and foreign policy Legislative shall function independently except in matters related to defence and foreign policy
Provincial government shall participate in the administration of all sectors of governance except foreign affairs and defence.
B. Executive
The executive bodies at central and provincial level shall function independently, but with necessary inter-linkages and coordination between them.
1 National fiscal policy Provincial fiscal policy
2. National economic policy; National Planning Provincial economic policy; provincial planning; regional autonomous policy
3. National policy on natural and cultural resources; water management for hydropower generation, river basin transfer Use and management of natural and cultural resources; water for irrigation; land management for increasing agriculture production; forest management; authority to negotiate with other provinces, and bilateral and multilateral agencies.
4. National education policy Provincial education policy
5. National Public service commission Provincial public service commission
6. Revenue collection and management
Joint Revenue Commission to be established to work on modalities for provincial and national distribution and management of revenue including hydropower and mining
7. National transport and communication, and civil aviation Provincial transport and communication
8. Policy on industry and commerce Actions on provincial industrial and commerce development
9. National and provincial commissions on police management, judicial management, public service, education, anti-corruption and good governance, indigenous, dalit and disadvantaged communities

B. Judicial
The judicial body at Central and Provincial level shall function independently.
1. Establishment of constitutional court at the national level to interpret constitutional arrangements regarding provinces and central government Provincial judicial Council/Commission will have jurisdiction over provincial court of Appeal, zonal court and district courts and other administrative bodies in the province
2. Management of High courts and Supreme courts Control over lower courts
3. Independent commission on the relationship with the national government and other provinces

Structure of Provinces

1. Each province will have few zones made up of a group of districts. Zones shall be formed based on language, geography and population.

2. The administrative boundaries of all the existing districts shall be reviewed and realigned on the basis of geography, ecology, topography, population and linguistic characteristics.

Structure of Madhesh Pradesh

1. The Madhesh Pradesh will comprise of five administrative zones, established on the basis of language, geography and population (Table 2). Each zone will have a total population in the range of 2.0 – 2.5 million, and will consist of a group of administrative districts.

2. New administrative districts shall be established by realigning the boundaries of the existing districts based on geography, ecology, topography, population and linguistic characteristics. The hill and mountain area in the existing 20 administrative Tarai districts shall be excluded, and made part of other provinces. Similarly, Tarai ecological area of other districts will be included in the realigned Madhesh districts e.g. Udaypur district.

3. The local government at district level shall be based on decentralized principles of governance, similar to the existing provisions of the Local Governance Act 2058 BS (2002).

Table 2: Proposed Zone and Districts of the Madhesh Pradesh
Population figures in ‘000

Zone No. Districts 1/ Population 2/
(‘000) Total Area 3/
(‘000ha) Siwalik hills and mountain areas (‘000ha)
I. 1. Jhapa 688.2 156.9 10.3 (6.6%)
2. Morang 843.2 184.7 35.4 (19.2%)
3. Sunsari 625.6 127.1 11.3 (8.9%)
Sub Total 2,157.0 468.7 57.0 (27.1%)
II 4. Saptari 570.3 135.9 31.6 (23.3%)
5. Siraha 572.4 122.8 27.8 (22.6%)
6. Dhanusha 671.4 121.8 31.8 (26.1%)
7. Mahottari 553.5 98.8 15.6 (15.8%)
Sub Total 2,367.7 479.3 106.8 (22.3%)
III 8. Sarlahi 635.7 126.3 17.6 (13.9%)
9. Rauthat 545.1 103.7 7.8 (7.5%)
10. Bara 559.1 129.6 17.5 (13.5%)
11. Parsa 497.2 139.0 48.5 (34.9%)
12. Chitwan 472.1 219.5 113.0 (51.5%)
Sub Total 2,709.2 718.1 204.4 (28.5%)
IV 13. Nawalparasi 562.9 201.6 156.3 (77.5%)
14. Rupandehi 708.4 141.4 22.4 (15.1%)
15. Kapilvastu 482.0 175.7 28.4 (16.2%)
16. Deukhuri Dang 462.4 297.3 194.0 (65.2%)
Sub Total 2,215.7 816.0 401.1 (49.2%)
V. 17. Banke 385.8 236.0 119.8 (50.8%)
18. Bardiya 382.7 203.6 63.6 (31.2%)
19. Kailali 616.7 324.8 132.0 (31.6%)
20. Kanchanpur 377.9 163.7 19.5 (11.9%)
Sub Total 1,763.1 928.1 334.9 (36.1)
TOTAL 11,200.9 3,410.2 1,104.2 (32.4%)
Source: Shah (2006)
1/ Currently, there are 20 administrative districts in the Tarai region
2/ Population as per 2001 census
3/ ISR&RC District Development Profile of Nepal

Demand 2: Proportional representation according to population in the Constituent Assembly

1. Both the government and the Madheshi movement groups should agree on proportional representation system based on population in the forthcoming Constituent Assembly election.

2. Consideration could be made to elect one person each from the six Himal districts such as Manag, Mustang, Dolpa, Humla, Mugu and Rasuwa for the Constituent Assembly; these districts are primarily the habitat of Janjati ethnic community. These districts had population ranging from 9,587 (Manag) to 43, 937 (Mugu) in 2001.

Demand 3: Redelineation of the Constituencies

1. Currently, the average population per constituency in mountain districts and Tarai districts is about 73,000 and 127,500 respectively. This drastically reduces the number of parliamentarians from Tarai administrative districts. As about 48% of the country’s total population live in 20 Tarai districts, 48% of the total constituent assembly members should be from Tarai districts.

2. Both the government and the Madheshi movement groups should agree on Redelineation of the constituencies based on population for the forthcoming Constituent Assembly election. About 70,000 population should be considered for each constituency. About 300-310 constituencies could be delineated.

3. Ethnic communities e.g. indigenous Janjati, Dalits and Muslim should be represented in the Constituent Assembly on the basis of their population.

Demand 4: Representation of Madheshi people in State organs and programmes during the transition period

1. Madheshi people including Janjati, Dalit, and Muslim have been, in practice, excluded in the socio-economic, political governance, decision-making and policy planning processes, and in major state organs. Similarly, the donors and the international agencies/ organisations have mostly excluded development activities in areas where Madheshi people have majority.
There would be a transition period of about 3 years before the provinces under the federal system would start functioning. Both the government and the Madhesh Movement groups should agree on including Madheshi people in all state organs and activities.

2. Madheshi should be explicitly included in the exclusionary group. Currently, government’s commitment is only to Janjati, Dalit and women groups.

3. Inclusion in practice of Madheshi people in all kinds of State approved programmes and opportunities. Both the government and the Madhesh Movement groups should agree on penalties for non-compliance.

4. Government should immediately redirect donor communities, international agencies, and INGOs to develop and implement socio-economic development programmes in Tarai districts.

5. Both the government and the Madhesh Movement groups should agree on declaring and respecting all the Madheshi people killed during the Madheshi Movement as “Martyrs”. The government should compensation and rehabilitate the martyr’s families under an acceptable package.

6. Government should bear all the expenses for treating all the injured persons now hospitalised in Nepal and India. Government should immediately pass an ‘order’ and direct the concerned ministries to comply. Some of the injured persons are amputated and some of them would not be able to work for their living as normal person. Government should compensation and rehabilitate them and their families under an acceptable package.

7. Government should immediately and effectively stop use of brutal police force against the protests and demonstrations and immediately remove curfew in Tarai districts.

8. The government should form a judicial commission to investigate the killings in Tarai and perpetrators should be brought to justice.


Dr. Shree Govind Shah
Environmentalist and Policy Analyst
Chair Person, Adhoc Committee, Federation of Madheshi Community Nepal
P.O. Box 8975, EPC 1830
Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: (977-1) 5526 903
Email: sgsjune10@yahoo.co.uk
sgs@erma.wlink.com

Inbox 10

please remove my email address from your mailing list.

krishna

Dear All
Please find attached press release from Janakpur. this has been decided and released by the people of Janakpur from different walks of life. Please circulate to the concern people and organizations.
Thanks

--
Er.Satya Narayan Shah
Janakpurdam-4
Cell:- +977 98510 04366
Phone: +977 1 4465729/2030068
Email: er.snshah@gmail.com; snshah@wlink.com.np


The Madhesi Community in Nepal has seen peacefully agitating since last 19 days against the long stand of discrimination and inequality. However, the state and media is trying its best of project this liberation struggle as communal violence by their deeds of total ignorance and apathy. Despite all the state insensitiveness, the agitating, Madhesi people are still maintaining peaceful means during their mass protest and demonstration. This fact has been established by the fact that all the dead (Total 19) and the injured are only madhesi and all they have been killed and tortured by state police or other state appointed communal elements.
Seeing the barbarous acts, people of Janakpur from different walks of life have apealed to all the concerned people and organisation to drw attention and do the needful. Please find the attached document.


On 8/6/06, Paramendra Kumar Bhagat wrote:

Madhesi Caucus In Interim Parliament Needed
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/08/madhesi-caucus-in-interim-parliament.html

There are two broad areas we need work in: message and organization.

The message has to be a simple five or 10 point program that all or
most Madhesi organizations can agree on. It would be something akin to
a Madhesi Manifesto.

On the organization front, I feel an urgent need for two things: a
Madhesi Caucus in the parliament, and a Madhesi umbrella organization.

http://www.paramendra.com

--
Er.Satya Narayan Shah
Janakpurdam-4
Cell:- +977 98510 04366
Phone: +977 1 4465729/2030068
Email: er.snshah@gmail.com; snshah@wlink.com.np

Note: forwarded message attached.

Dear All,
I request you all to put pressure and convince both the government and the
Madheshi movement group to immediately start dialogue for peaceful
resolution. We do not want to loose the hard earned democracy in Nepal.

The attached file describes the major issues and the framework for peaceful
resolution. It is being widely circulated both in Nepal and abroad
including all the international agencies.
Best regards,
Shree

Dr. Shree Govind Shah
Chairperson
Ad hoc Committee, Federation of Madheshi Community Nepal
G.P.O.Box 8975, EPC # 1830
Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone/Fax: ++ 977-1-5526 903
Email: sgs@erma.wlink.com.np

Situla must go now.Your Stake? Also if you have sujata's number.


Dear All:

The paper by Dr. Govind Shah is good one. In addition to circulating these kind of information, we should also post these at forum where many other people can see ( I, e., ND forum, ANTA website, etc..). Most if not all of you are member of ND forum. Please feel free to post this kind of paper article on the forum. Also ask Ratan to post these on ANTA web site.

I just saw article by Bindu on Nepal news. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/others/guestcolumn/feb/guest_columns_03.php

These can be also posted at forum and web site where majority people can see and ponder, discuss and exchange ideas. It is equally important that all of us respond to the issues/ideas brought forward on these forums. I encourage all of you to use the forum and exchange ideas. At this time, most of Madheshi are on board in regards to the real issues of this Terai Movement. The challenge is to take our message to the pahades and other people. We should also solicit help from Paramendar ( a tireless worker and brilliant mind) in posting some of the information on his blog sites. It’s good that we share information among ourselves. Let’s coordinate and reach out to the as many people we can. Education of many Pahadis people is needed to make them really understand what is the underlying problem behind the Terai Movement.

Equally important is that we also need to educate and inform Madheshi about how we can use democracy to our advantage. There is no reason to vote for pahade candidate from Madheshi constituency. We have culture of in-fighting, divide and rule, submission and not standing up for our just right. If we do not change our mentality, then we will be susceptible for future domination and discrimination. Following is the last two paragraph of Dr, Sukhdeo Jees article on “Terai’s Fate- Looking Within”. Personally, these sums of my main concern and worry! We must also “look within” , before looking too much “outside”. We should make effort to have our fellow Madheshi “look within” as we move towards new, unchartered territory! It is always easy to look outside then looking within. Real change can not be made without looking within and making core change within our selves also.

“Such an outcome is not surprising, for the reason that Terai population cannot unite, which can help them escape servitude and the sub-class status that has been their lot for generations. Even if one looks at the current protests for Terai’s rights in a sympathetic manner--and wishes the protests to succeed--it is unlikely that the old habits would change and gains from this movement would be long-lasting.

This is so because a race or an ethnic group used to servitude and domination can hardly be counted on to safeguard their rights and freedoms—however painfully acquired. My guess would be that, after the initial storms have passed, most Teraians would align themselves with pahadias to undermine each other, and invite the outsiders to fill the gap. Otherwise, how was it possible that a pahadia candidate would win in a free and fair election in places over 90 percent populated by ethnic Teraians?”

Sincerely,

Lalit Jha

ANTA


I read with interest the document by Dr. Shree Govind Shah. Please take a look at this and suggest.
I think Dr. Shah did a great job. We should also ensure certain percentage of representation from minority in all the government and private machinary.

Regards,
Binay Shah


STOP Abductions,

STOP Extortions.

STOP Killings,

To get Terai problems resolved put pressure on government peacefully.

Indigenous Peoples [IPs] are also offering their solidarity with you guys - the Terai peoples - in that your demands are genuine and in that you do it peacefully !!!

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=99588

Bindu's Article on Nepalnews
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/others/guestcolumn/feb/guest_columns_03.php

Paramendra;

Excellent effort - Sorry I won't be able to make it but send us the resolution. Let peace be in the land of Shiva, Buddha, Sita and King Janak.

"Educate people by presenting NOT only by protesting; introduce political democracy by construction NOT only by destruction !" - AR




Dear All:

Please see email below. Specially read the link. Also see the email written by Rakesh and the response from the author of the article. In my opinion, we should send response to educate and inform her. Although I like to see different point of view, we should also take this opportunity to provide relevant information.



Ratan: Can you also invite Rakesh to ND forum? Also, please advise on the best way to put forward Terain point of view to Ms. Koirala’s article.



Rakesh: I would like to thank you for responding and being active. We have been very successful in putting forward Madhesi’s point of view in recent terrain movement to the intellectual in US. We plan on keep doing our part. Please visit the ND forum on Google sites (once you are invited). Feel free to write to anyone of us or call.



Sincerely!



Lalit Jha

ANTA


From: Rakesh Mishra [mailto:rakeshmishra888@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 10:27 PM
To:
Subject:

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/others/guestcolumn/feb/guest_columns_02.php

Dear Ms. Koirala

I am writing this mail in response to you article published on Nepal news. I, as a madhesi can not keep silent to your racially charged and mentally bankrupt propositions. I am also sending this mail to a group of my freinds so that they can have some idea of an "Enlightened " vision of a nepali educated(probably) and working in a free American society.

To start with, you try to justify the necessity of king citing example of Afganistan and Iran . Have you ever heard about brutality of Shah Pehlawi and aristocracy of Zaheer Shah. You still live in medieval age where brutal force was used to create and sustain nations. There are many examples like France ....and at least 50 other countries where monarchy was thrown out after world war two and those countries have fared well. This is not a question of who did what? Who is doing what...is more important in deciding the fate of any political and historical institution. I have no grudge against prithivi N Shah and I don't support vandalising his statue but I am equally opposed to the notion that a person, how much noble or whatever, can create a nation and sustain it. He was just a creation of time and space...nothing more than that ...nothing less than that.

You have spitted out all your venom against madhesi community. You are opposing Prachanda for labelling Upendra yadav, a thug and criminal but just to express your superficial anger at maoists, but in turn in your article, you are supporting the same tendency, send armed forces to terai....and crush this movement....Ms. Koirala , be sure its a solution which will be a "bomb" on terirtorial integrity(?) of Nepal. How come, you are asking Madhesis to ask about the reason of our exclusion from Army to Britsh and Indian governments? Do you think policies of Nepal government is guided by policies of Indian and Britsh governments? Tell the truth...what you think.

I will request all to whom this message is sent to respond.....and silence a hawks like you.......who are responsible for rise of separatist ideology in Madhesh. Just click reply to all button.....if u want or keep silent, and wait. If you don't like this mail in you mail box, let me know. I will never send them to your address.

Rakesh Mishra

State College

PA, USA

Response from the writer

Dear Mr. Mishra,

Thanks for your letter. I am always happy to receive them. However, your arguments and charges against me are baseless. If you read my article, it has nothing to do against the madhesi community. Madhesis are the sons of the soil, how can I go against those that till the fertile land of the terai and contribute to the national economy? I have only gone against these so-called JTMM and similar forums who are created by the Indians to actually merge Nepal into the INdian union just like Sikkim .
It is nothing but the ploy of Delhi to show to the world that nothing has worked right in Nepal and then there is no other alternate but to annex Nepal like Sikkim .

The monarchy I think, is precisely very importnant for the sustainance of this country. You correctly took the examples of Iran and Afghanistan . Shah of Iran and the Zahir of Afgahnistan could have been brutal but not as brutal as the subsequent regimes that came to rule Iran and Afghainstan in the post-monarchy period. So, let's not start making Nepal another Iran and invite untoward disaster and chaos.

best of luck

Preeti K.

from some madheshi young professionals from ktm

bhaiji, namaste
I am rakesh ranjan sah from janakpurdham , i am a pharmacist working in a company here in kathmandu.
as it is known to u abt the condition of nepal specially the madhesh , in this condition non of madheshi can stay quite so here we with help of some young professionals from madhesh including doctors , engineers,lawyers , teachers , busineesmans are going to form a group here , regarding this we had a meeting here yesterday n we had decided to bring all madheshi parties , groups , forums under one umbrella , to make pressure on all parties , and the main aim to be a communication point for all groups so we r collecting all informations specially personnel informations including mobile no. n email address n wht ever information will come we will generate to all.
so bhaiji we want tht u also send all information through us n we will generate these here to all parties n forums i am also a regular reader of ur comments on dfn blog n i really like these.
n bhaiji u know the condition of nepalese press n there way of thinking abt madhesh so we want u to generate real condition of madhesh worldwide, regarding this we have many real pictures of the movement going on in madhesh n we want to send these pictures to u so how to send n on which address to send plz inform me .
we are going to make this group within this week so plz send ur valuable information regarding this tht how it could be effective n bhaji we are also going to raise the funds for injuired n from some of us will personnally go to madhesh and distribute this to the families of injured
Expecting ur kind cooperation
JAY MADHESH JAY MADHESHI

Rakesh. This is wonderful.

We need to get organized worldwide.

Do your Ktm thing but also launch a Kathmandu chapter of http://madhesiinternational.blogspot.com/

Send a ton of digital photos of the Madhesi Movement. You can email to me at this address. Better would be to upload directly at Flickr http://www.flickr.com

Tag: Madhesi

Stay in touch.

For your directory, I am Paramendra Bhagat at myspace.com/paramendra That is enough contact info

I am so glad you wrote.

Dear Paramendra,

Good pieces. I don't know if you've read Moriarty's ("Foreign Hand") column in the latest Nepal News, but it's quite a sea change. He now recognizes the incompetence of the parties and the false nature of the allegations of royalists fomenting the unrest. I think even he might be open to a new party, as long as it is non-communist and friendly towards the US. Something to think aobut strategically.

Brian

FUCK OFF And stop emaling your crap!!
narayan subedi Hey Can you mind your business.

I never subscribed to your bull shit crap.

Stay out of my business.

The ex- minister and Magar association central president Gore Bahadur Khapangi Magar is not the only Magar who could solely represent the Magars of Nepal. Everybody knows it.
We are not racist. We are against the so-called upper caste 'casteism or racism' so we are not chauvinist either. The history of Magar ancestors is distorted which western eyes can't see clearly most often. We don't care.

I have shared your message to all in the list.

Thanks,

Hill Man

mlecomte@vjf.cnrs.fr wrote:

What I was quoting in this extract was the answer of Gore Bahadur
Khapangi, and his presentation by the journalist was just a regrettable
detail that I underlined by adding a sic;
However I wonder why you are so aggressive...Be careful not to fall into
racism (first message) and chauvinism (2nd message), which does not make
honour to your illustrious ancestors to my eyes, and you can forward this
to all your friends if you are couragous enough. Marie Lecomte

Hillman 2C wrote:

Hello,
You missed the point discussed originally in the email. Your paper is on-line available . I know you did not write so but copied what he wrote.
Without calculating or weighing at all you copied what he wrote. That is unacademic or wrong. You gave the message to the western world also that Magars or indigenous peoples are 'lower caste' peoples or all Maoists. That is outrageous.
Your writing is an example that you have very little knowledge about the glorious history of Magars. Would you be willing to share your message to all in the list please ?

Hillman

----- Original Message ----
From: Marie Lecomte-Tilouine
To: hillman2c@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, February 2, 2007 10:50:14 AM
Subject:

Dear "hillman", as your message seems to refer to my paper, which
apparently you have not read, I am sending you this short message to
assure you that nowhere I wrote what you say, and that the sentence
which was sent to you is a quotation from a certain Mr Pradhan (who
is not a Westerner I guess).

Marie lecomte

Hillman 2C wrote:

Was Gore B. Khapangi a Maoist ? Strange, I don't believe in. Do the western think all the Magars Maoists ?
Rubbish !
Hillman 2C


Parmendra Ji,
would you please remove this email account from DFN BLOG. I already have another email in this blog and I am getting multiple times.

Thanks for your help.


Date: February 1, 2007

Mr Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Secretary General

Your Excellency

Re: Nepal Government Sponsored Violence against Madheshis in Nepal

Over ten million Madheshi people of Southern Nepal thank United Nations for investigation and recognition of longstanding discrimination and oppression done by Nepal Government. In January 2007, the meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Ms Louise Arbour with Nepal ’s Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, to address longstanding discrimination and social exclusion of Madheshis is significant.

However, since last week of January 07, Nepalese police/army is attacking on peaceful colonized Madheshis-demonstrators who are raising voice for their human rights. That has brought over fifteen deaths and several hundred injured. Killing of innocent Madheshis people by Nepalese police/army has created a terrified situation, as well as, has converted a holy peaceful Madhesh into a battlefield. It has created a scene of insecurity, as well as, rebellion attitude among Madheshi- youths that is quite natural, but it is detrimental to the peace process in Nepal . Continuation of prejudice and injustice; and use of arms by the Nepal- government will create crisis in the country. In lack of urgent and effective measures, there is no doubt; Nepal will be included in near future, into category of Somalia and Sri Lanka .

To prevent the crisis in Nepal , for Human Rights, Justice and establishment of Peace following are suggested measures:

1. Immediate stoppage of use of arms against peaceful Madheshis-human rights- demonstrators/protesters.
2. Formation of Madhesh Peace Force (Madhesh Shanti Sainik).
3. Formation of Madhesh Peace Police (Madhesh Shanti Sipahi).

Looking forward for assistance of United Nations to bring to end government sponsored violence and discrimination against Madheshis in Nepal .

Thanking you for your continued support.

Sincerely yours

Dr Bindeshwar Prasad Yadav
(Nepal citizen)
bpyadav66@yahoo.com,
United Nations Volunteer
Trinidad and Tobago

CC: urgent-action@ohchr.org,
tb-petitions.hchr@unog.ch
registry.np@undp.org
registry@undp.org.tt
claudio.providas@undp.org.tt

Please see what is happening in Janakpur due to terai
unrest.
Binod shah

Today in Janakpur

1. Trade unions jointly chanted slogans against all kinds of discrimination and demanded constituencies based on equal and average population.
2. Joint Youth rally of all youth clubs in Janakpur supporting demands of recent Madheshi movement.
3. People of Tulsiyahi in a big Procession expressed solidarity with recent Madheshi movement.
4. People of kurtha chanted slogans against Girija and Prachanda.
5. People of Bahuharwa did the same in a separate procession.
6. People of loharpatti, in 18 tractors chanted slogans in favour of demands of Madheshi movement.
7. Workers of janakpur Cigarette Factory chanted slogans against discrimination and demanding equality for Madheshis. They also locked Chief District adminstration office of Dhanusha.
8. People of Rajaul at 7:00 Pm chanted slogans against Girija in a torch rally.

Dear Pramendra Jee,

When I came across a few of your writings some months ago, I perceived you as nice intellectual person and felt proud of you as a Nepalese. But my appreciative impression could not last for long and now I came to know that you are playing a dirty role of a conspirator aggravating communal disputes between Madheshi and Pahadi brothers. You are ownselves economically and professionally secured person, but trying to tempt other Nepalese Madheshi brothers to be deviated from their own progress inspiring them in communal disputes. Many people who had great respect on you before, have started condemning you. You are losing your image, your hostile dream and Satanic betrayal to Nepal and Nepalese society will always fail. But nobody can intervene your soul if it is already committed to the hell.

Nityananda Khanal

An anti-racial person who has hundreds of Madheshi friends

Good to see that Nepali Times has recognized your effort for the cause.

Good Job.

Let us all work for a better tomorrow.

Ritesh

Please publish as and if you deem fit.

Sincerely,
Pramod Dhakal
Canada Forum for Nepal
(www.cffn.ca info@cffn.ca)
Ottawa, Canada

In Search of Wisdom
Dr Pramod Dhakal


Any nation runs into a great danger when its rulers go blind. Being preoccupied with the fear of losing his own power, a blind ruler cannot see the tears of the people. When people cannot find any compassion in their ruler, they go in search of another ruler. So what happened in Mahabharata and is happening in Nepal!

Vision for a benevolent rule is not read from books nor is handed down by great advisors. They come from simple process of separating universal truth from all the plethora of problems and scenarios that float around us and then extracting them to solve a problem at hand. But, the hunger for power and position has blinded the “great rulers” of Nepal for rather long.

A blind obsession for power was understood in Gyanendra because he had long conveyed a message that his forefather had “earned” an entitlement to rule over Nepal and he did not need to “re-earn” it for he was descended through the wives of a ruler in a specific sequence. However, what descends from the intellect of other “leaders” - the most noteworthy being that from the Prime Minisiter Girija – does not bode a good omen for the peaceful future of Nepal. Although lifelong public figures like him deserve some respect, they repeatedly behave as if they have some kind of permanent blockage in the link between their knowledge and wisdom. Every time people give them some benefit of doubt and things start going normal, they quickly find some way to deliver one disappointment or the other. Within a few months of being installed in power by a popular movement fomented due to the excesses of monarchy, PM Girija stood to deny Nepalese people to decide whether they wanted a monarchy or republic through referendum. At a time when his mouth was saying that he fought for people and democracy for 60 years, his wisdom was dictating him to stand for a most uncompassionate king and his son loathed by the people. In doing so, these people are inferring that, except those in the palace, no other Nepalese mother is incapable of giving birth to a good ruler.

Any person who has not yet learnt to respect the womb of his mother has not yet earned anything worthy to be a ruler of a country. Devaluation of her as an inferior to the palace-mothers is an indicator that the person is still foolish, blind and incapable to emanate love and compassion to unite his people. Instead, when a leader believes or stands for superior or inferior wombs, he is in confrontation with those who believe that the wombs of all mothers are pure. And our leaders’ manifest their lack of this sense again and again.

If our leaders were to turn a few pages in history, they would find that no one can know which mother gives birth to a great leader. It is written that great leaders were often born of ordinary mothers, and those also of “inferior” clan or race; take examples from Krishna, Jesus, Genghis Khan, Gandhi or Mandela. Instead of dismantling all obstacles in raising great sons and daughters of a nation and letting them emerge out of centuries old dust and filth, our leaders are standing against the flow of time. They are imprisoned by their knowledge acquired during their past and synthesized for the context of the past, and, therefore, cannot find a tinge of wisdom to stand fit for the historical juncture they are at the moment. By the time these leaders with questionable vision learn the knowledge relevant for the present, it may already be too late or the learnt idea may have become obsolete. There are ample patterns shown to date to substantiate the assumption made that way; they only saw the flaws of 1990 constitution in 2005; saw the significance of Maoist’s demands after full ten years and 13000 lives later. But what they saw as important or unimportant in 2006 is already proving to be the opposite. So it makes one to question, “will they always remain bachelors of politics or someday turn into wise-men?” May be a donkey will never be a horse no matter how old it grows.

Do we remember the late king Mahendra’s poem, “Saktina Dekhna Bhanchhin Santan Thari Thari Ka” (I can’t see the disparity among my children)? He, the shrewd manipulator of people and a greatest obstacle to democracy, was able to at least pretend to know the disparity of people. But our astute leaders cannot even admit the appalling disparity among the children of Nepal even if that was largely the making of the past which was not on their control. Instead they are carrying the guilt of injustice on behalf of the spent force of monarchy. For two-third of a year since April 2006, their primary obsession rested on how to save the monarchy at a time when the monarchy had proved itself irrelevant and obsolete. A whole lot other energy was and is being expended on finding reasons to not devolve the old state power or to determine the right-quantity of devolution. Possibly because they only have confidence and experience to carry on the old and corrupt state but their legs start shaking when it come to handling a country with devolved power base and empowered people!

If history has taught us any lesson, let us not pick stuffs from the dustbin of history even if they had worked well in their times. Let us project towards the future of humanity that we want to build and adapt to the call of time. Let us not beg for the answer to the question of what the meanings of universal equality of humans and freedom are from the emissaries of George Bush, Tony Blair, Hu Jintao, or Manmohan Sings. Let us find ourselves through our own intellect applied to our own context. But to begin that process let us first accept that that every mother’s womb is equally pure and worthy of producing great sons and daughters without requiring a sperm of the royals or that of a specific race. Then we will find how many great sons and daughters can descend from the womb of the ordinary mothers of Nepal. Then we will be able to shelve the rule of fiefdom for ever! We will be free and liberated, but not separated!!

About the author:
Dr Pramod Dhakal is a former faculty member of Tribhuvan University and holds a Ph D in electrical engineering. He is Executive Director of Canada Forum for Nepal (cffn.ca) and can be reached at pdhakal@gmail.com.
Pramod Dhakal, Ph D
Canada Forum for Nepal
33 Bellman Drive, Ottawa, ON K2G 6C6 Canada,
pdhakal@gmail.com or +1-613-596-6692

I don to hear all this .

so please stay out of my way.

narayan subedi

hey prawin asked me to ask you if it's possible for you to write a
non-inflammatory column for samudaya! ha
let me know what you think

www.sarahana.com

Please remove from your list.
Thanks

Dear Paramendra Kumar Bhagat Ji,

I am working for Madhesy rights, Dalit rights and women rights.

Thanks

Satya
Satya Narayan Shah
Executive Director
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PATH (SODEP)
Ramanandchowk, Ward no. 9,
Janakpurdham, Nepal
Phone/Fax: 041-523325
Mobile: 9851089711
Email: sodep@jncsweb.net