You Can't Change Their Attitude, But You Can Defeat Them
Ram Chandra Poudel represents all Bahuns in power, all Pahadis in power in expressing his relentless dishonesty during his talks with the MJF. The talks have gone nowhere. You can not change Poudel's Bahun attitude, but you can defeat him. That is the lesson to draw from the talks.
Dishonest Formula For Elections Can Not Be Tolerated
- 240 seats are first past the post. The first time they tried to draw the 116 constituencies in the Terai, they gerrymandered it so thoroughly so none of the current Madhesi MPs could get reelected. As a result the Madhesi MPs had to shut down the parliament for a month. Those boundary lines have not been redrawn. There is no reason to believe they will not gerrymander again.
- I just learned a party must secure at least 20% votes in the first past the post system to participate in the 240 seats for the proportional election part of the formula. Only a unified Congress and the UML might get that, and even that I doubt. This formula has been put down to create a three party democracy in the country: Congress, UML, Maoists. But these parties are daydreaming. No party will secure more than 15% of the votes. This is not the 1990s, the Madhesi, Janajati and the Dalit are now awake.
- There is a provision that of the 240 seats for proportional election, " for Madhesi men and women, 15.6 percent each have been set aside. For Dalits men and women, 6.5 percent each have been allocated and for ethnic Janajatis men and women 18.9 percent each have been set aside. Two percent each have been allocated for men and women, respectively, of backward region and 15.1 percent each have been earmarked for men and women from 'other' category." That brings the total to 116%. That is proof of Bahun dishonesty. This formula has been designed to hijack the people's right to choose their own representatives.
- The 20% formula is to make sure only the top three Bahun parties get to have a say. That ensures Bahun hegemony since the Madhesi, Janajati, Dalit, Mahila who might squeek in will all do so at the behest of the Bahun bosses. They want the three big parties to submit lists. And after the election, they want to draw people out of that common pool. So the Bahuns bosses decide who the people will be to get the 240 seats of proportional election, it will not be the people.
- I am utterly surprised the Sadbhavana (Anandi) is not offended by this 20% formula.
- NFIN has betrayed the Janajati people. The hope for the Janajati now rests with the Limbu, Rai and Tamang political parties that have come up as of recent.
- There is a provision that 17 people will be appointed by the cabinet into the constituent assembly. There is also a provision in the interim constitution that the Prime Minister can only be ousted by a two-third vote in the parliament. What that means is that regardless of the outcome of the elections to the constituent assembly, Girija will still be Prime Minister. That makes for sham democracy and sham elections. If you already know who the Prime Minister will be even before elections have taken place, then that is not an election, that is something else.
If the eight parties do not come around to agreeing to holding the election to the constituent assembly based on this formula, there is no point in having elections. Elections can not be allowed.
If the Bahuns agree to fully proportional elections to the constituent assembly, they do not have to agree to anything else. They don't have to recognize the martyrs of the Madhesi Kranti, we will do it on our own. They don't have to hold respectful dialogue to mainstream the armed Madhesi groups, we will do it on our own.
MJF: Only Option Is To Engage In A Final Round Of Protests
The Madhesi Kranti gave birth to the political party MJF. Before the Madhesi Kranti, the MJF had a few leaders in each district and a few tens of members. Now it has over 100,000 members all across the Madhesh.
Election Schedule Determines Protest Programs
The time to ask for fully proportional elections to a constituent assembly is before the parties have filed nominations under the current dishonest formula. During that first phase of protest programs, that should be the one point agenda. That will offer simplicity and clarity.
Effort has to be made to reach out to every other party and organization in the country that also has an uncompromising stand on holding fully proportional elections to the constituent assembly.
But if they plough through that deadline, the agenda changes.
Breaking The Country Into Two Is An Option
Lull Before The Storm
At that point the Madhesi people will have exhausted all options to try and stay inside Nepal. We tried street movements, we tried talks. Then we will have hit a point of no return.
Street agitations will have to be organized. The goal will no longer be to pressure the government in Kathmandu. The goal will no longer be to ask to hold completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly.
The goal will be to create a new country called Madhesh.
How
You shut all of the Madhesh down completely. This is going to be bigger than the April Revolution, this is going to be bigger than the Madhesi Kranti I. The state boundary will be as shown above.
During the first phase, the signboard of every government office in the territory will be targeted. You erase Nepal Sarkar and write Madhesh Sarkar.
Then an interim government in Upendra Yadav's leadership will be formed. It will be composed of more than one party. Birgunj will be declared the capital city.
An effort will be made to make sure there is no ethnic exodus. Pahadis in the territory do not need to move out. Madhesis outside the territory do not need to move in. Everybody in the territory will get citizenship certificates of Madhesh. It will be a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural country.
The interim government will invite all armed Madhesi groups to come along. A Madhesh Army and a Madhesh Police will be formed.
Fully proportional elections to a constituent assembly for Madhesh will be held in April 2008. At least every third name on a party's list must be female. Other than that there will be no rules. The assembly will get one year to write a new constitution for the country.
India, China, Nepal Army
They are all going to have to stay out of this. None of their business.
In The News
Govt-MPRF talks put off; two sides blame each other Kantipur “We reached the ministry at 8 in the morning to draft the agreement reached during our informal meeting yesterday evening,” MPRF chairman Upendra Yadav told ekantipur. “But we found none of the government negotiators there. Khanal turned up almost two hours behind the schedule. He, too, didn’t have any idea whether the other members of the government panel will come or not. Then we left.” ........ “Now it is clear that the eight-party alliance does not want the elections,” he added. ... Ram Chandra Poudel, who arrived at the ministry at after 11:00 am, charged that the talks was put off after the MPRF put forth some unreasonable demands. ...... Poudel said that the MPRF has demanded regional autonomy for Terai ahead of the elections. .. “Similarly, they are demanding that a provision in the Constituent Assembly Elections Act that stipulated that the party that secure less than 20 percent of the votes (in first-past-the-post system) cannot take part in the proportional electoral system should be extended to 35 percent. This is inspired by autocracy,” he added. ...... Stating that the government is committed to implement the agreements reached during the first round of talks held at Janakpur, Minister Poudel said they have agreed to resume the talks on August 26. .... “No. We have not reached an agreement to resume the talks,” Yadav said. ...... MPRF leaders also said that they have only demanded that the provision in the CA Elections Act should be scrapped,” they said. ..... after the two-day central committee meeting.
CA polls Hobson’s choice, says Nemwang He also suggested the political parties and leaders of the civil society to hold more debates and discussions on the models of federal structures in the country.
Chure-Bhawar group threatens to resume agitation CBPES chairman Keshav Prasad Mainali said that the government must fulfill their 23-point demand and immediately release its activists, who have been arrested on “false charges”.
NC, UML lawmakers flay Maoist protest programmes
Maoists stop police patrol in Parbat villages
Banda cripples life in Biratnagar
दलहरू चुनावी अभियानमा राष्ट्रिय जनमुक्ति पार्टीले झापाका सबै क्ष्ाेत्रबाट उम्मेदवारी दिने घोषणा गरेको छ । ... निर्वाचन क्ष्ाेत्र निर्धारण आयोगले प्रतिवेदन नदिएका कारण जिल्लामा कति निर्वाचन क्ष्ाेत्र हुने भन्नेमा निर्वाचन कार्यालयचाहिं अन्योलमा छ । को कुन क्ष्ाेत्रमा पर्यो वा कति गाविस कुनमा परे भन्नेबारे जबाफ नभएको बताउँदै कार्यालय प्रमुख इन्दुकुमारी थपलियाले भनिन्- 'तैपनि तयारीका कुनै कसर बाँकी राखेका छैनांै ।' .... पछिल्लो आयोगले ७ वटा क्ष्ाेत्र सिफारिस
न्यायिक नेता ढिलो र झन्झटिलो न्याय प्रक्रिया, पुरातन र हैकमवादी प्रवृत्ति, पाइलैपिच्छे पैसा, अपारदर्शी कार्यशैली, भनसुन र चाकडीमा आधारित नियुक्ति तथा कारबाही प्रक्रियाजस्ता सवाल अदालतभित्रका परम्परा रोग हुन् । मुद्दा दर्ता, सुनुवाइ र फैसलाजस्ता न्यायिक प्रक्रियामा मात्र नभई अदालती प्रशासनसमेत अपारदर्शी, अलोकतान्त्रिक, हैकमवादी भएको र प्रशासनिक खर्चमा व्यापक अनियमितता भएको भन्दै कर्मचारीहरूले आन्दोलन गरेको धेरै भएको छैन । स्वयं न्यायिक कर्मचारीहरूले सर्वोच्चका रजिस्ट्रारको राजीनामा मागेका थिए भने अदालतभित्र लोकतन्त्रीकरणका लागि प्रधानन्यायाधीशसामु पटक-पटक गुनासा पोखेका थिए । नयाँ नेपाल निर्माणमा मुलुक जुटिरहेको बेला न्यायालय भने आफ्नै ढर्रामा व्यस्त छ ।
अनावश्यक आन्दोलन माओवादीले एकाएक 'संघर्षको कार्यक्रम' कार्यक्रम घोषणा गरेर संविधानसभा निर्वाचनप्रति आशा पलाउनै लागेका बेला तुषारापात गरेको छ । ..... भदौभर प्रचार-प्रसार, आन्तरिक तयारी र जनपरिचालन तथा असोज १ देखि चरणबद्ध रूपमा देशव्यापी जनसभा, जनकारबाही र राजनीतिक हडतालका कार्यक्रम गर्ने बताएका छन् । निर्वाचन सम्पन्न गर्न ९० दिन पनि बाँकी नहुँदै माओवादीले अघि सारेका संघर्षका कार्यक्रमले निर्वाचनप्रतिको अनिश्चिततालाई बढाएको छ । ....... निलम्बनको अवस्थामा रहेर एकांकीपूर्ण जीवन बिताइरहेका राजालाई माओवादीले अनावश्यक महत्त्व र चर्चामात्र दिइरहेको छ ..... तराईबाट माओवादी लगभग बढारिएको छ । जनजाति क्षेत्रमा यसको उपस्थिति न्यून देखिएको छ । यसप्रतिका केही भ्रमहरूबाट बुद्धिजीवीहरू पनि मुक्त भइरहेका छन् । वास्तवमा माओवादीले आफ्ना मित्रहरूको निकै ठूलो पंक्ति घटाइसकेको छ । नेतृत्वको शिखरबाट हेर्दा यो देखिँदैन होला तर माओवादीले गरेका ज्यादती र गैरकानुनी कामकारबाहीले यसलाई कमजोर बनाउँदै लगेको छ ।
संविधानसभा चुनावको वातावरण संविधानसभा चुनावमा निर्वाचन आयोग जुटेको देखिन्छ । प्रायः राजनीतिक पार्टी चुनावी सन्दर्भमा किंकर्तव्यविमूढ देखिए पनि एमाले साँच्चिकै चुनावी तयारीमा लागेको छ । सरकारी चाल चिप्लेकीराको गतिमा छ । सरकार प्रमुख गिरजाप्रसाद कोइराला धेरै अर्थ लाग्ने बोली बोल्नुहुन्छ । अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समुदाय चुनाव घोषित मितिमै हुनुपर्छ भन्ने अर्थमा आपmना विचार व्यक्त गरिरहे छन् । केहिले त घोषित मिति मंसिर ६ गते पनि चुनाव हुन सकेन भने सरकारको बैधता र लोकतन्त्रमाथि खतराको कुरासमेत व्यक्त गरेको देखिन्छ । माओवादीले चुनाव अगाडि गणतन्त्रको घोषणा र पूर्ण समानुपातिक निर्वाचन प्रणाली हुनुपर्ने माग अघि सारेको छ । मधेसको स्थिति झन् फरक र विकराल छ । हिंसा, हत्या, अपहरण, फिरौती मुठभेढ र तनाव बढ्दो छ । मधेसीहरू अझै पनि सडकमै छन् । आन्दोलनकै मुड कायम छ । वार्ता सफल छैन । जनतान्त्रिकसँग वार्ता सुरु हुन सकेको छैन । घोर अविश्वास र त्रासको वातावरण छ । सरकार इमान्दार र मुद्दामुखी हुन सकिरहेको छैन । मधेसी आन्दोलनकारी र सिंगो मधेसी समाज सरकारमाथि विश्वास गर्न सकिरहेको छैन । मधेसमा चुनाव लागेकै छैन । आठ पार्टीका राजनीतिक कार्यकर्ता सदुरमुकाम केन्दि्रत छन् । गाउँ इलाकाहरूमा राजनीतिक गतिविधि प्रायः न्यून छन् । ...... जनआन्दोलनको सन्देश र म्यान्डेट संघीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र हो । तर आठ पार्टीद्वारा जारी अन्तरिम संविधानमा संघीय अवधारणा त्यागिएकाले माघमा मधेसमा ऐतिहासिक जनविद्रोह भएको हो । यो मधेसी जनता मात्रको विद्रोह थियो । ...... पहिलो, मधेसी जनताको ऐतिहासिक जनविद्रोहलाई दबाउन सेना परिचालनको कुरा उठाउनु । दोस्रो, मधेसी जनविद्रोहलाई बद्नाम गर्न र मधेसी मुद्दाहरूलाई ओझेलमा पार्न दरबारिया मन्त्री र व्यक्तिहरूलाई गिरफ्तार गर्नु । तेस्रो, मधेसी आन्दोलन दरबार, विदेशी र हिन्दुवादीबाट सञ्चालित छ भन्ने कुत्सित र कुटिल वक्तव्यबाजी गर्नु । चौथो, ४३ जना मधेसी सपूतले सहादत्त प्राप्त गरेपछि ८०० भन्दा बढीको अंगभंग भएपछि र २९ अर्ब बराबरको सम्पत्तिको क्षति भएपछि मात्र प्रधानमन्त्रीको दोस्रो वक्तव्य आउनु । पाँचौ, मधेसी जनताको ऐतिहासिक जनविद्रोहको भावना र मागविपरीत गृहमन्त्रीलाई निरन्तरता दिनु । छैठौं, मधेसमा गैरमधेसीलाई चुनाव जित्न सजिलो बनाउने गरी -जनसंख्याको अनुपातभन्दा बढी) निर्वाचन क्षेत्रको निर्धारण गराउनु । सातौं, आम मधेसी र मधेसका सम्पूर्ण मधेसी पार्टीहरूको मागविपरीत मिश्रति चुनाव प्रणाली कायम गर्नु -मधेसको माग पूर्ण समानुपातिक निर्वाचन प्रणाली हो ) । आठौं, समानुपातिक निर्वाचन प्रणालीको सिट संख्या आधा बनाएर पनि बन्द लिस्टमा पार्टीद्वारा छनोटको कानुनी व्यवस्था गर्नु । नवौं, मधेसी आन्दोलनविरुद्ध चुरेभावर आन्दोलन खडा गराउनु अर्थात् आन्दोलनका विरुद्ध आन्दोलन । दसौं, मधेसी आन्दोलनलाई दबाउने नियत साथ र राजनीतिक आन्दोलनको सैनिक समाधान खोज्ने बद्नियति र मुख्र्याइँसाथ मधेसका १६ जिल्लामा सशस्त्र प्रहरी फोर्स तैनाती गर्नु । एघारौं, धेरैजसो प्रचार मिडिया र पत्रकार मधेसी आन्दोलनविरोधी भूमिकामा निर्लिप्त रहनु र त्यसमाथि राज्यले कुनै कारबाही वा हस्तक्षेप नगर्नु । बाह्रौं, संविधानसभामा 'ह्वीप' प्रणालीबारे एउटा नवीन, रचनात्मक र न्यायपूर्ण पोजिसन निर्धारण नगरिनु । तेह्रौं, अन्तरिम संविधानमा राखिएको प्रावधान र निरुपण गरिएको सिद्धान्तबमोजिम राज्य सञ्चालन अझै पनि समावेशी पटक्कै नहुनु । चौधौं, लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रलाई 'संघीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र' भन्न कन्जुसी गर्नु । पन्ध्रौं, 'चुरेभावर आन्दोलन' लाई मधेसी आन्दोलन र मुद्दासरह हैसियत दिनु र व्यवहार गरिनु । निकट विगतको छोटो अवधिमा समेत सरकारले गरेका यी क्रियाकलापले गर्दा मधेसी समुदायमा सरकारप्रति विश्वास जाग्न सकिरहेको छैन । विश्वास सिर्जना नहुन्जेल न वार्ता सफल हुन्छ न संविधानसभा निर्वाचनको वातावरण बन्छ । न मधेसमा हिंसात्मक आन्दोलन चलाइरहेका राजनीतिक समूहहरूलाई मूल प्रवाहमा ल्याउन सकिन्छ । ......... असमावेशी संविधानसभाले समावेशी संविधान बनाउन सक्दैन ...... यसका लागि पहिलो निर्णय हुनुपर्छ पूर्ण समानुपातिक निर्वाचन प्रणाली । ..... सरकारी कामकाजमा एक भाषा नीतिको अन्त चाहन्छन्
Maoist protest programmes draw worries from different quarters NepalNews
Govt decides to disclose report of Ojha Commission today’s cabinet meeting approved 81 names recommended for the vacant posts of secretaries. Tomorrow’s cabinet meeting will pick up 21 names out of these names for the vacant posts
Govt-MJF meet inconclusive; MJF likely to quit talks process Immediately after the talks began today morning, the MJF team led by its chairman Upendra Yadav accused the government of not being serious towards fruitful talks and called off the meeting. ....... the Madheshi outfit stuck with its demand for fully proportional representation based election system and federal autonomy with the right to self-determination before Constituent Assembly elections. ...... they would formally announce the end of talks process with the government at the party’s central committee meeting to be held tomorrow in Birgunj. ...... the government was not 'serious' towards their demands and has not fulfilled past pledges. ..... Ram Chandra Poudel told a local radio station that the next round of talks would take place on August 26 after the MJF team arrives from Birgunj after taking part in their central committee meeting
Timely CA election is the only way out: Speaker Nemwang
UML leader calls upon NRNs to assist polls UML central committee member Bhim Rawal was also present in the meet chaired by president of Nepalese Democratic Forum (NDF) UK, Ang Kaljung Lama. The meeting was held at the Priority Community Centre at Acton Town, London.
Parties worried by Maoist move the agitation by the Maoists could end up disrupting the November elections for the Constituent Assembly (CA). ..... acting general secretary of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Amrit Bohara warned a political and constitutional crisis if the CA election is disrupted ..... Leader of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandidevi) Hridayesh Tripathy said this trend would obstruct peace process and election. ...... senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai claimed that their agitation will ensure the CA elections by creating necessary 'framework.'
Pascoe hails progress in polls preparedness
Home ministry gears up for CA election security Armed Police Force (APF) has been dispatched to 156 constituencies as per the plan of deploying them in all the constituencies to make the security arrangement during election tight. The home ministry has already mobilised APF in all district headquarters of the country and has also accelerated the pace of restoring police posts that had relocated during the people’s insurgency. ..... the work of deploying security forces in all election constituencies and bring the security situation under control would be finished within mid-September ..... the recruiting of myadi police or “on contract” police needed for providing security to the constituencies would start.
CPN-UML's 'call' to Nepalese in India
Nobody has the right to supersede the people, says NC gen secy
MJF enraged over election schedule Speaking at a programme in Sunsari district, MJF vice president Kishore Kumar Bishwas said that while they were locked in negotiation with the government over the demand of adopting fully proportional representation based election system, the EC had released its schedule on the basis of mixed system. ..... This shows that the justification for the talks with the government has ended, he said. ..... The MJF has demanded dissolution of the parliament, adoption of PR election system and federal restructuring of Madhes, among others.
EC publicizes election schedule two separate schedules for the first-past-the-post and proportional electoral systems. ..... for the first-past-the-post-system, the candidates will have to file their nominations from 10 am to 5 pm on October 5. ...... The commission will publicise the initial list of candidates on October 6. ..... The commission will then publicize the final list on October 10 and allot the election symbols on October 11. ...... for the proportional electoral system, the political parties must submit an enclosed list of candidates on September 30. ...... The enclosed list will be publicised on October 15. ..... the commission will publicise the final enclosed list of candidates for the proportional electoral system on November 2 and distribute the election symbols on the same day. ..... Voting for both the elections will take place from 7 am to 5 pm across the country on November 22. ...... vote counting for the first-past-the-post system will not start until all ballot boxes from all the polling booths are collected. ....... the commission will declare the candidates elected under the proportional electoral system on the basis of the proportion of the valid votes obtained by the concerned parties after the commission receives the final valid vote counts from across the country.
