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#382 11 - 17 January 2008 16 pages Rs 30 Weekly Internet Poll # 382 Q. Do you think 2008 will be better than 2007 for Nepal? Total votes: 4,433 Third time lucky? SUBASH DEVKOTA Poll dates are set, but the reshuffle may here are still plenty of not be enough to mollify all madhesis Weekly Internet Poll # 383. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com things that can go wrong Q. Who is most to blame in the delay in T between now and then, setting an election date? but the seven parties have agreed had previously resorted to 90 days for preparation, will have been a deliberate attempt to on a date for elections for the delaying tactics, has run out of a comfortable margin for provoke a Maoist reaction and constituent assembly by April. excuses. The election preparations this time. weaken Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Just announcing an election commission, which had wanted Still, there are spoilers. The position within his party during date of course doesn’t mean there main problem is the unrest in the a crucial central committee is going to be one. There madhes, which is reaching meeting. have been two abortive boiling point. All madhesi groups The cabinet has finally attempts in June and have announced separate but understood the issue of madhesi November 2007. coordinated agitation starting on under-representation and tried to But this time it 19 January, the anniversary of appease tarai activists by is different. Maoist the uprising that flared up a inducting two madhesi ministers, hardliners, who had year ago after a demonstrator including Ram K Chaudhary as been putting their was killed. State Minister for Home Affairs leadership under The royalist and centre- and Formula Mansur as Minister pressure not to agree right political parties also of Science and Technology. to polls, are now on don’t want elections because Koirala has also brought in his board. The NC, which the polls will automatically set own daughter, Sujata, as minister the country on the path to without portfolio. republicanism. Kamal Thapa’s RPP Nepal party Editorial held its first big rally in Back to the SSR p2 Kathmandu on Monday, Tarai eye Prashant Jha questioning the right of the Deadline pressure p4 seven parties to abolish the monarchy. The two new UML appointees This week’s spat between the are also from the madhes: Ram K army chief and prime minister Yadav who has been promoted to on one side and the Maoists on Minister of Public the other, over integration of Administration and Nagendra the two armies, appears to have Chaudhary is State Minister for Agriculture. Of the seven new appointees to the interim parliament, five are from the madhes. But these moves may have come too late for radicalised madhesi groups who had wanted Krishna Sitaula removed and replaced by a madhesi home minister. z SUBHAS RAI 2 EDITORIAL 11 - 17 JANUARY 2008 #382 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda Dixit Design: Kiran Maharjan Director Sales and Marketing: Sunaina Shah marketing(at)himalmedia.com Circulation Manager: Samir Maharjan sales(at)himalmedia.com Subscription: subscription(at)himalmedia.com,5542525/535 Hatiban, Godavari Road, Lalitpur editors(at)nepalitimes.com GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5543333-6, Fax: 5521013 www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 5547018 Dear Comrade An open letter to Puspha Kamal Dahal ACK TO THE here is no doubt that you tipping point came with the only for effect? Revolution for B SSR and your party have created largely peaceful street protests of what? For the development and If there is one thing that symbolises how far we have come in T history in Nepal after 12 April 2006. It is hard to admit happiness of Nepalis or for more nearly two years of the peace process, it is the sight of the newly long years of struggle. Nepal is at that, but be honest and misery, pain and death? If the re-inducted Maoist ministers walking around with (ex-royal) the cusp of a new phase in its acknowledge it. continued threats and violence Nepal Army bodyguards. It should be a small extra step from this to integrate the two history that we couldn’t even You also need to know that by your cadre go on, there isn’t armies, but things are not as simple as that. Our army for many have dreamt of three years ago. struggle can’t go on forever, much of a future left for your years was a largely ornamental force that paraded on Tundikhel struggle should have a purpose party. twice a year and was at the beck and call of the palace. GUEST COLUMN beyond just grabbing power. For You have said “sorry” many November 2001 changed all that, and for the next five years the Nepal it must be for peace, times. And last week you even army fought a dirty internal war that badly tarnished its Aruna Uprety democracy and justice. But you visited a political activist beaten reputation. keep repeating the tired old up by your cadre and said your Nepalís defence budget tripled during the war years, the Even royalists in this country lines in your speeches: “Our party had changed its policy and number of men under arms nearly doubled. We canít afford, and now think the monarchy is too immediate aim was to attain you had directed your flock to donít need, such a massive military. With the peace process, much trouble to keep. Your party new democratic revolution but desist from such acts. Who is there is an opportunity to clean up the institution and move from played a role in bringing about like any other Communist our going to believe you? a feudal praetorian guard to a non-partisan, professional force under elected civilian command. this change. But you will soon final objective was also to In another interview you say So, how do you reconcile adding tens of thousands of ex- find that perhaps waging an establish socialism and “a single appeal by us will bring guerrillas into an army that should be downsized? Is soldiering underground guerrilla war was communism.” the masses onto the streets the only job we have to offer ex-combatants? Downsizing and perhaps the easy part. It is easy to What I understand by again”. Who are you trying to integration of Maoists into the army go under the acronym SSR reach the top but difficult to socialism is that people have threaten? Why not mobilise your (security sector reform). remain there, as they say. food, education, health care and people against hunger and Gen Katuwalís uncharacteristically direct comments after First off, you should have no freedom from abuse by the state poverty? Educate people about visiting India and before his China trip were echoed by the prime illusion that it was violence and and other groups. Time and cultural practices that confine minister this week. However much UNMIN and the Europeans conflict that brought us to where again you have said that the 21st women to the cowsheds. You may push SSR, it looks like our giant neighbours arenít that fond we are today. Your revolution century will “again be a century tried to do it, but by the threat of of the idea. Now that we are getting ready to vote out a monarchy was going nowhere militarily, of revolutions”. Do you really violence. And you still haven’t that used to be the symbol of nationalism, it is even more important to have a de-politicised army that is above the fray. violence was a dead end. The real believe that, or are you saying it learnt that transformation doesn’t The way the Maoists have tampered with the ministries under happen by the barrel of the gun their control gives ammunition to those against integration. The but by social mobilisation. It’s Ministry of Information has turned state media into Maoist been nearly two years, but you mouthpieces. We just canít allow that to happen to the have failed in that time to re- Nepal Army, or be politicised like the Nepal Police was educate your cadre that atrocities by the NC and UML in the 1990s. against the people do not bring To be sure, Katuwal was being disingenuous change. when he said he didnít want the army to be You told senior editors infiltrated by indoctrinated cadre. After all, letís not recently: “Had Lenin been alive forget that February First was a military coup of for another five years, he would which the jarsap was one of the kingpins. If the army had no problem doing the bidding of diehard have allowed political royalists then, theoretically, there should be no competition. He would not have problem allowing diehard republicans into the rank allowed the kind of repression and file now. within the party which was There is also a psychological factor at play here: unleashed by Stalin.” Finally, an for the sake of peace the army shouldnít reject integration admission of Stalin’s purges. But outright. Cadre politics within the Maoists just wouldnít allow why is Stalin’s picture still on its leaders to be seen to accept the role of a defeated PLA. your wall? Senior commanders will probably drift into politics anyway, and You have said you can change some battle-hardened warriors could be useful to the national the face of the country in 10 army. years. Yes, it can happen given The best compromise could be to set up a separate rapid deployment force made up of both armies for border patrols, the right visionary leadership, industrial security and to guard the national parks.

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