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#79 1 - 7 February 2002 16 pages Rs 20 DANIEL LAK Music ICE SKATING of the in LADAKH gods 8-9 4 NDF QUOTES “The root of the violence is in the villages, that is where we should focus on finding solutions.” - CP Mainali, M-L leader Emergency urgency “Heaven is what it is because three Which should come first: peace, or development? Both. women are in charge of three important KUNDA○○○○○○○○○○ DIXIT ○○○○○○○○○○ ministries: Mahalaxmi manages money, into just another buzzword, but experts agree Mahasaraswati is in charge of education ext week, donors from 11 countries and that handing decision-making to local bodies is and Mahakali looks after defence. We can six multilateral agencies will gather in the only way to begin addressing the causes also turn Nepal into heaven, why not?” NKathmandu and Pokhara to hear Nepal’s fuelling the insurgency: lack of basic services - Chitralekha Yadav, request for additional aid to make up for due to apathetic Kathmandu-centric control. Deputy Speaker resources diverted to fight the insurgency. Development expenditure has taken a This meeting of the donor consortium direct hit. The government urgently needs to “There are good explanations why (called the Nepal Development Forum, multitask: stave off an insurgency, accelerate reforms did not advance as intended.” NDF) is taking place for the first time in development, and put its economic house in BALICA - Lawrence DeMilner, Nepal, and during an unprecedented order with fiscal reforms, re-prioritisation and IMF representative national crisis: a costly counter-insurgency bureaucratic efficiency—all at once. war is on, development is at a standstill, and The Finance Ministry and the Nepal “Pointless talking of good governance: the economy is in shambles. Rastra Bank know better than anyone else we don’t even have governance.” In the run-up to the NDF last week, the just how serious the country’s economic - Tirtha Man Shakya, government held pre-consultation meetings to crisis is, and are racing against time to raise Chief Secretary fine tune its plans, objectives and expectations. revenue, reform banking and privatise sick It mustered impressive paperwork, but the corporations. But reforms are politically “What have we accomplished in the contents failed to dazzle donors or Nepali painful. Does the leadership have the last 12 years? We have produced 11 participants. “There was a worrying lack of political will and transparency to wage war prime ministers. How will we move consensus among Nepali politicians and on poverty and implement genuine reforms? ahead without changing this?” planners about which way the country should That is the big “If” donors will look at next - Jhala Nath Khanal, go,” said one donor rep. week. The Asian Development Bank’s Richard UML Sure, there is plenty to be critical about. Vokes told us: “If the government is aggressive But there are also achievements, like Nepal’s in pursuing these reform efforts, particularly “If it took 50 years to get here, how home-grown successes in areas like community improving governance and reducing corrup- would be serious challenges at any time. But ment without peace forestry, decentralisation and the work of tion, and takes rigorous steps to prioritise the insurgency has made everything much (see interview). But Editorial p2 many more years will it take to eradi- Caught in the middle... cate poverty? The models we use have grassroots self-help groups to raise income. expenditure, the donors will be more open harder. Security costs are soaring, there are there is a consensus not worked.” Bihari Krishna Shrestha, a 32-year veteran of to requests for support.” Politicians like indications the military may need more time that the military campaign must go hand-in- - Chakra Bastola, development planning, out of government populist subsidies, but the seriousness of and an extension of the emergency to force the hand with urgent and effective delivery of Nepali Congress now, says we know what to do, we just need to the country’s fiscal crisis doesn’t seem to Maoists back to the negotiating table. The basic services and jobs in rural areas. get on with the job. “Everything that worked have sunk in, Vokes adds. longer the war drags on, the longer it will take Krishna Sapkota, chairman of the Kavre “If NGOs have done good work they was domestically-innovated,” he told us. “The Ironically, a cash-strapped government is for investment, tourism and commerce to DDC summed it up last week: “Without need to be given due recognition, if not most valuable service a donor agency can give at unable to spend the little it had set aside for return to normal. peace there will be no development, and they should be scrapped.” this time of crisis would be to help devolve development, and is diverting this unspent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba rules without development, no peace. The - Gauri Pradhan, authority to grassroots stakeholders.” money to security. out resuming talks until the Maoists lay down underlying reason for violence is our NGO Federation “Decentralisation” is in danger of turning Given the near-collapse of statecraft, these their arms, and says there can be no develop- inability to improve peoples’ lives.” “INGOs would like to see the One Window Policy placed within a power- ful, well-resourced and respected ministry, or within the National Planning Commission." “If the Maoists surrender their arms, we will talk again…” - Robin Needham, With less than a month to go before the state of national crisis, the standstill in development, and corruption in CARE Nepal emergency must be renewed by parliament, we spoke to high places. Deuba explains why he can’t reduce the size Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba about the counter- of his cabinet, and speaks about his rapport with insurgency campaign, the cost of the war, the governance King Gyanendra. Weekly Internet Poll # 19 Q. Should the state of national emergency be extended? Nepali Times: How long will the emergency last? person, I believed (the Maoists) fully when they said they were for a Sher Bahadur Deuba: I cannot say. Terrorism can’t be solved over- negotiated solution. They wanted a constituent assembly, I told night. People are scared to give information, they are killing them I could not give that, but could organise a meeting to suspected informants. It could take longer to discuss it. I told them let’s hold independent control terrorism, but an emergency elections, you have a chance to cannot be stretched beyond one win. Even if you don’t, you will year. But the campaign is have some votes, which would going well despite the difficult favour a constituent assembly. terrain and the lack of informa- But they betrayed me. In hind- tion. Things are improving. sight, it appears they were MIN BAJRACHARYA playing for time to regroup. But if Is a military solution possible? they surrender their arms, I have no I have always been for problems talking again. Go to p3 Total votes: 913 negotiations. I am a simple 2 EDITORIAL 1 - 7 FEBRUARY 2002 NEPALI TIMES INTERVIEW 1 - 7 FEBRUARY 2002 NEPALI TIMES 3 Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Editor: Anagha Neelakantan Design: Kiran Maharjan [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki [email protected] Sales: Sudan Bista [email protected] CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal “I am determined to devolve power to the grassroots” Tel: 01-543333-7, Fax: 01-521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press: 01-521393 IN MADHYAGAUN from p1 allowed the ICRC (International Committee of the Red We know what has worked. We know decen- for the other side. Can the insurgency be solved without taking Cross) to visit jails. But what can we do, the jails are tralisation is the most direct way of doing that. What about investor confidence and efforts to adhyagaun is not this town’s real name. But it is a sign Maoists scrawled anti-monarchy graffiti on the village school development to the people? crowded and we don’t have money to build bigger jails I believe fully in decentralisation, and I had in the past check capital flight? of the times that we can’t even identify the town here. It in Madhyagaun two weeks ago, they threatened the school Development is needed, but without peace you can’t begin and detention camps. tried to give as much power as possible to local units, but I have told the business community I am willing to do M is situated in Nepal’s mid-hills, and it is caught in the teacher and students with dire consequences if they revealed development programs. my government was toppled. This time, I am determined anything to help. For investment, I will bring a law that crossfire between the security forces and the Maoists. It is like their whereabouts. The soldiers came the next day, forced the Money seems to be a major issue. What do you to devolve powers to local government units. a lot of other settlements across the hills: divided into an upper villagers to erase the slogans and took away the teacher be- It seems to be a Catch-22. Without development plan to tell donors at the Nepal Development will enable us to give infrastructure projects to the private there won’t be peace, and there will be no peace But you have just slashed the VDC and DDC and lower town, with a river running below. cause he was too afraid to disclose who wrote them. Forum meeting next week? sector under BOT (build-operate-transfer) contracts.