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#694 14 - 20 February 2014 20 pages Rs 50 ACCOMMODATE KOIRALA CLAN PROVIDE ELECTRICITY IMPROVE LEAD CLEAN, LAW AND EFFICIENT ORDER GOVERNMENT SMILE MORE WRITE A NEW PROVIDE CONSTITUTION BASIC IN ONE YEAR SERVICES NEGOTIATE CUT WITH UML FOR CABINET PORTFOLIOS PROTECT SIZE PRESS FREEDOM SORT OUT HOME CONDUCT MINISTRY LOCAL ROW ELECTIONS BIKRAM RAI DESK OFFICER ushil Koirala sat behind his desk at Singha Darbar ANOTHER CROSSROAD Son Tuesday (above) to assume office as Nepal’s 37th EDITORIAL prime minister at a time of unenviable challenges. With PAGE 2 a self-imposed warranty period of one year, his prime THE YEAR OF ministership is on a tight deadline to deliver. Within LIVING DANGEROUSLY hours of taking office, PM Koirala was already in fire- BY ANURAG ACHARYA fighting mode in a you-promised-no-we-didn’t row PAGE 3 with the UML over the candidacy of Bam Dev Gautam JYAPU SPIRIT as Home Minister. His next challenge is to form a lean WHOSE HOME IS IT ANYWAY? For a glimpse into the traditions of Jyapus, and mean coalition, conduct local elections, and write BY TRISHNA RANA visit this lesser-known a constitution all within 2014. PAGE 6 museum in Patan. PAGE 10 2 EDITORIAL 14 - 20 FEBRUARY 2014 #694 ANOTHER CROSSROAD e have just done a search in the Nepali Times He may have once hijacked a for one year, or until the constitution is written, online archives of all editorials over the whichever comes first. Wpast 10 years for the word ‘crossroads’. It plane, now Sushil Koirala needs to The prime minsiter’s first order of business is to is one of the most frequently used words to describe steer the country towards stability provide the kind of leadership and statesmanship for this country’s prolonged political transition. We compromise and accommodation shown by his cousin described various ceasefire agreements during the in the post-2006 period so that the new constitution conflict as ‘crossroads’, the post-royal massacre period is written, printed, and bound by deadline. It is not as in 2001 was a ‘crossroad’, the make-or-break events of difficult as some of the politicians make it sound with April 2006 and the ceasefire later that year were also their grandstanding. The only real issue holding up an ‘crossroads’, and we referred to the country being at agreement is what kind of federalism we should have. a critical ‘crossroad’ after the dissolution of the first Here the election results give us a sensible roadmap: Constituent Assembly in May 2013. devolution to elected autonomous local units that are Now, with Sushil Koirala being sworn in as the economically viable and politically feasible. country’s new prime minister, there is a feeling we Working out a consensus on the constitution are at another crossroad. The country can travel would need the prime minister’s full attention, but he ahead towards a new dawn of stable democracy and is already mired in the familiar power-sharing games prosperity, it can be mired once again in chaotic of coalition formation. In this, he has to contend with political infighting, or it can go over the edge into an challenges within his party as well as from the UML, abyss. which has already shown how petty-minded it is The fact that it has taken nearly three months after by boycotting the prime minister’s swearing in. One the elections for parliament to even convene and elect thing Sushil must try to avoid is his late cousin’s habit a new prime minister does not bode well for the future. of the cynical and ruthless squelching of rivals within Negotiations between the NC and the UML to form a the NC, which ended up weakening and splitting the coalition cabinet have run into predictable difficulties grand old party and setting the country’s democracy over ministerial slots, which probably mean further back a decade. delays in government formation. So, for now, we just BILASH RAI Koirala has always been in the shadows of his have Sushil Koirarla and Ram Sharan Mahat being more charismatic, ambitious (and sometimes corrupt) sworn in. hallmark of his life. He would have set a wonderful relatives and in that sense is an unknown entity. If he had asked for our advice, we would have precedent by bringing in new blood and would have One thing is for sure though, as long as he heads the suggested to Koirala that he do a Sonia Gandhi and be earned respect and authority far beyond the temporary government we will not be able to say that corruption a kingmaker by pushing forward a younger protégé, but glory of prime ministership. But in the dog-eat-dog world in this country ‘starts at the top’. Behind that hirsute, neither Sher Bahadur Deuba nor Ram Chandra Poudel. of Nepali politics, that would have been asking for too enigmatic visage and mumbling diction may still be The Nepali people would have respected Koirala much, even of Sushil Koirala. However, Koirala has let the man the country needs at a time when it is once even more for personal sacrifice, which has been the it be known that he intends to stay in Baluwatar only more at the crossroad. ON THE WEB www.nepalitimes.com DOING GOOD Nepalis out of poverty and provides For our political leaders, integration by INGOs, but through the goodness ALPACA FARM Nepal dropping to the bottom of respectable opportunities for our youth of Maoist combatants into the national of their hearts to demand justice and Nepal is already well-known for the rankings on the freedom to to earn an income. army last year signaled the end of truth for their brothers and sisters. pashmina shawls, if marketed do business does not surprise Janu the peace process. But thousands Such a movement will take time and correctly, alpaca wool blankets can anyone (‘Doing well by doing good’, of victims and their families are still a show of unity that has often evaded become equally popular, which Editorial, #693). This is yet another Out of the 28 million Nepalis, only desperately searching for answers and us Nepalis, but I believe it is possible. will help improve the state of our reminder that it is high time we a handful of men have brought shame have yet to experience true peace. Maya Karki economy and provide more jobs for focused our energy and attention on and dishonour to Nepal. First, the Shah Gaya locals (‘Alpaca farm’, Meghna Bali, the country’s economy. But do those dynasty looted us, but they are gone CONSERVATION MATTERS #693). Although on the expensive in power care? And what was the now. Then came the Koirala family, To lose family members is I completely agree with Hum Gurung: end, encouraging more farmers to point of the conference on Business Sher Bahadur Deuba, Madhav Nepal, painful enough, but to not get any infrastructure development around expand into the alpaca market and Ethics for a Prosperous Nepal? All Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Baburam closure about their disappearance or the Chitwan National Park and advertising the benefi ts of the wool the businessmen, who provided Bhattarai et al. We are well aware of death is probably the most terrible thing other protected areas shouldn’t be can greatly increase sales abroad. millions of rupees for election how they exploited the country. Yet, we a person can experience. And to make carried out without consulting local Aneesha Thapa fi nancing that enabled the old men are helpless against them. We can no things worse, the government makes stakeholders and measuring the on chopper rides, will begin getting longer allow 100 men to destroy our relatives wait for 12 years before they environmental impact (‘Conservation Wow, alpacas are ugly, I wonder favours once the Congress and UML future and destiny. Something must can claim property rights and other matters’, #693). If the proposed why their wool costs so much? led government begins its tenure. be done today; otherwise we will live entitlements. Without the monetary railway is given the green light, it Besides, not everyone can afford to We all know which big business without water, electricity, petrol, jobs, support, families have to suffer grave will set a dangerous precedence for raise alpaca in Nepal, we don’t have families have evaded taxes. But or food. mental and fi nancial ordeals. The other similar projects. Decades of the knowledge or the resources without these companies, the Nepali Narayana Prasad state needs to take responsibility for conservation efforts will be wiped out, to raise an animal that is originally media will bleed dry, so they are its citizens and provide families with poaching will thrive, and we stand from South America. If only we could always hesitant to highlight such SHARING SORROW a) the truth, so that they have some to lose our rich biodiversity. I hope make use of the animals and plants stories. At the moment, no institution It is encouraging to see women whose kind of closure, and b) immediate Gurung’s piece and the previous available locally. in Nepal can talk about ethics. lives were torn apart by the confl ict compensation, so that they can lead Nepali Times’ report will encourage Siddharth Sharma Bibek Karki trying their best to get back on their the remainder of their lives with some discussions within the conservation feet (‘Sharing sorrow to ease pain’, kind of peace. circle and among policy makers. We have waited far too long Juanita Malagon, #693). We defi nitely Keerthana Shrestha Sumeet Shrestha for politics to correct itself and as a need to hear more success stories of Weekly Internet Poll #694 result Nepal’s economy is currently confl ict victims who have started new Since it is in the best interest REAL TO REEL on life support.

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