#347 4 - 10 May 2007 16 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 347

Q. Do you think people in Kathmandu have similar priorities and political views as those in other parts of the country? Total votes: 2,906 On your marks... …get set, and let’s start again

ALL LINED UP AND WAITING: The Election Commission’s parking lot is filling up with Weekly Internet Poll # 348. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. What is the best option for pickups needed for the elections even though King Gyanendra? the polls now look unlikely before October.

KIRAN PANDAY

ANALYSIS by KUNDA DIXIT Ian Martin keeps saying, whipped up. Pressure is building To kickstart the madhes especially when the people, the up on Pushpa Kamal Dahal from negotiations, a symbolic gesture epali politics may look parties, and the election his deputies on policy issues and like the transfer of Home Minister hopelessly tangled at the commission are so unprepared. on India’s role. But the comrades Sitaula to another portfolio is Nmoment, but things can be Better a delayed election than a have to learn to differentiate urgent. The Maoists refused to let resolved with some fairly easy defective election. The reason this between radical slogans meant for that happen in the interim steps. The prerequisites are broad is such a big issue is because the internal party consumption and government, but now they need to political will and an agreement by Maoists and the parties have made what is in the national interest. the parties to tone down the the date a matter of prestige. Attacking police stations in Banke grandstanding. Someone just has to make sure the and Bardiya, failing to rein in the Editorial The eight parties need to come king and his praetorian guards YCL, and saying confiscated Good news and bad news p2 together to admit what they have don’t mess around. property won’t be returned prove Nation always known: that elections to The Maoist leadership has its to everyone they aren’t ready to be Terror in the tarai p2 the constituent assembly are not own reasons for talking tough and a legitimate political party. possible in June. Then they agree issuing ultimatums on republic. All rights activists and those be realistic. No one will lose face on a date in October after the There is a lot of impatience in the clamouring for ethnic and if health reasons are cited. The festivals. rank-and-file which the top geographical representation need madhes needs immediate It’s not the end of the comrades have to be convinced by the politicians attention and Peace Minister world to postpone themselves that many of their demands can Poudel is underestimating the the election, as only be discussed and decided by seriousness of the crisis (see p 10- the constituent assembly. It may 11). And while we are at it, isn’t be counterproductive for their it time for Girija Prasad Koirala to own cause to put the cart before pass on the baton while he is still the horse. relatively well-liked? 2 EDITORIAL 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda Dixit Executive Editor: Anagha Neelakantan Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Rupendra Kayastha Director Sales and Marketing: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Circulation Manager: Samir Maharjan [email protected] Subscription: [email protected],5011628/29 Hatiban, Godavari Road, Lalitpur Bye to a maverick [email protected] GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5543333-6, Fax: 5521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 5547018 www.nepalitimes.com A passionate businessman with a chip on his shoulder and serious drive GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS he good news is that the media rights group Reporters ohan Gopal Khetan was didn’t buy him popularity. fluency. Most began, without Borders has removed Gyanendra and Prachanda perhaps Nepal’s most Powerful politicians often unglamorously, by trading in T from its ‘Predators of Press Freedom List’ this year. The bad M famous diabetic. He refused to acknowledge him textiles, sitting in their shops news is that despite restoration of democracy the Nepali press is always had an extra shot of publicly—largely because he was 365 days of the year. Even big still under attack. insulin in his kurta pocket when a Marwari. In return, Khetan sahujis found it difficult to find Press Freedom Day this week was a time to assess the he partied, which was quite flaunted his background even respectable Indian grooms for 12 months since People Power II. Ever since the king’s military coup in February 2005, the Nepali media fought back by playing an often—he rarely refused an invite. more. their daughters. activist role and defending press freedom by its maximum For a man who fully lived Marwaris are a close-knit Khetan’s father had to move application. Journalists were not just struggling for their own every day, insulin injections were community and present a to Birganj to find a suitable boy freedom but for the peoples’ right to information. It was the media’s minor hassles. He was only 61 unified face, but differences for his sister across the border. unity and courage, especially on the part of colleagues in radio, that when he died last week. But it within their ranks are marked. The young Khetan, instead of made it possible to confront dictatorship and help topple it. was a life full of vitality and According to insiders, Marwaris getting annoyed, decided to Across Nepal, most journalists are breathing a sigh of relief. variety. in Nepal are of four types. become more successful— The iron hand of the state has been removed. But the scars of past Biratanagar families consider financially and socially—than abuse remain. It wasn’t just during the king’s rule that journalists STATE OF THE STATE themselves the elite. They claim everyone else of his time. In had their fingernails pierced in underground torture chambers. Back higher status because they are doing so, he established the in 2001-3 a democratically elected prime minister allowed the C K Lal mostly in manufacturing, which primacy of Kathmandu Marwaris police to use emergency powers to incarcerate and beat journalists. Some spent a year-and-half in jail with daily torture and still suffer creates jobs and contributes in Nepal. post-traumatic stress. It is a warning to us that the press can be During the late 80s and early more to the national economy Khetan found his true calling brutally supressed even by a government operating within the 90s, the flamboyant Khetan than trading. The Golchhas and in representing multinational parameters of constitutional guanrateed freedoms while the courted controversy and inspired Dugars are prominent among corporations. He became a parliament is in session. It has happened, it can happen again. awe. He was unapologetic about them. quintessential comprador and Having survived all that, the media this year faced a new kind of the methods he employed to The descendents of families flourished with the aid industry. challenge. Journalists in the tarai who worked fearlessly through advance his business interests. He that came to Nepal from Burma Indrachok’s Marwari families had some of the bleakest periods of the war say things are much worse refused to be cowed down when via Hong Kong dominated been stirred even before Khetan’s now. In Lahan, Rajbiraj, Janakpur, and across the central tarai arrested for alleged violation of foreign trade for years. Many adventures—BL Mittal had made lawless bands of criminals in cahoots with various militant groups the Foreign Currency Regulation have since relocated to south- his fortune in construction and are targeting journalists. For the first time, the threat is ethnic. in 1993. east Asian countries and are said Binod Chaudhary showed Journalists are being targeted because of their race, their name, where they live, their appearance. Irregular meals and stress to consider themselves superior promise from a very early age. But The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has counted while in custody played havoc to Nepali traders dealing in Khetan was big and growing. more than 100 cases of intimidation and beatings of journalists in with his health. But Khetan kept primary goods. With the liberalisation of the the past year. After the madhes uprising in January, more than a up his unconventional ways, The mercantile families in 1990s, Khetan diversified into dozen journalists have been internally displaced. Many still don’t ignoring powerful friends who tarai towns usually have manufacturing, banking, dare return. Various militant madhes factions regularly call suggested that it didn’t pay to be a businesses on both sides of the insurance, and aviation. His reporters and threaten them with death for not printing press Marwari maverick in Nepal. border. They’ve been around for successes were legendary and releases prominently enough, or for news critical of them. Ironically, He sided openly with generations and are now doctors, failures spectacular. one of the former-Maoist JTMM factions is lead by Jwala Singh, an Ganeshman Singh in the internal engineers, chartered accountants, He courted controversy to the ex-hack and Siraha FNJ secretary. power struggles of the Nepali and even politicians. They are end, always behaving as if he The country is submerged in identity politics, led sometimes by Congress. He supported the UML, confident, indigenised, and were settling scores for the groups which no one has heard of before. Their method is to try to manipulate the media and if reporters are unwilling use threats and bragged that he had helped the speak Maithili, Bhojpuri, or suffering of his salesmen violence. A correspondent in Butwal was beaten with iron rods Maoists at the beginning of their Awadhi. forefathers. Accounts cleared, he recently by janajati protesters. There is photographic evidence armed struggle, and eventually Ironically, Indrachok left this world. The man from proving who the assailants are, and they happen to be associates of said that Girija Prasad Koirala was Marwaris, such as Khetan, were Makhan will be remembered for the former mayor. Yet, no action has been taken. The Rajbiraj the only politician who had never once considered the underclass years by his friends and foes reporter of a national daily hasn’t been back to his town since asked him for pecuniary favours. of the community though they alike. z January. Kantipur and Image have been repeatedly and deliberately But Khetan’s munificence have lived in the capital for over targeted in the eastern tarai. Birganj FM was ransacked by a mob. a century and speak Newari with The region between Parsa and Morang is now the most dangerous place in Nepal to be a journalist. In this twilight zone, cross-border criminal gangs and mafia work hand-in-hand with politicians. It is often difficult to tell these days whether threats to journalists are plain extortion or political forces using muscle to get their way. Or both. Even in the capital, journalists who dare write about these gangs get death threats. In the past year, we have been forced to re-learn the role of media during a messy political transition. How can media move beyond talking-head journalism to be a part of reform? How to dig deeper than the political quarrels of the day to explain and interpret events? The media’s role is not just to be a spectator but nudge the country towards stability and progress. There are challenges: Nepal’s FM radio success story is now being undermined by ownership going over to businessmen and political parties. This is already undermining the public service function of decentralised radio. A paradigm shift in journalists’ approach to their job is now needed. Reporters can’t just be stenographers looking for sound bytes, obsessed with snatching juicy scoops ahead of the competition. At risk of sounding pretentious, we can say journalism needs a higher calling. By focusing on the few areas of disagreement and magnifying them to distraction we spread cynicism and despair. We shouldn’t be sugar-coating the news, but neither should we just report confrontation and conflict. Facts, if selective, can lie. Happily, the Nepali media’s struggle for freedom and independence in the past two years gives us hope. It’s not just journalists who are now used to freedom, empowered by information, Nepal’s citizens also are. They will not tolerate totalitarian control of any kind anymore.

WALKLEY 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 3

LLL ETTERS

NEW ORDER successor of the ‘people’s liberation committee’ returned to their guesthouse stranded on the way due to the Chure Ashraf Ghani says that the intelligence army’. That is to be expected, and will lawn to exchange promotional t-shirts and Bhawar banda and died. and experience of Nepalis’ need to be only slow down when the Maoists are part- caps, and congratulate themselves on their How many Anuj Tamangs get stuck used (‘New order’, guest column, #346). forced and part-cajoled into feeling like cleverness. in these bandas? We cannot fulfil a Right on. What stops this prosaic but they really are part of the government. Yet four hours walk along the trail, the dying man’s wish, and have even less accurate prescription from being Each of these little local ‘patrol’ groups is village of Tungmen has no visiting hope of addressing the dreams of those followed is the fact that most of my one step away from vigilantism—and that healthcare workers or toilets, and its 200 still living. countrymen and -women are sick and to me reeks of a society where no one or so residents exist in dire poverty. The Yadav Bantawa, email tired of being used and abused by thinks it is wrong to be a law unto more than Rs 5 million spent by TRPAP on politicians and policymakers. Ghani’s yourself, not even the so-called YES AND NO reading of the situation is exactly educated, middle conscience of the Thanks for the brilliant, succinct correct, though, as was Yash Ghai’s country. To deserve public security and analysis in your editorial ‘A public (‘One more chance’, #345). law and order, one has to be willing to republic’ (#346). I think it is also time U Thapa, email ask for accountability repeatedly, again that the media in general get more vocal and again, and leave one’s leaders with in resisting the antics of the Young CK LAL no choice but to ensure it. Communist League. CK Lal’s ‘The price of radicalism’ M Gurung, email On another note, I wait all week for (State of the state, #346) paints a clear your paper, but then get done with it picture of life as it is lived today in the SNOBBISH rather quickly. It would be good to have tarai. Even liberals, whether they admit In ‘Best and brightest’ (Strictly more articles and reports to read. And it or not, have found it hard to take the Business, #346), Ashutosh Tiwari more good news, please—this is a growing madhesi sense of entitlement makes a disturbing argument. But it’s a country of 27 million, there must be without flinching. How much easier it little too easy, I think, to write such something good happening somewhere. would be to accept the aspirations of all analyses. Oh sure, he covers all his Shreeyana Singh Budhathoki, email underrepresented, socially bases, and no one will ever accuse him discriminated groups if only we knew of being one of those ‘people like us’ I thought your New Year’s issue more about how they lived. Lal helps us types. But he is surely not being as (#344) was splendid, a visual delight. all understand our compatriots better. irresponsible or illogical as he sounds? Ignore the people who say that Nepali Shanti Aryal, email Regular, bright, motivated folks should cars, t-shirts etc would provide healthcare, Times does not have ‘enough to read’. stay away from politics? But how, Mr teachers, and toilets for many years for We all get tired of pontificating pundits I found ‘The price of radicalism’ to Tiwari, can you expect a polity—or even such a village. and nattering nabobs, and sometimes be arrogant and callous. Is CK Lal just its ‘best and brightest’—to hold its The pomposity of smug babus who you don’t need anything but pictures— justifying the selective targeting of leaders accountable if it always holds think giving each other t-shirts “alleviates the goat in ‘Coils of fear’ (#346), the people of pahadi origin by the Madhesi them ever-so-slightly in contempt? This is rural poverty” is a sad indictment of those built and re-built bridge (‘Bridge- Janadhikar Forum and the resultant exactly what is happening now, and look at who believe that Nepal ends at the building’, #345), the cautiously ‘respect’ the tv merchant Mr Yadav is the price we are paying for it. roadhead. optimistic ‘Time flies’ (‘New year’s enjoying of late? Don’t forget, Mr Lal, Kiran, email Perhaps TRPAP should change their wishes’, #344) say it all. the ends do not justify the means. name to Can’t Really Alleviate Poverty Tina K, email SK Aryal, email POVERTY CYCLE (CRAP). Last weekend in Syabrubesi I witnessed Judy Smith, email LAW AND ORDER an incident which seems symptomatic of LETTERS While it is important to point out the the state of affairs in Nepal. Tourism for HUMAN COST Nepali Times welcomes feedback. antics of the Young Communist League Rural Poverty Alleviation Program Anuj Tamang was recently mentioned in a Letters should be brief and may be (‘An armless army’, #345) and the (TRPAP) had organised a mountain bike few by-the-way lines of a national daily edited for space. While pseudonyms Maoists in general (‘Still in the race to promote their work on the Tamang because he died. We do not blink an eye can be accepted, writers who crosshairs’, #346), it can get counter- Heritage Trail. I had just completed my or pause to think about individual deaths provide their real names and contact productive to keep demonising them. fourth trek in this area, and was fascinated anymore, but they all have stories to tell. details will be given preference. True, they are acting as a law unto their to see almost a dozen Kathmandu babus Anuj was fighting kidney failure and Email letters should be in text format own. But ask the decent law-abiding arrive in a fleet of new-looking 4WDs. liver cirrhosis at Patan Hospital. He without attachments with ‘letter to the citizens of a number of Kathmandu While the 21 eager participants waited at requested that he be taken back home to editor’ in the subject line. neighbourhoods who have formed their the starting line for the 7AM whistle, these Darjeeling, perhaps to bid farewell to his own ‘neighbourhood police’ or ‘patrol’ self-important bigwigs delayed wife and daughter, perhaps to seek Email: [email protected] or ‘citizen’s security’ what on earth they proceedings for almost forgiveness from his parents for not being Fax: 977-1-5521013 think they are playing at. I find this far 30 minutes while they took photos of each a good son, or maybe just for a final Mail: Letters, Nepali Times, more alarming than I do a YCL that other gracing the event. When the race homecoming. He embarked on the journey GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal. behaves like the natural militia was finally underway, the ‘organising all right, but never made it home. He was 4 NATION 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 to manage rural hospitals, sometimes with Nepal’s health care system is crying out for change excellent results. Several factors help in keeping health workers happy and productive. These are the 5 C’s: Communication: Enable the hospital to use the internet, including telemedicine facility. Getting doctors to stay Continuing Medical Education: Provide professional nourishment for staff n our last morning in Bajhang, a growth. man walked up and asked me to see Connection with a higher hospital: Ohis son. Kiran was a seven-year-old Create a link with staff in another, regional and his father had carried him eight hours center. down from the hills. Community management: Hospital The boy had two weeks of fever and a staff do better when they are managed tender bulge on the left side of his neck. locally. The father showed me a paper from Children’s education: Unless their Chainpur Hospital written the day before: kids are looked after, the staff will soon ‘Refer to higher centre for treatment’. move away. There is no shortage of health care workers in Nepal, the problem is NEPALI PAN persuading them to stay where they are Mark Zimmerman needed the most.

3 Build beyond MBBS In fact, all the boy had was a skin I am a doctor, and I have trained young abscess and he just needed minor surgery. doctors in Nepal for the last 20 years. Unfortunately, no anesthesia or pain relief Doctors are certainly needed in Nepal but medicine was available. The incision into the country it is less than five percent. Baglung or Dandheldura there are now they are not a remedy to all of our his neck, though successful, was very Every day 12 Nepali women die at Anesthesia Assistants in each of those problems. In medicine experience painful. He had to be held down, his childbirth. places, enabling operations to be sometimes counts even more than fine crying filling the hallway. As we were In the last ten years Nepal has seen conducted. Similarly, the SBA (skilled training. I know of experienced health cleaning up, we watched the grateful father tremendous growth in medical colleges and birth attendant) program trains not just assistants who can diagnose a patient better laying his son on the porch outside the the annual production of new doctors will doctors but multiple levels of health than most new doctors. And ANMs are far hospital to warm him in the winter sun. soon cross 1,000. We now have over 40 workers, nurses and ANMs to conduct safe more skillful at delivering babies. In towns and villages across Nepal, nursing campuses. Each year, the 125 deliveries. The captain of the rural health care scenes like these play out every day. There separate medical institutes under CTEVT team should be an MD General Practice is a hospital building and some staff, but produce over 4,000 new health assistants, 2 Support health care workers in doctor. Across Nepal, we have seen these they cannot provide even basic care. nurse midwives, and community medical the field all-rounders transform local health care Women giving birth, children with broken assistants. Where do they all go? Why are Why do doctors, nurses and mid-level systems. An MDGP can do operations, arms and legs, people with burns, fever, rural Nepalis still without health care? health workers refuse to stay in rural deliver babies, take care of kids and adults and pain, all crying out for change in We need a paradigm shift in our hospitals? First, there is a strong pull to and has administrative training. We must Nepal’s health care system. thinking about health care in Nepal in migrate. In one of Nepal’s premier medical train more MDGPs and get 2-3 of them to Nepal’s health officials work against three fundamental areas: colleges last year, over half of its graduating work in each district hospital as a team. huge obstacles to provide comprehensive class of doctors left to train in the United Let’s re-examine our guiding health care in remote places with a limited 1 Provide quality care to the greatest States. Of them, 95 percent of will not principles, test them against available budget, and in the face of political turmoil. number return. In the past five years nurses have evidence and build on this strong While the health infrastructure is generally Are we aiming for highest quality care for a joined doctors in this mighty exodus. And foundation. Only then will we begin to adequate the big problem is assuring that few or quality care for many? The Health who can blame them? A staff nurse will hear less crying in the countryside. staff are on duty, have competent skills, Ministry is now creating posts for health earn 10 times more in England than in and are caring. care workers who can cover much wider Nepal. Dr Mark Zimmerman is Executive Director Only 18 percent of Nepali women who areas of the country. For example, while a Those who stay need to be taken care of of the Nick Simons Institute, which is deliver babies have a trained health worker specialist anesthesia doctor is unlikely to while they work in difficult circumstances. working to enhance health care in rural in attendance, and for the poorest parts of ever venture into the hospitals of Panchtar, Increasingly, local committees are starting Nepal. NATION 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 5 Economy’s up Or is it? And how can we know?

ejoice! In dollar terms, our fixed exchange rate actually does GDP has grown by 10 to our economic analysis. Rpercent in the last two (Intriguingly, no one is blaming months. this on regressive forces either.) Kind of. We need to The current exchange rate understand where the growth has against the dollar, Rs 66, is close come from. The appreciation of to the rate we had nine years ago. the Indian rupee against the We need to know from the dollar means the same for the government and the Nepal Oil questions: does the appreciation Nepali rupee. Which means that Corporation what impact this has of the rupee lead to inflation or KIRAN PANDAY the denominator by which we had on the price of petroleum. If should the price of commodities divide the GDP in Nepali rupees we were brave, we could use this come down? Will the Indian state has reduced over the last few time, when the price of oil is so now have reason to ‘politically’ “Business hasn’t months, which in turn means: a low in rupee terms, to deregulate revise the exchange rate upwards the sector. to Rs 1.80 as a corrective measure? The state electricity utility, If so, do our experts at Nepal ECONOMIC SENSE grown as expected” which has dollar-based power Rastra Bank have a response Artha Beed purchase agreements with some ready? Does this affect our Vijay Gajananda Vaidya, chairman of United power producers, is also remittances in rupee terms? If we Traders Syndicate, started his business staggering rise in GDP. Six years benefiting from the weakness of do add significant value to career as an exclusive dealer for Toyota 40 after we wrote about reducing the the dollar vis a vis the rupee. It’s exports, how will an upward years ago. Vaidya spoke with Nepali Times denominator (‘Free the Nepali time that they passed these gains movement of the rupee affect about the importance of first impressions rupee’, # 59), it seems like it is on to the end consumer. export-oriented industries? and how to build a career of happening. The pricing of projects where And most important of all— entrepreneurship. Regular readers know that one there is a high import component might it be time to think about of the Beed’s favourite talking will also have to be reviewed. For getting out of the fixed exchange Nepali Times: How did you enter into business and start working points is the miraculous every million dollars of regime? with Toyota? 'political' exchange rate that has committed project costs, the We can talk endlessly about Vijay Gajananda Vaidya: Before I started working with Toyota, I changed only eight times since it exchange rate appreciation has social inclusion, federalism, and worked for other organisations and got a lot of good experience. was put into place on 13 April reduced costs by Rs 1 million. the works. But we do not have The six years I worked at USAID were especially great because I 1960. The 1.6 parity established These factors have to be accounted time to think about our economy. got to travel a lot. On the flip side, it also made me realise that I did not want to work for anyone. After I returned from the US, I went to on 1 February 1993 has been a for, and donors who have Our self-proclaimed intellectuals, meet the Toyota people in Japan. They asked me at our first faithful constant through our budgeted spendings for Rs 75-to- economic experts who run think meeting how many cars I could sell in a year, because in the seven various economic and political the-dollar need to rework tanks, and seminar frequenters years prior to that, just seven Toyota cars had been sold in Nepal. I upheavals. But we don’t have any computations and pay more have a lot to answer for. The was offended and walked out, but we did make a deal later. research papers or donor dollars dollars to make up the shortfall. people deserve healthy debate and funded studies on what this There are so many other vital they aren’t getting it. z How did you sell yourself, having had no business experience? It’s all about making a good impression. I couldn’t afford it, but I stayed in a five-star hotel when I was there. I made them pursue me. I did all this to impress them, and it worked. When we signed the deal, I organised a big party. Nepal’s ambassador to Japan asked me why I was spending all this money, and I remember telling him that all this would help me build connections. It did help in the long run.

So how well have you done? I suggested six, they wanted 500, and after a lot of discussion we agreed on 12. That year I sold 96. Now we sell more than 500 cars a year. When I came back from the US I had $700. I also brought back a gramophone, which I sold for another $300. Today I have a lot more than other people. But the support I have from my employees means much more to me than my property. Over 7,000 people work for me directly. If you include seasonal workers, it’s over 9,000.

What’s your outlook on the agriculture sector? There are lots of possibilities in Nepal in agriculture. If we develop workers’ skills and produce goods that the modern market demands, the results will be very good. When I saw that sweet peas were good business in Japan, I leased 10 hectares in Palung and started cultivating sweet peas. They sold for $24 per kg in Japan. When I saw that we weren’t really cashing in on agriculture even when the business environment was good, I decided to give it a shot. I was attracted to tea because the gardens would make the hills green and because the industry is labour intensive. I got a tea expert for advice, sent the soil to be tested in India and Germany, heard positive news, and decided to start working with the local tea farmers there who were slowly getting disillusioned with the business.

What changes have you seen in the government and private sectors since you started out? There’s more work being done in both areas. The pace is slow though, and the foundations could be stronger. Even the private sector has not grown as much as we might have expected. Nepali businesses still do not understand discipline and ethics. In other countries the business and corporate sectors understand that they are taxed heavily. The private sector here is trying to earn more money by evading taxes. I know people in government and I could have earned a lot via commissions, people from the government have approached me with deals that involved selling goods for more than their actual worth. I could have been the richest person in Nepal.

Are you saying you’ve never bribed anyone? I’ve never paid anyone to work illegally. My sons and the people in my organisation will not bribe anyone because when you pay someone, the price of that good automatically rises. When the Maoists asked for money I refused. I’m generous and have gifted tvs and cars to those who’ve done good work for me, but I have never bribed anyone. 6 FROM THE NEPALI PRESS 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347

Poudel’s troubles ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ health. He has been exercising and doing yoga and lost 6kg recently. Chhalphal, 29 April Pushpa Kamal Dahal has high blood pressure. “I did not have this problem during the ‘people’s war’, but developed it after I started The crowd at last week’s Sick politics living in Kathmandu,” he says. Democracy Day celebrations at Sher Bahadur Deuba is an asthmatic chain-smoker. He has a Basantapur pelted stones and stomach ailment that has in the past taken him to Bangkok and Delhi water bottles at Minister for Peace Naya Patrika, 2 May for treatment. He is also understood to have severe skin problems, and Reconstruction Ram Chandra which is why his wife takes him in for a weekly facial. Sushil Koirala Poudel because he did not speak When Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula started having hearing has tongue cancer and went to the US last year for surgery. All his in favour of republicanism. In problems, he left for New Delhi. Doctors say he needs a shot to fix the teeth had to be pulled out, which is why he has trouble speaking gatherings across Nepal, Poudel vessels connecting his left ear to his throat. Sitaula also has diabetes loudly these days. He is also diabetic. Shailaja Acharya has breast has said he is against the and has been watching what he eats for two decades. In addition, he cancer. She announced last year that since she has to go to India for establishment of a republic is a strict vegetarian, does not drink, and avoids onions. treatment regularly, she wouldn’t mind being through a referendum and Nepal’s ambassador there. elections to a constituent Baburam Bhattarai says his stomach problems assembly. have started to get better after he started regular yoga. Mohan Baidya, a voracious reader, has Poudel is thought to be flip- undergone many surgeries for the removal of flopping because he wants to cataracts, but still cannot see very clearly. Other hold onto both his positions, Maoist leaders like Ram Bahadur Thapa and those of party president and Post Bahadur Bogati say they do not yet have minister. Sujata Koirala’s camp in serious health problems. However, Krishna the party is said to have asked Prasad Mahara does have a sight problem for him to give one up. When it which he was operated upon last year at started to become clear just how Tilganga. He is on regular medication, must use power hungry he was, those in medicated eyedrops, and frequently visit the party in favour of a hospitals. ceremonial monarchy started to Bam Dev Gautam and Ram Chandra manipulate him. Poudel both have back problems. Gautam has Those close to him are not gained some weight in the last few months and surprised that Poudel is so now weighs 90kg. He was in New Delhi last adamant, but they worry that his year for treatment and also goes for acupuncture. Ram Sharan beliefs are giving the Nepali Mahat and his brother Prakash Sharan Mahat both suffer from back Congress a bad name, and the left The whole country knows about Prime Minister Koirala’s health problems. Arjun Narsingh KC also has back problems, likes to drink, parties an edge. problems. He is on oxygen for much of the day. He suffers from and chews around 10 leaves of tobacco everyday. NC party workers throughout chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which means he has chronic UML leader Bidya Bhandari was diagnosed with leukaemia the nation have been pressuring obstructive pulmonary disease. He has to have an MRI every two recently and has been undergoing chemotherapy in New Delhi. the party to clarify its stance on days. Doctors suspected that Koirala had TB and started treating him, Khum Bahadur Khadka has kidney trouble. “When my kidneys were the republic issue, saying that but the nasty side effects of the medication outweighed the illness, good, I didn’t have the money for alcohol. Now I have some money, they cannot go to their and he is no longer on TB drugs. but my kidneys have failed me,” he was heard joking recently. Sujata Madhab Nepal suffers from cardiovascular stenosis, or the Koirala has uterine problems and has been treated at Sushma constituents until they know narrowing of a heart valve. He says he is very careful about his Koirala Memorial Hosipal. this. Since he became minister, Poudel has been diverting money FROM THE NEPALI PRESS 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 7 from the budget of ministries We are providing security and allotted to the Maoists to his services to the people where the own. The Maoist ministers have state is absent. The Young realised what is happening and Communist League and Jana Sewa threatened to raise this issue at Samiti are doing the same in the next meeting of the council of various places. ministers. We aren’t saying others should adopt our methods. But Crimefighters when the state is inept, we are

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ forced to take on its Ram Charan Choudhary, Maoist responsibilities. Various factions MP Himal Khabarpatrika, are saying that in combating 29 April-14 May crime, we are taking the law into our own hands. We do intend to ‘The Maoists haven’t changed, transform completely. But we they are still rooted in their own have been forced to project ways, they haven’t transformed’— ourselves strongly because of the these allegations come from legacy of the previous government people who refuse to be and the lack of a state. introspective and would rather The big drama about the find fault in others. We are seizure of land and property restructuring our ranks and in during the ‘people’s war’ was this period of work and intended to defame us. We have transition, it is only normal that made it clear that the seized some signs of weakness come to property will be handed back, but the fore. based on certain guidelines—only Palace It is true that in some places land acquired unjustly will be Top: April 2006 we are running ‘parallel returned. Feudal landlords with Bottom: April 2007 governments’. The excess landholdings will not get transitional period between the their property back, though they Robin Sayami in Himal Khabarpatrika, 29 April-14 May fall of the previous government will be given basic housing. Final and the formation of a new one decisions on land-related issues QUOTE OF THE WEEK has left people without the will only be made after scientific services one associates with a land reform. “ government. Social crimes such as The focus now should be on I told the employees at the Department of Roads to reduce their kickbacks from murder, rape, and kidnap are on the election to the constituent “ 60 percent to 30 percent. the rise. Many criminal groups are assembly. The monarchy is working in sync with the getting restless and showing signs authorities. of resurfacing, we should be In these circumstances, we uniting to put an end to it. At Minister of Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami quoted in cannot be reduced to mere times like these, discussion about Deshantar, 21 April observers. Either the government land and property are SELECTED MATERIAL TRANSLATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE NEPALI PRESS has to commit to curbing crime or conspiracies to distract us from it should let us work unhindered. the issue at hand. RIP Himal Khabarpatrika, 29 April-14 May

Narsingh Bahadur Shrestha, renowned entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the democratic movement, passed away on 23 April at the age of 82. Three days later, the country lost another prominent entrepreneur, Mohan Gopal Khetan. Khetan died at the age of 61 due to a heart attack at the Norvic Hospital in Kathmandu. He was also suffering from diabetes. Shrestha was the founding president of Himalayan Bank and had also filled various advisory roles. He was an industrialist- businessman who backed economic liberalisation. He was a renowned social worker and an active contributor to the 1950 democratic movement. Shrestha started his business career in transportation, and followed with a successful venture into construction. Diabetes and heart trouble were cited as the reasons for his demise. Khetan went into business while still a student and had early success. After starting his career in the sugar industry, Khetan established the Khetan Group, which quickly became one of Nepal’s leading business institutions. He moved into the corporate industry with the establishment of Mutual Trading in 1986. Khetan then invested in other business and industrial sectors such as banking, insurance, beer, and instant noodles. Khetan also headed social welfare organisations that focussed on education, health, and religious efforts. Khetan helped build numerous schools and hospitals and was also the honorary consular general for Turkey in Nepal. Khetan was known for his direct approach to matters and was held to be a good public speaker. While the business community in general has kept politics at arm’s length, Khetan occasionally attracted attention with his controversial political opinions. He won over the hearts of many people in his eventful life. 8 RECREATION

South face so BILLI BIERLING climbers in 1992. Jean-Christophe he set a new speed record on the This month, a Swiss Lafaille and Pierre Beghin notorious Eiger North Face in Swiss climber is just attempted to conquer the world’s Switzerland, whizzing up the icy climber will about to attempt a new tenth highest mountain via its rock wall in 3 hours and 54 A solo route on the sheer south face. Their expedition had a minutes, a full 46 minutes faster south face of Annapurna I tragic end when Beghin fell to his than the previous record (pictured attempt to finish a (pictured above). The 8,000m peak death at about 7,100m. It took below). is one of the country’s most Laifalle five days to get back to The 30-year-old Steck, who is treacherous route on treacherous and avalanche-prone . base camp. considered one of the strongest Ueli Steck wants to finish a Annapurna I is Steck’s second mountaineers climbing now, said Annapurna I route first tried by two French big project this year. In February he even surprised himself: “I was Early summits Halfway through this spring climbing season, a lot way up to Camp III on 26 April. has already happened on the world’s highest Another mountaineer going for all eight- peaks. Two climbers from Kazakhstan, Maxut thousanders bagged Dhaulagiri I, his twelfth. Zhumayev, 30, and Vassily Pivtsov, 31, summitted Spaniard Inaki Ocha de Olza reached the summit at Everest on 30 April via the North Col without the 8,167 on 26 April. His teammate and compatriot using supplementary oxygen. Both climbers have Jorge Egocheaga followed shortly after, but later now scaled 11 of the 14 eight thousanders without had to be evacuated from Base Camp due to oxygen. Their summits of Everest are said to be frostbite. Other Dhaulagiri ascents reported include the earliest so far from the north side. those of Romanian Horia Colibasanu and Kazakh According to the Discovery Channel, five team members Serguey Samoilov, Svetlana sherpas, led by Phurba Tashi, reached the top of Sharipova, and Eugeny Shutov on 1 May, and a the world on the same day Zhumayev and Pivtsov speed summit by Denis Urubko on 2 May. topped out. The dispatch also describes the ordeal An Italian climber is said to have fallen to his of the Kazakhs’ descent and how they had to be death just below the summit the day Ochoa topped assisted by the sherpas to make it back to out. Advanced Base Camp. “At ABC the men revealed There have already been a few summits of Cho that they had gone 48 hours without a drop of Oyo, the world’s sixth highest mountain, with water and no extra oxygen during their summit Italians Silvio Mondinelli and Marco Confortola push and descent”, the website said. They are reaching the top after an impressive 20-hour push reported to be well. from Camp I. Everest has also claimed its first casualty of Despite the early summits on Everest, most the year. Dawa Sherpa, who was from the Makalu teams are still waiting for the weather window, region, was killed between Camp II and Camp III which traditionally arrives between 15 and 25 May. on the Nepal side. The Ministry of Tourism says However, last year was a late Everest season with he fell down the Kharpas crevasse while on his climbers reaching the summit as late as early June.

ULI STECK 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 9 A thief’s tale

he start of Studio 7s production of Habib TTanvir’s The Honest Thief is dramatic enough. “Truth is divine… divine is the truth… nothing compares… with the sacred, the holy… the power of truth…” The play chronicles the life of Charandas, a thief who promises his guru to never tell lies. In one comic episode after another, Charandas dodges the law and over time attains cult Robin Hood-type status. He eventually decides to quit the game—but not before robbing the state treasury.

He pulls it off but also steals THOMAS SCHROM the queen’s heart, which brings us to the heart of this play. There are the voice of reason. Diya Maskey Sabine Lehmann do best. There four other vows Charandas has who plays Charandas, and are strong characters, broad wit, made—he will not eat from a Rajendra Shrestha in the role of and lots of movement. And golden plate, ride an elephant the sadhu deliver the classic underpinning all these are leading a procession, marry a physical performances one difficult questions that we all queen, or become king. Whether expects from Studio 7 players. face, or sometimes shy away from.

KOICHIRO OHMORI he can stick to them—whether Also of note are the vibrant Why is the truth so difficult? Is it any of us can stick to our red and yellow costumes, which worth killing and dying for? Are principles and morals in a world imbue the characters with larger- we all, at our best in today’s filled with compromises and than-life personas. There are messy world, trying to be ‘honest moral corruption. visual metaphors aplenty too. In thieves’? Mallika Aryal Each character in The Honest one scene two women come on Thief is an archetype from stage with babies on their back, The Honest Thief plays at the contemporary society: the and both have a prominent item Naga Theatre in Hotel Vajra on dishonest constable, the corrupt of camouflage clothing. The score 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 minister, the greedy landlord and is an interesting mix of Nepali May. All performances start at his wife who refuse to share their hip-hop and bhajans. 7.15 PM. Tickets cost Rs 700. For sacks of grain with starving This is the kind of booking and information on olo villagers, and the sadhu who is production Studio 7 and director discounts ring 4271545. amazed, I hadn’t thought this was been done without oxygen, as humanly possible.” for Steck using 'gas' would be Steck came to Nepal fresh 'cheating'. “The experience from this remarkable achievement would not be the same with ready for more challenges, in oxygen. People are fooling particular, the 3,000m-high wall themselves, only pretending to of the south face of Annapurna I. be at a certain altitude,” he And he certainly hit the ground argued. The trained carpenter is running. He went to the Everest also critical of the region to acclimatise and quickly commercialisation of Everest, nipped up Cholatse (6,335m), a but says he’d love to stand on technical trekking peak in the the top of the world one day— Khumbu. if wallet and time allow. The idea to scale the south But for now all Steck wants face of Annapurna 1 was born in is to get up Annapurna I, his 2004 when Steck bagged two way. He says he isn’t scared, major Himalayan peaks in a row. but seems a little nervous He soloed the north face of sitting by the pool in his hotel. Cholatse, which is a 1,500m high “I have to pull myself together vertical rock and ice wall, and the and avoid thinking about it too East Face of Taboche. "After I had much… otherwise the face will A delicate imagination finished the 'Khumbu-Express' I even become higher and more A delicate imagination knew I had to climb an 8,000m overhanging,” he said. “But I peak. So I had to come up with a think I’ve reached the limit of “I express through water colours the soul of a feelings evoked by the flowers in all their good plan and the south face of my physical abilities. I can’t flower,” says Neera Joshi Pradhan, who is detailed, delicate, multi-hued beauty. She perhaps Nepal’s only botanical artist. Pradhan’s believes that watercolours are the best medium to Annapurna I looked most get any stronger or faster—the solo show Colors of the Sepals and Petals, is capture the different hues of flowers. “There is a appealing to me,” he said. only thing I can do is go divided into a ‘botanical’ and an ‘impressionistic’ transparency in watercolours that brings out the All his climbs so far have higher.” section. Both showcase her deft depiction of the essence of every flower I paint.” Pradhan has had delicate beauty, complexity, and grace of flowers. four solo exhibitions and eight group exhibitions The botanical art is rigorous—the magnolias, in India and the US, but this is the first time that Annapurna I for beginners rhododendrons, hibiscus, and orchids you see in she’s exhibiting her impressionistic paintings of perfect formation on their stems are exactly what flowers. Annapurna I (8,091m) is the tenth highest mountain in the the plants look like. The 40-year-old believes that, sadly, Nepal’s world and the eighth highest in Nepal. The free-flowing impressionistic paintings on rich floral heritage is lost on most people here, Annapurna was first climbed via the North Face by a French the other hand so closely focussed on the petals and hopes that her art inspires people to look expedition led by Maurice Herzog in 1950. and sepals of flowers that they practically create more closely at the beauty around them. “These Annapurna I is notorious for its avalanche danger. Legendary another world of not-quite-abstract shapes and paintings are personal, and everyone who sees climbers like Anatoli Boukreev from Russia and Christian vibrant colours. them should interpret them as they see fit,” says Kuntner from Italy have died on the mountain. A trained botanist, Pradhan says she has Pradhan, who is also curator of Park Gallery. Lafaille, who attempted the south face 1992 but turned backed always been intrigued by flowers. “I think flowers “Flowers touch everyone, in many different when his partner fell to his death, died on Makalu (8,463m) in can express every kind of emotion and, more ways.” January 2006 while trying a solo winter ascent. Pranaya SJB Rana than that, they are the perfect embodiments of Related links: www.mounteverest.net, www.uelisteck.ch beauty” she says. Pradhan’s impressionistic (German). “Colours of the sepals and petals’ runs until 15 paintings are sprawling explorations of the May at the Park Gallery, Pulchok. 10 NATION 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 Terror in T

GOOFY OFFICE: A man waits in the empty office of the District Development Office in Dhanusa on 25 April. The official has fled due to an ultimatum by tarai militant groups.

AJIT TIWARI AJIT TIWARI in JANAKPUR origin a two week ultimatum to negotiate with. An extremist Bara CDO Bhola Sibakoti bureaucrat is left in most leave the plains proves they are pamphlet from the self-styled says: “Civil servants here are all districts: some have taken he rulers in Kathmandu, deliberately igniting ethnic ‘Tarai Tiger’ group issued two terrorised by threats from Tarai extended leave, others have preoccupied with giving violence to trigger a backlash. weeks ago gave hill-ethnic civil Tigers, Tarai Cobra, MJF, or the requested transfers but most have T pro-republican speeches at The question is: who benefits servants one month to leave the Chure Bhabar Ekata Samaj. Many just fled. Tundikhel, don’t seem to realise from such a conflagration and madhes. On Nepali new year’s have simply quit.” The methods are simple: civil how fast the situation is why are the eight parties day on 14 April the To get an idea of just how bad servants of hill origin are first deteriorating in the mid-eastern not showing the urgency to underground JTMM -Jwala also things are, one has to make the asked to hand over between tarai. Worse, they appear not douse it? threatened action against hill- rounds of the post office, land Rs 25,000-100,000 and if they to care. Here in the tarai, the threat ethnic officials who didn’t quit, revenue office, survey refuse they are threatened or The appearance of pamphlets of ethnic cleansing is now real. then the JTMM-Goit in Bara department, land reform and killed. That is the fate which in the past week by militant tarai The trouble is, it is difficult to issued a similar threat but gave education offices, municipality, befell Basudeb Poudel of Kalaiya groups giving Nepalis of hill tell who is in charge and who to only a week’s deadline. or even hospitals. No hill-ethnic in Bara who was abducted and NATION 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 11 the tarai “This is worse than it was during the Maoist war.”

killed by the JTMM-Goit on additional armed police in each 16 April. district capital. But many here say The DDC officer of Bara and it is precisely this attitude in director of the Kalaiya Kathmandu of treating the tarai as municipality were both asked to a law and order problem that is fork over Rs 500,000 each. delaying resolution. Because they didn’t have the The prolonged closure of cash both have fled the district. district offices has hit ordinary Bara LDO Bishnu Lamichhane people the most: many wishing to hasn’t been in his office for the go abroad can’t get passports and past two months. necessary documents, crossborder In Sarlahi, Naresh Jha of the trade is at a standstill, sales Civil Service Organisation told transactions have stopped.

us: “This is worse than it was Bara lawyer Ramkrishna Kafle RAMESWOR BOHARA The wild west The Maoist attack on a border police post was to protect a lucrative timber smuggling interests

RAMESWOR BOHARA in BANKE The Muslim-dominated border village has been terrorised by both the Maoists and the or the past seven years during the conflict, smugglers, and most were fed up. “It was the Suiya border checkpoint in Banke has becoming impossible to survive here and to been known as a den for smugglers and protect our women and daughters,” says Sadruq Fdacoits. Hussain (pictured), “but things had improved during the Maoist war.” has been threatened, and says Gangs poached timber from Banke’s dense sal somewhat after the police arrived.” forests, taking the logs across the border to India. However, the lightly-armed police were The threats are obviously there has been a ciriminalisation The Maoists offered them protection during the war themselves being threatened by the Maoists and having their desired effect. of identity politics in the tarai. and collected their cut. couldn’t control the rampant timber smuggling. In Officials in Dhanusa, Sarlahi, “It is now clear this is a But with the peace process, police posts were fact, two Indian smugglers whom the police had Siraha, Mahottari, Rautahat, and meticulous and deliberate re-established across the country. Here in Suiya, kept in custody were freed by the attackers on Bara report civil servants attempt to disrupt ethnic the smugglers and Maoists found their lucrative Monday night. queuing up waiting for transfers harmony, and whoever is doing timber smuggling business threatened by the Now, the villagers are being terrorised again. or leaves. Rautahat CDO Durga this is trying to provoke a presence of the police. Pandey and his cadre found out that villagers Prasad Bhandari has put it all backlash. And it’s shameful that At 6.30 in the evening on 30 April a large group and local party leaders had complained to in writing and sent a two-page politicians of tarai origin of well-known local thugs lead by the Maoist reporters who had arrived from Nepalganj on memo to the Home Ministry in philosophise in Kathmandu but Banke member Nandakishore Pandey attacked the Tuesday and threatened to kill them. Now the Kathmandu. don’t speak out against the police post with swords and knives. They looted villagers say they don’t feel secure and may money, valuables, and guns and then set fire to have to run away. Kathmandu has reacted by violence here.” furniture and uniforms. Policeman Purna Bahadur The Maoists threatened to kill Mohammed toughening security. Some It is clear that elections BK fled and hid nearby, and says: “If we hadn’t run Dalil for talking to reporters and said: “If we don’t district administration offices cannot be held in such a away we’d have been cut down with swords.” get protection we will have to go across to India have armed police guards and in terrorised state. And this has Police in-charge Mukesh Kunwar was for safety.” Mahottari government offices made some ask: are the political captured and detained overnight by Pandey at his An Armed Police Force unit has been placed that had been closed are forces who don’t want elections house. “It was pre-planned, they wanted us out of in Suiya for now, but it is only a temporary opening again. The Home allowing the tarai to fester there,” he told us. measure. Ministry is planning to put 75 precisely for that reason? 12 INTERNATIONAL 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347

The historyNo at one canthe force enda society to of be modern history or liberal

ifteen years ago in The End Bush argued that the desire accurately reflects what the world of History and the Last Man I for freedom and democracy was will look like at the end of history. F argued that there was no universal and that America would The EU’s attempt to transcend alternative to a market economy support democratic movements sovereignty and traditional power and a democratic political system “with the ultimate goal of ending politics by establishing a trans- for a society to be modern. Not tyranny in our world.” Supporters national rule of law is much more everyone wants to be modern or saw their views confirmed in the in line with a ‘post-historical’ can set up the institutions and queues of Iraqi voters in the world than Americans’ continuing policies that make democracy and various elections held between belief in god, national capitalism work. But no system January and December 2005, in sovereignty, and their military. yields better results. the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, Finally, I never linked the and in the Afghan presidential global emergence of democracy and parliamentary elections. to American agency, particularly OPINION These events were inspiring, not to the exercise of American Francis Fukuyama but the road to liberal democracy military power. Democratic in the Middle East will probably transitions need to be driven by be extremely disappointing in the societies that want democracy, While the End of History was near to medium term. The Bush and since they require an argument about modernisation, administration’s efforts to build a institutions, are usually drawn out some have linked my thesis to regional policy around it are processes. George W Bush’s foreign policy headed toward abject failure. Outside powers can help by and American strategic hegemony. The desire to live in a modern the example they set as But my ideas are not the society and to be free of tyranny politically and economically intellectual foundation for the is universal, or nearly so. This is successful societies. They can Bush administration’s policies. why each year millions try to successful modernisation. painstakingly built over time. also provide funding, advice, Bush initially justified move from the developing to the Moreover, the desire to live in Before you have a liberal technical assistance, and yes, intervention in Iraq on the grounds developed world to find the a modern liberal democracy does democracy, you need a functioning occasionally military force to help that Saddam Hussein planned to political stability, job not translate into an ability to do state (which Germany and Japan the process along. But coercive develop weapons of mass opportunities, health care, and so. The Bush administration still had after they were defeated regime change was never the key destruction, the regime’s alleged education they lack at home. assumed in its approach to post- in World War II). This is not the to democratic transition. links to al-Qaeda, and Iraq’s But this is not the same as a Saddam Iraq that democracy and case in countries like Iraq. (Project Syndicate) violation of human rights and lack universal desire to live in a a market economy were default The End of History was never of democracy. As the first two liberal society, that is, a political conditions to which societies linked to a specifically American Francis Fukuyama is dean of the justifications crumbled in the wake order characterised by a sphere reverted once oppressive tyranny model of social or political school of advanced international of the 2003 invasion, the US of individual rights and the rule of was removed. Rather, they are organisation. I believe the studies at Johns Hopkins government emphasised the law. This desire, acquired over complex, interdependent European Union, not the University, and chairman of The importance of democracy. time, is often a by-product of institutions that have to be contemporary US, more American Interest.

A NATION DIVIDED: Twenty million Chinese children live away from their parents, and an estimated 150 million Chinese work far from home, largely due to asymmetrical business and land reforms. Mixed bag China’s economy needs more fiscal and social reform

land holdings in order to exploit ‘extensive’—and resource consuming— economies of scale. growth strategy to a more ‘intensive’ Addressing this tension is imperative, development path. Although high growth as the entry and expansion of small private requires large-scale capital formation, the companies will be increasingly important relation between investment in real capital when China’s domestic markets and assets and human capital in China seems to domestic innovation start playing a greater be out of proportion. The current role. Financial assets and land holdings investment in the former is 43 percent of will need to continue to be shifted out of GDP, and for human capital, in the form of the public sector. education, 4.3 percent. For more efficient This would also help address another growth this ratio should be changed in feature of China’s economic system, favour of education, including vocational endemic corruption. This is difficult to do training. as long as politicians and bureaucrats have Eliminating today’s vast wastage of things to ‘sell’ to firms and individuals, natural resources, which underpins including rationed loans from public- exceptionally high pollution, will require a hina’s economic achievements processes, monopoly, and autarchy. China’s sector banks and regulatory permits. In reformed regulatory framework, including during the last three decades are reform period illustrates starkly the rural areas, corruption comes from frequent higher user prices for energy, raw materials, C largely the result of radical historical lesson that unleashing expropriation of land-lease contracts held and environmental resources. A less economic reform. Privately-owned firms, individual initiative boosts economic by farmers working on collectively-owned resource-dependent development strategy which hardly existed when these reforms development. land, which local officials then turn over would free up resources for improvements started, today account for about 60 percent China is a type of mixed economy, with to non-agriculture land developers. in the country’s much-neglected social of total production. specific features. Although Now some types of corruption, arrangements, particularly among rural Ownership is, however, only one internationalisation of the economy has including ‘asset stripping’ in connection citizens and ‘urban outsiders’ (individuals dimension of an economic system. China’s served China well, it is unlikely that the with privatising public sector firms, has in informal urban sectors). This includes system has changed drastically in other current 35 percent share of GDP claimed by speeded up the emergence of a class of patchy arrangements for income security, ways too. Decision-making regarding exports and the heavy reliance on foreign private capitalists and entrepreneurs. But and unevenly distributed social services, technology are sustainable in the long run. corruption as a permanent element of such as health and education. Another shaky factor is the tension China’s economic system will reduce the The case for combining further COMMENT between widespread private ownership of efficiency of the allocation of resources and government withdrawal from the Assar Lindbeck firms and pervasive public ownership of damage the legitimacy of private production system with more engagement assets. For example, by disfavouring entrepreneurship. Reducing corruption in the social field is compelling. consumption and production has largely lending to private firms, state-owned banks will require not only government pep talks (Project Syndicate) been decentralised to households and distort the allocation of resources. Chinese against bad ethics, but also institutional firms, respectively. Economic incentives, agriculture is another example of this reforms, including further deregulation, Assar Lindbeck is professor of international markets, competition, and tension—public ownership of land harms stronger property rights, and more privately economics at Stockholm University. His internationalisation have to a considerable the investment incentives for family farms owned assets. Free media would also help. most recent work is An Essay on Economic extent replaced command, administrative and reduces their chance of consolidating China also needs to shift from its Reforms and Social Change in China. COMMENT 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 13 Chancing it Only we can make things better for ourselves

t the end of the day, you never know. This useful thought can tame most egos, given a chance. It does, like it or not. Time, A chance, and whatever else you fear, all catch up with you. No matter how highly you regard yourself, or are venerated by various versions of the masses, despite the high esteem in which you hold your own-self, it all comes down to the passage of time. Or chance. A small cancer cell sidling against some others in a part of the body; a worn spot on a fuel line on the airplane engine; storm cells swirling in a distant, unperceived place. It’s all chaos theory. Life is random. Our ego tells us we’re in charge. And if we are President George W Bush, Gyanendra Shah, Comrade Awesome, or Salvador Allende of Chile, for a time we are in charge. We even Beware of obsolete dogma promising all the answers get to where we are legitimately, a little stealth, a lot of popular support or natural momentum. But you know what? At the end of the day, nothing is guaranteed. The supposition of divine sanction serves only to let us down harder than the airier confines of HERE AND THERE fatalism. Daniel Lak So when you look at the The curse of state of Nepal these days, perhaps the best approach is— “what’s the big deal”. Okay, the various attempts, fair and foul, of recent actors to positively influence events have failed or gone horribly wrong. The king and his dynasty repose discredited yet ideology snappish and angry utopians of right and left sweat bullets as their dreams collapse around them. Democrats are grovelling in the dirt or wallowing in sloughs of despond. So we missed the CA elections. Maoist cadres aren’t happy in onflict in the 20th century Repressive military juntas in solves. When critical analysis can crappy cantonments. Tarai grievances are seething merrily and reached new levels of Latin America ‘disappeared’ and lead to dreaded accusations of dozens of other complaints are being brought to Kathmandu in C depravity through the murdered innumerable ‘leftists’, ‘revisionism’ and a possible death torchlight processions from the provinces. Read and weep, oh ye of introduction of ideology. For the while Mao Tse Tung launched sentence, intellectual flexibility the comfortable classes. first time, territorial wars and purges that reached into every and independent thought are Look further afield. Development is picking up but, for the most other conventional excuses for home, liquidating all labelled stifled. The next step is mental part, not nearly efficiently enough. Kathmandu’s aid-o-crat elite is mayhem took lower casualties ‘rightist’. In Argentina or China, lethargy and stagnation. doing its best but it take time to shed the habits of years of and ruined fewer lives than state- right or left, the merest suspicion Buying into an ideology perceived conflict and shelter-seeking. Back in donor capitals, Iraq, sponsored purges and repression. of dissent was enough for allows individuals to relinquish Afghanistan, Somalia, and other hotter hell holes are displacing As an opinionated student of imprisonment, torture, and death. personal responsibility in the funds and interest. It’s not easy to be tasked with developing Nepal. history, the Hand fears and State organised persecution for guise of following orders, As loathes ideology for the blind thought-crime surely marks an all- individualism is submerged in time low in human political pursuit of the greater goal, which MOVING TARGET history. usually amounts to increasing By the time Nixon and production for the state. Foreign Hand Kissinger launched their secret When a dissenting opinion bombing of neutral Laos and can be fatal, cultural diversity is faith it demands and the Cambodia, justified by anti- the first victim. Fascists devastation unleashed in its communist domino theory dehumanised and wiped out name. Every thinking person is ideology, events were spinning minorities, while communists bound to despise those who glom out of control. This particular suppressed and derided onto doctrinaire beliefs and allow effort proved spectacularly traditional cultural expression as such abuses. The atrocities counterproductive by propelling superstitious, reactionary, and committed for political the Maoist Khmer Rouge to power. irrelevant in the workers’ conviction are too numerous and The result, a five-year orgy of paradise. nasty to forgive and forget. killing, was another no-win The uniformity imposed by Fascist regimes in Spain, situation for all, especially those ideological governments is Italy, and Japan jailed trade- stuck in the middle. intentionally drab and the arts unionists, executed leftists, and None of this feverish activity inevitably become propaganda brutally suppressed dissent benefited anybody except the tools. Rather than celebrate before collapsing in the dustbin governing clique, who inevitably human nature and creative of history. Stalin wiped out the used their chosen ideology to expression, ideologues control landlord class, demonised kulaks crush opposition and terrorise the such diversity in the interest of (‘rich’ peasants), and exiled citizenry as a means of ideological monoculture. countless to the gulag to preserve maintaining power. The Hand entertains no Marxist purity, only to have his The Hand admits to a doubts that denial of the human legacy disowned by his successor. melancholic fascination with spirit ultimately damned these Hitler’s ideology of racial unquestioned belief. What attracts systems to disgrace and failure. On the human rights front, there are hopes but little prospect of superiority systematically certain people to such strict The soul seeks more out of life great strides being made towards accountability and an end to slaughtered millions of innocents doctrine? The absolute conviction than fulfilling party dictated impunity and natural justice. No one in politics right now has un- in concentration camps before required by the party removes the quotas for the current five-year bloodied hands. All share some guilt for the dire state of the nation, destroying Germany. Needless to need to think for oneself, which plan, and societies that ignore so who’s going to take the first step towards truth and say, none of the above qualifies as must be comforting to some. morality and spirituality are reconciliation? No one who isn’t pushed, or promised immunity, progressive. Psychology amateurs would point unsustainable. that’s for sure. Yes we need a Nelson Mandela, a Martin Luther King, an Oliver Communism and capitalism to the stern father-figure Alas, Nepal looks set to join Cromwell. But giants don’t walk the earth anymore. Ordinary, emerged from the ashes of World personality cults of Hitler, Stalin, North Korea as the final mediocre, timid folk like us are going to have to do it ourselves. And War II to compete fiercely for the and Mao that were so brutally battleground of the Cold War, risk the randomness of existence. Take a chance on failure, next 50 years. The Cold War effective in keeping the people long after the other players have irrelevance, or worse. provided a handy excuse for a obedient. It would be convenient moved on to more profitable Just taking that first step could be crucial. It could do all sorts of ruinous arms race that ignited if a set of books provided agendas. Maoist denunciations of things but if it really gets going, it will re-invent civil society and put proxy wars throughout the third solutions to all the problems of regressive royalist forces and the good people a half step ahead of the political classes. Just world, propping up tinpot governance and society, and in my imperialist conspiracies would be taking that chance, breathing deep, stepping into the gap, going for dictators from Mobutu to more desperate moments I wonder amusing if they weren’t so it. Stating boldly what’s needed and when, and explaining the time- Mengitsu. Millions more were if brainwashing isn’t somehow ridiculously outdated, and if they bound consequences of failure. Not the politicians, but the poli, the thus sacrificed to the weird 20th soothing. didn’t put the country at risk of people. Is there any other alternative? century phenomena of ideological But rigid adherence to a canon repeating these senseless episodes struggle. creates far more problems than it of history. z 14 CITY 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347

ABOUT TOWN Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finally seems to be finding the right balance between being Spiderman and dating EXHIBITIONS girlfriend Mary-Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), but his new- ™ LAST DAY A People War travelling photo exhibition, 5 May found happiness is shattered when a meteorite crashes to Saturday, 10AM-6PM, at Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal. earth bringing with it a slimy black substance that binds ™ Individuality through creativity photography by the visually with Spidey’s suit to give him new powers. Two new impaired at Nepal Art Council, 5-7 May supervillians Sandman and Venom enter the fray and to add to his troubles, Harry Osborne (James Franco) is ™ Photo.Circle.V exhibition of photographs by Bikas Rauniar, Anuj back as the new Green Goblin.

Chitrakar and, Subel Bhandari, 5 May, 9.45 AM-12PM, at the Entertainment Bakery Café, Sundhara. ™ Colours of the sepals and petals an exhibition of paintings based Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepal www.jainepal.com

on botanical art by Neera Joshi Pradhan, 10.30 AM-6PM, except Quest Saturdays at Park Gallery, Pulchok, until 15 May. 5522307 ™ Moments of passion an exhibition of collage paintings by Gaurav Shrestha, 6-15 May, 11AM-6PM daily at The Art Shop, Darbar Marg. 9841341810 ;xeflutfdns" ;ljwfg+ lgdf0fsf{ nflu ;ljwfg;efsf+ ] g]kfn ;/sf/ † ™ Sacred Realms mixed media works by Seema Sharma Shah at lgjfrgdf{ ;xefuL eO { cfkm}+n] 5fgsf] kltlglw| dfkm{t ;"rgf tyf ;~rf/ dGqfno Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited, until 26 May, ;"rgf ljefu 11AM-6PM daily. 4218048 gof F ;ljwfg+ lgdf0f{ u/f }+ . EVENTS ™ To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck, based on Harper Lee’s novel, 4 May, 6.30 PM at the Lazimpat Gallery Café. ™ Yuva Chalfal Shrinkhala about intraparty democratic practices, 4 May, 3-5 PM at Martin Chautari. 4107599 ™ The Honest Thief performed by Studio 7, opening weekend 4-6 May, further performances on 11-19 May and 18-20 May, 7.15 PM at the Naga Theater, Hotel Vajra. 4271545 ™ Lectures, therapies, and workshops on memory, self-confidence, stress and health by Dutch psychotherapist P Langedijk, 7-12 May at Nepal Japan Children’s Library, Lainchaur. 4279712 ™ Second Israeli Film Festival two films screened each day at 3.30 PM and 5.45 PM, 8-10 May at the Russian Culture Centre, free passes. 4411811 ™ Aarohan National Theatre Festival 2007 featuring theatre groups from all over Nepal, two shows a day at 12 noon and 5.30 PM, at Gurukul, until 11 May. 4466956 ™ School Bullying a talk program by Niti Rana, 17 May at The New Era, Battisputali. 9851023958 ™ Pottery course by Santosh Kumar from the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust, at Newa Art Ceramics in Mdhyapur, Thimi, 25 May- 24 June. 9841257968

MUSIC ™ Kathmandu Chorale Spring Concert 19 May, 3.30 PM and 6 PM, at The British School, Jhamsikhel. Admission free. 5521218 ™ Open Mic Night at Via Via Café, every Friday, 8PM onwards. ™ Live Music at the Red Onion Bar, Wednesdays from 8PM with Yanki and Zigme Lepcha. 4416071 ™ Moksh Live presents live music, every Friday, at the Moksh Bar, Pulchok. 5526212 ™ DJ Raju and the Cloudwalkers live at the Rox Bar, Hyatt Regency, every Friday and Saturday. 4491234

DINING ™ Friday evening BBQ with live music, at the Hotel Himalaya, 30 March onwards from 7PM, Rs 499 net. 5523900 ™ Krishnarpan Nepali specialty restaurant at Dwarika’s Hotel, six to 22 course ceremonial lunch and dinner. 4479488 ™ Weekend special with sekuwa, bara, barbeque, Fridays at FOR RENT Ambassador Garden House, Lazimpat, 5.30 PM onwards. 4411706 One-bedroom furnished ™ Mongolian BBQ with Mongolian cuisine Wednesdays, Friday, 6.30 flat in tranquil Jawalakhel PM on at the Splash Bar and Grill, Radisson Hotel. Rs 1,000 for neighbourhood. Top floor, unlimited barbeque and beer. 4422828 clean groundwater, two ™ Flavours of the Middle East every Friday and the taste of Thailand sunny terraces, large every Wednesday at The Café, Hyatt Regency, Boudha. 4491234 kitchen, new bathroom. ™ Light nouvelle snacks and elaborate cordon bleu meals at Contact. La’Soon, Pulchok, behind the Egyptian embassy. 5537166 [email protected]. ™ Continental cuisine and wine by the fire place at Kilroy’s, Thamel. 4250440. ™ Smorgasbord lunch at Park Village Resort, every Saturday. NEPALI WEATHER 4375280 by NGAMINDRA DAHAL g]kfnL ™ Gyakok at the Shambala Garden Café, Hotel Shangri-La, This week has been all about sunny minimum four diners at Rs 450 per person, two hours' notice. intervals followed by rain that is ™ Retro brunch barbecue with Crossfire Band at Le Meridien, sometimes furious in the late afternoons. Thursday afternoon’s satellite picture Gokarna from 12-4PM, Rs 1,000 including swimming. 4451212 KATHMANDU shows Tibet under the influence of huge Daily ™ Calcutta’s rolls, biryani, kebabs Indian cuisine at Bawarchi, cyclone-gathering clouds from Bluebird Mall Food Court. 9741000735 northwesterly fronts. Breakaway 20.45-21.15 on 102.4 ™ Woodfired Pizzas at the Roadhouse Café, Thamel 4262768, fractions of these containing light Bhatbhateni 4426587 and Pulchok 5521755 moisture are spilling over into the Nepali ™ Pizza from the woodfired oven at Java, Thamel. 4422519 sky, producing cool breezes, ™ Jazzabell Café enjoy great food, exotic cocktails and music, thunderstorms, and showers. The cold, Chakupat, Patan. 2114075 gusting winds and hailstorms are because the clouds come from a polar front. Expect more of the same over the GETAWAYS weekend, humidity, cool breezes, ™ Weekend package at Le Meridien Kathmandu Gokarna Forest thunderstorms, and sunny intervals. Golf Resort and Spa, two nights three days at Rs 8,888 and one KATHMANDU VALLEY Radio Sagarmatha night two days at Rs 4,444. 4451212 P.O. Box 6958, ™ Wet and wild package at Godavari Village Resort, every Saturday Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Bakhundole, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: ++977-1-545680, 545681, and Sunday, unlimited swimming, buffet lunch with a bottle of Fax: ++ 977-1- 530227 beer or a softdrink, Rs 690 net. 5560675 [email protected], www.radiosagarmatha.org For inclusion in the listing send information to [email protected] 29-156 29-14 6 29-16 30s-16 30-16 HAPPENINGS 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 15

MIN BAJRACHARYA UNHAPPY FAMILIES: Families of victims of Maoist excesses lay out pictures of their loved ones at the Maitighar mandala on Monday asking for justice. Police broke up the meeting and a number of attendees were roughed up.

KIRAN PANDAY SPEAKING UP: The Federation of Nepalese Journalists walk through town to mark World Press Freedom Day on Thursday.

KIRAN KRISHNA SHRESTHA WHERE IS MY DRIVER?: UML general secretary Madhab Nepal looks pensive as he waits in the rain after going through the photographic exhibition, A People War. His driver was upstairs, viewing the exhibition himself.

KIRAN PANDAY

LIGHTS OF PEACE: The Boudhanath stupa is brilliantly lit with thousands of butter lamps and the light of the moon on the occasion of the Buddha's 2,551st birthday on Wednesday.

BIMAL SHARMA OFF WE GO: One of 21 enthusiastic Nepali and foreign participants whizzing along the Tamang Heritage Trail up fro m Syabrubesi on Saturday during a two-day mountain bike race organised by the UN- supported Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program. 16 BACKSIDE 4 - 10 MAY 2007 #347 May Day! May Day!

ot since the slaughter of 256 rare As noted last week, Kingji has intensified but real reptiles. This week the Maoists tried hard to African parakeets has our cow efforts to enlist supernatural intervention to And the comrades may have forsaken push through replacement secretaries in pasture-turned-international preserve his Tantrick Kingdom. After the battlefield but they are invading the the ministries that they control. And

N www.nepalitimes.com airport seen a week as eventful as this. giving new meaning to the phrase 'let’s all air waves. Listeners of Radio they still can’t agree on ambassadors one First, some bloke ploughed his dozer make our sacrifices for the sake of the Paschimanchal in Palpa have suddenly year after regime change. There are eight through the cable running to the VOR DME country' Big G has deployed an army of noticed a new slant in the evening news cooks and they’re making a mess of the beacon knocking the airport out of action Brahmins to stage a mahayagya to stave bulletins in which critics of the Maoists broth. during the evening rush hour. The very off the Ill Winds Wafting from the South. are referred to as 'mandalays' Gyanendra FG next day a Doha flight had a bomb scare As the intimate details of these and other the king is called by his friendly that closed down the airport, this time palace goings-on (like the top secret meeting nickname, Gyanay. Maharababu has certainly done some during the morning rush hour. Despite the between the former Supreme Commander And they are making forays into film spring cleaning at Radio Nepal. The Ass’s fine investigative skills she’s not and the Chief of Army Staff) get plastered as well. The movie Lal Salam has just Ghatana Bichar morning radio package been able to figure out how or why that across Kathmandu’s more salacious (than finished shooting (camera, not gun) and it now sounds just like Radio Ganatantra. alert went from Qatar to Mangalore to us) weeklies, efforts are reportedly has revolutionary dance sequences Which is no surprise because the Kolkata to Kathmandu. underway to figure out who the Deep Throat performed by the All Nepal People’s minister has brought in comrades from Anyway, no sooner had the airport within Naryanhiti is. Cultural Federation. The Ass has been his formerly clandestine radio. Moles in opened again thousands of passengers were FG told never mind by whom that Comrade Gorkhapatra and NTV say they have been stranded in the terminal because the YCL Awesome giving his fiery 'May Day, May told to play down news about YCL decided to block the Ring Road. The next It doesn’t surprise your asinine columnist Day!' speech this week at Tundikhel will bullying and give full prominence to day it was the turn of irate passengers on one bit that the comrades are impatient to make a cameo appearance in the 1 hr 26 President Prachanda’s the formerly-Royal Nepal Airlines flight to turn Nepal into a republic and declare min feature film. How that bit is going to various orations, of which Dubai that had been delayed by five days victory. You would too if you had be woven into the plot, we’re not sure, but there are many. How is this who decided enough was enough and hailstones the size of socket bombs raining we’re convinced it will be scintillating. different from what the Sri gheraoed the security check thereby down on your tents. But you’d be in even Punch did when he took sealing off the departure area. As this more of a hurry if your cantonments are FG over? donkey goes to press, the airport is open being invaded by snakes. No, not counter- By the way, cabinet meetings have been but we don’t know for how long. revolutionary anti-proletarian feudal snakes, moved from Baluwatar to Singha Darbar. [email protected] ISSN 1814-2613