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#245 29 April - 5 May 2005 16 pages Rs 30 One on one Fallout of Deuba arrest tarnishes successful trip KUNDA DIXIT indeed agreed to “unconditionally” And that is how his visit resume military aid to Nepal. would have been seen had it not ing Gyanendra’s return on When this news hit headlines been for the ham-handed arrest Friday from a week of in New Delhi papers on Monday of Sher Bahadur Deuba early K intense diplomacy at the morning, all hell broke loose. The Wednesday morning and of five King Gyanendra with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh... Afro-Asian Summit in Jakarta and CPM, a key ally of Singh’s more prominent party leaders the Boao Asian Forum in China Congress-led government, lashed that afternoon. Suddenly, it could have been triumphant. out saying there was no question looked like Kathmandu had no His numerous photo of resuming arms supplies without intention of keeping its end of the opportunities with world leaders restoration of democracy in Nepal. bargain to allow the political went some way in providing his The issue became a political hot process to resume with a takeover a certain international potato and less about Nepal than progressive lifting of the legitimacy. internal tensions within India’s emergency. The most dramatic left-centre coalition. Deuba’s arrest was a breakthrough was his meeting with The episode also exposed godsend to the foreign policy Indian Prime Minister Manmohan rifts between the Indian military wallas in India who could now Singh on 24 April after which the establishment and the Ministry of say “we told you so” to the king announced that India was External Affairs with the generals defence wallas. In a pointed resuming arms supplies. far more keen to resume hardware statement South Bloc said Singh didn’t deny it, saying the supplies to the RNA to help fight Deuba’s arrest was “contrary to ...Chinese premier Hu Jintao request would be considered in the Maoists. Indian Foreign assurances” “proper perspective”. Then came a Secretary Shyam Saran, who has the king gave Editorial p2 leak from an unnamed Indian reportedly taken charge of Nepal to Singh in Emergency exit official that the prime minister had policy, was on a weekend trip to Jakarta and Bhutan and is supposed to have even hinted that these matters been miffed by Jakarta's fallout. were no longer viewed as Weekly Internet Poll # 245 As the defence and foreign Nepal’s internal affairs. For Q. Would lifting the emergency be a good policy establishments in New Nepal Deuba’s arrest has been a idea? Delhi locked horns there was case of snatching defeat from the confusion about who was really jaws of victory. directing policy towards Nepal. All eyes are now on King King Gyanendra came out of this Gyanendra's handling of the looking like he had run circles emergency which lapses on around the Indians and exposed Sunday, and the “100 days” he Total votes:650 their rift. In addition, the Indian pledged on a democracy Weekly Internet Poll # 246. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com about turn on arms blew sizeable roadmap to American Q... Should India resume military hole on the US-UK-India alliance ambassador James Moriarty assistance to Nepal? on Nepal. which runs out on 11 May. z ...and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. PICS: DOI ISSN 1814-2613 2 EDITORIAL 29 APRIL - 5 MAY 2005 #245 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editor: Abha Eli Phoboo, Aarti Basnyat Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan Shilpakar Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki, [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013 [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Charting our own path Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018 How to help re-engineer democracy by devolution EMERGENCY EXIT fter February First, many This failure is most telling in breathing a sigh of relief to have got The state of emergency imposed on 1 February will expire in the bilateral and multi-lateral the case of the United States, rid of them. The double-standards next few days. Without a parliament, it will need constitutional A donors were convinced that whose 11 Congressmen wrote to are breathtaking: these same contortions to extend it by another three-months. But why bother? suspending aid would force the King Gyanendra recently calling countries have tolerated After all, it was a stick where a carrot would have sufficed. country back to status quo ante. for ‘peaceful reversion to dictatorships and emergency rule We think this emergency has outlived its usefulness, been This meant having the country democratic reforms in Nepal’. In everywhere else in the world. counterproductive to state security and should be lifted as a ruled once again by unelected the 1970s-90s period, USAID The more-Catholic-than-the genuine gesture to steer this country towards national politicians—the possibility of presided over the ‘integrated Pope diehards in the donor reconciliation and to break our current international isolation. election having been wrecked development’ of Rapti Zone, the community should know by now that Few would dispute that the country is in deep crisis, and drastic during their own stewardship. region which emerged as the widespread poverty and illiteracy action is needed to set things right. Despite serious concern about epicentre of the Maoist force politicians to buy votes in human rights violations by the security forces, no one should have GUEST COLUMN insurgency. elections. They then use this as an Meanwhile, the ‘five party open license to plunder while in any illusions anymore that it is the Maoists who as a matter of Bihari K Shrestha policy use terror as a tactic of war. They resort to extreme alliance’, otherwise a loose office, wrecking governance in the brutality to spread fear, bomb schools, destroy temples and have no ensemble of opportunistic process. qualms in treating children as cannon fodder. Almost three months later, the politicians, came together again This has been the crux of the The people who have suffered the most at the hands of the aid suspension has barely recently recovering from its problem in our practice of Maoists in the past ten years have been ordinary Nepalis, created a ripple. This calls for disarray since last July when the Westminister style democracy. In grassroots political cadre and social activists—yet it is these very some serious introspection by UML deserted them to join the contrast, where authority is people who are affected by the curtailment of civil liberties post-1/2. donors themselves. Has their tax Deuba government. However, devolved to the users themselves, Why are we punishing people who are on our side? payers’ money been only of when its cadres went back to transparency of management and The raison d’etre for February First, as laid out in the royal peripheral consequence for street protests recently there were accountability of leaders, have proclamation, was that the political process had gone astray and it Nepal? Conversely and more scores of spectators watching in prevailed. Such devolution has was undermining the counterinsurgency campaign. Fair enough. seriously, how come the aid, amusement and only a few made Nepal the world leader in But although a state of emergency was declared in a separate much of it spanning over five courting arrest. This was a very community forestry. At this level, notice, there was nothing in the royal proclamation that said decades, failed to prevent Nepal embarrassing display of lack of illiteracy is no hindrance for people anything about such a harsh crackdown on the press and from sinking into the present public support for the agitation. to define their problems nor is politicians. morass, and more precipitously Junior politicians sent to the poverty a deterrence in participation It is our concern that the state of so, after 1990? street frontlines are aware that the in solving them. emergency has deeply polarised image of their parties is tarnished. Devolution is the key not only to Nepalis. The middle ground has So, in the NC at least, pressures promote genuine democracy and been removed. The Maoists seemed have mounted for ‘reorganising development but also to end the to be headed towards ultimate self- along democratic lines’ and insurgency once and for all. So, destruction anyway, now they have ‘getting rid of the corrupt’ from the Nepal’s foremost need today is to new reason to rally against the party. These calls were, as usual, re-engineer its democracy so that monarchy and focus their fight. brushed aside by party president, the disadvantaged majority get to Intimidation of media has tarnished Girija Koirala. effectively participate in decisions the credibility of the very institution Tarnished by the Dhamija and that concern them. Restoring the the state needs to put its views to Lauda scandals, Girijababu would corrupt man’s democracy will the people. Wild rumours and panic never commit political suicide by amount to letting down the people have replaced facts, and this only agreeing. His corrupt cohorts, too, once again. benefits those who rule by terror. wouldn’t like to be sidelined even Finally, there is India. It made The role of the bureaucracy and as he continues to grace the party peace with Pakistan ‘irreversible’ constitutional organs have been throne. The wily politician has last week, now it should prevent emasculated by newly-formed wriggled out of the predicament Nepali Maoists from operating from authorities with overlapping once again under the alibi that it its soil and help repatriate Bhutani functions, and the rule of law has is no time to cause conflict in refugees who, having been shoved taken a hard knock.

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