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• Nepal's first bank to receive an investment grade credit rating of [Nepal] "A" by ICRA. • Highly experienced management and sound corporate governance. • No. 1 private sector bank in terms of deposits and lending. • 24 years of stable banking. • The highest Capital Base. • Highest growth rate among banks in Nepal. • High Customer Base. • Wide Branch and ATM Network. • 365 Days Banking.
Tel: 4228229, 4242530 www. nib I. com. n p lilUIC1 ;;.-a"ltsciloc'b!H. NEPAL INVESTMENT BANK LTD. fJ'ru{y a J.fepa{i ICRA illanf( [Nep al] A SPOT HL IG 'FORTNIGHTLY Vol.: 03 No.-25 May21-2010 (Jestha-07,2067)
COVER STORY: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY Extension Of Confusion 10
NEWSNOTES 2 OPINION : - Dipak Gyawali 4 GORKHALAND: Fresh Agitation 5 UNMIN: In A Spot 6 FNCCI: Exercise In Futility 7 NEW UK GOVT: Promises to Keep 8 CONSTITUTION : Sisyphus Myth 9 FORUM: Buddha Basnyat, MD. 16 BIG CAT: In Danger 17 TEK CHANDRA POKHERAL: Exce l ~nt Achievement 18 Book 19 ARTICLE: Dr. Tulsi P. Uprety 20 ISRAELI FILM FESTI VAL: Unique Facets 21 FOCUS: SURESH ACHARYA 22 FACE TO FACE : MINAR PIMPLE 25 VIEWPOINT: Professor Dr. Bishwombher Pyakuryal 28 INTERVIEW: Prof. Dr. Lok Raj Baral 14
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NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 1 NEWSNOTES
Although more than 80% ofNepal's population works in the agriculture -;ector. production of staple crops like wheat and barle) has steadily declined. ~1\t)-si\ percent of"Jepali households report food shortages and nearly half of children under fi, e are undernourished . .. One billion people world\\ ide are hung!'\:· noted IJSAID administrator Dr. Raj!\ <.>hah \\hen announcing the selections 111 Washington. D.C "Each year. inadequate nutrition contributes to 3. ~million deaths among children under live. Undernutrition robs the developing world or critical human capital and capacity. and undermines other development investments in health, education, and economic growth. It also perpetuates the cycle of pove11y and hunger by leading to poor health, lower levels of educational attainment. and Syed Abrar Hussain Paki-;tani Made In Pakistan reduced productivity and lifetime ambassador to Nepal. Apart from normal • To cekbratc the Golden Jubilee of earnings." stalls. a food court will offer \·ariel) of the cstabl ishment of "Jcpal Pakistan 1\epal demonstrates potential for Pakistani dishes while a Pakistani diplomatic n:lationsh1p. l mbassy of rapid and sustainable agriculture-led cultural troupe will be there for li-.:e Pakistan is organi;ing an cxhtbJtJOn grO\\ th. as well as opportunities for perfonnance to entertain the \ isitor:-.. named \1adc in Paktstan Prodm:ts regional coordination through trade and There will be a large Ycrity of Pakistani L:xhibition 20 I 0 rrom 19 to 23 :-..1ay 2010. other mechanisms. 1tcms such as wooden furniture. textile This is the first Pakistani exhibition Feed the Future will tackle the root products. ladies dresses. leather of its k1nd 1n '\cpal and 1s bc111g causes of global hunger by sustainabl) jackets, ladies bags. footwear. arti licial organized b) Pakistan \\orld Trade increasing agricultural producti\·ity to jC\\ cler, cosmetic. gemstones. l:.xpo Center in collaboration \\ ith meet the demand for food, supporting handicralts and others. A group or more Pakistani Cmbass) in Kathmandu, ,1nd facilitating access to strong than 80 Pakistam busmcssmcn i!-. takmg Nepalese Lmbassy Ill Islamabad. markets. providing employment part 111 the program. Rawalpindi Chamber oiTommerce and orporlunities, and increasing incomes arc conlidcnt that this C\ e1H Industry and Islamabad Chamber of --we so the poor can purchase food and will greatly help in introducing Pakistani Commerce and Industry. reduce undernutrition through Products to Nepalese Consumers and "We have also the support of development and diplomatic efforts, the provide a forum for interaction between "Jcpal Chamber or Commerce. statement read. Federati on or Nepalese Chamber of businessmen of the two countries. Th is will in Lurn result in enhancing the Indian Support Commerce and Industry. Pakistan India and Nepal signed an volume or trade between our l\\0 • Nepa l Chamber of Commerce and agreement on the upgradation of26 km Pakistan lntanat ion a I Airlines." said nations which is dismally low," c;aid ambassador. road from Dakshinkali to KuJekhani Dam in Nepa l. A Memorandum of Feed the Future Initiative t;SAlD mission director. Dr. Kevin Lnderstanding to this effect was signed epa! has been selected as one of20 Rushing. met "ith Nathu Prasad b) Ambassador of India Rakesh Sood focus countries for Lnited States Chaudhar). secretary of the Ministry of and secretar) in the .\1inistry of Finance President Barack Obama's )3.5 Billion Agriculture and Cooperati\ cs and Dr. Rameshwor Prasad Khanal. Feed the Future initiative. Jagadisb Chandra Pokharcl. the 'icc under the agreement, the Indian Feed the Future is a comprehensive chairman of the National Planning go' ernment shall proYide a grant country-O\\ ned and agriculture-led Commission to infonn them ofthe ne\\S. assistance of Nepali Rupees 15 crores approach that aims to significant!) and .. The United States is \\Orking to the f\cpalese government for the sustainably reduce hunger and poverty closely with the Government of Nepal upgradation of the 26 km road to black in the developing v. orld. the US 1-:mbassy and the other donors to be sure \\e can lop standard road from Dakshinkali YDC in Nepal has announced. meet President Obama's objectives to in Kathmandu to Kulekhani Dam in the The US government has named food reduce chronic hunger and poverty in district ofMakwanpur via Chimalc VDC security as a major global priority. Nepal," Dr. Rushing stated. and Sisncri VDC' with 6.5mctcr roadway, NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 2 NEWS NOTES utili;ration of medical sen ices. lidcntif} tng different modaltties or existing CBHI schemes in the targeted areas. understanding the a\ ailabilil) and capac tty or human and social resources in the targeted areas, Hrifying commitments and tnsurance strategies among stakeholders: policymakcrs. a~:adcmics. 1\GOs. and provtders. e\aluate the political will and ad\ ocac} of the local gO\ ernmcnt KOIC \shall prmide i\-10HP \\ith a report of the baseline sun e}. Folio\\ ing the base line sun e). KOIC \shall design the project implementation program "hich will be based on multi phased models focusing on CBITI. llcahh sector has been one of the priorit} areas in Nepal for KOICA. Other including consrruction of retaining approximately six million. three hundred than this 1-.0lCA ha~ established a 50- • structures. side structures. cross drain!>, and eighty-fi, c thousand dollars bed Hospttal tn \1adbyapur Thimt uS cul,ens, and causeways. (USS 6,385,000). to the Government of 'v1unicipaltty. -\t present there are 18 The Department of Roads under the Nepal for the l·orest Presen ation Korea 0\'crseas Volunteers (KOVs). Ministry ofPhysical Planning and Works Program. inJapan'sfiscal Year2009. including 3 medical doctors, providing of the government of Nepal, will be the T his grant assistance is to be their services in the area of 111 implementing agency for the project. health provided with the Nepal. The upgraded road will not on ly objective of enabling the Government of Nepal to address benefit rhe population of Dakshinkali, Gautam Named Citizen Bank Ch imale, Sisneri and Kulekhani VDCs but climate change with specia l emphasis on a lso benefit the inhabitants or adaptation to. and the mitigation of Chairman Kathmandu and CentTal Terai region by climate change as well as on improved The Board of Directors of Citi7ens reducing the travel time from Kathmandu access to clean energy. B a n k to Terai region, particular!) to Birgunj, It is widely known that human International, by almost half and will also considerably activities such as the burning of petrol Ltd announced reduce the cost of transportation or and fossil fuels inevitably cause the t h e goods in this sector. emission of carbon dioxide (CO), but appointment of Japanese Aid to Nepal a Iso scientifically clear that green plants Kul Chnndra The Government of Japan has agreed and forests fulfi ll a variety of functions Gautam as its to extend a grant assistance of s ix of curbing a global warm ing. For new chairman hundred million Yen (¥600,000,000), example. forests absorb CO, greatly aod effective 30 approximately four hundred and lilly prevent soil erosion. provide natural April 2010. one million, and eight hundred thousand resources. preserve the ecosystem, and Gautam is a former Deput} Exec uti' e Nepalese Rupees (NRs.45l.800,000), or maintain watersheds. Director of U'\IICEF and Assistant KOICA Supports Health Secretary-General ofthe United Nations. Pro,jects He ha s extensive experience in international development cooperation. KOICA wi ll spend US$ I million for humanitarian assistance. human rights Community Based Il ealth Insurance and diplomacy. (CBHI) pilot projects lor 3 years (201 0- Currenll), Gautam is informally 20 12). Through this project KOICA will advising Nepal's senior political and carry out a variety of acti\ ities related ci' il societ} leadership on the peace to community based health insurance process. consolidation of democracy such as, census of population and and socio-economic development. • housing, status quo of the delivery and
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN4 May 21, 20101 3 OPINION Deconstructing Anti-Indianism - Dipak Gyawali
lt was a moment to relish at a Track- aspects in mind. The first is to and Bihar took 11 talk shop over a decade ago. Nepali understand the " Indianism" that the advantage of it. media was running purple prose on the neighbours are so very against, and the t h ll s Mahakali controversy but the other is to search for more in-depth contributing contrasting silence in the Indian press causes. If being pro- cpal or pro significantly to was deatening. A Delhi-based Track-l Bangladesh is being anti-Indian, then the current retLree was waxing eloquent on how "we there must logically exist severe insecurity in the Indians" wanted Himalayan water problems •vith Indianis m, even when Tarai and across. development that was to benefit the there are many things justifiably Indian It is the third ne ighbours but those ung rate ful ones that are absolutely loved by the masses quid pro quo opposing it were motivated by pure on the rims. For example, except for item - water resources - that elucidates "anti-lndianism". At that point, the westernized snobs, Boll ywood is lndianism and contrasts it in Nepali redoubtable Ash is Nandy jumped up everyone's favourite, notwithstanding minds w ith "Chinese-ism", if one may objecti ng that he was very much an an occasional Hritik Roshan riot for invent a non-existent term. Hastily after Indian but not pan of the ''we Indians" (mis)perceived utterances by these regime change in 2006, the Seven Party that the eminent gentleman was referring celluloid celebrities. Indian goods, from Alliance and the Maoists pushed into to. paan to paints, arc in hig h demand. place a water resource developme nt This episode captures the cultural Nepali youth who can, make a beeline policy that was not Nepal-centric but schi.lophre ni a that a ll of India's for Indian colleges and th ose who can't export-led which completely ignored the • ne ighbours have to live with. Many of head for the Indian job market even as importance of regulated water. Violating us - Nepalis, Bangladeshis, Srilankans their friends back home demonstrate the letter and spirit of the 1990 and Pakistanis - have Indian friends we against India for many c ross-border constitution's Article 126 (as well as the collaborate with closely in academia, grievances. interim constitution's Article 156), they business, social activism or cultural One of the worst examples of awarded plum sites to Indian events. ln the earlier decades. such lndianism is the special security check developers, not for ameliorating Nepal's invoking of anti-lndianism by the Babus at Kathmandu airport: Nepal \\aS crippling power shortage but for export of Delhi to explain away their failed punished with an air blockade for six to India. In contrast. the Chinese have policies used to be merely embarrassing. months for what was obviously an offered Nepal $200 million of soft loan and most of our Indian friends used to Indian problem (Kashmir) created by an to develop about II 0 M W of power for whisper to us. " Ignore him, he is a Indian fai lure to stop in Amritsar the Nepali consumption. Can such incidents jackass!" Today, this "anti-lndianism" hijackers of the Indian airlines to of lndiauisms from border has gone worrisomely v iral thanks to Kandahar in December 1999. But Nepal encroachments to misplaced effons to two mutually rei nforcing factors: Delhi was demonized in the 24-hour Indian build an artificial Lumbini in UP to Babudom's interte ring in the political news channels and forced to accept a lodg ing comical diplomatic protests affairs of the ne ig hbours above and humiliating Indian plan that is a constant when a Bangladeshi m il lionaire put up beyond norma l diplomacy, in c luding reminder to all air travellers every day money to build a replica of the Taj Mahal regim e c hange in Nepal, and the that mutual trust is at rock boll om. near Dhaka - be generalized under some corresponding backlash that is carried Current bout of anti-lndianism going theoreti ca l reasoning to search for not so much by cha 11 eri e n g Ii tes as in viral in the lowerranks of politica l parties deeper causes behind these symptoms? • the past but by mass-based parties at stems from the Indian support for the The roots of anti-lndianism seem to the receiving end of tha t regime change of 2006 that apparently lie in the nature of the Indian state, which highhandedncss. Interestingly, the most came w ith hidden quid pro quos of is legally the successor state to the anti-Indian rhetoric is spewed forth by lndianism. Extending the security plan colonial British Raj: indeed Delhi and not parties that were either the creation of, of 1999, D elhi's security Babus arc Islamabad inherited the Raj residency or based on, Delhi's munilicence. And it pressuring the current 'cpali in Lainchaur. This continuity carries with is not just the Maoists who arc the latest dispensation for a carte blanche to it not just the burden of past colonial in exhibiting the \Hath of the jilted lover: arrest and extradite any suspect to Delhi. history but also its politics as well. As the Madhcsh-bascd parties too are It would not only violate all international the political economist Samir Amin puts sulking in the corner. unhappy with llindi norms but also erase the respectful it. unlike Russian de,·elopmem based on imperialism in the Maithili-Awadhi precedent established in 1965 in the a urban-bureaucratic alliance that bled bastion epitomized in the oath-taking case of chief minister Pratap Singh the peasantry white. and the Chinese Oip-tlop of Parmananda Jha. Kairon's assassin Sucha S ingh. The model equalizing rural peasants over In probing this phenomenon of anti other " understanding·· was to give urban workers thus re-shaping Chinese Indianism, before one lists the litany of c itizenship to millions of migrants social relations, India's 1ehruvian plan neig hbourhood g ri evances, it ts violating due process, w ith tragic was a "peripheral capitalist" model. It important to keep two inter-related results: many criminal elements in UP did not end colouialism but merely NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 4 NEIGHBOUR changed the driver of the machint: from white to brown with rhe g lobal capitalist GORKHALAND philosophy and mission remaining the same. As a result, India's continuing imemal colonitati on has produced. six Fresh Agitation decades after independence. a raging axal itc mutiny that has e ngulfed half its districts. lls external economic By UMA KANTA KHANAL in Siliguri colonization efforts from Farakka to Mahakali to Wullar - have led t o bad ince the Govemment or India be limited to the hill subdivisions of blood in the neighbourhood. Within and and the West Bengal Govern Kalimpong, Kurseongand Da~celing. '' ithout, the political economy of unfair ment rejected the proposal for As soon as the talks failed to get the resource ca pture enterpri ses pursued an interim setup in Darjeeling. results. the Moreha has annotmced a I 0- by Delhi's Babudom has produced s Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, the day long gene::ral strike in mid-June. Ini similar results. party agitating for a separate tially, on May 15 and 16. Morcha called a Gorkhaland The successor state also inherits, to state. has again two-day general strike in th.: proposed commenced a new agi use terms by Foucault and Edward Said, tation 'only for
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN4 May 21, 2010 J 5 POLITICS
be that the world body's council was simply making a routine comment. But it wasn't one. Having extended UN MIN's tem1 for six times since 2007. this'' as the first time when the securit) council made such a forthright decision for the mission to pack up. L~.:ll. scratch ing their heads on the "dissimilarity·· bet\\een what SC and Ul\ ~II had to sa). obsen ers were e\ en more nonplussed \\ ith the mission ·s) et • another statement. It says. "UNM lN can conclude its monitoring responsibilities when any residual monitonng responsibilities are handed O\'er. or ''hen the situation of the Maoist army is r~.: solved. With Maoists and major ru ling parties having continued to cross UNMIN S\\Ords on government leadership and ne\\ constitution. the knotty issue of "Maoist combatants is not even on the • table. InA Spot In such an atmosphere of deepening mistrust. how can both the sides agree Clock has begun to tick for the UN mission to pack up, but will it? on a body the UJ can hand O\'er its residual monitoring re~pons i bi Iiti es to? By NAVIN SINGHKHADKA Perhaps that was why in London UNMIN was quick to add. "Uow soon this can be done will depend on how quickly the he mist of uncertainty saying the world body had decided to parties reach agreement.·· shrouding the future of the wrap up its Nepal mission after four But, what if the parties do not reach United Nat ions Mission in months. a deal with in the 15 September security T Nepal (UNM IN) has further But a few days after the SC decision, council deadline set for UNM IN's thickened. U M I chief Karin Landgren had this withdrawal? to say at a press More so in the wake of meet, '·My brieJing, and Then things might be subject to the report of what the mission·s officials in the Secretary General, interpretation by which side you are described the extensive stTuctured Kathn'landu have to say. speak consultations that took place between ing to. Earlier this month. the UN Security UNM!N and senior political leaders to The major ruling parties who have Council decided to withdraw l; 1\11N by review options that would allow for the been mi fled by the U mission all along I 5 September this year when the latest mission's withdrawal. might point at the security council extension for the mission expires. '"The Security Council reiterated that decision. In the resol ution it adopted, the UN MTN , wo rking with the parties, Much to th e rejoice of regional council said. ·'(The SC) underlines that should begin to make an·angements for powers that were never happy to have th e current arrangements were this." the Ul\MTN at their backyard. conceived as temporary measures, Evidently, Landgren ·s language did But Maoist leaders who have rather than long term solutions, and nol quite echo the even more s traight smell ed rat in "UNM IN-bashing'' decides that, working with the parties, forwa rd message of the SC. maintain that the mission must continue. UN MIN shou ld immediately begin to She chose to avoid the date. 15 Am id these conflicting positions make the necessary arrangements for its September 20 I 0, for the withdrawal and the approaching security council \vithdrawal, including handing over any while the council had mentioned it deadline, what move would the UN make residual monitoring responsibilities by speci lically. eagerly remains to be seen. 15 September 201 0." If you r c~1 d UNMIN chief's All Lh~ more, ifthe political dead lock No wonder an UN-date lined statement without referring to the SC continued even after UN MIN's extended resolution. the impression would largely Associated Press report ran its top line four-momh mandate. •
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 6 .· 4 l • . ECONOMY F rccl leaders realiLed their folly. The) I first increased the ultimatum to 3 days. And then they said that \\as not an ultimatum at all. "'We only gave time to the parties to reach consensus because without it the country is doomed," satd FNCCJ president Kush Kumar Joshi. 13ut the damage has already been done. Mounting Pressu re In the run up to their peace rally m which lens of thousands of people participated calling for end to strikes the F CCI lcadershtp was in extreme pressure. The Maoist leadership asked them to cancel or at least postpone the FNCCI Leaders : In Controversy rally by two days. At one point. they had nearly FNCCI cancelled it But tl1ey then l~tce d pressure from • the other side and ''cot ahead with the Exercise In Futility peace rally - which turned out to be huge success anyway. In its attempt to please all, the FNCC/ leadership ends up pleasing '"The e\ cnts of the last two weeks no one must serve as a lesson to the F CCJ leadership to refrain from such misadventures as raising political By A CORRESPON DENT demands instead of limiting itself in favor of peace and constitution;· said a former executive member of FNCC n t he last two weeks. the d ism iss such demands and, instead, I. federation However, the success of Nepakse asked the business community to stop of 'vlay 7 rally Chamber or Commerce and feeding milk to snake - a phrase clearly also suggests that the FNCCl, indeed. I Industry (F CCT) the umbrella referring to the business community's has a b ig following for the cause of body of private business 'donation' to Maoists. strike-free and peaceful environment community - has succeeded to In a damage control exercise, the where the economy can progress. alienate thl.! government as well 1-"NCCJ. on May 15, called an emergency as the Maoists meeting. On May 7, the Losses And Losses leadership of the Perhaps buoyed by the success of FNCCI In the six days were on the Cloud Nine. May 7 ra ll y, the over-7ealous F CCI of Maoist-imposed Following the strike, 'success· of the peace leadership ga' e 48-hour ultimatum to the country has lost about Rs rally they organiz ed, the Maoists were the poli tical parties to reach consensus. 13.5 billion in total. compelled to end the week-long strike They threatened to bring masse~ of ''For each day of strike, the country that had just about crippled the entire tens of thousands all over the country loses Rs 2.25 billion," said Kush Kumar national economy. to pressure the parties. Joshi. president of FNCCI. But the success was. indeed. bitter They even went on to declare that if I Ic said the calculations S\\ eel. were made their demands were not met, they would The on the basis of lost work hours, Maoists felt that the business no t only stop paying donations to community. revenue. import revenue, business particularly FNCCI, had parties but would also ::;uspend paying acted partially by not demanding turnovers etc. resigna taxes. On the other ha nd. during tion of the government even as Now that really irked the ruling the the peace rally demanded "ithdrawal of parties. strike, the Maoists are said to have their strike. !l aving a lreudy registered spent as much as Rs 20 million a day Fearing the red backlash, themselves the F CCI in the bad books of thl.! forthcupkecpofthctensofthousands leadership ''enL into an O\erdri\C \llaoists. of they now succeeded to alienate of their supporters who had been diplomacy. They met with the Prime th e gove rnment as wel l. b;·ought to the valley from all over the Minister where the FNCCI president The ministers quickly deplored the country to take part in protest dropped hints that they expected his ultimatum and the threats of non demonstrations. resignation. payment of taxes. The expenses were made on their The prime minister was quick to Tmmediately. after the decision. the fooding and lodgino as well as tra\cl. NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN4 May 21, 2010J 7 ABROAD NEWUKGOVT Promises to Keep
The Com;ervaave-Lib Dem coalition that has resumed office ear~y this month is expected to increm;e its international aid commitments. Does Nepal stand to gain?
By BIIAGTRATH YOGl in London
ust three da)s after assum1ng to be a good awarenc~~ \\ itlun the political office. the ne\\ I) appouued community of the assue~ facing the (iurkhas l·ore1gn Secretary of Britain. and the need to rectil~ the problems they \\ llliam Hague, left for face:· said ~a)or (Ret d.) l1 kcndra Dal J Washmgton DC to meet his US De\\an, chainn.an of the Bri tish Gu rkha decade-old armed msurrection in which counterpart. Hillary Clinton. Wei r.m: Society (BG\VS) a leading Gu rk ha over 13.000 p..:op le lost their lives and try ing to reshape polity as well as its "A l'ghan istan remains the top organisa ti on based in the LJK. priorit y for our government. We di sc ussed economy. support and goodwi ll or "The BGWS about Afghani stan. Pakistan. Iran and other wil l continue to highli ght in ternational l'riends like UK matters a lot. these problem~ to both our longstanding 1ssues ol mutual interest during th~.: But. Nepal's de\'elopment paltners are likely supporters meeting." the \ eteran Conservative leader in Parliament and th e new ly to take time to assess the impact of roller elected MPs. We told reporters emerging after the talks \\ ith arc tirmly of the belief .coaster political changes in "Jepal O\ er the that pension equal it) for Gurkha \ eterans is last fe\\ years and the deepening political Ylrs Chnton on 1-l'h May. not on I} mora II) right. but \\ill ulumatel) • instabilit) the countr: i~ passing through- Brnam has commiued second h1ghes1 prm e less costly to the public purse than on bilateral relations. number of forces in Afghanistan. after the the current situation under \\ hich many US. and is abo an import ant ally of the US Gurkhas are forced to relocate to the UK "The nC\\ Conscrvati\'c-lcd administration of UK might feel liule across the Atlantic. Bri tish Gurkhas re main out or fi nancial desperation." he added. an in tegral pnrt of the British forces who arc uncomfortab le tO\\ards the new polit ical set lighting agai nst the Tali ban 111 iI ita nts in th e l)cvelopment Aid up in Ne p~l leadi ng to changes in their perception. BLII. I don't thin k there will be rugged III Otm tains of Afghanistan. Another area or immed ime cone..: rn for any major idcol()gica l shift in the British Nepa After a llindu religious ritual, friends l is development aid. government"s development assistance policy and famil) bid adieu to a wtal of 600 troops UK remains the largest bilateral donor towards developing countries like "'epal." of the Royal Gurk.ha Rines at Folkestonc. to t\epal assistmg in areas as dherse as added Sharma. \\ ho has also sen ed as the UK. on March 31 as the) \\ere all set to drntiing constitution. impro\·ing policing and 1\epali em O) to thL United Nations. lea\·e tor -\ tghanistan. ;-..!early 2!<0 Briush raising income and skills ofpoor lamilies. In soldiers ha\ c been killed in Afghanistan smce the year 2008 09. Department for In the\\ akc of global financial crisis and recent liscal cri~b in Curozone economies 200 I including Gurkha soldiers. International De\elopmcnt (OriD) had allocated 85 million including Clrccc:c. analysts sa)' countries like Gurkhas n:main the cornerstone of pounds to implement its programs '\Jepal shoul d no more take foreign aid as nea rl y t\\ o-centurics-old relationship in Nepal up from C 18.52 mi II ion duri ng I. granted. Donors arc likely to be choosy whil e betw..:cn N..:pa l and Britain. fhey have :2000-0 A II eyes arc now set on the new coalition govern ment spending every do ll ar or pound of their tax va li antly fought in World War 1 and II on as to how it wi ll redefine its payers money and may hold the recipi..:nt behal r of the then British empire as well as international development in other theatres of war as pan of the British priorities. more accountable in the days to come. In their forces. Thousands of Gurkhas ha\e laid As the countr~ faces a huge budgcta~ l:uest election manifestoes. both dm\ n their li\ cs in the course of these battles deficit of around I 63 billiun pounds. nc\\ ly · the Conscrvall\ c and L1beral Democrat part1cs ha\ e pledged to achieve the UN target defending the British crO\\ nand her subJects. appointed Prime r-.linister Da\ id ( amcron has made it clear that his gm emmem \\ill be of spending 0.7 percent national income as or course. there ha\ e been long running slashing spending 111 almost all areas of the aid by 2013. "\\ c \\ 1llmm e towards results !.!riC\ances among the Gurkha soldiers on public expenditure. based aid. "here mone) is handed to issues rangmg fr;m right to settlement and And. it ''ill take a fe\\ more months to assess the full1mpaet of cut governments only \\hen development equal pcns1on and benefits. After a long and in different seuon. of governance incl ud ing results have been achieved. We will also high prolil.: cam paign supported by British empower people in poor countries by giv ing foreign politicia ns,media and actress Joanna Lumley, aid. them more control over how aid is spent British government led by Gordon Brown "We wil l have to wai t un til th e new and strengthen public support fo r aid by decided last year to allow right to settlement government announces its emergency budget gi\ ing British people a vote over where and to all GurJ..ha soldiers who had sencd at within the next couple of months to assess hO\\ some or their aid is spent." said the lea~t for four years in the British Army. But hO\\ much its international aid commitments Conscn·ati\e manife>tO. the1r light for equal pension continues. \\ill be hit:· said Muran Ra.t Sharma. former 1\epali ambassador to The message is loud and clear: ::--!cpal ·'The results of the General rlcction the UK.. "But. I don., think there will be a maJOr change in its \\ill ha\ e to restore order as soon as poss1ble ha\ e certain I> gh·en eYeryonc pause lor overall orientation (tO\\ ard!> foreign aid):· and improve gO\·crnance if she wanb to thought. We will wait \\ ith interest to sec receive increased aid from her international \vhat happens. but irrespective of the he added. developmem partners including the U K. • outcome I believe there is and will conti nue As 1\epal is trying to emerge out of the NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 8 POLITICS
humanity, is being shaken by a CONSTITUTION confluence of strategic, political and economic tensions that threatens to ignite a series of interlocking conflicts whose effects may be felt around the Sisyphus Myth g lobe." This hard reality turned last month's Maoist state capturing exercise into a Nepal's current constitution making exercise is ending in a manner of fiasco. Started from the statement of all previous constitutions, like the Myth of Sisyphus Chinese government spokesperson in Beijing with discussions by Nepalese prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to By KESHAB POUDEL foreign diplomats, intervention by the diplomats from European Union, n the last s ix decades, five statement of US constitutions in Nepal faced assistant secretary simil a r fates. When the and finally a sudden constitution reached at the outburst of crowd iD I the streets of stage of maturity, Ihe process crumbled lik e the fa mous Kathmandu foi led Greek legend's of Myth of the Maoist big S isyphus. show. After four years of costly exercise Although of constitut ion making through the Maoist leader Constituent Assembly, Nepal is again Prachanda 1s nowhere with all the dreams to write a threatening with model constitution to turn Nepal as a strong words as a federal, democratic republic getting face value. be knows rude jolts. where he felt the The political euphoria, which pinch. 1'\o matter surfaced foliO\\ ing the India-backed 12 ------what Prachanda or point agreement signed between the constitution. We will agree on the last Dr. Baburam UCPN-Maoist and the scYcn political minute like in the past," said CP -UML Uhallarai or Jhalnath Khanal want, it is party alliance in New Delhi in 2006, is leader Jhalnath Khanal with confidence. the hard reality which \\"ill prevail. down and political parties are now ·'The statement of Maoist is just a "It is dead sure that the constitution harping on their own s logans to start a rhetoric and they have to come to the wi ll ne'er work which is unrealistic new joumey. UCPN-Maoist has already ground reality." against th e hard realities of U1c country declared that it will promulgate the New Whatever Maoist leaders Prachanda and that will become a scrap of paper. People's constitution. or Dr Baburam Bhattarai wish or CPN- Only that constitution will prevail which ''If the new understanding is not UML leader Jhalnath Khanal thin ks, it accommodates all conflicting interests reached ti ll May 27 with the resignati on has little meaning. Wi s h of Maoist of the country and accommodates hard of the prime minisLcr and agreement on leaders to wage the war canno t realities of the country,'' said a poli tica l consensual nationa l government, we materia lize until there is g uarantee for ana lyst, a n eminent constitutiona l w ill declare People's Consti tution on safe sanctuary and supply o f l ogisti c as lawyer, in the May 12, 2006 issue of May 28 from the open theater,'' in the past. Similarly. Khanal 's thinking Spot Ii ghl. threatened Maoist leader Dr. Baburam has no meaning if he gets the backing of "As long as Nepal's geo-strategic Bhatlarai. ··we will capture the power al l like in 2006. Reality and rhetoric are s ituation is unstable, no constitution under the constitution promulgated differe11t. • and political process will work. Nepal's from Lh c street. We \\i ll show our As South Asia is itself unstable, one geostratcgic position is a hard reality strength in the street and there is no cannot expect stability in Nepal. Jn the which will override constitutions. The question to extend the tenure of CA words of South Asian experts, the hard present instability is also a reflection of wit hour PM 's resignation." reality of South Asia is volatile and this," said the analyst in the last issue Maoist leader Prachanda too has unstable. ·'A New Great Game is about of 1 cw Spotlight. (Read April 30 Ne" made similar statements threatening to at the top of tbe world. The chain of Spotlight) establish the party's O\\ n rule in -the mountain ranges. plateaus, and valleys Whatever political leaders say or country in case political parties do not that begins in Afghanistan and Kashmir, \\ish, they cannot change the hard reality abide by their proposal. However. 'cpali and then sweeps 2,500 miles across the of epal and Nepal's political course or Congn:ss and CPN-UML have rejected Indian subcominent to Uurma (nO\\ constitutional process are not going to the Maoist demand and asked them to Myanmar) is fast becoming one of the stabili/e in the near future. Hard reality come to s ign a broader package to solve globe's most volatile and dangerous is Nepal's geostrategic location and it the current crisis including for national geo-political fa ult zones," writes win determine everything. As long as it government. journalist E1ic S. Margoli s in his book settle. Nepal has to repeatedly see Myth ''Once Maoist agrees on th e:: War at the Top or the World. ·'South of Sisyphus• package, we w ill amend the interim Asia, w hich contains a fu ll quarter of
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZIN~ May 21, 20101 9 COVER STORY CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY Extension Of Confusion Born with a two-year lifespan Nepal's first constituent assembly is set to receive artificial oxygen for an extended life as the jumbo body fails, predictably, to give the delivery of a new constitution with major partners that conceived it falling out over the yet-to-born baby
BySUSIIILSHARMA with SAROJ DAHAL
ith just a'' eek to go before to lose the most in the event of a non- One government bill and two pri\ ate the constituent assembly extension. bills. expires. there had been no "We are more eager than others to But both the multi-party governing W agreement yet on extend it," he confided. coalition of prime minister Madhav extending the CA. If theCA is not extended the Maoists Kumar Nepal and the multi-patiy alliance llowever, in private, wi ll lose the constitutionally secured led by the main opposition Maoist both sides have reconciled to the strength and status as the single largest communist party have been sticking to e'tension as unavoidable. legitimate party despite maintaining a their guns over the future course of 'VIore so the Maoists, who, said a pri\ ate army. politics. standing committee member, will stand Three bills arc under consideration The Maoists have not given up yet for what many believe is the inevitable. on the resignation of the prime minister NEW POTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 20 0 110 COVER STORY
CA Meeting : Will it survive ? for an extension ofthc CA. Pracbanda camp is too tired of the top minister secured all-important pat on the The governing coalition has ruled gun's personal ambition at the cost of back from his Indian counterpart, Man that out without settling the vexing the larger interest or the party. Mohan S ingh. issue of the Maoist combatants. His abortive bid to p l t~y China card It has turned our that he had the The added precondition or a return against India has boom-ranged too. blessings of other South Asian leaders to a consensual system from a majority ''His relations \\ ith Delhi have as well. one in the parliament is unlikely to cut worsened beyond repair." said an From Afghanistan to Bangladesh to ice \\ ith the go,·emment. insider. the tin~ '\1aldi' es. He was ad\ ised to The internal squabble "ithtn the This has understandably stand firm against mo\ es to topple him Maoist rung and the psychological emboldened the governing coalition from the stn:ets. setback the party suffered due to the and the man who has been leading it The others 1\:arcd that his stepping miscalculated shut-dO\\n has against heavy odds at every step. dO\\n would set ·a bad example· in their considerably weakened the main Diplomatic Turf countries. oppositi on. Much has been made of the Thimpu Fresh from· South Asian· solidarity he Nothing illustrates this better than boost prime minister Madhav KLUnar was however g reeted with a hostile the noocl or congratulatory messages Nepal got during the SAARC summit. "European" community back at home. one reporter got from a Maoist camp Ko doubt. he was a changed man The European Union member after his hard-billing piece on a gal\ anized man - atler a three-day countries' mission based in Kathmandu Prachanda's demagogucr} appeared in sojourn in the Bhutanese capitaL ga\c "a non-paper" to the prime minister a Nepali-language magazine. The reason. according to many. was with a 48-hour ultimatum to forge a According to him, the anti- that the-then beleaguered prime national consensus to end the political cnsrs.
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE' May 21 1 2010 111 COVER STORY
unilaterally. In an interview to the Financial Times of London early th is week, p rime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal pulled the socks of Kathmandu-based furopean diplomats. Venting anger at them for .. interlcring" in internal affairs. the prime minister asked the European diplomats to mmd their busmcss lie was apparent!} milled at them for 'poking. their nose' 11110 the PM 's business during a meeting the !alter called at his Baluwatar residence. 1 he prime minister's outbursts folio\\ cd neighboring India ·s anger at th~.: I uropean communuy's gro\\ 1ng activism in what it considers its backyard India has found the l S as its alh in ruling out a consensus goyern1,"ent PM Nepal with CA Members: Strong stand unless the former rebels detach thcmseh cs from the armed wing and convert into 'a In effect, they wanted the prime They repeat~.:d the message after the civilian party·. to quote 1111nister to quit in return of the strike was'' ithdra\\ n. - the ne'' ambassador Robert De Lesi. "nhdra\\ al ot the indefinite Maoist The prime minister hit back alter the Chma has not taken a clear line But by refusing to shutdown. Maoists wcr~.: rorced to back out 1 be seen as sympathetic
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 2010 J12 , COVER STORY 'CA Extension Without PM's Resignation One-time Nepali Congress MP. I to pay the price. AMARESII KUMAR SINGH, was a They must first keep ke1• interlocutor between the former the promise they c;mmuniH rebels and rile made to the former par/iumentary parties m bringing the prime minister, Girija rwu sides together for rhe 12-point Prasad Koirala, and ugreemellf in Delhi. Known to have Delhi. They said penelrated Jhe heart.\ and 1he minds then that only 5000 of many lop ,'v/aoisl functionaries combatants would including the .f(mnidah/e duo - be up for Prachanda ami Bahuram /3/wttarai integration. - the former Jawa/J(Ir/al Nehru Is t here a Unil•ersity (INU) alumnus beliePes wl'itten record of that the Afaoists hal'e 110 other choice such a promise'? hut to agree to an ex1ension of the During the constituent assemhly without gelfing peace process, the resignation ol prime minister many things had .\ladha1' Kumar .\epa/ in return. been said and done Excerpt.\ of an inteJTiell' to BBC in good faith, .Vepali Sen·ice: without keeping a \\ill theCA be c:\tended'? record. Even nO\\. II' it is not c~tcndcd, the Maoists they ha,·e been \\ill be the biggest loser. promising many Will the CA's extension resolve the political crisis The) ha' c ruled out the C\tension things including the and clear" av for a ne\\ constitution in the extended time? without the resignation of the prime number of It will oniy defer the conOict. Unless the Maoists mend minister \1adha' Kumar 1\cpal. combatants to be their'' ays the specter of conflict will not end. Plime m inistcr Nepal can not resign, integrated. All in But vou arc still confident about theCA's extension. he will not resign. and he should not private. They must Yes: because what thc Maoists say they do not do. If resign until and un less the Maoists are now do it in writing, the Maoists are saying that they will not let the detached from th.:ir combatants. in public. The days oovernment extend the C A with the incumbent prime But the Maoists arc steadfast on of c losed-door 0 minister still in ortice, then rc.:st assured they will go for their demand. dealing are gone. the extension without the PM's resignation.• I fthcy do not budge, they will have
Are You In a Hurry for Suiting ? to the Maoists' move to topple the to be no-balled wi th the Lhird umpirc, government, it has stuck to its long the Europeans, getting no referra l ·from GOPAL TAILORS stand in g policy of stand ing by the the field. incumbent establishment. But the former rebels are not in a Is at your Doorstep o wonder. the US assistant position to walk off the field Specialist in Suit, Shirt and Safari secretary of state for South Asia. Robert notwithstanding the oft-repeated rc' olt Blake. during a' isit to China. chose to threat.lftheydid that will be a \\alko,cr speak ro the Indian news agenc) PTI. to to the other side - the go' crning For All Kinds of Clothing materials disclose the "almost similar positions of coalition. and Supplier of School Dress and the three countries on epa!." The CA eAtension appears Office Uniform Armed with an international license inevitable. But a solution ro the political Khichapokhari. Kathmandu Nepal to rule prime minister Madhav Kumar crisis does not appear on the cards yet. (Opposite to Everest Bank) Nepal looks set for a longer innings than Reluctant agreement or Contact: Gopal Upadhyay expected on the sticky wicket of Nepali understanding can not produce a Phone: 977-1-4423412 politics. solution . It can only defer an imminent Mobile: 9841330970 The Maoists wi ll probably continue conflict.•
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE' May 21, 2010 113 INTERVIEW ''Blaming India Is A Good Excuse'' Professor Dr. LOK RAJ BARA L
Professor Or. LOK RA.I BARAL is a well l,.nown "Jepali leaders done it. l:\en l\epah ( 'ongress l<:adcr like Krishna pollltcal scientist. Having taught at lribhuwan Univer~tty. Prasad Bhattarai criticized India in his eleclt ons kirtirur. for mo re than three decades. Professor Baral hm. a campigan saying that he could not a lim\ "Jepal become number of bool,.s on Nepali contemporary pohucs tmd foreign Sikkim. Compared to other political parries. '\epali polic) issue~ to his credtt. Professor Baral. who ts also e:-.ecuti\ 1.. Congress is soft bm 1t 1s like in the fa~hion for chairman of' Nepal Centn: for Contemporary Studies (l\CCS). communist to harp a nti- Indian slogans. 1 heir spoke to K£SIIA B POUDI~L on a wide range of issue. Excerpts: expressions wcn: just oppostte to their actions. l'or All political partie,, including ru partie~ ling and main instance. all the commumst parties ra1~e the quesuon opposition lCJ>'\-:\laoht, ha\e been talking about the need of 1950, and Gurkha recruumcm \\hen the~ are in the to hnve consensus to end the current political deadlock. opposition. One~: they arc in pow~:r they do the Wh) do they fail to agree on the i~sue \\hen less than 10 opposite This trend conttnued l'rom Man \1ohan dll)' •·emain before the C.\ term e\pires? Adhikan ro Prachanda. !'he sttuauon IS like shadO\\ Blaming bo:-.ing on pelt) disputes If Don't you think there i~ something \\rong \\ith they arc really serious about making each other ~.:onstitution. they could India as well'! I I' there i~ nothing \HOng, \\ hy ha\C have already forged a kind ol'tmity to move ahead in accordance l\1ao i ~t leader~ been pointing tingen at it'! and with the sptrit of People·~ \10\ement 2006. I don'tthinJ,. there There 1s not onl~ ono.: India as there are various terming 1s an) serious problem abom it and the part1es are rcall) lobb1cs and group~. In the context of'\,cpal, there\\ orks cornrnined to the others process. There is 11(1 point lor prolonging 1111S perceptions, When communists or Maoists go lo Chim1. lor a long time. anti some may consider the act
NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ' May 21, 2010 114 INTERVIEW
including corruption. l their altention on go' ernmcnt. A 11 of them have been saying :\laois t leaders including Pracha nda and Dr. that they want to do a deal in package. I don·t understand what Bahuram Bhattarai accused that Madba' Nepal took is blocking the package. his stand fo llowing his meeting ''ith Ind ian p rime There is no process in the countr). E\erything is topsy m inister in Bh utan. How d o you look at this? torvy. I describe Nepal's politics based on jump theory or frog Maoists have made Bhutan from a small to big thing. j ump. T here is no sequential development. It is diplomatic practice to Nepalese prime minister to W ho needs to p lay the most important role in the lam make courtesy cal l to In dian prim eD minister r. Man present context'! almost Mohan S ing h. Noth ing wi ll happen there. J have requested Madhnv Kumar Nepal to rt:sign if there is hundred Is t here a ny possibility tu b uild the c onsensus? necessary. l le too repeated ly says that he is not going to be l have not seen any point o f disagreement. It is the hurd le i n the course o r politi ca l scltlement. percent crisis of leadershi p. Leaders 111i led to go for executi on Don ' t: you think that Maoists a lso need to fulfill their certain o r the decis ion ta ken by them. T hat is the most ugly commitments by converting themselves to civilian party? that pa rt o r the system. We have party system but not The time has come for the Maoist also to disassociate from political p arties. Pol itical parties have to i mplement their combatants. Like all other political parties, they too are Monarchy the decision. Major issues are on one side but the preparing to work as a civi Ii an party without army and militants. is not political leaders arc fighting for the post o f prime Maoists must be fl exible on thi~ ground. going to m inistership. At a time when RI•P-:'Iepa l lead er Kamal Tba pa is Don' t you think that main opposition UC P~ taking the issue of rcvi\'al of mona rchy and Hind u state, revive l\laoist n eeds to do something'? how do you sec the possibility of revi\ ul of monarchy in again in Maoists too have to show somt: nt:xibility. The Nepal? Nepal constitutional pro' ision is not going to create any I am almost hundred percent certain that Monarchy is not hurdles in case there is agreement among the political going to revi"e again in Nepal since there is no reason to bring leaders. monarchy. So far as the llindu sate is concerned. person like H o" d o you sec t he pos s i bility to b an Kamal Thapa can play politics. Since secularism is a fundamental agreem ent again·! thing or democracy. I don't sec the democratic countries Nepal Although t hey have not in dicated anything about can revive it. There is no utility of monarchy in Nepal now. "hat is happening, something is cooking beneath the W ha t do you f oresee in the political process? politi cal process. Pol itical parties do not have any I don' tthink a nybody can predict ;r. Our leaders may sign alternati ve to the consensus. agreement at midnight and make unpredi ctable things. We cannot What is the prominent issue now? even assume. There is no a lternati ve to compromise. T here is T he p rominent issue is no t a government but a the need to carTy Maoists together. Mao ists c anno t go for constitution making. But, political parti es are focus in g destruction like in the past. • NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 2010 115 FORUM Mountain Medicine: Climbing Everest Buddha Basnyat, MD.
E\'crest summit fever is raging. B) climbers climb lor fun and a sense of the end of May most climbers who are excitement. Some of these new convct1s waiting at the Everest Base Camp will in climbing may also suffer fl·om a mid li te have summitted the mountain or per crisis and may want to prove that they haps gi' en up. Most climbers take their arc still capable or doing great things. time for about 6 to 8 weeks acclimatiz They may ha\e peaked in their profes ing at high altitude ( sauntering around sion but may feel that physically in their base camp, climbing up and down from Ii fc they have not ac hieved as much. camp 2 or 3) and then go lor the summit What could be better for the morale than bid from the base camp in 3 to 5 days. an Everest feather in your cap!! mit \llany climbers As Peter !Jackett. a noted altitude ex Have you noticed there a rc 'astl y foroet0 this impot1ant pert and an Everest summitccrs himself fewer people \Vho attempt to climb the information in their relentless passion says people can live for mon ths at 6000 second highest mountai n, Mount K2? to get to the top. Many prudent cl imb- m, weeks at 7000m bu t only days at It is not just because the mountain is en; have a turn around time, that is if 8000m: that is why 8000m is certainly located in remote. violence prone Paki- they ha\ e not reached the lop at a cer- the death zone. At that altitude your stan. The fact of the matter is that this is tain time. they turn around to be safe. body is unable to acclimatit:c any more. just too technical a mountain for Tom But this can all be lost in the heat or Accl i mati~ing bas ical ly means the Dick and Harry ( and Jane and Kanch i battle, so to speak. You arc so excited to body's physiological fi.1nctions coming Maya) to try to attempt cl imbing. get to the top that the equally arduous to terms with the decreased oxygen level Amazingly a debate has been going descent is all but forgotten. Indeed a (hypoxia) of the high altitude terrain. on since the days of Mallory and Irvine recent article in the British Medical Jour- It is the acclimatization period which about the ethics of climbing with and nal concluded that profound fatigue and may take about 2 months lind demands without supplemental oxygen. To this late times in reaching the summit are patience, waiting it out in the inhospi day there are many famous climbers who fea tures associated with subsequent table Everest Base Camp or higher. say that climbing with supplemental oxy- death. Everest climbers who do not Gone are the days "hen climbing \HS gcn is tantamount to cheating. I lowever heed the turn around time have success- limited to the likes of Eric Shipton. medical literature is suppOJ1i\c of stud- fully reached the top but failed to de- Hillary. Doug Scott. and Tcn~ing Sherpa. ics which show a negative long term sccnd. '"That docs not count," is what Now many climbers are orticc workers impact in the bra in and other organs in the great Sir Ed rep lied when someone who may be amuent enough to use the climbers who survive a non supplcmen- said that Mallory may have been up services of a commercial guide to go up tal oxygen usage climb. there before the famous duo. the mountain. These office workers may What all hcrcst climbers know is (Bamyat is pre.1ident, ('fAA( Union Juternatinnale not have adequate time. Indeed some that they have to descend De~ / 1.\\ocia- from the sum- riou.\ D 'Alpinism). Medical Commi.,.,ifm) years ago an elderly Japanese team (all the members were > 55 years and were t senior board members) decided that :mr c1iUIiif ()f)O) '(1«11 they wanted to climb Fverest as fast as ~fl possible without acclimatit.ing ~ . ~9ttl properly. !lAc t . So they brought plenty or oxygen cyl W>ftq;t:~ ~~.~'ll91 y ~y~y 'm-nl 'l.~ J,'ilr.nc:>.!,lb• i!' ~~~X l, nlfic:X ~l,'lll\l~ l ~l\ \ 1 X inders and they continually breathed ~~ supplemental oxygen right from base q;'lftllrr( \ 0),~ q;)fro( c; ~l .. ~fl t c;c;Ot,'nflf;lffi~l\ ~~.~(c:c:t 1 c; camp onwards and successfully climbed il'l7: q;<:f >rm!l '\,1 .. the mountain in just over 3 weeks. Then 1Y~X\I'IYYX &l ~l'f.HI 1 1,1M'IIi1 11J , ii'AAfiiii\O),' NEWS POTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE Ma y 21 2010 16 ENVIRONMENT animal- human connict, which indicates serious lapse in the park management tasks. In February, skins of three tigers were recovered from poachers exposing serious drawbacJ...s 111 consen·ation efforts. In addition, roachers in Nepal have a market advantage as there is very high demand of tiger parts in both lndia and China . ''Nepal is sandwiched between India (\\ ith large tiger population) and Chma (where tiger parts arc in high demand) and it has become a major crossroad l'or illegal trade in tiger pa11s," according to WWF. There arc una\ oidnble aspects to the protection and conscr\'ation of tigers in BIG CAT l\:epal-the proper management of tiger habttat: "hich can be managed only through planned human settlement: preservation oftigers' prey animals: the ecological food chain prO\ es that e\ Cl') animal is dependent on the other for it:> In Danger survival: the tiger needs to feed on other animals to li\'e. Controll1ng illegal poaching i'1 Degrading natural habitat and increm;ing poaching have threatened another challenge. With high demand of tlte Royal Bengal Tiger population tiger parts. especial!) 111 the neighboring countries. 11gcrs ofl\cpal ha\ c become 13y AOITI PA~OEY----- a source ol' ·easy money· for some people. However. the rate nt \\ h11:h agh att) o. hagh populat1on b) 2022. humans hunt tigers 1s higher than the uayu.'' a shepherd WWI has been promoting a slogan. total time taken for the tiger popu lation screams in a 1ai•) tale "Double or nothing· Sa\ c the" ild tigers to regenerate. wh1ch ''B takes tigers and save so much more!" as it marks ,\sa result. the 8 1g Cat has landed 111 roaming about 20 I 0 as the year of' the tiger. the lop fi\ c of th e list or 'most pastures as quire "Nepal has been working '' ith the endangered species · • t:ornmon Villagers come to his rescue global community to protect tigas. several times only to find that he was Nepal celebrated the beginning of the 1\loling: them. One day. the uger appears ( r lobal 1 1ger Forum in '\larch of 199-+ SPOTLIGHT there lor real but the \illagers do not along \"llh ten other tiger range states NEWSMAGAZINE Available at the following stands tum up despite his call lor help. that inc lu ded India, Uhutan a.nd 1 . Bhatbhateni Supermarket: If a ti>Oiish -.hcpherd \\ere to usc the Bangladesh. \\'e arc \\ orking to double Bhatbhateni tnck no\\, nobod; \\Ould take him th..: adult tiger population ti·om 121 10 2 Bhatbhaten1 Store: Mahara)gunj seriously - tor tigers arc 242 so rare these b) 2022 through intensiJ'icd 3. Mandala Book Pomt: Kantipath, d.tys. \\ ith poachers "alltng on C\ cry con sen au on el'lorts. E\.pert~ arc Ph: 4227711 t:orner. ugers have to fear for life. nor posith e that th..: current hreed1ng 4. Vajra Book Store, Jyatha Ph. :4220562 the shepherds. population of 12 I is cnough lo increa~c 6. Book Paradise, Jamal Due to loss of habitat. the number of llJer populace tu tillS target." said an Royal Bengal Tigers has dropped I otlicial. 7. Namaste Supermarket, Narayan1 Complex Pulchwok -;harply. Poachers killed three rhinos in "The total number of tigers in l\epal Chit\\ an " NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! May 21, 2010 117 PROFILE all and he enjoys motivating the younger TEl( CHANDRA POKHERAL generntion to this way of life. His first bus iness venture was Excellent Achievement setting up a modern furniture factory in Balaju "' hich he sold offafter a few years shares !tis life and experience of success am/ Tek Chandra Pokharel ''hen he felt that he was not fit to run an happiness industry. His source of change in profession \\as a Japanese national Ylr. By SH RADIIA GYAWAU Taka Shimiyahara. who was in Nepal as a consultant to the then cottage induStl) depat1ment. This Japanese friend of his he had detailed kno\\ ledge on the arms o one e\er attains acted as a catalyst in his life. ''N great success by and ammunition available during the Alter stints of teaching in Morang simply doing what is time. This made him qualified to tnke up Col lege. Biratnagar and farming in required ofhim. it is the anns. However. politics \\as not his Simara and running a modern furniture pursuit of excel lence, passion and this did not become an tactory in Katmandu. he finally settled what1s over and above obstacle to his <::ntrepreneur .~:enl. down in the tourism industry where he the required. that determ ines the ··God gives every bird a 'NOrm, but has spent usefully for more than forty greatness or ultimate destination." docs not throw it into the nest," he says. ye:Hs. Tek Chandrn Pokharcl. a very well Tck Chandra Pokharel was blessed In the forty years that he has spcnl known trnvel trade entrepreneur in with a good fam ily as well as good with the tourism industry, he has been Nepal and around the world, was born education and he also made the best use the president of Nepal Association of on 16 March 1934 in a remote vil lage of of his opportLLnities to rise to the level Travel Agents. Trekking Agents Saptari. lie gre\\ up and lived in where he stands today. Association ofNepal. Himalayan Rescue Biratnagar during his childhood. While lie first came to Kathmandu at the Assoctation. '\Jepal Mountaineering in Saptari, he '"as educated at home. He age of twenty tv.. o. He had to keep Association, member of the board of spent se\cn )Cars in a Catholic school moving between Simara. Biratnagar, directors of Ro)'al J\epal Association. in Banaras and later joined the Banaras Bhairawa and Katmandu to take care of \long '' ith his business associations, Hindu Uni\ersit}. Although he doesn't his ancestral properties "hich made it he also sen ed in 'arious positions of "isit Banaras otlen.the memories of his difficult for him to continue his V1A Rotal) Club in his Yarious capacities. time there brings instant happiness and degree. Since 1999 he is the vice chairman or smiles to this 76-year old inspiration to Married to a professor at Padma the Nepal National Polio plus Committee the younger generation. Kanya College. education. discipline and is the Honorary Consul for Mexico After completing his Bachelors ( BA) and self-motivation had been a way of in '\lepal since I 994. from Banaras Hindu University, he went life in his entire career. His wife and he Desire is the key to motivation, but it to Lucknow University to pursue his were wonderful parents "ho have is the determination and commitment to Masters. As he was called back to take imparted the best of education to their an unrelenting pursuit of our goal - a up anns against the Ranas and join the children. They are no less successful commitment to excellence that enables democratic movement, he could not today. There are three ingredients in us to attain the success we seek, he complete his Masters. l lunting during good li fe - learning, ea rning and says. • those days was his passion and hence yearning. Tek Chandra Pokharel has it "Work Not Just For Money" Tek Chandra Pokha rcl also shares am and what I have today. If I were to have · his\ ie\\S \\ nh Shrada Gyawali. excerpts: a reb i1th. I would start all that I ha\ e a little Who had the grcalc'l inllucncc on earlier. you during yom childhood'! How buS) is) our I) pica I d a ~ and " hat My grandmothl!t had tht.: greatest does it involve? inlluencc as 111)' mother died \\hen I was ~ow a days I try not lo be 'Cr) busy really small. :\1~ grandmother took thl! pain ah I am alread: 76 and don· t want to strcs~ to bring me all thl! \\a) from Patna to 1\epal myself too much. Rather I ''am to take during those times when there ''as no things eas). some people even feel I am the proper transportation. If ~he had not been most relaxed person which I feel is good there I \\Ould have died as well. o::nough at my age. If }OU could change one thing in \Ye have learnt that )OU enjO) \\ Cb your past, whnt might thnt be'! surting and email communication at the I would not !Jkc to ehange anything in same time. \Ve also understand that yo u Lhc past. I am fu lly satisli..:d with what I have se\ era I businesses, please tell u\ NEW SPOT LIG HT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 2010 118 BOOK how you manage your time? I have given up looking after my N epai-Ja pan Rela business . .\1y son and nephC\\ look after Nepal - Japan Relations tions TimL for Stnt Road map Prescribed to "Nepalese political leaders" to unlock the political deadlock D1: Tulsi P. Uprety It was not an easy task for Chairman 2. While the above task is going on, such as carpentry, machine operators, Prachanda to publicly apologize for his Prachanda should dismantle the Young electrician, plumbing, computer training, remarks and to ad mit that the indefinite Communist Lea1,'l.1e's (YCL) organ ization i.e. word processing, receptionjsts, and strike was a mistake, whi ch was by publicly ordering them to not get so on. Trainee should be provided an supposed to be U1eir signature pol itica l involved in extortion, threats, and to attractive rinancial incentive for event to topple the government. force people to participate in poli tical completing the training. Furthermore, he publicly outlined how rallies as well as all the other unlawful 8. By the e nd of the 1" week of to disintegrate the existing organization activities. I believe this can be August, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar ofthe People Liberation Army (PLA) and accomplished within the 2"d week of Nepal should resign and the National integrme some members into the Nepal June. Private property occupied by the Unity Government should be put in Army or in some Security Forces and Maoists should also be returned to their place. However, this has to be the remaining PLA members be rightful owners within this time frame. understood and agreed by a ll stake rehabilitated into the society by 3. Simultaneously, polit ical parties holders J>rior to the extension of the providing training on jobs/skills. Other should start shorting out the details of term of the parliament. Only then, party members, especially the Nepali the formation of a new National Un ity which means that around the last week Congress and Unified Marxist Leninist Government, which can be done within of July or the 1'' week of August, the (UML) have been publicly expressing the month ofJun e. However, during this political parties should engage in doubts about the verbal commitment period. it is strongly advised to all selecting/electing the new Prime made by Prachanda since his party did political parties that they must not focus Minister whoever that may be. A new. not carry out the past agreements. which their energy and time for the post of vibrant or a young face might be has threatened the peace process and Prime Minister. refreshing to give a meaning to New the finali7.ing of the new constitution of the country. At the same time, the Unified At the same time, the Unified CPM (Maoist) has been CPM (Maoist) bas been demand ing the resignation of the Prime Minister. In this demanding the resignation ofthe Prime Minister. In this process Nepal and the Nepa li people process Nepal and the Nepali people have virtually been have virtua ll y been taken hostage by taken hostage by this political deadlock. Following are this political deadlock. Following are my step by step suggestions to all stake my step by step suggestions to all stake holders for holders for unlocking the political unlocking the political deadlock. deadlock. This is possible if only t hey I are sincere and honest to the Nepali 4 . The tenure of the present Nepal. peo1>le and their country. If this is too parliament should be extended lor about 9.Nepal's new constitution should much t~> ask ofpolitical leadcrs then they six to nine months, which should be be completed and approved by the arc not fit to be leaders and govern the done before it expires. However, that all parliament by the 3"11 week ofAugust. country. the parliament members should have a onest desire and willingness among Road Map for Solving the Present road map with a clear vision and reasons political parties is required to implement Political Issues: for extending the term ofthe parliament. the above simple and easy road map. 5. By the end of July, parliament and it will be impossible if they only I. The government of Nepal should should complete the final draft of the consider the pelly interest of their party. immediately direct the Ministry of Peace constitution. National interest should be the guiding and Reconstruction to sort out the PLA 6. Placement of the PLA members, principle behind their actions for members into two groups: i those who who are willing to join the security bringing a political stability and are wi lling to join the security force and forces should start at the beginning of economic prosperity, which are the need ii. those who are will ing to go back to the month of July and it should be and the basic right orthe Nepali people. the society. While the government is completed by the end ofScptember. Let us work not just talk. trying to carry out this task by ?.Rehabilitation to those PLA coordinating with the United Nation's members who arc interested to be office, Unified CPN (Maoist) should give integrated into the society should begin Dr. Tul~i P. Uprety has a PhD from the a sincere and complete cooperation to by the first week ofJul y and this process Cni•·ersity of Cttlifomia. Berkeley in economic make this happen. T his task should be should take somewhere from six months del'e/opment ami ha~ been ll'Orking in l'llrious carried out within the month of June. fields in U.S. and abroad for the last thir~r to a year. Perhaps, vocational trainings fi•·e years. NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! May 21, 2010 120 ENTERTAINMENT when fulfi lling rel ig ious duties approaches the grotesque. Can the sisters sort out their hearts' desires withm this patriarchal world? lfnot. have they any other options? Haifa. June 1979 is a film related to the stor~ that takes place in Israel during the three days leading up to Shabbat (Saturda) ). Once again. Viviane is on the point of lea' ing Eliahu. her husband. Once again. her brothers con' incc her that her place is next to her husband. her children and her family. The relationship between Vivian and Eli yahoo gets even worse in the later days as Eliyahoo continues to c ling to the traditions of Moroccan culture, while ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL Vivian is eager to explore the possibil itics of li ving in a new culture with different va lues. • Unique Facets Worn out by an existence that denies her dreams and her ri ghts. weary of a husband who privileges tradition to the Nepalese audiences get to see lsraeli films, rather different fi'om detriment of their li fe together. Viviane the commercial western movies, thanks to the Israeli Embassy as it stays, but she ·s at the end of her tether. Jt'sjusl then that. Albe11, a man she once marked the establishment of diplomatic relations with Nepal loved. and who was able, for a brief moment. to otTer her the freedom to be By A CORRESPO:WE~T herself. once again turns up in her life. i\t: decades ha' e already to a culture which has passed since l\epal and already established an Israel established their identity of its own, \\hile F diplomatic re lations. The preserving the uniqueness relations are stable and in of 70 d ifferent many \\ays. israeli communities. government has surported Nepal in its T he first film related to proces:s of transl(>rmation. the year 2000 approaches The Embassy oi'Isracl is celebrating in Jerusalem's Jewish the 50'11 anni versary of the establishment Orthodox "Mea Shearim" o f the diplomatic relations between quarter. where the women Nepa l and ls rad w ith various work. keep house. and programmes in 20 I 0. The 5th Israeli Film have children so the men Festival is one or the major events can study the Religious planned for the celebration. Scripts (Torah and the Screening for general public was Talmud). Rivka is happily arranged at the Russian Cultural Center and passionately married fi·om 11-13 'v1ay2010. I o Dr. i\linendra Rijal. '-'linister for Meir. but they remain Federal Affairs. C..onstttuent Assembly. childless. The )eshi,a's Parlliamentar) Affairs and Culture rabbi. who is Meir's father, inaugurated the function. wants :vleir to divorce Israel is a count[). small in siLe. a Rivka: ''a barren \\oman is modern society built on ancient roots. no woman." Rivka·s sister. with a culturally acti\ c. heterogeneous :\1alk.a. is in love \\ ith popu lation. Four thousand years of Yakov, a Jew shunned by Je..,vish heritage, O\er a century of the yeshiva as too secular. Zionism, and more than half a century The rabbi a rranges of modern statehood have contributed MaJka's marriage to Yossef, whose agitation NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ' May 21, 2010 121 FOCUS "People's Mandate Must" SURESH ACHARYA, As the two-year tenure of the Constituent Assembly is nearing its end. 'arious legal. constitutional and political questions have come to the surface. SURESH ACHARYA, the president of Media Initiative for Ri ghts, Equity and Social Transformation-Nepal (MIREST NEPAL)- an NGO with a nattonwide network, shares the implications of the expiry of May 28 dead I inc for the country. Acl1arya, whose NGO has been actively working to generate awareness among the peopk on the need to develop Nepal into a peaceful. prosperous. inclusive and democratic nation. has widely tra' elcd across the country, interacting with people in an attempt to find out the agenda of ordinary c itizens in far-flung d istricts that they want addressed in the new constitution. Acharya spoke to 'lEW SPOTLIG HT on various issues process. In the initial phase. particularly Constitution about the CA was itself regarding the CA. Excerpts: at the time of CA elections, there "as faulty. The role given to the Constituent You have learnt and helped create enormous enthusiasm among the people Assembly as a Legislature-Parliament nationwide opinion through your about constitution making. Now, when was itself wrong. This opened the door in teract ion JHOgram s that the the two years' te nure of theCA is closer for making and breaking governments const itution made through theCA will to expiration. there is frustration and inside the CA. I l ad the Interim be t he people's constitution. With the anger among the people. Constitution made the provision that the political leaders' recent remarks that Ho" people sec it? Constituent Assembly was for the new constitution w ill not b e People express anger over the CA constitution making and Legislature promulgated by May 28, what will members for their failure to promulgate Pari iament for government making, be the public's reactions? the new constitution in the stipulated the present situation would have been MIREST Nepal has been involved time. While people have begun to doubt prevented. enhancing public participation in the the competence of CA members. they For how m any days wer e the historic constitution making process for a lso feel that the growing dissensions Constituent Assembly and the the last four years. In the first two years among the top leaders of major political Legislature-Parliament disrupted? we worked in the 'illages to generate parties are also much responsible for the From the initial days to now, the awareness about the process of worsening the situation of the country Legislature-Pari iament was disrupted for Constituent Assembly and after theCA and derailment of constitution making 135 business days. llowever, theCA has elections. MlREST N~.:pa l got involved process. One has to blame top-notch not been disrupted. T he effects of the in the constitution making process. Our political lead ers, who significantl y Legislature Parliament's disturbance arc aim is to generate awareness among the comributed in the April 2006 people's there in the CA. The CA meeting was people that it is the right ofthe sovereign mo\ ement for their inability to complete held I 0 I times since May 28, 2008. The people to write the constitution for the task. General perception is that these other factor is C A could not stride its themselves through the CA. We were leaders have ridiculed the mandate or way in constitution making to its able to encourage people to take part in the people and fa il ed to steer the cot1ntry capacity due lO regular absence ol' the constitution mak ing process by from the morass orcr isis of confidence. Sl!nior leaders in the proceedings of the o rgani z ing public dialogues and How do you look at the provisions of CA. Interim Constitution had never interactive programs. We have played a th e Interim Constitution in this thought of such situation of very important role in informing the context? ·absenteeism' in the CA. but. there is people that they need to contribute The vision envisaged by the Interim provision for maintaining discipline their share in the constitution making NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE) May 21, 2010 j 22 FOCUS through CA by-laws. however, that has collection nc' er been in' okcd. campaign in Have CA m embers utiJised ? the themat ic TheCA mcmb~.:rs have not also fully drafts. It is uti lized their collect ive capacity in unfo r t un ate constitution writing. A lthough they had th a t t he CA total of I 0.53 million man-hours available does not use for the job. the) had utili7ed onl~ about professionals 15 percent of the a\ ailable time. on analyzing Interesting!). out ol 11 themat1c a n d committee report:., only three reports or synthesizing three thematic committees have bl!en t h e f'orwarded to th~.: Constitutional questionnaires Committee headed by '\lilamber Acharya causing for the preparation of initial draft of the chances or ne\\ constitution. some ,-oices You have m ad e various e fforts to and opin ions bring the people a nd I he CA m embers left-out. Whereas, M !REST Nepal has the peopk. Po lit ical part ies have toget her t h rough M IREST Nepal's tried to f ill the gaps. ll has summarized expressed thei r commitment duri ng the m edia outreach progra m. W hat results the public opinion collected through its election that they w ill fonnulate the new ha" e they yielded? interactive forums and submitted these. constitution within two years. Even the We have taken pan in various stages namely the series of the ·'Will of the Interim Constitution set the tenure ofCt\ of democratic dialogues and opinion People" in printed formats to the for two years. There is a clear-cut buildin g including the respective CA Thl!matic Committees for provision on that. The third important stages of op inion coll ection conducted inclusion in thei r concept papers as well aspect i s t he Calendar o f Operation o f by CA me mbers. More than, 1 I 0 C A as in the initia l draft constitution or the the CA which was a mended I 0 times members a nd 55 academic/expens have Constitutional Committee. unanimously in the CA. However. it has contributed in MIREST Nepal's H ow l\fiREST Nep al h a s b een not amended the final deadline and programs related to the constitution act ua lly contributing in th e historic repeatedly 'owed to promulgate it by making process in the last 18 months. constitution making process a s of this the stipulated date. They amended other A lso, a b o u t 150000 people have date? matters but they always committed that participated in such interactive forums. I am esp ecia ll y ha ppy as the the ne w con stitution w i II be It helped theCA m embers to understand pres ident o f the o rgan izati o n tha t promulgated by May 28. The Calendar the gaps in constitution m aking, both MTR EST Nepal's in itiative has helped of Operation was amended two months content-wise and process- wise. ordinary citizens to access the C A ago last time but one has not seen any Secondly. they had opportunities to members and political leaders/experts at major differences in circumstances. meet their constituencies through such their constituenc ies. Secondly. the content and matter. communicati o n outreach progra ms, consistent fl ow or !irst-hand infonnation What will M I REST Nep al, which thereby generating sense of ownershi p through the communi cation outreach has gen e r a te d a m assive level of of the new constitution they would craft. programs have he lped to p ool a nd awaren ess a bo ul the CA, say to the But, that's still a long way to go; it all collate public opinion, and identity and people now? • depends on the final outcome ofthe new diversify opportunities in supporting Of course. we have landed now in a constitution. constitution making processes. Third;in very awkward situation. Hence, we have Do yo u thin k that the CA h a s the context of absence of elected bodies to di ssem inate to the people the incorp o r ated t h e public opinio n, at g rass roots a nd local levels or infonn ation regarding the f ai lure of the w h ether collected by themselves or govemancc since more than a decade, it CA and its po li ti cal l eaders . Rut now through o rganization s like MIR EST has also been able to fill the vacuum onwards, we m ight have to defend their Nepal? between the ordinary citizens a nd the unwarranted interests in other matters. l am confident, that on the broader decision-makers. Fourth, we have been but our mission will be no other than to perspectives, the CA has been supportive in deepening the support participatory constitution successful in incorporating p ublic understanding and awareness amongst makin g . T hi s is rea ll y ri diculous o pinio n w ith its lim ited resources, grassroots w omen and men about the situation for u s. What we want now is scientiflc data analysis skills, equipment National Agenda, and finally generating that the CA must decide its tenure, as I and technology. But, they have not been contents and ! acilita ting t he process. said, with confession of their m istakes. able to incorporate some of the pertinent Do you think that the extension of In this case. we can bac~ them. The issues raised by the people during the th e tenur e of CA is a good idea?· reason must be logical and legitimate and CA 's f irst phase publi c opinion Well, it depends on the mandate of agreeable by the people. NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! May 21, 2010 123 #' • ;. ·~ I"'( ... • I FOCUS Consti tution. The recent decision of' the division bench ofSuprcmc Court has also interpreted the consti tution saying that CA can amend any articles of the constitution except Republic and federalism. W hat is the verdict? That ve rdict has a lso raised questions "'hcther amendment can be possible in the fundamental structure of the constitution- in our contex t, c ore issues related the institution of the CA , fixed-term tenure, pluralism, adult franchise, people's mandate and human rights. I think, interpretation of the Supreme Court's has opened the door for political parties and government to bring any amendment. Aller the verdict How much resources have been within Nepal such as NCP-Maoists and of Supreme Court, political parties are s pent in the last two years for seven partJcs, Monitoring of Armies. already on their knees to extend the constitution making'! Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum, Samyukta tenure. In addit ion to I 00 billion rupees loss Madhes Morcha, Limbuwan R ajya Do you foresee any change in the during a 10 plus year long confl ict in Pari shad, Indigenous peo ple, Tharuhat · status of theCA then '? inlhtstruct ural damages, within two-year etc. lntemati onal treatise can easil y be Not much in regards to its func tions. period after the elections or the CA, reflected in the constitution but the but there might be some sort of changes about I 00 bill ion rupees have been spent agreements that have been made '' ith in the perception of the people. People in the peace and constitution m aking national actors have to be given a high might sec the C A after May 28, as an processes. pri ori ty also as those actors w ill not extended body. There is a threat that it How much do they spend? accept the nc'' constitution if their points might lose the sanctity it upholds until This makes. spending or about Rs arc not included. These cannot be then. of bemg an elected body. 3650 pe r Nepali chi ldren, women and ignored, and I do see complexities ahead. What will be the position in case men, as of now. Peo ple do not care about How can one expect some major political parties do not agree on spending the money for a new contribution when the top leaders of amendment by ~Jay 28? constitution as an outcome. In case, if political parties have not shown any In that case, theCA will be defunct the peop le don' t get peace and interest'? and wil l die. All the thematic committees constitution. CA members and political Our studies have shown that directl y will be rendered inactive and there will leaders need to just i l'y the misuse of the elected members are not active in the be a gap of Legislature-Parliament. The mone) before the people. Some people CA. Q,crwhelm1ng number present C A has two functions: to form are taking the waste or money as a crime of CA members is interested in the the government and to write the agaihs Lhum ani ty. I I' we cannot deli ver a business of' Legisla t u r ~.:-Pa rli amc n t constitution. lfCJ\ neither give a stable sustainable peace and inclusive rather than the CA. E'en top leaders an.: go\ernmcnt nor can produce a constitution this will be a waste of not interested in the deliberations of the constitution, then there will be pressure resources. In the history ofNcpal, this CA. For instance, Late GP Koirala nevc_r to change the composition of the CA. is the first time people have ever paid attended the ('A proceedings otficiall y. This might raise a need to change the such a high price in the constitution In I 0 I meetings held so far. Sher equations inside the C A through making. Bahadur Deuba 's attendance was 4, popular 'crdict. Is there Qther factors that have Prachanda 's 4, Madhav Nepal's 12, What role MIREST Nepal will be impact in constitution making process Maoist leader Ram Bahadur Thapa 's 7 playing now? in Nepal'? and Maoist leader Kira n Vaidya If the tenure of the C A is extended. Foremost. the political parties resigned. l\o top leaders ha\ e we \\ill put our efforts to further represented in the CA must agree on part icipated in any constitutional debate improvement in the draft constitution certa in conditions. Moreover, the new in the plenary sessions as or now. This and incorp oration o f' public opin ion. At consti tu tion will have to be binding to is outrageous. the later stage, if the CA promulgates various agreements that the go\ crnment What d o you sa ) about th e the ne\\ constitution, we will go to the has signed \\ith nationa l and extension'? people 10 bui ld their ownership or the international actors. A total of 20 such Political parties have been trying to constitution. In a ll ci rcumstances, agreements that h ave tota l o r 2 19 resolve the upcoming constituti onal MIREST Nepal aims to be among~tthc clauses been signed with various groups crisis by amending the Interim people.• NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 2010 124 FACE TO FACE "There is also a strong support for Nepal" MINAR PIMPLE MJNARPIMPLE, Regional director Because of Millennium Development ror Asia and the Pacific United Nations Goals deadline is 2015 and from that Millennium Campaign, recently visited perspective the critical part is not only Nepal. After visiting some parts ofNepal to assess what does work and what does and meeting high government officials, not work but also to see what things community workers, Pimple spoke to have worked in Nepal, why they have and New Spotlight. Excerpts; worked and how to scale them. They arc How do yo u find Nepal's overall the very critical components to make in progress on MOGs'? the next five years. Your cycle of epal has recently brought out a planning" ill start in 20 I 0 to July 2013. draft ofMillennium Development Goals So you have very significant pe1iod of progress repor1 for 20 I 0. That report has the next plan covering the last five years pointed out a few very interesting of the M DGs. So that another things. One is that there is a very strong opportunity to Nepal is some of the attempt to look at the data in a subsistence period for monitoring for disaggregated fashion. lt means data by tracking the real time data on the I also met prime minister, finance region, social groups, by gender and achievements on the ground. mm1ster, national planning that par1 is a good part in the report. What progress in MDGs did you fmd commission's vice chair, members and a What is your impression about the on your visit? number of CA members. After my report on MDGs? In terms of the Stand Up process and meetings what I can say now is that the The report outlines a number of my visit to Nepal, there are few general MDG's is one of the top priorities in goals Nepal is on track. There are issues comments. One is that a lot of positive NepaL This is a good sign. There is a \\ hether the data and reality are images exist, in spite of certain le' el of strong political commitment towards matching or not and one of the issues uncertainty where the country really achieving the M DGs. The issue needs we need to look at on the report wants to go. But there is a pol itical to be tackled is the capacity to deliver perspective is bridging the gap. energy within people and citizens. There good qua li ty services: education, health, Because the reality may be completely are a lot ofhopes and aspirations whi ch infrastructures and etc. The second different than the way it is reported. For one sees. This is the very positive thing. issue is correcting the Linkages in the example, the issue of hunger where you lf that energy is channlised in a proper system of delivery. So basically making have fifty percent children with growth way in achieving MDGs, I would say it the system of delivery much more stunted. In my opinion the issue of could be a very strong force to accelerate transparent and efficient. The third issue hunger should be one of the top the acb ievement of M DGs. is the issue of corruption and priorities. The issue is access to water. Where did yo u visit? accountability. How do we make The report talks about 80 percent access When I visi ted a small farmer everybody, of government body, to water which if you look a little bit community in Kanchanpur, l found very accountable towards the delivery of deeply it means having 80 percent enthusiastic results. Although the goods? That is the critical area that we look l coverage into the pipe. But the issue is average income of laborers is about ~s. at. found openness is the first step whether there is water in pipe are the 150, out of I 05 chi ldrcn 95 are going to to achieve things. In many parts, the issues that are the challenges we need schoo l and they arc enro lling the govemments are denying more. to look at. Those arc the things progress remaining I 0 this year. Despite the low How important is the corning report need to address. level of income, the enrolment is summit for Nepal? What are other important parts? hundred percent. This shows the There arc two important things for Other important parts in the progress commitment the community and families T\epal this year as Nepal is the leader of report are the analysis whether the have towards achieving the level of the Least Developed Group. This is a environment is conducive or not for goals for their ch ildren. There is a lot of huge opp011unity to present the agenda each of the course. On the basis or that hope and pride for the change f()r ncxl of least developed country in the they outlined challenges and outl ined generation. That is visible in Nepal summit. Second opportunity wi ll be recommendation which basical ly means when one sees the level of commitment. while reviewing len years where you arc \\ hether there is a serious effort to How was your meeting with 20 I 0-2015. There is also a strong address the gap for next five years. officials? international community support for Nepal in achieving MDGs.• NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ' May 21, 2010 125 TOURISM Rescue Mission : Flying rubbish On Way To World's Rooftop By ALVARO CASTRILLO SCHl'IEJTER, in Everest based camp ust -W minutes took me ti·om common with the S" iss Alps- they are closed to the loor of man, stone titans Kathmandu to Lukla by idyllic. the traveler has the feeling or as stoic guards. plane . Four companions and going through a story. llowever. th e wild A week into the expedition. \Ve lour Sherpas were J \\aiting for and rugged llimalayas: gorges going completed the acclimatization stage to me in Khumbu. We were to down hundreds of feet, violent mountain lead us through the valley of Thame, a set oul on an expedition to rivers that carved stones in their path Lungden where we expected the first of the Himalayas for the next 17 days. and yaks crossing paths. a fe\\ meters two steps that "ould cross before I took this trip to assess the worth of separating the villages. t o cars, no reaching the same base camp of Everest, the polit ical i nitiative th at aimed to h.trn roads, on ly the noise of rescue the Rcnjoo Pass. Nepal into a Switzerland. helicopters ho,ering in the sky two or· As you ascend the Pass Renjoo. In no time, leaving the hang of three times each day. The traveler soon altitude exceeds the highest point of the Kathmandu's chaotic vehicular traffic real ins that he is not just sightseeing Alps: Mont Blanc, 4810 m, and you still behind. we \\ere trekking in the midst of but is living an adventure. have a long way to the pass. and then pence and natural harmony of the The town of Khumjum welcomed us to one of the je\\els of the Sagarmantha motlntains. They rose before us, wall s for our b odies to adjust to almost 5,000 National Park: Gokio and the or rock and forests in the background, meters from the sea level. The view of homonymous lake. The beauty of the below the s nowy peaks of the highest slmris..: over Khumjum is unrepealable place brought me to mind the Swiss mountains in the world. T he vegetation spectaclt: that is repeated each morning: alpine lakes, their blue color, depth, an stood the rigors of the height up to a light gray. sieved. drawing the outline experience that is only amenable to Namche Buaar where we would begin of Amadablam, on the other side of the obsen·ation rather than retelling. What acd imatization, both physical and picture stand two giants. the Everest and really brought me back to the llimalayas mental. Lohrse. A mist fil ls the lower zones was a glacier. s low and powerful, the I knew about the Alps from my allowing you to see the mountains from meadow where the village was located. childhood in Switzerla nd. The the f"oothills. The image on light and dark On leaving, we had to cross Gokio Himalayas had nothing much in tones represent an Olympus apparently glacier as we heard the same as rolli ng NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE! May 21, 2010 126 FOCUS same day to base camp at da'' n. after sleeping in Gorashcp. ~:limbed Pay Respect For Creation Kalapatthar to sec hO\\ the sun rose behind the mother godde;.s or J:anh. 8) SA:-.ITOSH SHAR\IA. Sagarmantha ( E\ crest). the hi g hest point of land. the c )o;.cst po1nt to \\c sd up the Cop) hcaYcn. R1ght Societ\ in 1Q97 "ith an aun io protecl I came alone. nm\ ha\ e to IO\\ cr onh the righh of creatl\ e until T) amboche. \\here I \\ aitcd lor m) mdustries and creation companions. During this decline man) of 1hc people \\'hen think if you rca II) could bccomc Ncpal \\ e formed the SOCICt). s,, 1l/erland. or e\ en 1r Nepal needed to \\Chad the obJccti\es: become S\\ iss. Ill!\\ cop) rights act. :\epa) is a mountainous countr) with regulatiOns. protection ofNepalese creat1on intcrn,llionally. urging joining Bern a unique potential and a nascent touri:-m. con\ ention and requirement of an t:specially in the mountain:-. you can take imk•pendent cell to look after copy rights. a pay enough to stand as the engine of Despite al l instability, we h NEW SPOTLIGHT NEWSMAGAZINE ! May 21, 2010 127 VIEWPOINT Economic Downslide Professor Dr. Bishwombher Pyakuryal Non-economic factors are 1.4 billion to purchase 64 billion Indian responsible for the present economic currency in India ·s capital market. There stalemate. The pn:sent economic has been decline in the foreign scenario is the rellection of the stress exchange reserve, then.: is massive faced by the country. Political instability deficit of balance of payment. Nepal's and uncertainty arc two ke) non- trade deficit'' ith India in Februal) and econom1c factors. One of the pndes of J\.larch exceeded 58 percent. The Nepal is that she has developed situation is that we spent our hard prudential micro-economic fundanwntals foreign currency to purchase Indian and it has al\\a\>s been stable. current:\. Th1s IS the reason l\epal has Unfortunately. it has been shaken badly not gau;ed the benefit in normalc~ in has sufTered badly. As reported b) llotd in the last eight months. For instance, lnd1a·s p1ice. Nepal's situation 15 real I) Association Nepal and govemment of the liquidity orthc commercial banks is go111g to be bad and Nepal's foreign '\fepal. hotels an: receiving huge in a declining trend and the deposits of cu1-renc) n.:sen e no\\ is JUSt enough to number-; of cancellations. Jntlo" or commercial banks" ith the central banks meet six month's import ot goods and tounsm s decreasing In the last three an: 1 also declming. I he deposit-credn s~.:n 1ces. Th~.: ''a) '\lcpal's capital erodes months. th~.: inn ow oflnd1an tourists also ratio is also in higher edge and the credit and nies. we imported gold anti exported declined. 'I our ism. manufacturing and is higher than deposit The ratio is it to India but we did not t!et [ndian serv 1ce sel:tors art• major parts of bet\\ cen 90 to 91 percent. Th1s is prett) l!Urrcnc) to ;\Jcpal's banking net. Data econom' and bandha ha:-. bad I) an·ected much alarming. After sc' f I ~ 0 '{IU'! 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