Delimitation

23-30 April, 2003; NOW! 1 STOP-PRESS eeman(Meals) JA PURE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT NEW CENSUS GANGTOK; WEDNESDAY, April 23-30, 2003 TO DECIDE Sirf Khana DELIMITATION ll the brouhaha surround Aing the proposal for delimitation of assembly constituencies, as also the Com- mission’s proposal itself, might come to a naught if the recent SpecialisedNo North Bar Indian cuisine unity of politicians and their and special fast food items All items TROLLEY served. parties bears fruit. In a move JEEMAN (MEALS), KUNDEH-KHANG BUILDING, NEAR that may nullify the year-long SADA THANA, TIBET ROAD, GANGTOK. Phone: 225098. SIKKIMNOW MATTERS VOL 1 NO 43! Rs. 5 E-MAIL: [email protected] efforts of the Delimitation Commission, the Centre is all set to make the population census of 2001 a basis for delim- iting constituencies across the WANTING country. At present, the 1991 census is taken as the basis. If this comes about, then the NOT OUR Commission will have to start the process from scratch with PITY, the new figures even for DELIMITATION Sikkim. The Census report for 2001, by the way, is not “offi- JUST THEIR cially” tabled as yet. DETAILS ON pg 2 CONUNDRUM RIGHTS CHAMLING’S THE CONFUSION PERSISTS FOR THE COMMON MAN DARJEELING The delimitation of assembly con- COMMISSION CANNOT stituencies is one development that VISIT has obsessed Sikkim ever since it was first announced in February ear- DECIDE ON lier this year. Every politician worth his salt and every organisation ever RESERVATION QUOTA formed entered the public domain with their take on the proposed GAC QUESTIONS “LOGIC” shape of constituencies to come. Everyone wanted to be heard and BEHIND RESERVING 12 everyone had a special demand. Confusion was rife over every aspect SEATS FOR BLS of delimitation and of late things have taken a communal turn. Many ex- SHERPA ASSC WANTS pected the Delimitation Commission to set all these confusions to rest, but RESERVATION FOR TRIBALS, the first day of public hearings at Namchi offered no such solace. The APOLITICAL NOT BLS confusion is slated to continue for some time still, unless the Commis- VISIT OF A LIMBU CHUMLUNG sion addresses and resolves all the POLITICAL objections raised against its proposal WANTS 6 SEATS at a Press conference scheduled for MAN TURN TO pgs 3, 5, 6 AND 9 FOR DETAILS today, April 23... TURN TO pg 7 The Chief Minister Pawan FOR DETAILS Chamling was in Darjeeling on a 2-day visit on April 20 and 21. Apart from getting FIRST TIME IN SIKKIM felicitated by the All India Tamang Buddhist Associa- OPEN tion, the Chief Minister was YDAY EVER - 8 PM CHINA BAZAAR admitedly in Darjeeling to CHINA BAZAAR meet and interact with the 8AM Hill intelligentsia. “This is purely an apolitical visit of CHINESE TOYS, CHINESE JEWELLERY ANY ITEM FOR Rs. 90 a political man,” he main- CHINESE BELLS, CLOCKS, STEEL UTENSILS, UMBRELLAS, CHINESE MATS, PLASTIC tained in every speech he CONTAINERS, CRICKET BATS, CHINESE GIFT ITEMS, BAGS & READY MADE GARMENTS delivered in Darjeeling. AND MANY MORE FABULOUS ARTICLES! + NEW STOCK EVERYDAY TURN TO pgs 4 & 8 FOR DETAILS CHINA BAZAAR, HOTEL BAYUL, MG MARG. NOW OFFERS IT’S ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP Near Krishi Bhawan, Tadong Gangtok. Phone 270876 UPTO 30% Below Power Deptt, Kazi Road Gangtok. Phone: 227917 ON DIPLOMA & OTHER COURSES Nayuma Building, Namchi Bazar Namchi. Phone: 263919 RUSH TO YOUR NEAREST CENTRE TODAY e-mail: [email protected] 1 2;GANGTOK NOW! 23-30 April, 2003 23-30 APRIL, 2003 ED-SPACE Peace At What Price? epalis want peace—but at NOW! Ten weeks into the ceasefire, the action has SIKKIM MATTERS any price? Not if you lis Nten to the people of the shifted to Kathmandu streets. In the countryside, war-torn hinterlands. In Dailekh victims of war wait for the truth to be told. Catch 22 and Kalikot and Jumla, people who have seen family members MANJUSHREE THAPA in report carried in Most people have reservations about how the politicians and neighbours killed either by the Kathmandu-based Nepali Times function. The first reaction to a politician’s statement is to Maoists or by state security forces look for the “hidden agenda” behind it. People who are ex- are asking what will be done, in This would obviously help like these is that the day they sign pected to decide on policy matters, drawing their decisions the peace process, to redress these exonerate his party members from the peace agreement, all past vio- from years spent honing statecraft in the public domain, killings. the murders that they have com- lations will be forgotten,” says are rarely taken at face value any more. Every decision, While in faraway Kathmandu mitted. It would also help exoner- Pyakurel. “Sentimentality will take move and promise is slotted to fit an ulterior political mo- the government announces its ne- ate the state security forces, which, over. Someone will say, ‘Whatev- tive. gotiating team, the villagers ask if made to look back, would have er’s happened has happened. Now Such is the received idea that we obtain from the dubious whether all the war dead will ever to answer allegations of rape, tor- we are united.’ From that day on, deals made by the politicians and their aides. So much so be accounted for. While political ture, disappearances, arbitrary de- all the perpetrators of war crimes that the word politician has come to mean “nothing seri- parties and the palace jostle for tention, and killings of thousands and of human rights violations will ous.” Of course, this is not a recent notion, but, and spe- advantage, the Jumlis want to of civilians and unarmed Maoists. get blanket immunity.” cially in our country, a notion that has gained ground with know whether their families will Do we really want this kind of The Mallik Commission re- the workings, or rather ‘mis-working’, of certain stalwarts be compensated. “What will hap- a “quick-fix” peace? It would be port of 1990 stands as an infamous of the political arena: the love-hate relationship of two widely pen in cases where civilians were dangerous, say human rights ac- example. That report on govern- differing parties, or for that matter, the coming together of wrongly branded Maoists and tivists. “The trauma of war has to ment repression during the Peo- opposing forces, who forget their differences and ideals to killed by the state?” asks a teacher be addressed all the way down to ple’s Movement was buried soon forge alliances - of course, for joint benefits. So we say, in Haudi. A farmer from Pakha the village level,” says Bhogendra after its preparation, an atmos- “bad politics, worse politicians.” asks if compensation is on the Sharma of the rights group, phere of moral compromise tainted But who are we? Where is our voice? agenda for the peace talks. In CVICT. “The government must all the political parties from the We wait and see; see and criticise; criticise and do little Tatopani, a young Maoist cadre set up a truth and reconciliation start of the second democratic era. else. If our politicians are corrupt and unsatisfactory, it is asks why human rights organisa- commission.” An Amnesty International re- perhaps because we are incompetent too. We ignore is- tions have not documented all the Subodh Pyakurel of INSEC port last year cited state-supported sues that confront us. What should concern us from the violations of the past year: “Will agrees. “The process of truth and intimidation of a young girl alleg- very start only begins to interest us when mud starts sling- they ever come to find out what reconciliation should begin the edly raped in the Chisapani army ing. Issues get so enmeshed and entangled by the time has happened?” day the peace talks begin. At the barracks. If this glaring case could the various politicians have played havoc through them that These raw questions are not very minimum, every violation not be countered, who will press the correct perspective is lost. And this is almost always being heard in Kathmandu, which must be documented. Those who for the truth about the 7,000+ the point when the public wakes up. in the past few weeks has been as committed crimes must take re- dead, and the other casualties of No matter how much we scream against sensationalism, giddy with bad politics as ever. Now sponsibility for them. And those war? “That doubt is well that the Maoists have come above- who suffered at their hands must founded,” Pyakurel admits. “The we have to admit that only when issues are sensational- ground, the media, intellectuals, forgive them.” The motto ‘For- human rights community has its ised or sentimentalised do we begin to raise our eyebrows NGOs and other civil society actors give, but forget not’ motivated the weaknesses. Because of our past and ask questions - even take to the streets. Then, can we are in a mad rush to kiss and make Truth and Reconciliation Commis- affiliations, our present political blame the politicians for overstating and overreacting? Af- up, in between attending conflict- sion in South Africa. loyalties, the state favours that we ter all, they are only playing to the gallery. resolution talk-shops. At his first International human rights depend on, and the relationship Taking Sikkim’s case, the public has seldom taken the ini- press conference, even Baburam experts point out that achieving between the state, the parties and tiative in solving contentious issues. We wait for the politi- Bhattarai became coy when asked truth and reconciliation is a drawn- international partners, we some- cians to do it for us and they desist because they don’t about IGP Krishna Mohan out, complicated process, espe- times cannot fulfil our duties.” want to take a strong stand and risk losing a vote-bank.

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