#707 16 - 22 May 2014 20 pages Rs 50 MAIMING THE ON HEAVEN’S PURPLE REIGN MESSENGER BY ANURAG ACHARYA PAGE 4 SHORE Micro buses wait for passengers under blue jacaranda in full bloom at Ratna Park on Monday. With abundant sunshine, Kathmandu is sweltering while the western COMMUNIST GETTING AWAY Tarai is baking in an above-40 degrees heat wave. The monsoon is still more than a month away, and a high CACOPHONY WITH MURDER Rara’s refl ected glory pressure system over Central Nepal is delaying evening BY TRISHNA RANA EDITORIAL PAGE 10-11 storm showers normal for this time of year. PAGE 6 PAGE 2 DEVAKI BISTA 2 EDITORIAL 16 - 22 MAY 2014 #707 GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER while their Madhesi allies had a single Madhes of Law Narahari Acharya and second-man Ram province as their main plank. When the results Chandra Poudel went against everything their came out, activists and politicians who backed party has ever stood for. They proved themselves ethnic politics questioned its validity and split to be even more callous than army generals, hairs between ‘mandate’ and ‘opinion’. police chiefs and guerrilla commanders towards The NC and UML, on the other hand, the relatives of the victims of the conflict, many paid reluctant lip service to federalism during of them their own party activists. the campaign but were decisively against People who treat universal values of justice future provinces being named after particular and truth as dispensable irritants cannot write a ethnic groups. The Hindu-right RPP-Nepal, democratic constitution that guarantees the rule of course, was against federalism, secularism, of law. Last month, the NC stood silent as the republicanism and just about everything else. Maoists hounded human rights activists who Five months after the elections, the public mood tried to raise their voice on behalf of the relatives is one of growing dismay. The Maoist opposition of the victims. There is an old proverb: ‘He who doesn’t seem to realise that it lost the election, defends a thief may be a bigger thief himself.’ and still wants to govern by consensus. The UML It seems foregone conclusion that the results has its own internal scores to settle. And an of the Indian elections when they are announced octogenarian freedom fighter who is now prime on Friday will represent a shift to the right in ‘He who defends a thief minister seems incapable of stopping a right the region. Due to India’s gravitational pull, shift of his once social-democratic party. this is sure to tug Nepal’s political spectrum to may be a bigger thief himself.’ Given their belief in the end justifying the the right as well. The Hindu-right RPP-N thinks means, it’s not surprising that the Maoists would it can benefit from this shift, and influence the here was a lot of optimism after the want to stoke divisive ethnic politics. The constitution-writing process. announcement of the result of the November Madhesi parties have predictably tried to cover However, whatever the regional political Telection that the new coalition led by up their own governance failure and disunity trend, our own election result should not be an democratic parties would write a constitution of by selling the vision of an utopian autonomous excuse for triumphalism among an exclusionist the people, by the people and for the people. province after which they promise everything elite who think Nepal can continue to be By throwing out the incumbent partnership of will be hunky-dory. centrally governed. The new constitution must the Maoist and Madhesi parties, voters had sent a However, it is with the Nepali Congress that be a document that reflects an evolved egalitarian clear message that they were against their we are most dissappointed. Here is a party that polity. divisive ethnic and territorial politics. The election was supposed to stand up for democracy, human By backing amnesty for wartime excesses the could, in fact, be seen as a referendum on the rights, freedom and pluralism. It was supposed NC has not just subverted its own ideology, it main issue on which the two blocs differed: what to be the party of the people, for the welfare has also sent the message that it backs impunity. kind of federalism the country should have. state, for socialism with a human face. When you allow people to get away with murder, The Maoists campaigned strongly for eight By strongly backing the Truth and you are telling them they can get away with or more single identity-based federal provinces, Reconciliation Bill, Congressites like Minister breaking a lot of other laws as well. YOUR SAY www.nepalitimes.com BEGGARS AND CHOOSERS Unfortunately, the absence of that RENEWED HOPE cartel of Indian airlines is keeping compatriots like that we don’t need No sovereign country in the world system reinforces social inequities and The best hope and perhaps the only prices artifi cially high to Bombay and enemies. allows foreign governments to hand perpetuates cycles of political abuse hope for Nepal Airlines is for the Delhi. Also, NAC should get widebody J Basnet out money to its private citizens that has led to a sophisticated new government to sell 49 per cent of planes and slash fares to Malaysia or NGOs without its approval form of authoritarianism – one that its shares to a well run airline such and the Gulf so that our fellow Nepalis ONE MAN and direct regulation (‘Beggars empowers the elite, while keeping a as Singapore, Qatar, Emirates, etc do not have to spend their hard- I don’t know much about his [Leela and choosers’, Editorial, #706). majority of people in abject poverty. and also let them have complete earned money on the high fares in Mani Poudyal] history, but he certainly Otherwise what is to prevent foreign Nepali day to day management control (as other countries’ airlines. seems to have his heart in the right governments to hire Nepali citizens the Sri Lankan govt. did sometime Gurung place (‘The power of one’, Damakant to directly work for them instead As a direct donor to Nepal through back with their national carrier) with Jayshi, #706.) Now let’s see if his of working for the country? There my UK charity and partner NGO a board directing their long term European and North American political bosses allow him to do what he is nothing wrong in asking willing working in education, and being policies and objectives (‘New planes, aircraft manufacturers are worried really wants to do. donors to spend money where it an indirect donor via my UK taxes new hopes’, Vijay Lama, #706). Let’s that the Chinese have learnt the Namah will provide the most benefi t for and DFID I feel that it is a receiving not kid ourselves - with the present sophisticated art of manufacturing the country and the people. If the government’s right to stipulate where management culture, structures and airplanes. But it’s their fault because I appreciate Paudyal’s efforts donors have concerns on issues they require money for development, systems nothing much will change, they outsourced wingparts, fuselage to clean up the Bagmati, but the like human rights, they can stop and the focus on infrastructure for new planes or old. For God’s sake and landing gear assembly to Chinese crux of the problem and solution are their funding. What they should not example is perfectly reasonable. they can’t even maintain such simple companies to save money. Now that different. I lived in Kathmandu for be able to do is directly fund their However, the government must realise robust planes as Twin Otters, how the Chinese have learnt to make three years. It is crowded, dusty and own agenda, without any regulation that aid from developed nations always =will they manage with MA60s and planes as good as Boeing and Airbus, polluted. Everything’s centred here. If and oversight. has strings attached whether it’s to do A320s? but for half the cost, naturally, they are we had built good schools, colleges, Dev Batsya with demands for human rights and Airline guy worried about the Chinese catching universities or hospitals outside inclusive development in countries up. That is why FAA and EASA have Kathmandu, people would not think Aid money should improve lives such as Nepal. Without this our own Good to read an article with been denying certifi cation and arm- about moving to the capital. Kathmandu and raise people out of poverty, governments would soon lose political some hope about Nepal and Nepalis twisting Asian and Pacifi c countries cannot afford to shelter this growing leading to sustainable growth and support from taxpayers who saw their instead of only hopelessness. But it from buying planes like the MA60. As population. Let us establish federal development. However, the truth taxes being used to prop up “inhuman is up to Vijay Lama and other loyal Capt Lama cites, all six accidents of states and give them the full authority. is foreign aid has often presented and discriminatory” regimes. employees of NAC to make the airline MA60s have been attributed to pilot Rjackson33 more challenges than opportunities All contracts have two sides to well managed once again so we can error. My guess is that the local agents to aid recipients. In the 60 plus them, and it should be a simple matter be proud of our national carrier. One of western plane companies and years since being an aid recipient, for donors and government to discuss step would be for NAC to immediately private operators in Nepal are trying to we’ve seen small improvements priorities from both sides so that restart fl ights to India because the sabotage our own national airline.