DOCSLIB.ORG

A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal Occasional Paper: Peace Building Series No.1 FutureGenerations Applied Community Graduate School Change and Conservation PeoPle’s ParticiPation in conflict transformation: a case study of Jana andolan II in nePal Bandita Sijapati Social Science Baha February 2009 Occasional Papers of the Future Generations Graduate School explore community-based approaches to social development, health, nature conservation, peace building, and governance. Faculty, alumni, and partner organizations present their field studies and applied research. www.future.edu People’s Participation in Conflict Transformation: A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal Rise from every village, rise from every settlement To change the face of this country, rise Those who have a pen in hand, bring your pen and rise Those who can play an instrument, bring your instrument and rise Those who have a tool in hand, bring your tool and rise Those who have nothing at all, bring your voice and rise.1 I. INTRODUCTION In April 2006, there was a country-wide people’s movement in Nepal, popularly known as the Jana Andolan II,2 against King Gyanendra’s direct rule3 following a 12-point understanding reached between the Seven Party Alliance4 and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which was leading a communist insurgency against the state. The 19-day-long Jana Andolan II5 (People’s Movement II) ended direct rule by Gyanendra, forced him to return power to the reinstated parliament, and created a conducive environment for the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government and the rebel Maoists in November 2006. The success of Jana Andolan II in thus ending the decade-long conflict that had affected all parts of the country has thus been hailed by many as being exemplary of the ways in which engaged citizenry and communities at the local level can have an impact on the resolution and transformation of violent conflict at the national level. By using literature on social movements, peace building and conflict transformation, this paper seeks to provide an understanding of how communities and citizen groups at multiple levels (local, regional and national) were mobilized across class, caste, ethnic and religious divides to effectively topple the royal regime and help bring an end to 10 years of violence. More specifically, the paper shows how Jana Andolan II was able 1 Translation of well-known Nepali “progressive” song, “Gau, Gau bata utha,” played by radio stations throughout the country during the April 2006 Jana Andolan II. 2 Jana Andolan I being the people’s movement against the three-decade-long Panchayat regime led by the king. 3 King Gyanendra had dismissed the civilian government on February 1, 2005, enforced what in effect was martial law after declaring a national emergency, curtailed all human, civic and political rights, and formed a government led by himself. 4 The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) comprised of the Nepali Congress, the mainstream Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and a number of other smaller parties, mainly leftist, including People’s Front Nepal (PFN), Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Nepal Sadbhawana Party- (NSP-A) and United Left Front (ULF) led by CP Mainali. 5 Jana Andolan I being the popular movement against the present king’s brother’s absolute rule in 1990. People’s Participation in Conflict Transformation: A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal to influence the political structure of the Nepali state, its policies, its party mechanisms, as well as its dominant culture and how, in turn, the movement and its goals, were shaped by these forces. It will be argued that it was the interplay between the movement initiated by political parties but then advanced by civil society, internal forces such as the structure of the state and the institution of the monarchy, and the mechanism of political parties along with their relationship with each other and external influences that made the signing of the peace agreement possible. The study is based on research conducted at two levels: (i) a desk study that included a literature review of Nepal-specific issues such as the Maoist conflict; the role of the monarchy; social, political and economic issues; popular protests and movements from the past; and role of civil society. In addition, media research (Nepali and English) was also conducted on political developments prior to, during and after Jana Andolan II with a focus on events from October 2002, when King Gyanendra dismissed the democratically elected government, up to March 2007 when the Madhesh Andolan—the regional agitation in the southern Tarai plain ended; and (ii) a micro-level in-depth study conducted in Chitwan district to study local-level dynamics that were at play in the period around Jana Andolan II. The selection of Chitwan district as a research site is based on the fact that during Jana Andolan II, Chitwan was in the forefront in many ways—high levels of women’s participation, the coming together of various issue-based community organizations, strong rural and urban linkages, and a vibrant local press, which covered the movement extensively. The micro-level study included 60 in-depth interviews with individuals who participated in Jana Andolan II in Chitwan in various capacities. Furthermore, 10 key-informant interviews was also conducted in Kathmandu with prominent personalities from civil society, government and political parties to get a national perspective on people’s participation and the impact of Jana Andolan II. The paper is divided into three main sections. The first discusses the nature and the course of the conflict, which led the way to the royal takeover and subsequently the movement for the restoration of democracy and sustainable peace. The second discusses the nature of Jana Andolan II in terms of key actors, groups and communities involved in the movement; the individual as well as collective incentives for participation; the ways in which partnerships were forged among communities, governments and external actors; and the contextual factors that influenced as well as created the environment for popular participation. The third section focuses on the impact of Jana Andolan II in terms of how it was able to bring an end to the royal regime and pave the way for the signing of the peace agreement. 1 People’s Participation in Conflict Transformation: A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal II. DESCRIPTION, NATURE AND COURSE OF THE MAOIST CONFLICT The Maoist insurgency began on 13 February 1996 when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), hereafter CPN (M), launched its Jana Yudhha, or People’s War, after presenting a 40-point charter of demands to the then Nepali Congress-led government. Initially, the government dismissed the issue as a law-and-order problem, but the Maoists were soon able to demonstrate their strength in May 1997 when they boycotted the local elections, which prevented polls from being conducted in 87 village development committees. After the success of the 1997 boycott, the Maoists gradually embarked on taking control of government functions. The state responded in May 1998 by launching the infamous ‘Kilo Sierra Two’, a ‘search and kill’ operation, in all the Maoist-affected areas resulting in the deaths of 500 people, including Maoist rebels, their supporters and innocent civilians. Instead of quelling the movement, police brutality during the operation fuelled the insurgency even further. In fact, in an early 2001 nation-wide opinion poll, 30 percent of the respondents indicated that police violence was responsible for the increase in Maoist activity.6 In 1999, the government formed a “High-Level Committee to Provide Suggestions to Solve the Maoist Problem”, which, instead of addressing the root causes of the problem, attributed the conflict to “weaknesses in the management and administration of the state as well as to the frequent changes in government.” It further added that, “rather than a growth in the people’s support for the Maoists it [was] the inability of the state machinery to assert itself forcefully.”7 Amidst attacks and counter-attacks between the police and the Maoists, in early 2001 the latter announced that their guiding principle would henceforth be ‘Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and Prachanda Path’. The principle behind Prachanda Path was essentially to move towards building a “central people’s government” while reiterating the importance of further consolidating the united fronts “in order to play the role of people’s power at the central level with a view to consolidate and expand local people’s power and base areas.”8 The propagation of 6 Deepak Thapa with Bandita Sijapati. A Kingdom Under Seige: Nepal’s Maoist Insurgency 1996-2004, Zed Books, London, 2005. 7 Ibid., p. 73 8 The “United People’s Front,” later called “Revolutionary United Front” were created during the course of the people’s war to mobilize broad-based mass support among workers, peasants, and people of different castes and ethnic groups. To name a few, these included: ethnic fronts such as the Tharuwan Liberation Front, the Limbuwan National Liberation Front, Nepal Dalit Liberation Front; region-based fronts like the Karnali Regional Liberation Front, Madheshi National Liberation Front; and class based organizations like All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), All Nepal Women’s Organization 3 People’s Participation in Conflict Transformation: A Case Study of Jana Andolan II in Nepal Prachanda Path was a clear indication that the Maoists were ready to extend their activities to the capital, Kathmandu, which until then had not experienced any major rebel activities. In June 2001, after the royal massacre in which King Birendra and his family were killed, his brother, Gyanendra, ascended the throne. In October 2002, the king dismissed the government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress and began a process of nominating successive governments.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • All Change at Rasuwa Garhi Sam Cowan [email protected]
    Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 33 | Number 1 Article 14 Fall 2013 All Change at Rasuwa Garhi Sam Cowan [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Cowan, Sam (2013) "All Change at Rasuwa Garhi," Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies: Vol. 33: No. 1, Article 14. Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol33/iss1/14 This Research Report is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Research Report | All Change at Rasuwa Garhi Sam Cowan From time immemorial, pilgrims, traders, artisans, and Kyirong to aid the transshipment of goods and to carry religious teachers going to Lhasa from Kathmandu had to out major trading on their own account. Jest records that decide between two main routes. One roughly followed as late as 1959 there were forty five Newar households in the line of the present road to Kodari, crossed the border Kyirong and forty in Kuti (Jest 1993). where Friendship Bridge is built and followed a steep trail The two routes were used for the invasion of Tibet in 1788 to Kuti (Tib. Nyalam). Loads were carried by porters up to and 1791 by the forces of the recently formed Gorkha this point but pack animals were used for the rest of the state under the direction of Bahadur Shah, which led to journey.
    [Show full text]
  • Mise En Page 1
    ASIA PACIFIC NEPAL FEDERAL COUNTRY BASIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS INCOME GROUP: LOW INCOME LOCAL CURRENCY: NEPALESE RUPEE (NPR) POPULATION AND GEOGRAPHY ECONOMIC DATA Area: 147 180 km 2 GDP: 79 billion (current PPP international dollars), 2 697 dollars per inhabitant (2017) Population: 29.305 million inhabitants (2017), an increase of 1.2% Real GDP growth: 7.5 % (2017 vs 2016) per year (2010-2015) Unemployment rate: 2.7 % (2017) Density: 199 inhabitants / km 2 Foreign direct investment, net inflows (FDI): 196 (BoP, current USD millions, 2017) Urban population: 19.3 % of national population Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF): 34% of GDP (2017) Urban population growth: 3.2 % (2017 vs 2016) HDI: 0.574 (medium), ranking 149 (2017) Capital city: Kathmandu (4.5 % of national population) Poverty rate: 15% (2010) MAIN FEATURES OF THE MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK Following the end in 2006 of a decade-long civil war, Nepal’s governance framework is currently in the transition from being a Monarchy to a multiparty democratic republic. With the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2015, Nepal moved from a unitary form of government to a federal one with a strong focus on decentralization based on “cooperative federalism”. The new federation has three tiers of government, namely federal, state and local, whereby powers shall be exercised pursuant to the Constitution and the state laws. The Constitution has assigned both exclusive and concurrent powers, to be jointly exercised by the federal and the state levels or jointly by all three tiers of government. The jurisdiction of the local governments is outlined under Schedule 8 of the Constitution, which establishes that local governments are responsible for development activities and for mobilizing the necessary resources to carry out such activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Limbuwan Todays: Process and Problems
    -limbuwan today: process and problems Bedh Prakash Upreti The post-1950 spread of the Western type of education, and the new economic opportunities largely expedited by the opening of the Terai have had a tremendous impact on the traditiona12 socio-cul­ tural and political system in the Limbuwan. These forces have in­ troduced new institutions and roles, and values and behaviors to support these roles. This paper describes post-1950 socio-cultural change among Brahmin and Limbu in Limbuwan, Eastern Nepal. Only the most perti­ nent changes directly affecting the socio-cultural institutions and values of each group have been treated here. I have also tried to analyze the background and forces of change, and have presented a micro-model of change in this paper. At the end, this paper brief­ ly deals with the problems largely bro~ght about by post-1950 edu­ cational, economic, and socio-cultural changes. POST-1950 CHANGES IN BRAHMIN AND LIMBU CULTURES The following incident, which transpired during the author's boyhood, probably illustrates the types of changes that were to follow. In 1956, when I was a sixth-grade student, a new "science teacher" (a teacher who taught biology and health sciences) was brought in from Darjeeling'. We had never had a "science teacher" before and were very inquisitive about what he was going to teach. During the first day of his class, the new teacher told us that the use of ~ jal (water from the Ganges River considered by Hindus to be holy) was unhealthy and unholy as well. He also stressed the importance of wearing clean clothes, drinking boiled water, and brushing one's teeth every morning.
    [Show full text]
  • Nepal, November 2005
    Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile: Nepal, November 2005 COUNTRY PROFILE: NEPAL November 2005 COUNTRY Formal Name: Kingdom of Nepal (“Nepal Adhirajya” in Nepali). Short Form: Nepal. Term for Citizen(s): Nepalese. Click to Enlarge Image Capital: Kathmandu. Major Cities: According to the 2001 census, only Kathmandu had a population of more than 500,000. The only other cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants were Biratnagar, Birgunj, Lalitpur, and Pokhara. Independence: In 1768 Prithvi Narayan Shah unified a number of states in the Kathmandu Valley under the Kingdom of Gorkha. Nepal recognizes National Unity Day (January 11) to commemorate this achievement. Public Holidays: Numerous holidays and religious festivals are observed in particular regions and by particular religions. Holiday dates also may vary by year and locality as a result of the multiple calendars in use—including two solar and three lunar calendars—and different astrological calculations by religious authorities. In fact, holidays may not be observed if religious authorities deem the date to be inauspicious for a specific year. The following holidays are observed nationwide: Sahid Diwash (Martyrs’ Day; movable date in January); National Unity Day and birthday of Prithvi Narayan Shah (January 11); Maha Shiva Ratri (Great Shiva’s Night, movable date in February or March); Rashtriya Prajatantra Diwash (National Democracy Day, movable date in February); Falgu Purnima, or Holi (movable date in February or March); Ram Nawami (Rama’s Birthday, movable date in March or April); Nepali New Year (movable date in April); Buddha’s Birthday (movable date in April or May); King Gyanendra’s Birthday (July 7); Janai Purnima (Sacred Thread Ceremony, movable date in August); Children’s Day (movable date in August); Dashain (Durga Puja Festival, movable set of five days over a 15-day period in September or October); Diwali/Tihar (Festival of Lights and Laxmi Puja, movable set of five days in October); and Sambhidhan Diwash (Constitution Day, movable date in November).
    [Show full text]
  • NEPAL: Preparing the Secondary Towns Integrated Urban
    Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 36188 November 2008 NEPAL: Preparing the Secondary Towns Integrated Urban Environmental Improvement Project (Financed by the: Japan Special Fund and the Netherlands Trust Fund for the Water Financing Partnership Facility) Prepared by: Padeco Co. Ltd. in association with Metcon Consultants, Nepal Tokyo, Japan For Department of Urban Development and Building Construction This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design. TA 7182-NEP PREPARING THE SECONDARY TOWNS INTEGRATED URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Volume 1: MAIN REPORT in association with KNOWLEDGE SUMMARY 1 The Government and the Asian Development Bank agreed to prepare the Secondary Towns Integrated Urban Environmental Improvement Project (STIUEIP). They agreed that STIUEIP should support the goal of improved quality of life and higher economic growth in secondary towns of Nepal. The outcome of the project preparation work is a report in 19 volumes. 2 This first volume explains the rationale for the project and the selection of three towns for the project. The rationale for STIUEIP is the rapid growth of towns outside the Kathmandu valley, the service deficiencies in these towns, the deteriorating environment in them, especially the larger urban ones, the importance of urban centers to promote development in the regions of Nepal, and the Government’s commitments to devolution and inclusive development. 3 STIUEIP will support the objectives of the National Urban Policy: to develop regional economic centres, to create clean, safe and developed urban environments, and to improve urban management capacity.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Publication
    No. 43 Working Papers Working Negotiating Between Unequal Neighbours: India‘s Role in Nepal‘s Recent Constitution-Making Process Prakash Bhattarai December 2018 1 Negotiating Between Unequal Neighbours: India’s Role in Nepal’s Recent Constitution-Making Process1 Prakash Bhattarai ABSTRACT Nepal’s post-conflict constitution-making process has seen the involvement of many international actors. While studies on democracy promotion, to this day, mainly focus on Western “donors” and international organizations, this paper looks at the role played by India in the complicated process of moving from a peace agreement to the establishment of an inclusive, democratic constitution in Nepal. More specifically, it is analysed how a powerful neighbouring democracy (India) participated in what is essentially a domestic negotiation process (constitution-making) with a view to influencing the emerging demo- cratic regime. In terms of the issues on the negotiation table, the analysis shows that India, in pushing for an inclusive constitution, pursued the specific agenda of supporting the inclusion of the Madheshis, an ethnic group mostly living in Nepal’s Terai region. In terms of negotiation strategies, the paper identifies four different ways in which India tried to influence the constitution: high-level dialogue; economic blockade; international coalition building; and targeted support of domestic oppositional forces in Nepal. Com- prehensive as this negotiation strategy was, it only met with partial success. Parameters that limited India’s influence included the domestic strength and legitimacy of the official Nepali position (elite alignment; popular support) as well as scepticism concerning In- dia’s role in Nepal, which was reinforced by India’s overly partisan agenda.
    [Show full text]
  • Framing of Nepal's Constitution
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2017 Framing of Nepal’s Constitution: How Indian and Nepali National Media Covered the Controversy Surrounding the Ratification of Nepal’s Constitution in 2015 Amir Joshi Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Recommended Citation Joshi, Amir, "Framing of Nepal’s Constitution: How Indian and Nepali National Media Covered the Controversy Surrounding the Ratification of Nepal’s Constitution in 2015" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 15331. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15331 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Framing of Nepal’s Constitution: How Indian and Nepali national media covered the controversy surrounding the ratification of Nepal’s Constitution in 2015 by Amir Joshi A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Journalism and Mass Communication Program of Study Committee: Raluca Cozma, Major Professor Daniela V. Dimitrova Olga Chyzh Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2017 Copyright © Amir Joshi, 2017. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES iv ABSTRACT v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2 Introduction and Significance of Study 2 Constitution and Nepal India Ties 6 Madhesh and Minority Issues 7 Conflict and Media 8 Framing Theory 9 Research Questions 13 CHAPTER 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Pdf | 548.22 Kb
    NEPAL’S NEW ALLIANCE: THE MAINSTREAM PARTIES AND THE MAOISTS Asia Report N°106 – 28 November 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. THE PARTIES................................................................................................................ 3 A. OUTLOOK .............................................................................................................................3 B. IMPERATIVES ........................................................................................................................4 C. INTERNAL TENSIONS AND CONSTRAINTS ..............................................................................5 D. PREPARATION FOR TALKS .....................................................................................................7 III. THE MAOISTS .............................................................................................................. 8 A. OUTLOOK .............................................................................................................................8 B. IMPERATIVES ........................................................................................................................9 C. INTERNAL TENSIONS AND CONSTRAINTS ............................................................................10 D. PREPARATION FOR TALKS
    [Show full text]
  • River Culture in Nepal
    Nepalese Culture Vol. XIV : 1-12, 2021 Central Department of NeHCA, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/nc.v14i0.35187 River Culture in Nepal Kamala Dahal- Ph.D Associate Professor, Patan Multipal Campus, T.U. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Most of the world civilizations are developed in the river basins. However, we do not have too big rivers in Nepal, though Nepalese culture is closely related with water and rivers. All the sacraments from birth to the death event in Nepalese society are related with river. Rivers and ponds are the living places of Nepali gods and goddesses. Jalkanya and Jaladevi are known as the goddesses of rivers. In the same way, most of the sacred places are located at the river banks in Nepal. Varahakshetra, Bishnupaduka, Devaghat, Triveni, Muktinath and other big Tirthas lay at the riverside. Most of the people of Nepal despose their death bodies in river banks. Death sacrement is also done in the tirthas of such localities. In this way, rivers of Nepal bear the great cultural value. Most of the sacramental, religious and cultural activities are done in such centers. Religious fairs and festivals are also organized in such a places. Therefore, river is the main centre of Nepalese culture. Key words: sacred, sacraments, purity, specialities, bath. Introduction The geography of any localities play an influencing role for the development of culture of a society. It affects a society directly and indirectly. In the beginning the nomads passed their lives for thousands of year in the jungle.
    [Show full text]
  • A Glimpse of Kirat-Yakthung (Limbu) Language, Writing, and Literacy
    Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies Volume 4, Issue 1, March 2017, pp. 560-593 Delinking, Relinking, and Linking Methodologies: A Glimpse of Kirat-Yakthung (Limbu) Language, Writing, and Literacy Marohang Limbu1 Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures Michigan State University, USA Abstract: Limbus (Limboos), who are also known as “Yakthungs” or “Kirat-Yakthung” or “Kirats,” have/had their own unique culture, language, writing, and Mundhum rhetorics. After “Nun-Paani Sandhi” (Salt-Water Treaty) in 1774 with Khas-Aryas, they (Khas- Aryans) ideologically and Politically banned Limbus from teaching of their language, writing, and Mundhum rhetorics in Yakthung laje (Limbuwan). Because of the Khas-Aryan oPPression, Limbu culture had/has become oral-dominant; Yakthungs used/use oral- Performance-based Mundhum rhetorics to Preserve their culture, language, histories, and Mundhum rhetorics. The main PurPose of this article is to discuss the develoPment of Kirat-Yakthung’s writing and rhetoric and/or rise-fall-rise of Yakthung scriPt, writing, and literacy. The essay demonstrates how Kirat-Yakthung indigenous PeoPles are delinking (denaturalizing or unlearning) Khas-Aryan-, Indian-, and Western linguistic and/or cultural colonization, how they are relinking (revisiting or relandscaPing) their Susuwa Lilim and/or Sawa Yet Hang ePistemologies, and how they are linking their cultural and linguistic identities from local to global level. In this essay, I briefly discuss delinking, relinking, and linking methodology, and how Kirat-Yakthungs are translating it into Practice. This essay demonstrates Khas-Aryan intervention and/or Khas-Aryan paracolonial intervention in the develoPment of Kirat-Yakthung writing and literacy, and Kirat-Yakthungs’ resistance for their existence.
    [Show full text]
  • Federalism Is Debated in Nepal More As an ‘Ism’ Than a System
    The FEDERALISM Debate in Nepal Post Peace Agreement Constitution Making in Nepal Volume II Post Peace Agreement Constitution Making in Nepal Volume II The FEDERALISM Debate in Nepal Edited by Budhi Karki Rohan Edrisinha Published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal (SPCBN) 2014 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal (SPCBN) UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. United Nations Development Programme UN House, Pulchowk, GPO Box: 107 Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: +977 1 5523200 Fax: +977 1 5523991, 5523986 ISBN : 978 9937 8942 1 0 © UNDP, Nepal 2014 Book Cover: The painting on the cover page art is taken from ‘A Federal Life’, a joint publication of UNDP/ SPCBN and Kathmandu University, School of Art. The publication was the culmination of an initiative in which 22 artists came together for a workshop on the concept of and debate on federalism in Nepal and then were invited to depict their perspective on the subject through art. The painting on the cover art titled ‘’Emblem” is created by Supriya Manandhar. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the book are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of UNDP/ SPCBN. PREFACE A new Constitution for a new Nepal drafted and adopted by an elected and inclusive Constituent Assembly (CA) is a key element of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of November 2006 that ended a decade long Maoist insurgency.
    [Show full text]
  • Compliment to Surya Thapa Siddhi B Ranjitkar
    Compliment To Surya Thapa Siddhi B Ranjitkar One of the personalities of the regressive force Surya Bahadur Thapa ultimately died at 87 on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. He was cremated on April 17, 2015 with the full state honor. The government even shut down its business for the state employees to mourn the demise of one of the corrupt politicians. I want him to have a better and progressive life in another world, and be an honorable and respectable human soul there unlike what he had been in this mundane world. He had been a tool of the regressive force. He contributed to shove democracy in a trashcan and put the country in the reverse gear in 1960. He helped to reverse the political development in 1981 again lengthening the life of the corrupt panchayat system. He had earned the reputation of being one of the most corrupt politicians during the 55 years of his political life. Shame on the government and the politicians that gave so much of honor to and respect for the man that had become part of the force that put the majority of the Nepalese in misery, poverty and destitute, and put Nepal into the shameful status of one of the impoverished countries in the world map. If the corrupt politicians were to get so much of honor and respect even after death why the politicians would need to be sincere and honest to the people. Shame on the Nepalese politicians, such a corrupt politician was lionized. On Friday, April 17, 2015, the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal honored one of the most dishonest politicians of the Nepalese history on his untimely death.
    [Show full text]