New Year's Wishes
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#344 13 - 19 April 2007 16 pages Rs 30 New year’s wishes MIN BAJRACHARYA cross the country, ordinary The interim government should Let’s hope us students can There will be peace only with Nepalis told us this week fulfil the wishes of the people for now get on with our studies again. justice, and if there is justice no Editorial p2 A about their hopes and peace. Let the two armies start Let us pray that the country will one has to take up arms. New year, old habits aspirations for 2064. The reforming themselves. Let’s see never see war again. Most of all, Shyam Chaudhary, Saptari overwhelming desire is for the real peace in 2064. let us all work together to build a government to get over its Dambar Biswakarma, Ilam truly new Nepal which we can all Let no force try to provoke obsession with politics so there call our own. innocent Nepalis to take up arms Weekly Internet Poll # 344 will be peace and an Nepali fathers, mothers, Kalpana Baral, Jhapa against each other again. Q. What should be the top priority of the improvement in their lives. brothers, and sisters are finally Lt Bhan Bahadur Airi, Sindhupalchok interim government? experiencing the end of conflict. In this region of Nepal, the Total votes: 4,057 Just because we can travel Let’s protect this peace so there is war is still going on. There hasn’t The country is trying to around freely now, that doesn’t development. been a ceasefire. What is the breathe again, let’s make sure the mean our country is at peace. Hemlata Chemjong, Panchthar point having a home if there is no conflict doesn’t re-ignite. Peace comes when the smiles family? What is the point having a Hridaya Sharma, Gorkha return to the faces of Nepalis. Let’s hope the new year will country if citizens aren’t treated Peace comes when innocent see the political will to steer the equally? Let’s work together for We have no more tears to women still have husbands who country towards peace and peace so our country Nepal can cry. We have to protect peace so Weekly Internet Poll # 345. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com are alive. progress. move forward. Nepalis can live decent lives. Q.Will elections to the constituent assembly be held in June? Ambika Timilsina, Chitwan Puskar Kharel, Gulmi Ram Bilas Yadav, Siraha Pragya Shrestha, Dolakha Euro Gears 2 EDITORIAL 13 - 19 APRIL 2007 #344 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda Dixit Executive Editor: Anagha Neelakantan Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Rupendra Kayastha Director Sales and Marketing: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Circulation Manager: Samir Maharjan [email protected] Subscription: [email protected],5011628/29 Hatiban, Godavari Road, Lalitpur Horse before the cart [email protected] GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5543333-6, Fax: 5521013 www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 5547018 Let a referendum on the monarchy precede constituent assembly elections NEW YEAR, OLD HABITS his time last year, the Rayamajhi Commision has been the nation. It’s a new year in New Nepal. But our politicos are behaving as they people’s Spring Uprising shelved. Is the military really The interim constitution has always have: with opportunism and blaming everyone else but Twas being met with intense under government control? already been amended once to themselves. Within a week of getting into government, Maoists are suppression. One year down the Another spring, another sense include federalism. A second also exhibiting these time-honoured traits. line the ground reality has not of foreboding as the unrest in the amendment is being considered Until as recently as three months ago, Ian Martin was hailed as changed much. We see the same tarai unfolds. Hill indigenous to accommodate the contending a hero holding his ground against those determined to block the brash behaviour of the political peoples are also restive. The parties. It is not precise enough Maoists’ entry into government. He has suddenly become a villain leadership, the bureaucracy, the interim constitution has been just to state ‘federalism’ but to for taking his job seriously. All he did was question the possibility of private sector. In all areas where amended, but the unrest is categorically decide on the kind holding elections in June and the UML and the CPN-M went ballistic. Over-reaction at media interactions is the hallmark of both the ruling elite have their intensifying. The political of federalism. The Election these play-acting parties. pervasive domain, things remain leadership is steering the nation Commission has expressed Fear-mongering about postponement of polls is at fever pitch. the same. towards another collision. doubts about the elections being Pushpa Kamal Dahal smells a conspiracy. Madhab Nepal expects a The spirit of the April held in the current timeframe. “difficult situation” as he carries on with what he does best: blame Uprising had to do with the The international community the government of which he is a part. GUEST COLUMN monarchy, not re-instatement of seems to agree. Recent public Maitalal Gurung We think they protest too much. In fact, the intensity of their parliament. The people were opinion surveys prove most opposition to a later date gives us a sneaking suspicion they don’t misled by the political parties on Nepalis do not know what the really want elections in June but can’t afford to say so up front. Nepali society did not the question of republic and constituent assembly entails. The Meanwhile, the new government needs to get down to work on transform itself. As in 1950 and constituent assembly and they political parties themselves have delivery before the usual paralysis sets in. After a decade of in 1990, the knees of the political merged ganatantra and not been able to take the issue to insurgency and almost four years of dictatorship the bureaucracy badly needs a sense of direction. The police needs to get serious leadership buckled in 2006 and it sambidhan sabha to make them the grassroots. about law enforcement. There is no reason why the people of all ended in a compromise. synonymous. The political parties are hell- Dailekh still have to risk death crossing a bridge bombed by History has repeated itself. The constituent assembly is bent on holding the constituent Maoists which has still not been repaired. Telecom towers across When winds of change sweep an elected body to draft a new assembly by June because for the country were destroyed, but even after a year of ceasefire many through any revolution the old constitution. The question of them it is a face-saving way to districts are still phoneless. order must crumble to give way monarchy must be delinked from appease the people. But it is Improving security and service delivery should be this to an emergent force with total it and addressed by a referendum. pointless to conduct elections government’s main mantra. Yet, we see the negative nabobs control to lead the new nation. The question of monarchy is not just for the sake of elections. The hemming and hawing, blaming others, playing victim, threatening This has not happened. How can a debatable agenda, it is a choice government should amend the the country with dire consequences just because they can’t get we call it a revolution if the decided by a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This interim constitution and call for their own act together. status quo persists? Just like the right to choose should be taken a referendum on the question of The common minimum program is a good start. But let’s not make it a case of getting away with doing the minimum. The Mallik Commision, the directly to the people so that the monarchy in June instead of proposed amendments to the constituent assembly can act on leaving the matter for the constitution are not enough. To that decision. constituent assembly. This will be taken seriously by the people If the question of monarchy is allow the government to buy time our political talking heads not decided prior to the to prepare for genuine elections should do what they say and constituent assembly elections, while offering the people an say only those things that they what issues will the political alternative. can do. parties take to the people during By sticking to the plan of Make that your new year the election campaign? It is holding the constituent assembly resolution. obvious the bottomline will be election in June, the parties whether to retain the monarchy could spark off another spring or not. And that will be uprising. The political leadership STAMP OF APPROVAL: Maoist central committee disastrous because the main should heed to wise counsel and member Dinanath Sharma at issues of a new constitution will not put the people through the Election Commission as be on the back burner during the another sacrificial ordeal. the CPN-M formally registers election campaigns. The election as a political party contesting will be a de facto referendum on Maitalal Gurung is founding elections. the monarchy and overshadow member of the Green Nepal Party the main agenda of restructuring (Hariyali). KIRAN PANDAY An even more fateful year Sometimes, instinctive rather than analytical readings point the way ahead popular Nepali proverb says that channel, an outlet through which the forces rehabilitation psychologists term post- of most mainstream actors at the helm of even rivers return to their original accumulated in the form of aggression can revolutionary trauma: a sequential mental government persists. The ‘inclusion’ course after twelve years. It has be released”.