712 20 - 26 June 2014 20 Pages Rs 50
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#712 20 - 26 June 2014 20 pages Rs 50 JAN MØLLER HANSEN STATELESS STATE THE LEAST t is well known that Nepal is migrants duped by human HARMFUL home to refugees from Bhutan traffickers. Iand Tibet, but what many may Meanwhile, of the 120,000 FUTURE not know is that there are about refugees from Bhutan who have THIS IS IT 1,000 refugees, asylum seekers and lived or were born in refugee BY RUBEENA MAHATO migrants in transit from trouble camps in Nepal in the last 22 spots around the world living years, 90,000 have been resettled PAGE 3 in Kathmandu. They are from in the United States and six other Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, countries. However, one mother Bangladesh, Burma or Iraq, and doesn’t want to leave behind an arrive here in the hope that they abandoned baby she adopted six will be resettled, or are economic years ago. MODIFYING FROM YAK HERDERS INDO-NEPAL PHOTOS BY REFUGEES-IN-WAITING TO BASKETBALL CHAMPS TIES JAN MØLLER HANSEN Meet the basketball team DEADLINE nepalitimes.com PAGE 17 from Sikkim who went from BY DAMAKANT JAYSHI Online photo gallery herding yaks to winning PAGE 16 championships in a year PAGE 10-11 PAGE 6 2 EDITORIAL 20 - 26 JUNE 2014 #712 SEPARATION OF STATE AND TEMPLE epal’s self-opinionated like to think that when coincidence that six days later, the Minister of Delhi sneezes Kathmandu should catch a cold. When it rains in Delhi insecure Women, Children and Social Welfare, Neelam KC NJust goes to show how little we think of ourselves echoed the same sentiments at a temple gathering that we bestow outsiders with such vast powers over politicians in Kathmandu unfurl outside Kathmandu. us. The same thing happened in the aftermath of the It is clear that Nepali politicians, like astounding victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) their umbrellas. politicians everywhere, find it too tempting not and the ascension of Narendra Modi: when it rained in to mix temple and state. When joblessness, lack Delhi, insecure politicians in Kathmandu unfurled their of investment and a stagnant economy keep the umbrellas. youth disillusioned and angry, stoking sectarian Nepal’s public sphere is still resonating with animosity is a way to divide and rule and keep the speculation about a rollback on secularism, Nepal being streets primed for control. declared a Hindu state or even the restoration of the Needless to say this is a short-sighted and monarchy. It doesn’t seem to matter that the Nepali self-destructive strategy. “Secularism” is a word people post-2006 have opted for a federal, secular we imported from post-partition India and its republic. Just because a certain religious-right party has need to steer clear of communalism. Nepal was swept elections in a neighbouring country why should never wracked by such violence, and even though that influence our political evolution? the Panchayat tried to fall back on “the world’s To be sure, if Nepalis themselves decided in a possible only Hindu kingdom,” that was more to gain future referendum to shun secularism and declare the political legitimacy than to ram through a quasi- country a Hindu state (as the fourth-largest party in the theocracy. Constituent Assembly, the RPP-N wants) so be it, but Conversion may have been banned and not because of political trends in another country. the Hindu ruling class did act superior during Unfortunately, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala himself the Panchayat, but there was never a sense set the trend by bequeathing a silver Shiva linga to Prime that all Nepalis should be Hindus. In fact, the Minister Modi when he went to Delhi last month. We 1957 constitution doesn’t even mention religion. In haven’t tried to find out what the other South Asian that sense Nepal was “secular” long before it was leaders gifted, but this was Koirala pretty brazenly formally adopted as a state ideology in 2006. establishing a religious basis for India-Nepal relations. The Hindu backlash we see now is largely In the aftermath of the Modi victory, Nepali Congress due to inaccurate translation of “secular” into leaders have started saying publicly that secularism may Nepali to almost mean “non-religious”, when it have to be re-evaluated. should actually mean “religious pluralism”. The swing to the right is even evident in the Maoist In a country where 20 per cent of the population party, with Pushpa Kamal Dahal telling BJP chairman (in the 2011 census) call themselves non-Hindu, Rajnath Singh that his party “made a big mistake” by it is absurd to push for the country to be declared abandoning the Hindu state. a “Hindu state.” Nepal’s national identity is Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, regarded as a moderate defined by its cultural, linguistic, religious and within the BJP, on a recent visit to Kathmandu met all ethnic diversity, not by its Hindu-ness. And we top leaders of all top parties and went on to ask the shouldn’t change that just because the religious- Nepal government to stop prosletysation. It wasn’t a right sweeps an election in the neighbourhood. NT ARCHIVE YOUR SAY www.nepalitimes.com THE 'F' WORD BACK TO SQUARE 1 Once upon a time I used to be forcing their way, assuming the villagers Ring Road? I am lying on my prayer The thorny issue of state The debate over dividing such a small a regular reader of Nepali Times have no way to protect themselves. mat in deep prayer for these sorry restructuring ('The 'f' word', country like Nepal into federal states because it gave balanced views Hopefully this will change now. souls. Life expectancy 30 plus in light Editorial, #711) can be easily wouldn't have become such a major on all issues. But there has been Michal of the balmy air? I would rather fi nish resolved if we take the opinion issue if our past leaders had played by a lot of unfair Maoist bashing in a pack of cigarettes before breakfast. of people residing in the districts. the rules of good governance. ('Pause, the past few years and Prachanda I don’t like what’s happening, but I Seven districts of in Tarai have play, repeat', Trishna Rana, #711). and Baburam Bhattarai have been appreciate being informed. When will Carl Pahadi majority (more than 50 per It is yet another attempt by the constantly hounded. Politicians men realise that shooting into the air cent) population. So some would politicians to divide the country and make mistakes all the time, let them means that there is a wild bullet that will LUMBINI TAKES OFF like to retain their closeness with rule as they wish. Our politicians keep do their jobs! come back down somewhere? Some points in this article might the adjoining hilly districts. on wrangling over the petty issues Barbara Clary confuse those who do not know Danny time and again while thousands of PK Lumbini well ('Lumbini set to take Nepalis are forced to leave for better The Nepal Police are a bunch off', Matt Miller, #711). Most temples How about referendum on opportunities abroad. It is high time PRASHANT JHA of criminals. The international donor in Lumbini were built representing topics like education opportunities, we switch to commercial farming Suprised to see Nepali Times give community needs to evaluate the their origin and traditions. Yes, right to citizenship, work, justice, and encourage investments for so much space to a mediocre and activities of the Nepal Police and bring there are a few which negligently dignity. As soon as there are hydropower. If Bhutan can do it, why heavily-slanted book ('Interview with sanctions against the government. The violated the guidelines in the Kenzo ethnicity based divisions you will not us? How long can the economy Prashant Jha', #711). On the other support and funding of Nepal Police Tange Lumbini Master Plan but that have a mini India/Pakistan type of sustain simply on revenue from Nepali hand, not really surprised because needs to be suspended immediately. happened mainly because of the system and whenever a non-native migrant workers. you have always coddled closet Bhuwan unclear guidelines. The writer says the demands justice as a minority he Rjackson33 Maoists like Comrade Prashant who Lumbini development area is already will be asked to 'move' out. Just has never bothered to hide the fact RETURN OF THE MICROBES "overbuilt". Seems like he didn't see like Muslims complain about being By the way: republicanism, that he is an Indian agent. A timely article ('Return of the the massive concrete jungle being treated like a Pakistani wannabe secularism and federalism cannot microbes,' Sunir Pandey, #711) to fi ght spread outside the area. in India. be taken back at any cost because Singh against the scourge of Tuberculosis Sayalay Bhaddamanika Namah this is what thousands of Nepalis which has presented yet again in a new sacrifi ced their lives for. Instead of FIGHTING FOR YARSA form. Prudent antibiotics prescription It would be so much better if blaming the failed ideologies of the It's not about natural resources practice is necessary amongst the Nepal's politicians just did their parties and politicians, why don't we ('Fighting for yarsa', Bhrikuti Rai, medical diaspora in Nepal. Physicians jobs honestly. Just give us water, think about creating a whole new #711), rather it is about Nepal's rampantly use Fluoroquinolones and Weekly Internet Poll #712 energy to light our homes, jobs, law system of governance and modality of government agencies colonial Cephalosporin, and mostly when they Q. Will Nepal take part in the football World Cup in the and order.