Nepali Times
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
#27 26 January - 1 February 2001 20 pages Rs 20 INFOTECH 10-11 SPECIAL UNDER MY HAT 20 EXCLUSIVE RAJENDRA DAHAL IN POKHARA ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ H O he much-awaited Nepali Congress 2 t Convention in Pokhara is now finally over, and a ceasefire is in force between It’s official. the warring factions. How long it will last is Parched anyone’s guess, but this in-fighting had Kathmandu paralysed governance for almost one year CEASEFIRE! may get 170 and there is hope that the ruling party will million litres now turn its attention to the country’s You will see everything will start happening within ten days. more water urgent crises. Girija Prasad Koirala every day by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala 2006. But emerged victorious by being re-elected party opposition leaders from the UML and other whether chairman, while his rival, Sher Bahadur Deuba, leftist parties admitted they were keenly some of that who had launched a sustained attack on watching the outcome of the Pokhara will actually flow out of your taps is Koirala to quit at least one of his two posts, MIN BAJRACHARYA convention to formulate future strategies. another matter. It will depend a lot conceded defeat but firmly ensconced himself With the ruling party preoccupied with no- on where you live, and if the leaks in as No 2 in the leadership hierarchy. The anti- trust votes and politically tinged riots on the our distribution network are fixed Koirala faction has also doubled the number of streets, there was a sense that the country before that. Nepal and the Asian votes in the total tally from 18 percent at the was drifting rudderless on a stormy ocean. Development Bank formalised a 1996 convention to 35 percent in Pokhara. Pokhara also saw the presence of an $120 million loan for the Melamchi It is obvious that the future stability of the unprecedented number of pressure groups, project on Wednesday to bring the Nepali Congress (and perhaps the country) big business, lobbyists, and media who snowmelt into the valley. ADB will now depend on how magnanimous considered it important enough to invest the President Tadao Chino was in town Koirala is in victory and how much he will time and energy to see how the ruling party to witness the signing of the project accommodate the ambitions of the rebel would resolve its internal conflict and find a agreement. Finance Minister faction. If he doesn’t, the infighting in the way out. Mahesh Acharya thanked Chino for ruling party will continue and the nation will The other aspect of the Convention that the money and had tea with him on slip further into the morass of drift and was overshadowed by the leadership tussle the Ministry lawns. The total cost of disorder. But if he does, it will provide Koirala was its first-ever Policy Paper into which the the project is $441 million and with a real opportunity to deliver on the party had put in a lot of work over two years includes bilateral donors from promises he made when he became prime to reflect feedback from the grassroots. The Nordic countries and Japan, and minister 11 months ago: to ensure law and Paper reiterated strongly the party’s loans from the World Bank. order, curb corruption and improve commitment to socialism, reflecting the governance. After all, his party has a majority viewpoint of the party cadre at the local level in parliament, there are the first signs of party who felt that the liberal market economy had New Zone Bosses unity, and the morale of cadre has been sidelined the concerns of the poor. restored somewhat after Pokhara. “Liberalism and socialism should not be seen King Birendra gave his OK for an Koirala told us: “You will see everything as contradictory, but a reflection of the armed police force to battle the will start happening within ten days.” This is a party’s ideals of understanding and Maoist insurgency last week. The hint that a ministerial reshuffle is on the cards, reconciliation,” says the Paper, and goes on Home Ministry says it hopes to iron and the cunning politician that he is, Koirala to quote BP Koirala from a speech he made out administrative and technical will surely try to defuse the threat from rivals at the Socialist International Convention in procedures for the paramilitary force by offering them lucrative and responsible Australia in 1981: “Democratic socialism is by next week. “The armed police posts in a new ministerial line-up next week, the wave of the future for the Third World.” would have better weapons than and oblige them to deliver. But this may not The Policy Paper uses even stronger regular police, but not as good as be as easy as it sounds. It was in fact the words to analyse the way Nepal has been those that the army uses,” Home haggling over really plum ministries like Home indiscriminate in going for foreign aid Secretary Shreekant Regmi told us. and Finance between the Congress factions in projects. “Foreign aid will not be donor- The ordinance now needs the October that triggered off the latest driven. It will be a reflection of the need, approval of parliament. confrontration. This time, though, Koirala can appropriateness, and priorities of Nepal and The king has also approved pick from the rival camp without having to Nepalis. And it will be on our terms, we will amendments to the Local deal with Deuba, or his mentor, Krishna not accept unnecessary conditionalities.” The Administration Act, which would Prasad Bhattarai. Nepali Congress had accepted numerous allow the government to set up Eclipsed by the epic headline-grabbing donor conditions for projects like the Arun regional administrators in all of battle within the Nepali Congress was the III project, the hydropower scheme that Nepal’s five development regions. “Young” Turks -in-Waiting: Ram Chandra Poudel and Sher Bahadur Deuba party’s own first-ever election to its Central never materialised. The party is now seeing The Regional Administrator’s Working Committee (CWC). The tiered Bimalendra Nidhi, son of Mahendra Narayan campaign on behalf of her daddy Prakash the backlash of some of those conditionalities offices will be located in Dhankuta, elections from grassroots to the regional level Nidhi) were elected. Interestingly, Deputy Koirala, was “repulsed” by the cut-throat from within its own ranks. Hetauda, Pokhara, Surkhet and climaxed in Pokhara with the vote for 18 posts Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel got the rivalries within the party. But even she was Koirala has stated he will step down Dipayal and is a response to the in this powerful committee. Another 18 most votes although he hardly did any impressed with the process: “This was a truly within three years. The leadership then will security threat posed by the Maoist members will be nominated by the party lobbying. This perhaps indicates the strength democratic party convention. People with devolve on a new generation of leaders who insurgency. The regional chiefs will president ostensibly to ensure an ethnic, of the middle-roaders and the seeming desire different opinions found space, and there was a will hopefully work out their future internal also try to ensure better co- regional, gender and political mix. Among the within the party for unity and compromise. rejection of the autocratic way of doing things. differences (and ordination between different security 18 elected members, six were anti-Koirala, If there was one winner in Pokhara, it It is a very good sign. With the infighting there will be Editorial p2 agencies—the Royal Nepal Army, nine pro and the rest non-committed. Three was the party: it has now got the mechanism behind us, the party can now focus on looking many) through the paramilitary and the Nepal Get on with it scions of veteran Congress leaders (Prakash in place to ensure a leadership filter through a after the country.” the process Police. Koirala, son of BP Koirala, Prakash Man democratic process. Bollywood actress For a week the entire country’s attention initiated in Pokhara without bringing the See also p. 3 Singh, son of Ganesh Man Singh and Manisha Koirala, who was in Pokhara to was focussed on Pokhara. Even the main whole country to a standstill. t 2EDITORIAL 26 JANUARY -1 FEBRUARY 2001 NEPALI TIMES GET ON WITH IT Just as well that tourism is in a deep slump. Pokhara needed to keep its hotel rooms full, and it reaped a bonanza from the Congress extravaganza. If foreign visitors don’t come, it seems domestic political tourism will spring to the rescue. Despite an alcohol ban (can’t trust our rulers with the booze) which hit bar sales, hotels and restaurants did brisk business. Drivers of Pokhara’s vintage Datsun taxis were happy not just for the business, but also for an opportunity to editorialise on the antics of our politicians using choice epithets (which we can’t repeat here). The country’s movers and shakers were all there in their big cars: politicians with bulging suitcases, their businessmen pals carrying the cheque books. The only thing we can say is that some of that cash probably trickled down to Pokharites. (Although some hoteliers on the lakefront are afraid bills for fooding and lodging of politicos may never be settled—which isn’t a surprise given the complete lack of scruples that OS characterises Nepali politics today.) The one redeeming feature about the Pokhara Convention was the sight of delegates casting votes for party leadership. Only when political STATE OF THE STATE by CK LAL parties practise democracy within will we begin to have true democracy in our country’s governance.