#580 25 November - 1 December 2011 16+4 pages Rs 30 Newar women offer rice to Seto Machendranath on Sunday at Keltole in the hope that it brings health, happiness and prosperity. Hand-picked MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA o it has come down to this: for six months and then in August by NC’s Deep Kumar Upadhya. the fourth extension of the three months. There has been progress on the Editorial p2 SConstituent Assembly. The The NC is embroiled in an integration and rehabilitation of Maoist Now, the constitution people’s elected representatives internal dispute and couldn’t decide fi ghters, and a State Restrucuring have agreed to buy themselves on the length of the extension this Commission was formed this week Eyewitness p12-13 more time to fi nish writing the time. Meanwhile, the UML central to address the most contentious Two months after the constitution because their leaders committee meeting decided to issue about the kind of federalism the earthquake, eastern have been too busy preventing each consult other parties about the country should have. Nepal picks up the other from getting to power. extension period. The party is Put together, these moves give pieces The passage of the 11th divided over whether to ask for the parties the fi g leaf with which to amendment to the interim Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s allay public opposition to another constitution tabled by the resignation to pave the way for a extension. With another extension government on Thursday is delayed consensus government. by Wednesday, the term of the CA because the parties haven’t yet “The CA term extension will have been four years although decided by how long to extend the depends on progress made on it was elected initially for a two year CA. The fi rst extension was for a the peace and constitution and mandate. year in 2009, then it was extended government performance,” said the Dewan Rai 2 EDITORIAL 25 NOVEMBER - 1 DECEMBER 2011 #580 NOW, THE CONSTITUTION o give him his due, Prime Minister the political committees of the CA couldnt Baburam Bhattarai promised us for the past four years: come up with a Tprogress on the peace process, and new federal state structure acceptable to he is delivering. He has rammed through all. an integration and rehabilitation package The parties have once more taken the to dismantle the Maoist fighting force easy way out when they come up with despite strong resistance from a rabble- a deadlock: outsource the problem to rousing faction within his own party. another commission. Trouble is, this is not The only way he was able to sell this a panel of objective experts, it is a panel of idea to his cadre was to sugar-coat it with political appointees. This is deliberate. a generous golden handshake. It turned The reality is that identity politics is out to be very expensive, it was grossly now so radicalised in this country that it unfair to the innocent victims of the has gone out of control of the politically conflict, but it was a price we had to pay bankrupt leadership of the parties. The to conclude the process. agenda is now set by NGO pressure groups Now, comes an even greater challenge: and militant ethno-separatists who are finishing the new constitution. We have pushing federal options that the parties, saved the hardest part (state restructuring) including the Maoist mainstream, now for last. Lets assume for a moment that BIKRAM RAI find politically untenable. This is probably we actually need a new constitution. Lets local leaders into VDCs and DDCs who were the reason why the parties havent got the ignore for now the argument that all we need to do beginning to trickle up into national politics. top academic sociologists, political scientists and is change the wording in some of the clauses in the Here we are 15 years later, trying to reinvent demographers but opted for yes-men and women 1990 constitution, with an emphasis on inclusion the wheel by finding an effective way to devolve who will do as they say in the commission. It is and verifiable implementation. A new constitution power to the grassroots again. The model we seem a last desperate attempt by the parties, led by the is the other price we have to pay for peace: to give to have chosen this time in the name of addressing Maoists, to put the ethnic genie back into the bottle. the Maoist party an honourable exit so that they the grievances of marginalised communities is So, dont expect much from this commission. can convince their followers that the sacrifices they to tear the country apart. So, a panel of eight The reaction of the NGO pressure groups will be made and the suffering they caused was worth party appointed experts in a High Level State predictable. The CA term will be extended again it. Their decision to wage war in 1996 wrecked a Restructuring Commission is supposed to do what by midnight on 30 November, and it wont really working democracy that was putting accountable matter by how long. ON THE WEB www.nepalitimes.com FIVE-YEAR CEASEFIRE in its infant stage for at least a few decades Nepalis have the courage to demand that fares zKathmandu feels congested with How many of us honestly believe that (‘The .com generation’, Paavan Mathema, be based on the quality of services rather than the massive fl ow of newer vehicles and having a constitution will remove all ills #579). For e-commerce to fl ourish, people on nationalities? an immediate response is to build more plaguing the country? (‘The fi ve year cease need to spend a lot of time on the internet, but Mahendra Thapa roads. However, sustainability wise, fi re’ Editorial, #579). Well I’m not advocating the electricity problem is not likely to be solved investing in public transportation is a that we should not have a constitution but any time soon. People are also unaware zAround 1997-98, when the tourism better option than building roads. It is having a constitution alone will not create a of how debit/credit cards work. Also when I industry was at its peak and Maoist insurgency not shameful to ride a bicycle or bus or better society or nation. It is the attitude of purchase products online I expect them to had not yet taken over, Nepalis hanging safa tempo. Cars should not be a status the majority of the ruling elites and the civil be delivered to my door. But our postal and out in Thamel faced similar discrimination. symbol but must be taken as a means to society that makes or breaks a country. And courier systems are ineffi cient and unreliable Restaurant owners were reluctant to welcome achieve a practical end. Buy cars if and we are very familiar with the attitude of and postal insurance is faulty. locals and waiters did not bother to take only if you have an immediate need for our current rulers. Mahendra Thapa orders, because they were busy serving them and not because your next door Different view bidheshi guests. But it all changed when the neighbor got one recently. zI agree completely with the writer about bidheshis stopped coming and the ones who De Nepa zTo resolve the diffi culties facing Nepali the obstacles to e-commerce. Whenever came had lesser purchasing power than the politics we’ll have to write the constitution I have tried to buy products online I have Nepalis. These days Thamel is full of Nepalis. ROAD ACCIDENTS at the earliest, because without doubt it faced similar inconveniences. If banks and It is all about economics and if I were a lodge Excellent reporting on the appalling is the most fundamental paper of Nepali online companies work together to fi gure out owner in Khumbu, I would want a customer situation (‘Dead on arrival’, #579). I knew democracy. this problem, online businesses would boom a) who pays more, b) who does not get drunk that there were a lot of traffi c accident- Nirmal enormously and this would eventually benefi t and start a fi ght or cause other customers to related-deaths in Kathmandu, but seeing consumers. run away, c) is clean and does not damage those numbers is unbelievable. Maoists are getting richer, at tax payer’s Sudeep Shrestha property. Teaching bathroom and other Mia expense, for holding peace for ransom. etiquette to porters, herders and other Nepali Other insurgent groups may also learn TOURISM APARTHEID brothers (and sisters) is a great idea but who is zNewspapers report accidents daily, from the success of the Maoists. Especially Being one of the trekkers of the G4G to EBC, I going to do it? The government? but the government has turned a deaf when the Western countries and Nepali empathise with Mr Alok’s sadness and disgust Dhedu Badar ear. To control traffi c accidents, one does intellectuals have exonerated such crimes. with the discrimination that some of our guides not need PhD, the only requirement is to K K Sharma and porters are subjected to (‘Second- class CYCLE CITY focus on the road at all times and ‘follow citizens’, #579). I strongly agree with Alok that Besides saving petroleum, time, and national traffi c rules’. WAR DURING PEACE it is the local people that should be looked wealth, bicycles contribute to public health AMj Really heart-touching piece by Ms Dhana after. (‘Cyclists and the city’, #579) by reducing on her war experience (‘War during peace’, Kamal Rizk obesity and related diseases such diabetes, Dhana Laxmi Hamal, #479) .