#34 16 - 22 March 2001 20 pages Rs 20 SHUTTERBUG 1 9 ICE CREAM IS HOT 9 EXCLUSIVE HOTEL HARAKIRI Hotel executives and senior managers in ties waiting on tables, doing the dishes, answering JUMPING SHIP phones. It had to come to this: a strike no one wanted but everyone The farce in parliament hides an eternal was powerless to prevent. It was Nepali Congress feud that is taking the party so easy to solve: the unions are controlled by political parties, some down, and dragging the country down with it. hotels were willing to bargain with the unions, the unions themselves tussle, and we are going to resolve it once and for The question is: are the anti-Girija forces were showing flexibility. Then, two all,” one Congress insider told us. working together? And if so, is there a “hidden weeks ago the Hotel Association of If Koirala does not resign what options hand” that wants him out? How else would one does he have? He could go for a confidence explain these strange bedfellows working together SUBHAS RAI vote in parliament if the UML lets him, he for so long? One way to find out is to seek motive. could call mid-term polls, or he could “step The UML cannot hope to come to power by aside”. Koirala has sounded out his rivals in bringing down Koirala—all they want is to stall the Congress, but they hate him dearly and the Armed Police Force ordinance, which the king Hotel executives serve breakfast don’t want to give him an easy parachute. Last took three months to sign, and which was on Wednesday week Koirala and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, his supposed to be ratified by the winter session. morning. another NC prime minister and the septuagenarian adversary, tried to smoke the “Because the king took so long to reluctantly ○○○○○○○○○ BINOD○○○○○○○○○○ BHATTARAI RAM HUMAGAIN UML would not gain much. Still, the UML’s peace pipe at Bhaisepati. Witnesses said everyone approve the ordinance, maybe even the Royal Nepal (HAN) sought a court arliament has not met for a month. The Ishwor Pokhrel is upbeat: “We’ve got hold of the talked in circles, nothing was resolved. As Sunday Palace and the Army want the bill to die quietly in injunction banning the strike, government has less than three weeks to leg, and we won’t let go until we pull everything is being put forward as a make-or-break session, parliament,” a political analyst who did not want to sending the unions again on pget two important ordinances (one to set out in the open.” Pokhrel is a member of the things may be different there. “The solution has to be named told us. The ordinance will cease to exist warpath. Till then, there was some up a paramilitary force to combat the Maoists) UML’s new task force entrusted with toppling the be found within the party,” agrees Hom Nath if it fails to get parliamentary approval. hope that the two sides would passed by the House. Two ministers jumped ship prime minister. The UML believes the Maoist Dahal, Nepali Congress MP from the rebel The other wild card is the India factor. What mellow, and government mediation this week, the remaining spend more time insurgency can only be contained by immediate faction. His group is discussing resignation, or does New Delhi want? Koirala gets along with an would work. But as usual, we politicking nervously than governing. The country and radical measures (which it want to work out), nothing. Chiranjibi Wagle from the rebel camp is older generation of Indian leaders, but foreign showed our exceptional talent for is effectively at a standstill. And even if the house and that is why the prime minister has to go. uncompromising: “We’re saying if resignation is policymakers in New Delhi and second-echelon national harakiri. Neither HAN nor impasse is resolved, there is the faction within the Koirala is said to be reconciled to leaving his the only solution, then don’t wait, go.” BJP cadre have not hidden their disdain for him. the unions are now backing down, ruling party spoiling for a fight. Prime Minister post—he would still wield considerable king- So, to recap: the opposition UML has And then there is China, whose defence minister and the only thing to do is count up Girija Koirala is running out of options. making powers in the NC as party president. And deadlocked parliament, and the Congress rebels gave the message last month in Kathmandu that it the losses for the national For its part, the main opposition UML is it must be tempting to let someone else hold the have deadlocked the party, and what this means is doesn’t want to see a re-incarnated Mao Zedong in economy: estimated at Rs330 squeezed between the Nepali Congress and the lightning rod of the prime ministerial post in that the whole country is deadlocked. its backyard. Both new Delhi and Beijing see million a day. The timing couldn’t Maoists, and has a single-point agenda: get rid of these trying times. But he does not want to resign The Girija-go campaign has led to interesting political instability in Nepal as feeding the be worse: the beginning of the Girija. For the UML this was never really about and needs a face-saving way out. “How can I resign realignments in the major opposition parties. The insurgency and want our rulers to get their act peak season with 80 percent alleged hanky-panky in the Lauda Air lease, it is when the CIAA has not even questioned me,” centre-right RPP’s radical wing is led by Pashupati together.By now we have seen Nepal governed by occupancy in some top hotels. The about grandstanding and blocking the armed Koirala told close aides this week while he tried to Sumsher Rana and Rabindra Nath Sharma, and two “majority” Congress governments led by speak in parliament. The NC having a huddle on impact of this will be felt years police ordinance which would benefit the Maoists, not its leader Surya Bahadur Thapa. Even the Bhattarai and Koirala. Internal rifts prevented both Sunday of all 113 MPs, upper house members UML is said to have fissures—between general from moving past first base. That feud is still hence. Everyone bungled, Nepal and make the Army glad. But who is using whom? Koirala’s departure will not necessarily mean and district leaders to strategise about the course of secretary Madhav Nepal who is more hard-line on, dragging the party down, and the country and Nepalis are the losers. the UML’s ascent to power, he will be replaced by action. “This is all the result of our our internal than next-in-line Khadga Prasad Oli. with it. “We can’t wait to be in Nepal” South Asia’s hottest band, other albums, you instantly know it’s Are you on TV now? Junoon, hits the capital next Junoon. Our writings are more B: We are not kissing ass to be on Friday. Yubakar Rajkarnikar, mature. There are three of Ali’s tunes TV. Not with the present government. editor of Wave magazine, spoke on the album. Earlier Salman did The people running television then— to Salman Ahmad, Ali Azmat and virtually all the writing. He’s a brilliant, if they had a grudge you could be Brian O’Connell in Karachi this but this album is different, refreshing. banned. In our case, for three years. week about music, politics, and You’ve made it in South Asia. Any So, the ban has been lifted? their upcoming trip. Excerpts: plans to move on, do songs in B: We’re back on Pakistan TV (PTV) English? in a big way. A lot has changed. Riz Khan [CNN] called you “the B: It’s natural—our music is How did you react to the demolition biggest band in Asia”. What’s becoming more world music. We of the Buddha statues in your secret? have one English number on Ishq. Afghanistan? on stage. It’s a very adventurous and new cultures. You’re our Bryan: There’s no secret. We’ve We had them earlier, but they didn’t Ahmad : Basically they are jahil, space. We don’t bind ourselves, do neighbour, how different can been doing this for ten years—and really fit, it was the rock n roll itch in uneducated and ignorant. They don’t a set thing. It depends on the crowd. Nepalis be from Pakistanis. We’ll it clicks with the audience. us. It’s much more organic now. really know much about religion. What do you look forward to in find out, we can’t wait. So what’s there for Junoonis in In an interview in Himal South Asian Do you have anything special Nepal? A: I’m looking forward to meeting your new album Ishq? in 1998, you said “You have to kiss planned for Nepal? B: I know so little of Nepal. I look new people, having fun, making B: It’s a pretty direct follow up of our the government’s ass to be on TV.” A: You don’t know what will happen forward to seeing mountains, nature connections, leaving a mark. worldlink 222 EDITORIAL 16 - 22 MARCH 2001 NEPALI TIMES SEEING FORESTS ( AND TREES) You don’t need to be a genius to figure out that Nepal’s democracy is having a difficult adolescence. We can’t really blame the government because we haven’t had a government for a while.