#591 10 - 16 February 2012 16 pages Rs 30 espite reckless apathy and negligence of successive Dgovernments after 2008, Nepal’s young entrepreneurs, Opportunity the private sector, scientists and community groups are overcoming crippling shortages of electricity, fuel, food and water. in adversity Nepal leads the world in biogas technology, community micro-hydro projects, and captive solar systems. Nepali companies are forging ahead with innovative alternative energy installations, rainwater harvesting, and organic farming. Inside: ECOLOGYSPECIAL Technology is available to make us less dependent on fossil fuel imports, polluting brick kilns and garbage disposal. Nepali Times is organising the first-ever EcoFair 2012 this weekend to showcase examples of ecologically-sound and sustainable lifestyles. Visit Nepal Academy from11-12 February and learn to be self-sufficient and live with shortages of everything. Energy emergency p4 The real story behind the shortages of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, water and electricity My Two Paisa p5 by Paavan Mathema Forget about inviting new investors or FULL TANK: Purna Devi Maharjan adjusts the encouraging new rainwater harvesting system on her roof terrace FDI in 2012, we will in Bhotebahal after Wednesday’s rain. Faced with shortages of fuel, electricity and water, urban be lucky to keep the Nepali households have been forced to adapt. ones we have MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA 2 EDITORIAL 10 - 16 FEBRUARY 2012 #591 OPPORTUNITY COST or an example of an elected leadership that has exhibited utter like community forestry, the past three administrations have been through the CA. disregard for the national interest, the welfare of its citizens, and responsible for wholesale plunder and setting the clock back 30 years. In 2009, the cabinet decided to set up a Disaster Management Fthe country’s reputation and standing in the international arena There are nearly a million Nepalis working in Qatar, yet our national Authority to oversee a $120 million plan to prepare Nepal for none surpass the successive governments that have (mis)ruled Nepal airline only has three fl ights a week to Doha and Kuala Lumpur. earthquakes, but the legislation has been languishing in the parliament since 2008. Nepal has repeatedly missed the deadline on ratifying the ever since. For a country reeling under a crippling power shortage, no amendments to the Montreal Protocol on the phaseout and control of Next week, Nepal will be internationally blacklisted for failing to new hydropower generation capacity has been added in the past refrigerants and other chemicals that warm the atmosphere. We are ratify two crucial international conventions of which it is a signatory: two years. The construction of the last big power project began 11 the only country in Asia not to have ratifi ed them, and this means we the Mutual Legal Assistance Bill and Extradition Bill. It is a cruel irony, years ago. Investors in major river schemes have pulled out due can’t draw on $2 million dollars in technical assistance from the United but sadly not at all surprising, that for a country that is so dependent to local opposition, lack of political support and the obduracy of the Nations. The draft law was approved by the previous government, on remittance transfers and during Nepal Investment Year, we may be bureaucracy. Power cuts are therefore going to last at least till 2020 but successive governments have been just too distracted to push it declared a pariah for international fi nancial transactions. (see p4). Yet, despite such reckless apathy and negligence, Nepal’s young The foreign investors who have braved it out are battling political entrepreneurs, private sector, and local organisations are forging extortion masquerading as unionism. A major exporter of designer Anyone deliberately out to ahead with innovative alternative energy installations and building a mountaineering apparel has had its raw material stuck in customs for sustainable future. In urban solar power, garbage recycling, micro- over a month because the Maoist minister is sitting on the fi les for no destroy this country and hydro power, biogas, organic agriculture, Nepalis have shown what good reason (see p5). sabotage the economy can be achieved with a forward-looking problem-solving approach. Looking at the chronic fuel, food, power and water crises, one We have created opportunity out of adversity. It is to showcase would think that anyone deliberately out to destroy this country and couldn’t have done a better these examples of ecologically-sound and sustainable lifestyles that sabotage the economy couldn’t have done a better job. this newspaper is organising the Nepali Times Ecofair 2012 over the The opportunity cost of all this is hurting every sector. Even job than successive weekend in what we hope will be an annual affair. in areas where this country had earned international recognition, governments after 2008 We hope to see you there. BIKRAM RAI ON THE WEB www.nepalitimes.com IDENTITY CRISIS to foreign countries. What Nepal citizenship. This is against my human joined one of the parties, worked Thank you for pointing out how really needs is visionary and capable rights and the 601 CA members don’t hard, rose through the ranks and very few women are speaking on leaders who will put the interests have the right to tell me I don’t belong took his debating and persuasion the fl oor of the House or having of the people and the country fi rst to Nepal. skills to the decision making bodies discussions on facebook (‘Identity regardless of their ethnic and regional Suraj Hazare Dahal of these parties? To demand change crisis’, Editorial, #590). It’s always affi liations. but not be an active participant in the big boys doing the big talk, and Rabi RIGHT QUESTIONS the long and arduous process of neither the media nor the leaders I see ominous dark clouds on the implementing that change would be seem concerned that a large portion FATHER horizon: ethnic wars, displaced like what our so-called civil society of the population is completely Thank you Rubeena Mahato for a populations, genocide (‘Asking the leaders did. They initially stepped silent on matters of national interest. hard hitting and timely article (‘In right questions’, Anurag Acharya, up to the plate and gave legitimacy Perhaps it’s not such a bad idea the name of the father’, #590). The #590). Only time will tell if Nepalis and boost to Jana Andolans I and to have a women’s province or focus should instead be on granting a have the wisdom to say no to II but retreated into their cocoons ‘Stristan’ like the Ass called it. mother the right to pass on her Nepali dangerous identity politics. But if the once the movement was over. The A Stristan of the women, by the citizenship to her children regardless fi res of ethnic strife are lit and people result was the absence of capable women, and for the women. of whether the ‘father’ is absent, start going at each other on the pretext and committed people at different Rita Shrestha unknown or an Indian, Chinese, of all kinds of imagined grievances, levels of the political structure which Mexican, or German. Yes even the then we shall soon see Indian troops in turn created a vacuum that was Despite our ethnic, racial, son of a Nepali woman and an Indian Children of mothers who conceived on the streets of Nepal 'enforcing fi lled by the very thugs and goons linguistic, and religious diversity, man is a Nepali. after being raped, children of single peace'. And then Nepalis will loose in that people love to complain about we are the sons and daughters Indira Oli mothers, children of lesbian mothers, a big, big way. today. If Nepalis want to change of mother Nepal. We are Nepalis children of parents with mixed Nepali Kancha the country, perhaps it’s time to put fi rst with a common citizenship. One thing that Rubeena Mahato nationalities, adopted children: all have down that placard and re-focus their Although the dignity of the individual missed out which is sadly not a full rights to citizenship. Enough of the In a democracy, our personal energies towards policy and politics is of absolute importance, a sense priority on the national agenda, but ultra-nationalist, ‘we must protect the responsibility is to work to elect rather than protests. of brotherhood and sisterhood which is personally important to me, purity of mother Nepal’ propaganda. good, local leaders who represent Aideeah is essential in a pluralistic and is what happens when there are two Denying citizenship to innocent our views. Then we have to trust our heterogeneous society. There can mothers involved? What happens children many of whom come from representatives when they get to the be no progress without unity. when a Nepali lesbian couple decides very disadvantaged backgrounds is capital, otherwise it’s very frustrating to DG to adopt a child or conceive one not going to safeguard our country’s worry about things beyond our control. Weekly Internet Poll # 591 through medical intervention? How sovereignty. David Stengel Having ministers or powerful does the child get citizenship, or will Renu Shrestha Q. Rate the performance of SRC politicians in Kathmandu from he/she be rendered stateless as KATHMANDU SPRING particular ethnicities has not helped well? At a time when same-sex My mother is Nepali and father One thing Ashutosh Tiwari did not Total votes: 981 the concerned communities in marriages might be legalised in the is an Indian (‘State of limbo’, #590). I mention in his column (‘Kathmandu anyway. So instead of fi ghting over new constitution, this is an important consider myself a true Nepali because I Spring’, #590) was that people who the number of Brahmin, Chettri, question.