#241 1 - 7 April 2005 16 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 242. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ..... How do you rate the performance of thecouncil of ministers in the past 60 days?

Total votes:483

Weekly Internet Poll # 241

Q.Is the international criticism of FebruaryFirst justified?

ISSN

181

4-26

13

See page 11

Two yearsafter he wasabducted byMaoists, it hasonly nowemerged thatrebels killedRadio Nepal’sSurkhet-basedKham languagenewsreaderDhanbahadurRoka four months later. His wifeDilkumari said the Maoists hadinformed her that they had killedhim. Press and human rightsorganisations have expressedoutrage over news of themurder.

So far five journalists havebeen killed at the hands of theMaoists and state security haskilled six. Nine journalists arecurrently under governmentdetention.

Editor of the Dharan Todaywho was critically injured in anassassination attempt bysuspected Maoists on 15 Marchis still hospitalised in Siliguri.His condition is said to beserious. Dharan Today hasstopped publication.

State-run Radio Nepal hasstarted blocking BBC WorldService news in English that itrelays over 103 FM inKathmandu. The station playsinstrumental numbers based onsongs of Chandani Shahstarting the top of the hour GMTfor 15 minutes.

FNJ celebrated its 50th

anniversary on Tuesday withthe biggest rally ever forrestoration of press freedomand civil liberties in Kathmanduand other main towns. This wasthe first demonstration that thegovernment didn’t try to stop inthe capital since 1 February.

Managing Editor MukundaAcharya and Editor DipakChauhan of Ankush daily inBirganj were summoned to thearmy camp on Thursday andwarned not to print anysecurity-related news.

MEDIAWATCHBREAKING NEWS

EmergencyLifted !

wo months after KingGyanendra seized power on 1February everyone in a fix:

King Gyanendra gave theinternational community and hissubjects a choice: me or theMaoists. He needs to show foreignpowers that the Maoists are a realthreat to the state, whilesimultaneously proving to thepeople that things are returning tonormal after he took over. Howwill this contradiction bereconciled?

Donors are trapped by theirown rhetoric. They want to help,but they can’t be seen to be aidinga dictatorship. Britain and the USwant to bolster the army’sdeterrence against the Maoists, butwere required by their own laws tostop aid because of Feburary First.

India is in a dilemma. Overtsupport for Nepali politicalparties can be a kiss of death forthem, and exerting more pressureon the king will allow him torally the people's support. Ifowners don’t act when the houseis on fire, don’t the neighbourshave to try to put it out?

Political parties still believein a constitutional monarchy,they want to give the king a face-saving way out, but they aren't ina position to be of any help.

The Maoists are in a fix, too.A serious rift in the ranksthreatens to undermine therevolution, a soft landing is outof the question and there is noimmediate prospect of gainingthe upper hand militarily.

The RNA was prepared forcriticism at the current session ofthe UN Human RightsCommission in Geneva, but

Feburary First magnified thecondemnation. UN UnderSecretary General forPeacekeeping, Jean-MarieGuehenno, even put it down inwriting this week: ‘We will bekeeping under review theparticipation of members of theRNA in our operations.’

The Nepali people areconfused. The security forces weresupposed to be chasing Maoists,but if there have been any majorvictories the army is not boastingabout them. In fact, security forceshad their hands full in thepasttwo months putting down pro-democracy rallies, keepingpoliticians in detention, enforcingcensorship and intimidating themedia. The people may want togive the king a chance, but thelonger this drags on the more theywill see February First for what itreally was.

Who’ll blink first?Two months after the royal takeover everyone is in the rut

KUNDA DIXIT

Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey welcoming his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing, as he arrivedThursday in Kathmandu for a two-day visit. Chinese Ambassador, Sun Heping, is at left.

T

KIRAN PANDAY

151 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241

FLAG-WAVING: Half-a-dozen NC activists taunt police by wavingparty flags in front of the Democracy Wall at Ratna Park on 27 March.They were arrested soon after this picture was taken.

KIRAN PANDAY

PRATIMA’S EYES: Pratima Lama, a blind student, dictates answersfor her SLC exam paper to a Grade Eight student at Namuna MachendraSchool in Patan on Wednesday.

MIN BAJRACHARYA

RALLYING HACKS: Hundreds of journalists march through the streetsof Kathmandu on 29 March in support of press freedom. For the firsttime after February First, the police did not intervene.

KIRAN PANDAY

MOCK UN: Anoop Pandey, representing Secretary General Kofi Annan,announcing his resignation after a simulated UN session at Rato BangalaSchool on Wednesday. “Kojo is innocent, but that’s not the point, it wasimproper and I don’t want this controversy to besmirch the UN,” hesaid. The real Kofi Annan hasn’t resigned.

MEN OF THE MATCH: Pokhara Cricket Club Team, winners of the firstDarshan Memorial Cricket held in Dharan, pose with their trophy onWednesday.

DAMBAR K SHRESTHA

MIN BAJRACHARYA

B Pun Magar has alwaysbeen tempted to jump straightinto the lion’s den. Son of a

Gorkha soldier in the AssamRifles, he probably inherited hisfearlessness. But he is not asoldier, he’s a journalist.

Abducted and threatenedwith death by an anti-Maoistvigilante group last month, theHimal Khabarpatrikacorrespondent in Butwaltook it all in his stride. Itwas not his first time.

At the height of theMaoist insurgency 10years ago, JB dared totrek to the cradle of therevolution in Thawang.Against the advice ofhis editor at RajyaSatta, JB went to

Bahadur JBRolpa merely out of curiosity. “Ijust wanted to find out what it waslike out there,” he recalls matter-of-factly.

The notorious OperationRomeo that resulted inextrajudicial killings of manycivilians had just been launched.Even the Maoist militants were

shocked and confused to see alittle known journalist

walking into theirstronghold.

When hewent to Rolpaagain last

Dasain, theMaoists wereholding a secret

meeting withPrachanda. The

army, having receivedinformation about the

meeting, hadsurrounded

the area.

The rebels accused JB of being anarmy spy and threatened him. Itwas his nonchalance andfearlessness that saved him. Aftereight hours of hostile interrogation,he was finally released.

“Journalism is about adventure.Unless you accept that you don’tget anywhere as a real reporter,”says the 31-year-old JB. He hasbeen offered jobs by editors in thesafety of Kathmandu but he hasturned them all down. “It’s fun inthe field, desk jobs are boring,” hesays.

JB has now the distinction ofbeing detained and interrogated byjust about every armed group in thecountry: the guerrillas, police,army, vigilantes and criminalgangs. On one trip, JB happened tobe in a village when the Maoistsattacked vigilante leader MunaKhan’s house. Khan managed toescape with his family even afterthe Maoists hurled three socketbombs killing three of hisbodyguards. Suspecting JB ofhelping the rebels, he was detainedfor the night and warned not toreturn. To their surprise, JBshowed up three days later. Findingit difficult to shake JB off, thenotorious Khan finally gave in andagreed to an interview.

JB says with his characteristicgrin: “I don’t mean you should besuicidal but you should beprepared to take risks if you are inthe business of finding out thetruth.”

But there is one thing thatreally scares JB: his mother’sscoldings after each trip. Naresh Newar

MIN BAJRACHARYA

J

ABOUT TOWN

14 1 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241CITY

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Call 4442220 for show timingswww.jainepal.com

KATHMANDU AIR QUALITY

KATHMANDU VALLEY

by MAUSAM BEEDNEPALI WEATHER

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

27-10 26-11 27-10 28-12 27-10

All clear as far as the eye can see in thissatellite picture of the subcontinent taken onThursday morning. Spring has been fairly wetin Nepal and we now seem to be headed formore normal dry pre-summer weather.

Since the second week of March, the mid-tropospheric westerly jet has been unusuallyactive injecting moisture into the Himalaya andtriggering convection storms accompanied byhigh wind and precipitation. We will still seelarge buildups along the midhills towards lateafternoon during the weekend. Last week’ssnow is melting quickly in the high valleys butit is still lying in great heaps down to 3,500 malong north-facing slopes in Manang, Mustangand Khumbu. The days will be warm with thetemperatures climbing to 28 celsius by nextweek. Minimum temperatures are sti l labnormally low for this time of year but theywill climb steadily in the coming week.

Hazardous >425

Harmful 351 to 425

Unhealthy 121 to 350

O k 61 to 120

G o o d < 60

Putalisadak Patan H Thamel Kirtipur Bhaktapur Matsyagaun

20 - 26 March 2005 in micrograms per cubic meter.Source: www. mope.gov.np

As the PM10 (particles small enough to enter the human body) datafrom Putali Sadak is still not available due to technical problems, theaverage PM10 for Kathmandu Valley seems to be well below the nationalstandard. However, the weekly average of PM10 value for Patan Hospitalarea is still 70 percent higher than the national standard, which is 120microgram per cubic meter.

Now Showing: Zeher

In a small town in Goa steeped in azure seas and sultrysecrets, the chief of local police station, Siddharth (EmranHashmi), finds himself caught in the eye of a storm and aboutto be blown away. Siddharth is in the process of divorcing hiswife, Sonia (Shamita Shetty) whom he still loves but he is alsoinvolved with another married woman, Anna (Udita Goswami).Things get even more complicated when Siddharth realisesthat Anna’s husband beats her and that she is dying of cancer.In heat of the moment, he decides to give Anna the money herecovered in a drug raid for her medication. Anna dies in abomb blast that very night and Siddharth now races to uncovera murky trail of drugs, money, murder and deceit. But all theevidence points to him.

FESTIVAL AND EXHIBITIONSColoured Expressions Paintings by Chirag Bangdel at the Art Shop,Darbar Marg. Until 4 April. 4470193The Ovalism by Ratna K Shakya at Buddha Art Gallery, until 6 April.Nepal Money Expo 05 at BICC, 8-10 April. 5549071Thalara Framed Black and white photographs by Devendra SJB Rana atSiddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited. Until 15 April.Magic Pencil Artworks by Britain’s best children’s illustrators at theBritish Council, Lainchor. Until 6 May. 4410798

EVENTSFrench Film Festival 6-10 April at Russian Cultural Centre. For details,contact Alliance Francaise. 4241163, 4242832Jat Sodhnu Jogi Ko Play directed by Anup Baral at Gurukul, Dhobikhola,Setopool, 5PM. Until 10 April. 4466956Nepali New Year’s Day on 1 Baisakh, April 14.China Trade Fair at BICC, 15-18 April, 10AM-12PM. 5555888Guided Meditation Mornings at 8AM-9AM at Himalayan BuddhismMeditation Centre, Thamel, Kesar Mahal. 44148431905 Sundays Garage sale, food, stalls, pet practicesand more. http://www.extreme-nepal.com/1905sundays.htmAlpha Course From April to June at KICC.alpha@kicc-org.np, 5525176Fun in the Sun at Club Sundhara, Hotel Shangri-la,Lajimpat. 4412999Smart Art for kids at Buddha Gallery from 2 April.4441689Rugby Practice Saturdays, for both experiencedand beginners. 4435939, citygymktm@hotmail.comSanibaar Mela Saturdays at the Dharahara Bakery Café, 12AM-5PM.

MUSIC1974 AD Live at La’soon Restaurant & Vinotheque with buffet andsnacks, 1 April, 7PM onwards, tickets Rs 999. 5537166San Miguel’s Pulse Glamour and music at Radisson Hotel on 1 April.Live with Prism at Red Onion Bar, 7.30 PM onwards. 4416071Live Jazz by JCS trio and Peter McTwister, Thursdays at Full Moon Bar,Mondays at New Orleans Café, Thamel. 4700736Fusion Time Mondays at Jalan Jalan Restaurant, Lajimpat, 7PM.4410438Live Music Everyday at Hotel de l’Annapurna, Darbar Marg. 4221711Kutumba Live at New Orleans Cafe, Thamel on 2 April,7PM. 4700736Good Time Blues Band at Rum Doodle, Fridays, 7PM onwards.4701208Classical music, 7PM onwards, Fridays at Hotel Vajra. 4271545Jatra Saturday nights with Looza, 6.30 PM onwards. 4256622Jukebox experience Wednesday, Friday, Saturday at Rox Bar. 4491234Jazz at Upstairs Jazz Bar, Lajimpat, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7.45PM.

FOODAs much as you can eat Barbeque lunch Saturdays at Club Himalaya,Nagarkot. 6680080Sekuwa and Momo Revolution Saturdays at the Tea House Inn,Nagarkot. 6680048LQ Cauldron Six days a week at Latin Quarter Salsa Bar, Baber MahalRevisited. Order in advance. 4254260Arniko Special Lunch Everyday at Hotel de l’Annapurna. 4221711Krishnarpan Nepali specialty restaurant at Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488Barbecue Dinner Every Friday at the Summit Hotel. 5521810Exotic Seafood at Rox Restaurant, Hyatt Regency. 4491234Delicacies Pastas and snacks at Roadhouse Café, Jawalakhel. 5521755Sizzling Weekend Treat at Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Genuine Thai cuisine at Royal Lotus, Bakhundole. 5521231Farm House Café Delicious meals at Park Village Hotel. 4375280Café Bahal Newari cuisine at Kathmandu Guest House, Thamel. 4700632Vegetarian Creations at Stupa View Restaurant. 4480262The Beer Garden at Vaijayantha, Godavari Village Resort. 5560675The Tharu Kitchen at Jungle Base Camp. Junglebasecamp@yahoo.com

GETAWAYSWet Wild Summer Splash Special package with unlimited swimminghours at Godavari Village Resort. 5560675Celebrate Spring Holiday Packages with Tiger Mountain. 4361500Shivapuri Cottage Nature, peace and bird watching at 6,000ft. 4354331Chiso Chiso Hawama Special packages at Club Himalaya. 4411706Jungle Base Camp Lodge, Bardia. junglebasecamp@yahoo.comMalaysia Dream Holidays Packages starting from Rs 45,500 perperson. 4247215 extn 013-14, malaysiaholidays_marco@polo.com.npWeekend Special at Park Village Resort, Budhanilkantha. 4375280

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2 1 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241EDITORIAL

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda DixitDesk Editor: Abha Eli Phoboo, Aarti BasnyatDesign: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan ShilpakarAdvertising: Sunaina Shah advertising@himalmedia.comSubscription: Anil Karki, subscription@himalmedia.comSanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018editors@nepalitimes.com, www.nepalitimes.com

LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

PEACE FIRSTThe condemnation of the royalproclamation by theinternational community hasmystified the Nepali peopleabout the agenda of ourcountry’s allies (‘One country,two view points’ # 239). Thereis no doubt that the Nepalipeople and our foreign friendsseek the same goal: peace. TheUK, US and India feel thatdemocracy is the only way todefeat the Maoists. According tothe British ambassador, as hiscountry is a “functioning”democracy it can’t support amilitary structure. But can youreally enjoy even the basicelements of democracy in asociety without peace? What isthe point promoting democracyor restoring fundamental rightsfor that matter, when the peoplehave to live in an atmosphere offear? The current emergency isa means to achieve the goal ofpeace and is not an end in itself.The roadmap exists to endterrorism. The envoy’s refusalto see the light boosts theMaoists.

Sanchit Shrestha, email

Instead of acting as acatalyst to solve the presentstand-off, it is embarrassing tofind a person of Surya BahadurThapa’s stature busy requestingpoliticians to enlarge the currentpolitical vacuum by furthercreating divisions in theirrespective parties. A nation’spolitical future is sure to makeits way for further degradationwhen a person who hasoccupied the prime minister’schair more than anybody else,

is still engaged in his pettymotives with a handful of hiscoterie. There is also an urgentneed for the younger generation totake charge of politics in a realsense. Time has come for all thepro-constitutional forces to uniteand tackle the insurgency.Irresponsible remarks andallegations by both sides againstone another will only deepen thecrisis further. As a first step, thegovernment should restore civilliberties and release politicaldetainees. And the politicosshouldn’t go back to their oldtricks.

Bikendra Shamsher Thapa,Kathmandu

The righteous groups ofNGOs are at it again preachingabout humanity. We are trying tocome to terms with a conflict thatwas triggered by inept politicalleaders through their nepotism,corruption and lawlessness. Theywere the real antithesis todemocracy.

The rights groups and NGOsare not the champions of freedomand human rights, they print theirdo’s and dont’s in newspapers buthave no transparency themselves.They should come clean or justshut up. We should put our ownhouse in order so it can withstandoutside pressure with strength,fortitude and independence. Wehave to assure that human rights ofall the people is safeguarded, notjust of a few elitist group ofpoliticians and their hangers on.

Pravin Shama, email

Kudos to an absolutelyprofound editorial (‘It ain’t broke’,#240). Everytime I read your

editorials online, I wonder if theirreadership includes and affectsthose who need to read it most.Let’s hope whatever is broken willsoon be repaired. The press hasbeen shattered to smithereens andthe people have been deprived ofaccurate information relevant totheir everyday lives. In anapparent attempt to restore peace,all the paraphernalia fordemocracy and development havebeen dismantled.

Anup Kaphle, London

CK Lal in his State of the Statecolumn titled ‘Statutes of liberty’(#240) couldn’t have put it moreplainly: ‘the state must restorepress freedom, not for us, but forits own sake’. It’s a real pity that tocorrect one mistake (end theinsurgency) the government ismaking another mistake (curbingcivil liberties and curbing pressfreedom). It’s time the governmentrealised you can’t fighttotalitarianism by suppressingdemocracy.

Bhanu Parajuli, Pokhara

LHOTSAMPABhutani refugees certainly deservebetter treatment both from Nepaland the international community asKanak Mani Dixit argues in hisSouthasia Beat column(‘Lhotsampa chargesheet’, #238)The refugee problem has beenNepal’s most glaring foreign policyfailures. Despite being top priorityon the foreign policy agenda,Nepali mandarins never pursuedthe matter competently. Take theresults of the Joint VerificationTeam. Even a four-year-old childwas categorised as a criminal. Ourown sins won’t be lessened by

blaming Bhutan which was nevercommitted to take its people backanyway. What it has alwayswanted is to buy time and delayany meaningful discussion onrefugees that would bind Bhutanfor a mandatory repatriation. AndNepalis played right into Bhutanihands, first by agreeing to fourcategories for verification, andthen subsequently by agreeing toBhutan’s outrageous verificationand repatriation conditions.

John Narayan Parajuli,Columbia, South Carolina, USA

I totally disagree with UgyenTshewang (Letters, #239) inresponse to Kanak Mani Dixit’sfactual recounting of the events of1991. In fact, it is Tshewang whoneeds to hear the other side of thestory. I have visited the refugeecamps in Jhapa twice and youdon’t have to ask the Bhutanishow they are doing. You just needto look around at the dead-endlives of stateless people. All havetears when they talk about homeand their hope that one day theywill return.

TO POSTERITY1Indeed I live in the dark ages!A guileless word is an absurdity.A smooth forehead betokensA hard heart. He who laughsHas not yet heardThe terrible tidings.

Ah, what an age it isWhen to speak of trees is almost a crimeFor it is a kind of silence about injustice!And he who walks calmly across the street,Is he not out of reach of his friendsIn trouble?

It is true: I earn my livingBut, believe me, it is only an accident.Nothing that I do entitles me to eat my fill.By chance I was spared. (If my luck leaves meI am lost.)

They tell me: eat and drink. Be glad you have it!But how can I eat and drinkWhen my food is snatched from the hungryAnd my glass of water belongs to the thirsty?And yet I eat and drink.

I would gladly be wise.The old books tell us what wisdom is:Avoid the strife of the worldLive out your little timeFearing no oneUsing no violenceReturning good for evil —Not fulfi l lment of desire but forgetfulnessPasses for wisdom.I can do none of this:Indeed I live in the dark ages!

2I came to the cities in a time of disorderWhen hunger ruled.

I came among men in a time of uprisingAnd I revolted with them.So the time passed awayWhich on earth was given me.

I ate my food between massacres.The shadow of murder lay upon my sleep.And when I loved, I loved with indifference.I looked upon nature with impatience.So the time passed awayWhich on earth was given me.

In my time streets led to the quicksand.Speech betrayed me to the slaughterer.There was little I could do. But without meThe rulers would have been more secure. This was my hope.So the time passed awayWhich on earth was given me.

3You, who shall emerge from the floodIn which we are sinking,Think —When you speak of our weaknesses,Also of the dark timeThat brought them forth.

For we went, changing our country more often thanour shoes.

In the class war, despairingWhen there was only injustice and no resistance.

For we knew only too well:Even the hatred of squalorMakes the brow grow stern.Even anger against injusticeMakes the voice grow harsh. Alas, weWho wished to lay the foundations of kindnessCould not ourselves be kind.

But you, when at last it comes to passThat man can help his fellow man,Do no judge usToo harshly.

(translated from German by H R Hays)

KIRAN PANDAY

by Bertold Brecht

WHO THEY?The photograph of hundreds of women on the steps of a temple thataccompanied your poll (‘What people say’, #239) was beautiful. Iwant to know what occasion it was that so many women gathered andwhat they are staring so enthusiastically at. In future, can you pleasenot forget to put captions on your online edition?

Pooja Shrestha, email

Women at the steps of the Shiva temple at Hanuman Dhoka at theIndra Jatra Festival in 2003.

31 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241

It’s not an issue of nationality,it’s an issue of humanity. TheBhutani refugee question needs tobe internationalised and the truthtold about the world’s worstrefugee crisis in per capita terms.

Name withheld, UK

I would like to thank the HMGfor its decision to declare publicholidays for those holdingdifferent religious beliefs andethnicities. It is anacknowledgement by thegovernment that Nepal is apluralist country. I am particularlyhappy that 25 December has, forthe first time, been declared apublic holiday. With my prayersfor peace in Nepal.

Bhaju Ram Shrestha, email

CAMBODIAI read with great interest KundaDixit’s chronicle of the KhmerRouge in Cambodia (Memories ofa holocaust’, #239). Nepal couldunfortunately be the next ‘pure’Maoist playground. What does thepower game between Prachandaand Baburam mean? They shouldlearn their lessons from othercommunist revolutions.

Jean-Pierre Rigal, Paris

In the list of books onCambodia that accompaniedKunda Dixit’s shockingretrospective of the Khmer Rougegenocide there are two reallygood books missing: NayanChanda’s classic research work,Brother Enemy, and the recentlypublished Pol Pot, the KillerSmile by Philip Short who tries tofathom Pol Pot’s mysteriouspersonality.

M Gilbert, email

CENSORIt is unfortunate that better qualityjournals like yours have beenlumped together with the gutterpress and suffer from censorshipdue to the emergency. Yellowjournalists had free reign duringthe past 15 years of dirty partypolitics whereby they werebought and sold to print filth.Wouldn’t it be great if only theseirresponsible journalists wereflushed down the toilet andpapers like yourself wereallowed to print in a freespirit?

P Gurung, Kathmandu

TREE HUGGERSWhy isn’t anyone jumping up anddown about the appallingslaughter of trees seeneverywhere in Kathmandu?When asked, the contractors ofKMC say it is for road-widening.Fair enough, maybe. But there isno such road-widening inprogress in places likeBaluwatar, (under the very noseof the powers that be) and manyother parts of the city. There, thecontractors explain, the trees arebeing cut for security or culled.You don‘t have to be an arboristto see that the trees beingchopped would indeed be alivefor another 50 years or more. Sowhat’s going on here? Cansomebody from the KMCexplain? If such a contract isunderway, please monitor them.And you multiple green-NGOs, isit not time to get out there beforewe all weep for a future treeless,barren, ugly city? I am sure yourdonors would highly approve.

Jan Salter and Neeta Pokhrel,Kathmandu

efore the successfulPeople’s Movement of 1990,entry of global do-gooders

into Nepal was strictly regulatedby the Social ServicesCoordination Council and closelymonitored by the administration.After the new constitution cameinto effect, the ground rules werechanged. It became much easierfor international organisations toopen up shop in Nepal.

From fly-by-nights tosupranational conglomerates, allkinds of INGOs descended onNepal. Their commitment todemocracy was ambivalent eventhough they became one of thebiggest beneficiaries of politicalopenness.

Operating almostindependently of thegovernment, many INGOs tookon local collaborators as forcemultipliers. A slew of local NGOssprouted overnight. Apart fromremittances and security relatedactivities, NGOs have been theonly other sector of the Nepalieconomy that is still booming.

AIN is an informal grouping

of 52 INGOs currentlyfunctioning in Nepal. Recentlyit paid for ads in the paperswith a fairly long list of do’sand dont’s largely for thebenefit of its own members. Theaidocrats claimed their‘programs seek to strengthendemocratic systems’. One wouldbe hard pressed to see evidenceof that. In fact, as with otheractors of Kathmandu’s powerelite, aidocrats were complicitin creating the conditions thatled to February First.

Despite claims oftransparency, most INGOs arefairly opaque. Our right tofreedom of information doesnot extend to their headquartersin Brussels, Geneva and Londonand their local officers can feignignorance. There are exceptionsbut most INGO brochures don’ttell us much about fundingsources, operating procedures,internal governance or decision-making criteria.

The organisation structuresof most INGOs are corporaterather than democratic. Littlewonder, then, that working forINGOs has been a lucrativecareer option for the best andbrightest of the Valley’s highsociety.

Again, with notableexceptions, the merit assessmentof aid agencies have been heavilybiased in favour of the country’sprivileged classes. Such ameritocracy by its very nature isimpatient with the sluggishmessiness of democracy.Perhaps that is why thesegroups have been partlyinstrumental in shaping theirorganisation’s negative attitudetowards the political parties.

Such criticisms revolvearound the lack of commitmentof elected representatives to‘good governance’ and theirsupposed propensity for pelf,privilege and payoff. It’s easy totar politicos with graft chargesbut no aidocrat will bear part ofthe responsibility for the rise ofthe culture of corruption. INGOsneed to be a lot moreaccountable and transparentthemselves before they cast thefirst stone.

AIN declares that the budgetof its member organisations rosefrom $29.4 million in 1999 to$100.3 million in 2005. Even asan absolute figure, this almostfour-fold expenditure increasein as many years is a remarkabletrend. What makes the claim alot more intriguing is that such

Meddling alonga jump in expenditure has takenplace in an environment ofunprecedented uncertainty inthe country: the insurgency hasintensified, democratic decayhas worsened, the human-rightssituation deteriorated and therule of law went into a tailspin.

INGO activism, it seems, isinversely proportional to thehealth of democracy. Similarphenomena have been observedin many conflict-riddencountries—once INGOs areallowed to undermine thelegitimacy of political parties,insurgency and activism beginto feed on each other andfacilitate the rise ofauthoritarian regimes.

Indeed, internationalmeddlers are as responsible asany other actor in Nepal’s powerelite for society’s creepingauthoritarianism.

While fighting corruptionand promoting accountabilityare noble goals by themselves,‘good governance’ can’t be asustainable substitute of self-rule anywhere in the world.Divorcing development fromdemocracy invariably leads to a

STATE OF THE STATECK Lal

Aidocrats can’t work in a democratic vacuum

humanitarian crisis.Unless the extraordinarily

articulate aidocrats in our midstrealise this reality, all their pleasto the parties of ongoing conflictwill have no meaning. Withoutan unequivocal commitment tothe reinstatement of democraticrule in the country, all their‘operating guidelines’ will havelittle real meaning.

Bilateral donors andmultilateral financialinstitutions are bound byideology, realpolitik and rules ofdiplomacy. INGOs aren’t. Theyare free to speak their mind.Why are they so scared of the ‘D’word? Despite the bravado ofsenior functionaries of the royalgovernment, foreign aid willcontinue to play an importantrole in the development ofNepal for quite some time andINGOs will be shouldering anever increasing burden ofinternational assistance.

They need to transformthemselves from aidentrepreneurs to social activists,and an unwavering commitmentto democracy is an integral partof that process.

B

4 1 - 7 MARCH 2005 #241NATION

Maintaining Nepal’s roads is not easy but it ismade easier by lengthworkers

Making inroads

Pradhananga told us, “so thelengthworkers became the go-between between us and peopleliving along the roads.”

Supervisors oversee four tosix lengthworkers within a 15-20km stretch. The workers areprovided with hand tools,wheelbarrows, safety jackets,safety flags, helmets andraincoats. Lengthworkers takepride in the upkeep of their roadsections. “It’s a great way to keeppeople employed and reducepavement deterioration cheaply,”says Bhoj Bahadur Dhakal, chiefof the Road Division in Butwal.

Their orange jackets and flagsmake these industriouslengthworkers highly visible. Butfew highway users stop to talk tothem or thank them for what theyare doing. “We need the public torealise we are actually working forthem too,” says Padam B Praja,who is a lengthworker at Jogimaraon the Prithibi Highway. Hismain problem is that villagersbelieve they have a right to dowhat they want with the road.Drains are misused for irrigationand that reduces the lifespan ofthe highway’s surface.

The conflict has made thework more dangerous because oflandmines and lengthworkersoften find themselves trappedbetween the army and therebels. “The Maoists regard us asHMG staff whereas the soldiersthink we are rebel sympathisers,”says Dharma Sapkota a supervisorworking at Krishna Bhir.Recently, Sapkota was beatenafter soldiers accused him ofhelping the Maoists plant a mine.

Because a lot of their work isto patch potholes, security forcesworried about landmines oftensuspect lengthworkers. And theMaoists blame them if theyremove rebel obstructions alongthe highway. For their ownsafety, lengthworker flags havebeen changed from red to orange.Min Bahadur Tamang was caughtin the crossfire between Maoistsand the army in Hetauda and saysit was his highly-visible orange

ver wondered who thosepeople in fluorescent orangesafety jackets are, working

away diligently by the sides ofthe highways on holidays andeven bandas?

They are lengthworkers. Thatis the ungainly name given to themen and women who are hiredlocally to carry out routinemaintenance on Nepal’sroads. Lengthworkers havebecome so vital to reliable roadmaintenance in Nepal that donoragencies are interested inreplicating the model in otherdeveloping countries.

Lengthworkers wereintroduced to Nepal 10 years agounder the Swiss-fundedStrengthened MaintenanceDivision Program (SMDP).Highways are not just difficultand expensive to build in Nepalbut because of the terrain andweather, they are as expensive tomaintain. SMDP cashed in on theSwiss experience with theLamosangu-Jiri road andexpanded the lengthworkersystem to other highways.

Today, the Department ofRoads employs 1,600lengthworkers for routinemaintenance of roads. Localvillagers from the roadneighbourhood are employed on adaily-wage basis of Rs 90-150 aday and deployed to look afterup to three km length of roadeach. (That’s why they are called’lengthworkers’).

SMDP’s Maintenance Adviser,Devendra Dhar Pradhananga,pioneered the lengthworkerconcept and still conductstraining. The work is mainlyclearing drains, sweeping theroad, cutting bushes, cleaningroad furniture and turfembankments. “We wereimproving the technical aspectsof highway construction in Nepalbut were weak in the social side,and this was having a negativeimpact on road maintenance,”

PRAGYA SHRESTHAin DHADING

jacket that saved him because hewas recognised as a lengthworker.

“People must understand howdifficult road maintenance is. Nowork is complete withoutparticipation and support,” saysDirector General of the DoR, DurgaPrasad KC.

Five percent of alllengthworkers are women. “Equalpay with men is the best part ofour job,” laughs Sita Thapa Magar,whose husband is also alengthworker in Dhading.

Expenditure on routine roadmaintenance carried out bylengthworkers make up 10 percentof the total road maintenancebudget which amounts to aboutRs 100,000 per km. And besideskeeping roads in good shape forless money, the system alsocontributes to poverty reductionamong the rural population alongthe highways.

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SLC by FMDespite the requirement under the state of emergency only tobroadcast music, some FM stations are openly flouting the rule.They are sidestepping the ban on news by studio chats, phone-inswith news in disguise and now Srinagar FM in Palpa has startedbroadcasting SLC tuition classes for the ongoing exams.

More than 30,000 students in Palpa and adjoining districts aregetting exam tips. “It’s great, it has really helped us a lot,” saysstudent Anju Pande, “I felt like I was in a tuition class and it wastotally free!”

The station had invited several high school teachers to providelessons in English, Mathematics, Science and other subjects. Thestation staff was also thrilled because their station was going into aslump. “We learnt we can do much more than just provideinformation and entertainment, we can also do education,” saysstation manager, Jagdish Bhattarai. Students usually gather aroundin one of their houses and study together with their broadcast‘teacher’. Some schools had also helped provide radio sets to theirstudents. The program also gives information on their exam centres,schedule and guides them on how to score better in the tests.“There isn’t one student here who doesn’t listen to this program,”says Bhesraj Subedi, principal of New Horizon Boarding school inPalpa. Because of the listenership, Srinagar FM’s ad revenue hasalso picked up. (JB Pun)

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Sharad Chandra Shah in BangkokBANGKOK—Nepal expects the United States will ultimatelyresume its military assistance to fight Maoists despite its criticismof the takeover by the king twomonths ago, a top Nepali official toldThai media last week.

“I believe that there will becooperation, there are certainproblems but I think it will work outbetween the US and Nepal,” saidSharad Chandra Shah, vice-chairmanof a new High Level Commission forInformation Technology (HLCIT). “Weneed helicopters, light arms, visual-radars, these are the kind of thingswhich make such a lot of difference.That’s what we want in terms ofsupport from Washington,” said Shah,who was here to attend a regional ITmeet. He spoke to journalists at theForeign Correspondent’s Club on 26March and was accompanied byYadav Khanal, charge d’affaires ofthe Nepali embassy in Bangkok.

When questioned about bloggers in Nepal bypassingcensorship, Shah said he was unaware of it. He said there wouldbe no crackdown against Nepal’s bold bloggers, which includewww.blog.com.np and freenepal.blogspot.com. “They are free to doit. All you have to do is put it on the Internet and send it, right? Whatis the problem?” Shah said. He defended media censorship, sayingpapers were exaggerating their attacks and making them “sound asif they are larger than life”. He added: “You are from the press andyou probably don’t like it but to some extent, a little bit of control ofthe press has seen to this problem.” (Richard S Ehrlich)

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Crisis reportsHuman rights organisations have used the 61st UN Human RightsCommission in Geneva to make stinging criticism of the country’shuman rights record. The International Crisis Group (ICG) hascalled on the government to establish a UN human rights monitoringmission that could help in peace building. “ICG’s report on Nepal’shuman rights crisis is meant to complement the more detailedreporting of specialist human rights organisations such as AmnestyInternational and Human Rights Watch,” analyst RhoderickChalmers told us.

Addressing the commission this week in Geneva, AmnestyInternational’s Secretary General Irene Khan challenged memberstates to rise above national and regional interests and restore thecredibility and legitimacy of the UN to protect victims of humanrights abuse. On Nepal, she said: “Nepal is a test case to measurethe Commission’s willingness and ability to tackle human rightscrises. Failure to act decisively will prove that not only do powerpolitics prevent the consideration of serious human rights violationsin large countries but that the members of the Commission areincapable of acting to prevent a human rights disaster in anycountry.” Government officials have said there was no need forinternational rights monitoring in Nepal.

Go mangoDivision Road Office Lahan hasdecided that mangos are the way togo. It worked with the local BuddhaWomen’s Cooperative whosemembers planted 700 mango treesalong a seven km road section fromChaparadi to Pathariya on theMahendra Highway.

By mutual agreement, they willhave to look after the mango trees forthe next five years and can harvestthe mangoes in return. This is one ofthe Department of Roads’ programsthat is designed to mobilise the publicin maintaining road reserves whileencouraging communityempowerment.

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PRAGYA SHRESTHA

51 - 7 MARCH 2005 #241BUSINESS

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

he murder of ArchbishopOscar Romero exactly 25years ago this week lit the

fuse of El Salvador’s civil war.Throughout the 1980s, despitenational and internationalattempts, talks between theSalvadoran government and the

rebels broke down repeatedly.With a death toll standing ataround 75,000, both sides finallyreached a negotiated peacesettlement in 1992. Since then,political inclusion and electoralcompetition—both foundationsof democracy—have come to markSalvadoran politics.

Indeed, El Salvador with apopulation one-fourth of Nepalremains an intriguing country tostudy. Fifty years of family rulefollowed by another 50 years of

How business interest helped El Salvador forge democracy through a negotiated peace settlement

Central American lessonsmilitary rule only to be followedby a civil war appear to haveresulted in a genuine multipartyrepresentative democracy.

How did the Salvadoran peacesettlement come about? Coffeeexports long made about a dozenfamilies in El Salvador richenough to own much of the land.With money to spare, theseoligarchs diversified businessholdings to include banking,cotton and sugar. Meanwhile,increasing landlessness,joblessness and poverty causedthousands of ordinarySalvadorans to be a readyaudience to various leftistinsurgent groups that espousedthe cause of social justice, tookprotests to the street and bore thebrunt of state brutality. Thesegroups eventually coalesced toform Frente Farabundo Marti parala Liberacion Nacional (FMLN).

Fearing that an armed conflictbetween the rich and the poor wasimminent, reform-mindedmilitary officers took control ofthe government in 1980. Theirfirst act was to nationalise banksand foreign trade mechanisms,and re-distribute land. But thesemeasures further antagonised theelite, who responded by formingtheir own political party calledNational Republican AllianceParty (ARENA) in 1981. By themid-1980s, a triangle made up ofconservative ARENA, themilitary-managed governmentand the leftist FMLN was in placein Salvadoran politics.Assassinations of politicaldissidents and widespreadkillings continued apace—leadingto gross human rights violationsand reduced military fundingfrom the US.

In 1985, Alfredo Cristiani, a

coffee trader, became the moderatehead of ARENA. He saw he couldnot count on the military rulers tobe an ally. He sought to broadenhis party’s base to include small-business owners who broughtvaried concerns. They agreed thatFMLN could not be wiped outmilitarily and that a peacesettlement was necessary. WhenCristiani was elected the presidentof El Salvador in 1989, he set thestage to initiate the peace process,despite several attempts on hislife. The United Nations acted as amediator for several rounds oftalks, which led to compromisesby both sides—resulting in adeclaration of peace in January1992. In the 1994 nationalelections, the former FMLN rebels,who had by then solidified aslegitimate political actors, won arespectable 25 percent of votes.

Some scholars such as

Elisabeth Wood of New YorkUniversity argue that ‘democracywas forged from below in ElSalvador via two processes’: first,the insurgency created its owncounter-elite, composed ofmoderates who gained influence asthe state’s military bluster waned.Second, the elite running thecountry had diversified businessinterests and was not limited tothe export of coffee alone.

Once both sets of elites came tosee what lay underneath theirclass-based opposition intersectedat certain points (includingmatters related to nationalism),they came to accept a negotiatedpeace settlement as a way out ofthe conflict. As a result, it was thebusinessmen, playing by the rulesof electoral politics and engagingin skilful negotiations, whobrought in rebels into the politicalmainstream in El Salvador.

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India concerned on UTL restrictionsAlthough thegovernment hasallowed Indian jointventure UTL toresume its wirelessphone service to re-registeredcustomers, it hasn’tallowed it to add anymore customers.This has drawn flak from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu whichthis week expressed concern over the telecom tie-up. The embassysaid the impasse could erode foreign investors’ confidence andundermine India-Nepal economic ties. United Telecom (UTL) is a jointventure between MTNL and VSNL and Nepali partners with Rs 3billion invested in Nepal.

“We trust that UTL will be allowed to operate in an unfetteredmanner in accordance with the terms of its licence,” the embassystatement added. Government officials have said UTL is not beingsingled out and Nepal Telecom’s own mobile service have not yetbeen resumed. Army officials say privately they have evidence thatthe Maoists have used the cellular and wireless phone networks toplan and coordinate attacks in the capital and elsewhere.

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Sita abandons NepalIndia’s leading tour operatorSita Inbound has shelvedplans to acquire a travelmanagement firm in Nepaland is now focussing on SriLanka and the Middle Eastfor finalising takeovertargets, according to mediareports. Sita has initiatedtalks with two firms, one inIndia and another in SriLanka, as part of its growthstrategy.

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Dabur raises stake in NepalDabur India has decided to increase stake in itssubsidiary Dabur Nepal from 80 percent to 97.5percent and invest Rs 370.66 million in DaburFoods and the recently acquired Balsara HomeProducts to meet their expansion and operationalneeds, report newswires.

As per the existing shareholding, Dabur Indiaholds 80 percent stake in Dabur Nepal and localNepali partners hold 20 percent. Dabur International, a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Dabur India and a hub for all its global operations, wouldbe acquiring 17.5 percent stake of local Nepali promoters in DaburNepal at a cost of Rs 37.6 million, Dabur Group Director PD Narangsaid.

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Lucky KarkiPrakash Karki, a tempo driver, has won Rs 1lakh in the Jojo Lucky Seven scheme of Jojonoodles. Karki matched all seven pairs ofnumbers listed on the coupon to win the big prize. Other winners weregiven cash prizes of Rs 100, Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000.

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6 1 - 7 MARCH 2005 #241FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

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Hearts and mindsKapil Kafle in Rajdhani, 26 March

Years ago, when the Maoistshadn’t yet started on their murderspree, the rebel group wasn’t asunpopular as it is now. Theymade headlines with theirpunishment for polygamous men,forcing gamblers to do sit-ups andshaving the heads of those foundexploiting villagers.

These Robin Hood deeds hadimpressed the media. Andjournalists gave priority to Maoistnews because they thought thiswould force the political partiesto get over their pettiness anddevote themselves to nationbuilding. But the Maoists gotcarried away with violence andstopped respecting the peoplethey were supposed to liberate.The social reform actions turnedinto a bloodbath. And even thesympathetic media startedbecoming critical.

The people found out thatpunishing the polygamous was atrick to get to power. Shaving theheads of exploiters seemed to be away of threatening all politicalopposition. And the sidelining ofBaburam Bhattarai proves that theMaoist can’t be trusted when theysay that they will maintain pressfreedom when they come topower. If that is the fate of asenior politburo member, howcan we trust them on theirprofessed respect for diversity,tolerance of those with differentviewpoints? How can we entrustthe country in their hands?

Modern Nepali citizens don’ttrust speeches and rhetoricanymore, they look at actions.

Former Minister Buddhiman Tamang inJana Astha, 23 March

The king’s February First move mustbe seen in the light of the change thatthe people had wished for. They werenot safe even in their houses andwanted peace restored. The politicalparties were not able to save thepeople and had let down theirconstituencies. Everyone wasdesperate. But now I’ve begun to feelsome positive changes.

When the Maoists began attackingworkers of other parties, we didn’tvoice our outrage, saying they were notfrom our party.Only when the Maoistsbegan targeting our party members, werealised what a menace they hadbecome. Even local representatives could not stay in their areas. Iwas voted to power from Dhading in the Panchayat era and againduring the multiparty system but couldn’t visit my district.

The question is: how can we create a condition that will allow us togo back to our villages? We need to use the February First move tofoster reconciliation. We need to support movement towards peace.The monarchy is indispensable for national unity in Nepal.Considering its 300 years old history, we should not think it is weak orseek an alternative. I have always been loyal to monarchy. Even ifthere is no one else, I will come out on the streets to support the king’smove. Circumstances now are new, as opportunists have surfacedhailing the king’s move. Yes, people can bring out rallies for peace butI’ve seen many pro-monarchy rallies brought out with vested interests.The palace needs to be on guard.

I think the political parties are free to continue their activities. Theyhave been holding meetings. The Nepali Congress and the UML havedone so, the RPP is holding its meeting and we have even opened anew party. Detained party leaders and cadre are being released.

The ministers, they are all experienced politicians, but they needto carry themselves with more responsibility. When one becomes aminister, one shouldn’t lose one’s temper in public. They should bediplomatic and thick-skinned.

Interview with Hiranyalal Shrestha, former MP inSanghu, 28 March

How do you evaluate the work of the Council ofMinisters?It has been functional for little more than a 100 days,how can one evaluate it? It has not yet been able toimprove the security situation. You cannot evaluatethis government until it can restore peace. Just apeaceful lull in Kathmandu is not enough. Among allhuman rights, right to life is the most important.

Because former governments were unable toprovide this, the people are readyto give this government a chance.But to succeed, the governmentmust call a ceasefire and createconducive conditions for peacetalks.

But that’s exactly what seniormembers of the government saythey don’t want to do.Of the two vice-chairmen in thegovernment, one is for peacetalks while the other is not.Because they have expressedcontradictory opinions, chancesfor talks cannot be ruled out norcan it be ascertained. TheMaoists would do well to talk tothe king now, like they said theywould but they have shown adivergence of opinion as well. We need to move in asense of brotherhood with open minds towardscompromise.

If peace talks were not possible when the politicalparties were in power, how can it take place now?The king said he moved on February First to savethe nation but that didn’t mean democracy andhuman rights had to be sacrificed. It is imperative

And it is in this competition forthe hearts and minds that we seethe RNA newly active. It used tobe digging new roads and disasterrelief but today’s army can be seenhelping farmers with their riflesslung behind them. Guns are notenough to defeat the Maoists.Those who believe in violencelike the Maoists can’t be defeatedby guns alone, programs based onpolitical ideologies are needed. Itlooks like the RNA rank and fileare beginning to understand this.

In the past, the RNA hasremained aloof from the people.When it did come in contact withordinary people it was rude tothem. RNA personnel used tovictimise drivers who daredovertake them on the road. Butlately, there has been a change inthe army’s approach. Speaking tothe media last week, armyspokesman Deepak Gurungrevealed that the army hasinvestigated 40 incidents ofhuman rights violations and 44have been jailed, 31 have beendischarged from service and 12demoted, etc. This will restore thecitizens’ confidence in the RNA.Maybe there is a need for the armyto maintain secrecy in militarymatters, but on economic, socialand character issues it must be astransparent as glass.

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Rolpa hospitalRajdhani, 28 March

ROLPA—The first zonal hospitalin Rolpa was unofficiallyinaugurated on 26 March. Thoughit still doesn’t have its ownbuilding, it operates from thepremises of the Zonal

Samaya, 31 April

At a time when the Maoist party is threatened by a serious rift, itsfraternal student wing has once more poised to target and destroy thecountry’s education system. It has threatened all private schools outsideKathmandu Valley with closure from the next school year and haswarned schools not to enroll any students after 1 Baisakh. It also wantsprivate schools to hand over information on board of directors, capital,running costs and pay scales. Their intention seems to be to raze thecountry’s education system with the slogan:

‘Let’s set fire to the education supermarket’. The Maoist call hasbeen strongly criticised by schools, students and guardians. It is clearthat this anti-people move will further alienate the Maoists from thepublic. Parents and guardians of children outside the Valley have beenseriously worried about the future of their children. The private schoolassociation, PABSON, has instructed all schools to enroll and open asusual. But this hasn’t assuaged the fears of private schools. TheMaoists’ threats have also psychologically affected the 250,000students appearing this week in SLC exams because of the Maoists’call for a 10 day nationwide strike from 2 April. There are more than8,500 private schools all over the country with 1.5 million studentsenrolled in them. More than 150,000 teachers and staff are employed inthese schools. Private schools say they have raised the quality ofeducation and saved billions of rupees from going overseas by allowingNepalis to study in Nepal. “If there are problems, these should beregulated and solved, not close down the entire school system,” sayseducation expert, Tirtha Khaniya.

Development Committee.According to the Chief ZonalAdministrator Ganj Bahadur MC,once facilities have been installed,the hospital will move into abuilding recently handed over tothe zonal administration by theBritish Gorkha Welfare Fund.Hospital premises had been builtin Libang, Reugha 12 years ago, butdue to a disagreement between thecontractor and the government, thebuilding has been left to rot andall the equipment was lost.

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No doctorsHimal Khabarpatrika,29 March–13 April

JAJARKOT—Jajarkot DistrictHospital has only Cetamol left.Other health posts don’t even havepainkillers. If you get sick inJajarkot these days, you either haveto visit faith healers or go down toNepalganj. It’s not just medicines,there aren’t any doctors either. The15-bed Jajarkot District Hospitalhas been without a doctor for ayear now even though there aresupposed to be three doctorsposted here. The midwest has onezonal hospital, 14 districthospitals, 26 primary care centres,142 health posts and 426 sub-health posts. But except for theBheri Zonal Hospital in Nepalganj,there are no doctors or medicinesin most of them. The reason thereare no medicines is because of theshortage of helicopters to transportthem. Last month a Mugu boundhelicopter loaded with medicineslanded near Surkhet and theMaoists looted all the medicines.Since then the government hasgrounded Karnali helicopters.

Targetting schools

that the monarch and political parties discuss thisissue. The Maoists should be called to talks withagendas within the parameters of social justice.Only when the main aim of the discussion isnationalism, democracy and social justice will allemerge as winners.

The Thapa, Chand and Deuba governments wereunsuccessful, how can this one be otherwise?When Sher Bahadurji was reinstated, UML, RPP,Sadbhabana, all those who won majority seats madethe multiparty government. Deuba might have been

successful but the Maoistsrefused to come for talks. Now,the king is the chairman of thegovernment. It’s a do-or-diesituation. The Maoists and themonarch should be able to sitdown and talk, why are theydelaying it? This governmentmust try to bring together theMaoists and the political partiesto identify a common roadmapthat does not address theambitions of any individual.

In that case, shouldn’t theirapproach to work be different?This government hasemphasised control of corruption,good governance and peacefulefforts. It is too early to say if

they are doing the right thing by these measures.Yes, those who prove corrupt need to be brought tojustice but this must be done through the rule of lawby the right authority.

Was it not possible to bolster the CIAA?CIAA was doing its work but the RCCC was setupbecause it was inadequate. But whatever theorganisation, it cannot transgress the law.

One thing they all agree on: the political

SELECTED MATERIAL TRANSLATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

71 - 7 MARCH 2005 #241FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Former Minister Jog MeherShrestha in Janadharana,24 March

There is no point talkingabout happiness and sorrow inthis dishonest country. I havebeen involved in politics fornearly 55 years and no one hasaccused me of corruption untilnow. I’ve never had to go tocourt to fight for my parentalproperty. I am 78 years old,recently had my jankhuorganised to mark the day Iturned 77 years, seven monthsand seven days old. The crowdthat turned up at the ceremonyproved my popularity. It is oneof the reasons people havebeen against me. I can’t helpbeing popular and if it becomesthe reason behind the

conspiracy to punish me, I can’t do a thing. I am innocentbut there is no place for honest people in this dishonestcountry. I don’t know who is against me.

But this was not what I told the Royal Commission forCorruption Control. What use would it be? They asked mewhy I had come to them. “The commission summoned medemanding an explanation, and here I am to respect thecommission’s request,” I said. The issue of embezzlinggovernment funds in the name of Dasain expenses iswidely misunderstood. Does anyone know how manyhave been victimised by the Maoist insurgency? If thestate gave them two or three thousand rupees, what iswrong with that? Moreover, it was not the first time thatsuch help had been extended. Even when I was HomeMinister, there was a relief fund that I provided to those inneed. I’m responsible for whatever happened then but thistime, my ministry did not distribute the funds. Yet I’mbeen projected as guilty. I am shocked.

Interview inHimal Khabarpatrika,29 March-13 April

So you’re home, whatare you doing thesedays?I’m thinking about thefuture course of actionfor the political parties.

And what direction willthat take?The solution lies in allpolitical parties thatdon’t believe in violencegetting together,accepting and analysingtheir mistakes andweaknesses of the pastand reasserting theircommitment todemocracy and wideningits base. We need thecollective wisdom of allsides at a time when democracy is stalled, theMaoist insurgency is reaching a climax and thecountry is sliding towards failed state status.

All along we have been saying that democracyhas been threatened. Other parties pronounced thatregression had ended and joined the government,some were happy they had executive powers andstill others rejoiced at the reinstatement of theDeuba government. But we never agreed and theinternational community used to pressure us to jointhe government. This time, they understand that wewere right all along.

What of foreign policy post-February First?We have changed tracks. But we can’t go it alonelike Cuba, North Korea or Burma.

Multiparty democracy Constitution1990

Rajdhani, 27 March

The Maoist problem will not be solved evenif the army troop strength is expanded to500,000.

Former Prime MinisterSher Bahadur Deuba in Rajdhani, 29 March.

The king has often stressed in his speechthat he is in favour of multipartydemocracy. I decided to see how far it wastrue. I got arrested the moment I reachedAsan with my party flag. Is that democracy?

Nepali Congress leader Balbahadur Rai inBudhabar, 30 March.

It is not possible for Pakistan to givemilitary aid to Nepal.

Foreign Minister Natwar Singh inKantipur on 27 March.

parties have to unite

8 EDUCATION

ore than 300,000 young Nepali boysand girls appeared for their SLCexams this week. If trends in past

years are any indication, less than a thirdof them will pass their exams.

Those who pass represent only 18percent of the two million or so childrenfrom all over Nepal who entered primaryschool with them 10 years ago. In otherwords, between 80-90 percent of allchildren of school-going age in Nepal areeither dropouts or have the ‘failed’ labelpinned on them for life.

What could be a bigger waste? For allthe money that has been spent oneducation, for the money poured in fromdonors over decades, we knew all alongthat the quality was not up to mark. But it isnow clear that neither is the quantity.Experts warn that if something is not donefast about this crisis in education, Nepal’sfuture in the next decades when today’sGrade One children come up to SLC, willbe far worse. Dropouts and joblessness willcreate social tensions that will make thepresent problems look like a picnic.

The government’s own statistics showthat 467,000 children every year‘disappear’ between Grade Five and SLC.Where do they go? Most help out in thefarm till they are teenagers and thenmigrate to the cities or to India to work sothey can support their families. Many ofthem have nothing to read and no reason towrite and soon lapse back into illiteracy.

What can be done to bring these half-a-million Nepali children who opt out of theformal school system every year into thefold? What can be done to keep them inschool? What should be done to improvethe quality and relevance of their educationso they can be capable citizens that cancontribute to their community and country?

One reason many have dropped out ofthe school system is because of the contentof education. Nepal’s school system isdominated by ‘general education’: an

academic stream that prepares students foran antiquated exam system that declaresnearly three-fourths of its students to befailures every year.

Now, the government with SDC and theAsian Development Bank are turning theirattention to those who opt out of school byoffering them technical and vocationaleducation and training so they can learnand earn. Academic education rewards onlythe higher grades, allowing them to go on tobecome engineers, doctors and managers.Now, those who can’t make the grades willnot be cast out into the wilderness but willhave a chance to get skills training asplumbers, electricians, health workers, farmtechnicians and construction workers.

We need to decide which skills thecountry will require in the coming decades.How can school-age children who are nowbeing cast by the wayside contribute to thenation’s development? What kind of jobsare needed overseas so that Nepali workerscan upgrade their skills and earn more thanthe pittance they are paid now?

At present there are hardly anyopportunities for those who drop out ofschool before Grade 10 to find useful skillstraining. Even the few who go for skills orvocational training after SLC find theircertificates are not recognised in thegeneral education system.

The current 10th Plan has prioritisedskills and technical training but it doesn’t

Forever Crafts Industries in Khusibu hasstarted skills training for women wherethey get paid for learning a trade. Oncetrained, the students easily findemployment. Women involve otherwomen in their family or community toknit caps and sweaters and can earn upto Rs 35,000 a month as a group. AnitaMaharjan of Kathmandu and BindeswariShrestha of Sindhupalchok earn enoughto run their household and educate theirchildren.

Young adults who have never been toschool or have dropped out are beingtrained to produce thangkas at theJanajati Welfare Centre in Swayambhu.Namgyal Bomjan says the 18 boys andgirls he trained have all been employedin various thangka studios. While someearn up to Rs 5,000 a month, others haveeven become thangka supervisors.Purna Bahadur Lama of Kabhre, whoescaped from the Maoists while in GradeNine, now runs Popular Thangka Centreand is launching his own website to startexporting his products.

Nepal Buddha Thangka Art Gallery’sDawa Chhiri Sherpa is also a schooldropout and has already sold Rs 80,000worth of his own thangkas in Germany.Says Sherpa: “If it wasn’t for the training,I would still be herding yaks in Dolakha.”

t Shibpur in Kapilbastudistrict last week, 50children 5-10 years old

sat on the mud floor of a shed,listening attentively to theirteacher. Parents here in the

central tarai are so poor they can’teven feed their children properly.But they will save and scroungeto send them to school.

Such is the desperation ofmany parents in rural Nepal thatcommunities are selling firewood,digging sand or crushing stones

all day just so their children getan education. With such demand,the problem in Nepal is not to fillschools with children. It is tokeep them there.

Currently, only 40 percent ofthose who enroll in Grade Oneever finish primary school and

only 10 percent complete SLC.From the Nepali new year on 14April the government islaunching an unprecedenteddrive to get children enrolled inschools—especially girls andchildren of disadvantagedfamilies. Motivators will be going

Education for a

Earning by learning

door-to-door on ‘EnrollmentDays’ with admission forms tocatch children who wouldotherwise not be sent to schoolby their parents.

The idea is to take adetermined step to meetcommitments Nepal made at aUN Summit in 2000 to reachMillenium Development Goalsfor universal primary educationby 2015.

Nepal’s enrollment rate isnot bad. According togovernment estimates, 82percent of children or nearly sixmillion children are currentlyenrolled. The problem is that thedropout rate is as high as 40percent or more although thegovernment claims that it is lessthan 15 percent (see p9).

There appears to be acorrelation between democraticgovernments (1959-60, 1990-2002) and emphasis oneducation and the results can beseen in enrollments and a surgein literacy rates.

After 1990, successivedemocratic governments pushedthe Education for All programand this raised enrollment at theprimary level by 70 percent in adecade.

But government schools havebeen unable to cope with the

The government is launching anambitious campaign to get more

children enrolled in schooland keep them there

NARESH NEWAR

spell out how that is going to be achieved.The Plan announces an ambitious target ofachieving 90 percent enrollment for primaryclasses, 45 for secondary but doesn’tacknowledge the huge problem of retentionof students till Grade 10 and just mentionsin passing short-term professional training.

At present only 16 percent of schoolchildren between grades five and 10 whodrop out get any form of skills training. Onlythree percent of those who finish Grade 10go into vocational or technical training andof these, less than half get jobs ongraduation. The reasons are not hard tofind: training of low quality that doesn’t meetrequirements of the job market.

Nepal’s vocational and technicaltraining today is ad hoc, trial and error andarbitrary. No surprise there. Why shouldvocational and technical training be ashining example when the rest of theeducation sector is so badly run? If we hadto look for a reason it would be that there isno long-term strategy on dropouts and thegovernment gives it far less importance tovocational training than to the generaleducation mainstream.

Countries need to look 15-20 yearsahead and plan the kind of academic,professional and technical humanresources they need. Then they tailor-maketheir education reflecting this strategy. IfNepal keeps on going in this patchworkmode with education then we are headed forcertain disaster. At a time when we are amember of the WTO, to ignore humanresource requirement is to push the countryback a century.

Let’s start thinking about what to do withthe 82 percent of school children whonever complete Grade 10. And let’s startdoing it now.

Excerpted from ‘Quality Education for All’Special Supplement in

Himal Khabarpatrika,27 February-13 March.

Ready, steady

A

More than 80percent of school-

going Nepali childrennever completeGrade 10, they

deserve a secondchance

NARESH NEWAR

Girl students during a class break in Shibpur.

M

91 - 7 MARCH 2005 #241

all and all for educationdemand for education and areplagued with poor quality.Private schools thrived because ofliberalisation and privatisation ofeducation. Quality education wasavailable but for a price.

After 1996, the educationsector has been deliberatelytargeted by the Maoists as asymbol of inequalities in society.The rebels have often said theywant to dismantle the‘bourgeoise’ school system andstart from zero. Many schoolshave been closed and teachershave fled due to extortion andintimidation. The rebels havenow warned private schoolsoutside the Valley to stopenrolling children after the newyear (see p13).

Despite all this, Nepal’sliteracy rate has shown dramaticimprovement since 1990.“Education is going in the rightdirection, there is progressdespite the conflict,” saysRajendra Dhoj Joshi at the WorldBank. Joshi is a team leader of the$158 million Education for Allproject funded by a consortiumthat also includes theInternational DevelopmentAssociation (IDA), Danida,Finland’s Ministry for ForeignAffairs, Norad and DfID.

The project will support the

government’s effort to increasethe net enrollment rate from 81to 96 percent by 2009 and takeGrade Five enrollment from 40 to60 percent. To entice girls andthe children of poor families, theproject will fund 116,000scholarships worth more than Rs200 million.

But what worriesorganisations like UNICEF is thechallenge of retaining childrenonce they are enrolled. Thedropout rate, already very high,has increased in conflict areas.“What we have here is a crisis ontop of a chronic crisis,” saysUNICEF’s Nepal representative,Suomi Sakai.

One of the key obstacles tochildren completing primaryschools is the poor quality ofpublic schools. The average passrate for students from publicschools in SLC exams is lessthan 35 percent over the pastdecade compared to over 75percent success rates in privateschools.

The shortage of trained andmotivated teachers is the mainreason, and the others areunderstaffed and underfundedrural schools. “The governmentneeds to emphasise trainingteachers and upgrading teachingskills so they can prevent

children from dropping out,”explains Sudarsan Ghimire, anadvocacy journalist for upgradingeducation, “children drop out ofschools because teachers are toostrict or unfriendly.”

Most experts pin their hopeson the growing trend of schoolsbeing managed by localcommunities. Nearly 2,000schools across the country are

already locally managed andfinanced. But the impact is stillsmall because there are 21,000public primary schools and mostof them are in rural areas servingnearly 3.4 million children. Theteacher to student ratio here isone for 40, only 12 percent arewomen and less than 15 percentare trained.

With less than 10 years to go

to achieve the MilleniumDevelopment Goal of universalprimary education, Nepal willhave to move fast. If theenrolment campaign next week isa success, it will mean we are onthe right track. If it falters due toofficial apathy, Nepal’s childrenwill have been let down oncemore by their rulers inKathmandu.

MIN BAJRACHARYA

Students giving their SLCexams at Namuna Machhindra

High School this week.

10 1 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241REVIEW

Once he said he’d change theworld but it changed him instead

Avaas at the Paleti

he stage is backlit and thesilhouetted orchestra isalready into an instrumental

number as the audience enters.The small studio is packed withabout two dozen musicenthusiasts sitting cross legged onthe padded floor.

This is the third of monthlyconcerts at nepa-laya’s Paleti sit-down concerts with the freshestnew voice in Nepali music: Avaas.Held on the last Friday of everymonth, Avaas sings his newsongs, discusses them with fans,the audience is encouraged tointeract and inevitably there arerequests from his hit album, PalaaPalaa.

Last Friday was Phau andAvaas began with a number onHoli that he had recentlycomposed and was performing forthe first time. It is iconoclasticAvaas: the words and musictightly meshed, the rhythm ofpoetry in harmony with the tonaltextures and between the linesalways the social message.

There is another new song, arecent composition Eh Naulo

Manchhe by Shrawan Makarungon the plight of people displacedfrom their land, nameless,faceless and stateless refugees.Avaas sings with feeling, thewarmth of his voice and thecolloquial simplicity of hiswords fill the tiny theatre andjoin performers and audience intoan organic whole.

At intermission, nepa-laya hasthoughtfully arranged applebrandy from Marpha (included inthe ticket price) and the visitorstank up to get into the mood forthe second half. Poet Manjul is inthe audience and gets up torecollect how he and Avaas,newly-arrived in Kathmandu,struggled and created words andmusic. “Avaas was just a villagekid trying to learn the tabla inthose days,” Manjul recalled, “buthe understood the struggle and hefelt deeply that Nepal belonged toall Nepalis.”

Indeed, the underlyingmessage in the lyrics that Avaaschooses for his songs, whetherthey are his own or something hepicks up from his poet friends, goto the heart of Nepal’s currentdilemma but always carrying asense of hope. Both the wordsand the music uplifting. ExplainsManjul: “It comes from Avaas’own quick-to-smile personality,his belief that we may be indarkness but soon the sun willrise, as it must.”

Avaas honed his craft underthe tutelage of Amber Gurung andyou can hear echoes of the masterin his words and music. Avaas

The next concert by Avaas at theR sala will be on 29 AprilLimited tickets: 5542646nepalaya@wlink.com.np

says that if he likes the words of apoem he immediately turns itinto song. “If it is good poetry, thewords already carry the music, themusician doesn’t have to domuch,” he explains.

Bhuikuhiro Udna Thalyo isfrom the Palaa Palaa album, mostin the audience recognise poetChandra Bhandari’s lyrics andthey sway with the jazzlikeinterludes by Raj Kumar Shresthaon the violin and Hari Maharjanon guitar. “I see some moist eyes,”Avaas says after the applause,“tears have a meaning, Amber Daiused to say if someone sheds atear while listening to your musicit means there is still humanityleft.”

Avaas has kept what he regardsas his best song till the end: theconfessional and almostautobiographical self-composition, Godhulima Hidnewith the haunting line: “Once hesaid he’d change the world but itchanged him instead.” Kunda Dixit

Kenzo Tange, 91hen the UN’s Burmese Secretary General U Thant visitedLumbini in 1967, he was emotionally moved. As a devoutBuddhist, he was spiritually uplifted by being in the nativity

site but also sad to see the desolation of the place near the Nepal-India border.

On returning to New York, he set the ball rolling on developingLumbini as an international peace site. A special UN committee wasset up to push the plan and with money from UNDP a renownedJapanese architect, Kenzo Tange, was hired to draw up a masterplanfor Lumbini’s development. Tange took up the work passionately,visiting Lumbini several times and completed his work in 1978. Hisplan for Lumbini’s sacred zones and its surroundings was supposedhave been finished by 1989.

Tange died last week, at the age of 91, with much of his Lumbinimasterplan unfinished. When the UN hired Tange, it reflected UThant’s grand vision and dream for Lumbini—he had chosen the

architect who designed theHiroshima peace memorial atGround Zero of the first wartimeuse of the atomic bomb in 1945.Kenzo Tange was the mostinfluential figure in post-warJapanese architecture and wasprofoundly influenced by thework of Le Corbusier. In turn,Tange’s hugely impressive bodyof work was to influence, indeeddominate, that of a youngergeneration of brilliant youngJapanese architects.

If Tange began by imitatingthe late-flowering, sculpturalconcrete designs of the Swiss-French genius, he went on tocreate a body of internationallyrecognised work that was verymuch his own, fusing traditional

Japanese forms with the very latest in structural daring. Because ofhis penchant for raw concrete and megastructures, Tange as well ashis disciples in Britain and elsewhere came to be known as‘brutalists’.

His finest buildings include the twin arena of the 1964 TokyoOlympics, the Yamanashi press and broadcasting centre at Kofu(1964-67) and Hiroshima peace park and peace centre (1949-55).

Tange’s plan for Lumbini is a three square mile mandala thatleads in concentric circles to the sanctum sanctorum: the circularsacred garden surrounding the Mayadebi Temple. The plan includesa Monastic Zone and Lumbini Village for visitors will find lodges,restaurants, a cultural centre and tourist facilities. The easternmonastic zone was set aside for Theravada Buddhism from Burma,Thailand and Sri Lanka and a Vipassana Centre, and the westernzone for Mahayana Buddhism from Tibet, China and Bhutan. Tange’splan is being followed but not all the temples and monasteriesconform to the overall harmony and scale he had in mind.

Tange was involved in the replanning of the city of Hiroshimaafter its destruction by the atomic bomb on 6 August 1945. At theheart of the revived city, Tange built a peace centre, raised on stilt-like, Le Corbusier-style columns, faced by a monument that marriedancient forms and the latest structural technology. This peacetimefusion of a traditional Haniwa tomb and a concrete parabola wasvery much a symbol of new Japan, resolutely looking to the futurewhile proudly recalling the best of its pre-imperial past.

He wanted his Lumbini masterplanto be a tribute to world peace

KUMAR ALE

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remember the evening I first saw her at Butwal Lodge in Kalanki. Iwas there to meet a friend. But his bus had not yet arrived fromJajarkot. I decided to wait. In that dimly-lit lobby where shadowy

figures flitted about, she was sitting in a corner—all alone and lookinglike a cross between Martina Navratilova and Shivani Singh Tharu.

I flashed my Everest toothpaste smile. She scowled back. I askedwhether she had a cigarette. Assuming a quick kung-fu pose, sheshowed me a stick of explosives. When she later shook my hand to saygoodnight, it hurt for hours. Little did I know that inflicting pain washer damningly seductive way of breaking ice: “You are cool and I amhot. Dinner tomorrow?”

We met for dal-bhat the following evening at Madan Bhojanalaya—ahideaway that was miles away from any police station. She showed up,dressed-to-kill: khaki fatigues, combat boots and a rifle slung from her

left shoulder. Before sitting down,she frisked me from head to toe,pausing briefly to massage my pant-pockets for any concealed weapon.In no time though, with the glow

from Tiger Lalteen bouncing off her face, we were whispering sweetnothings. She was Comrade Natasha, a rising star at the Destruction &Mayhem Bureau. She said she had instructions to finish “certain work”at Sanychayakosh buildings. I patted her cheeks, teasing that abombshell like her should not work too hard.

You see, the thing about having an underground girlfriend was thatyou could never call her. You sat by the phone and waited for it to ring.When I didn’t hear from her for days, I worried that the worst hadhappened. But when we did meet, we never visited Himalayan Java tosnuggle on the couch. Nordid we go to Nanglo’sRooftop for sizzlers. Toorisky, she chided. Instead,we met for pani-puri atback-alley eateries, far fromarmy check-posts, where ratsfought with roaches forleftovers on the floor.

Often, exhausted by thedemands of her revolutionary war, she would visit me, only to leave atdusk with a pressure-cooker. Once I asked why she ran off with mykitchen utensils. She gave me that come-hither glance and soon had metied up in a perform-or-perish Khajurao position, which was enjoyable.

To replenish supply, I continued buying pressure-cookers from asahu down the road. After seeing on Nepal TV what had become of thecookers he sold earlier, he was too afraid to charge me money. Even theneighbourhood dadas, who used to beat me up before, bowed low withrespect once they saw who I was with. Having a rebel lover meant accessto power, influence, fun and wads of cash looted from banks.

But such times were too good to last. Eventually, politics destroyedour relationship. She asked me to prove my love by going underground.I told her I couldn’t sink that low. Besides, I lived in a basementalready. She wanted help with blowing up telecom towers. When shesaw that all I could blow up were balloons, her disappointment wasprofound. She ordered that I criticise myself for disobedience. I smiledand tickled her nape with a peacock feather. But she shoved me aside.Putting the gun to the middle of my forehead, she announced that shehad stripped me of all romantic rights and demoted me to an “ordinarylover” status. She growled that she might have to kill me to show howmuch she cared for me. I was touched that her love was so deadlyserious. When we eventually did break up, I landed at Bir Hospitalwith 12 broken bones.

These days, I look back upon the whole affair and console myselfthat it was better to have loved and undergone a hip-replacementsurgery than to have never loved at all.

Adapted from a stand-up comedy act, written and performed by the authorexactly a year ago at Dhokaima Café.

Dating ComradeNatasha

APRIL FULLoohi ashu

he problem of our worldcannot be solved bysceptics or cynics

whose horizons are limited toobvious realities. We needwomen and men who can dreamof things that never were andask why not.’

George Bernard Shaw’swords hand on the plaque inHira Pradhan’s Gaushala clinic.And those words are whatinspire the doctor who could bemaking big money treating richpatients. But she hasdeliberately decided there is ahigher calling in her life to helpsociety’s outcasts, those that noone wants to help.

Pradhan started SEWAKendra Leprosy Relief in 1989to provide free medical care tothe sick, especially leprosypatients. She still runs for herusual patients but started aweekly mobile clinic that goesto the Pashupatinath Old AgeHome, leprosy communities atKhokana and Dolalghat andBeldanda. It gives freemedicine, dressings, smears todetect leprosy, family planningand eye treatment.Occasionally, dentistsaccompany the clinics and if aspecific treatment can’t beprovided, the doctors referpatients to a specialist willing totake the case for free.

“I get much moresatisfaction treating patientswho really need my help,” says

The healing touch

Pradhan modestly, “it is spirituallyfulfilling. You can’t buy with moneythat level of personal joy at havinghelped someone in dire need.”

Pradhan’s group wants todetect leprosy while it is treatableand provide care to those whoneed it, especially women of low-income groups. There are beds inthe SEWA’s Centre for theleprosy-affected poor who cannotafford nurses. Patients don’t justhave to deal with the physicaldisability but the stigma attachedto the disease in Nepal whichmeans many are ostracised bytheir communities and familiesbecause of the mistaken belief thatleprosy is contagious.

The healing process forleprosy is long and needs bed-rest because it causes aperson to lose all sense offeeling in the affected areas ofthe body. Recently, Pradhanhas started providing educationfor poor and marginalisedchildren. Financial aid andscholarships are also given tochildren at Khokana who wantto study nursing.

Text and pictures byELENA DUBAS and

ARTHUR PAZO.

4474650hpsk@enet.com.np

A mission to make their world a better place

The government has lifted the state of emergency, restored all civilliberties and released political detainees from jail on the occasion ofApril First, usually reliable sources said. But news of the restoration offreedoms could not get to the public because of the ban onbroadcasting news on FM.

“We are still trying to get the news out but it is difficult when no onebelieves us,” said the spokesman of the Ministry of Information andBroadcasting speaking on condition that he not be quoted by name.

The government has also restored all pre-paid and post-paidmobile phones so people could spread the word on the restoration ofdemocracy. However, the mobiles went dead as soon as they wererestored because of network congestion as everyone started sendingout dirty jokes on SMS. “We just hadn’t anticipated the pent-updemand of people to communicate with each other freely and withoutrestrictions,” a Nepal Telecom official told us.

STOP PRESS

Emergency lifted, mobiles restored

The thing abouthaving anundergroundgirlfriend is that youcan never call her

I

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12 1 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241INTERNATIONAL

he Indian Prime Minister’soffice confirmed thatPakistan’s President

General Pervez Musharraf wouldvisit India for a one-day cricketmatch in Delhi on 17 April.Musharraf had made it clear thathe would visit if invited. ButMusharraf’s wheelchair-boundmother Zarin and son Bilal neededno invitation.

Begum Musharraf was on anostalgic trip, visiting her girlhoodhaunts. In Delhi, she surprised thefamily living at Nehrwali Haveli,her home as a bride, wherePervez Musharraf was born. Sheexpressed her desire for India andPakistan to resolve issues

peacefully and through dialogue.The Indian PM, Manmohan Singh,hosted a lunch in their honour. AndBilal has invited Indianparliamentarian Rahul Gandhi tovisit Pakistan.

In any case, this unofficial,spontaneous diplomatic initiativecan only positively impactrelations between South Asia’snuclear-armed neighbours. On amass level, the Pakistanis andIndians have spoken. The 15,000or so Indians who visited Pakistanfor the cricket series last Augustwere bowled over (no punintended) by the warmth andaffection they received.Shopkeepers and cabbies refusedmoney and strangers showeredthem with hospitality and gifts.

One visiting Indian anxiouslytold journalist MJ Akbar thatPakistanis should not

misunderstand if they did not getthe same treatment in India. Howwrong he was. Pakistanis visitingIndia for the ongoing cricketseries have received as muchhospitality and more as manyIndians have opened their homes,offering to put up visitingstrangers from the ‘enemycountry’. Until mass visas weregranted to allow Indians to attendthe cricket series in Pakistan,contact was restricted togovernment officials, bureaucratsand non-governmentorganisations. Over the years,tensions, jingoistic nationalismand visa restrictions had not givenordinary people the space andopportunity to expressthemselves.

Consider the Indo-Paktensions in the last few yearsalone: the 1998 nuclear tests, thenKargil and its aftermath in 1999.Barely two years later, 9/11provided Washington a chance toestablish American hegemony,telling world leaders it was ok toengage in military heavy-handedness and that all‘terrorists’ were Muslims. NewDelhi’s knee-jerk reaction to the13 December 2001 attack on itsparliament, for which it blamed

he legacy of dead dictators fromvanquished totalitarian regimesshould no longer be ambivalent.

Only Germany’s lunatic fringe dares tocommemorate Hitler. Not even the patheticremnant of the Khmer Rouge celebrates PolPot’s memory. Yet, as Russia approachesthe 60th anniversary of its victory overNazi Germany, marking Stalin’s role inthat victory is proving to be damnablyawkward.

Reliving Stalin’s horrorRussians remember Stalin’s great deeds, but also his reign of terror

Indeed, earlier this year, Moscow wasroiled by debates about whether or not tobuild a statue to the dead dictator. In largebookstores across Russia, a huge number ofpolitical biographies and histories portrayStalin and his era. Some of these, based onnewly opened archival material, arecritical. But the majority of these booksand authors portray Stalin in a positivelight. Indeed, when Russians are asked tolist the most important people of the 20th

century, Stalin is still tied for firstplace—with Lenin.

Some see the hand of what remainsof the Communist Party behind this. Ofcourse, towns and cities are no longernamed for Stalin. Though countlessStalin monuments have beendemolished, many symbols of his

rule have been carefully preserved,including the national anthem hepersonally approved in 1944. Thereare seven high-rises in Moscow thatRussians still call ‘Stalin’s vysotki’.Next to Lenin’s tomb is Stalin’s graveand monument, where heaps offresh flowers are always to be seenon the anniversaries of his birth,

death and the victory over Hitler.To be sure, Khrushchev’s

uncovering of Stalin’s crimesand cult of personality in

1956 made a hugeimpression both in theSoviet Union and abroad.But many people in the

political elite and militarycircles were enraged by

Khrushchev’s revelations.This incited many attempts

to rehabilitate Stalin, especially during the20 years of Leonid Brezhnev’s rule, whichis called the period of ‘stagnation’.

Mikhail Gorbachev continued touncover the crimes of Stalinism, sheddinglight on dark pages that Khrushchev lackedthe courage to open to public view. DuringBoris Yeltsin’s presidency, this criticismbecame even stronger. But demolishing theideological, political and economicstructures of the past is not enough torenew society. Yeltsin understood this.Eight years ago the remains of the Romanovfamily were publicly buried in the Peter-Paul castle in Saint Petersburg. Nicolas IIgained the status of saintly martyr.

People of the older generation doremember the hardships of the 1930s and1940s. But most Russians do not view theentire Soviet period as some sort of blackhole. They see a time of hardship, yes, butalso of great achievements—in economicdevelopment, science, culture, educationand defence.

Today, Russians listen to old Sovietsongs and watch Soviet-era movies, 1 May(Labour Day) and 7 November (theanniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution)remain much more meaningful than newlyinstalled post-communist holidays, suchas 12 June (Independence Day). For manyRussians, the declaration of Russia’sindependence in 1990 represents a lowpoint in the country’s history, a year ofanarchy and disarray.

What can Russians be proud of in the15 years of post-communism? Shocktherapy that ruined the economy and gaveaway the country’s wealth to private butrarely clean hands? Neither democracy nor

Cricket diplomacy seems to be theway to go for India and Pakistan

Silly point

offered to restore transportationlinks. Noor and her parents wereon the first bus from Lahore toDelhi that August. Noor’s surgeryprovided Indians the opportunityto show their goodwill towardsPakistan; her parents wereoverwhelmed by the mediaattention, love and gifts theyreceived.

Interestingly, bothgovernments grant visas to

Pakistan, kicked off a new phasein bilateral relations.

India barred Pakistan fromover-flying its territory; Pakistanresponded in kind. Nationaleconomies as well as ordinarypeople were severely affected.Regional meetings or seminarseven in Kathmandu or Colombobecame difficult as PIA, then theonly airliner linking all SouthAsian capitals could no longerover-fly India. Each side crowedover the economic losses theother was suffering with puerilereasoning: “It’s hurting them morethan it’s hurting us!”

Diplomatic relations remainedtense. Consular staff, even at theambassadorial level, waswithdrawn. By May 2002, armieswere at the ready, eyeball-to-eyeball at the borders. Fears of anuclear war loomed large. Andthen, a two-year old baby with ahole in her heart provided a wayout of the impasse. Doctors inPakistan had referred NoorFatima to a cardiac hospital inIndia as her parents could notafford to take her to a westerncountry for treatment. But India,though near, was yet so far.

Hearing of Noor’s plight, inJuly 2003, Atal Bihari Vajpayee

markets are seen by most Russians asabsolute values because they have failed todeliver either prosperity or security. Whatvictories has Russia’s army achieved inthese years? It could not even subdueChechnya, a small republic within theRussian federation.

The Russian federation remains acollection of multinational states in needof some unifying idea of statehood andnationality to keep them together. Theeasiest and the most understandable ideafor Russians to cling to is patriotism. Onlytwo events have the power to mobilise andenergise this: the October revolution of1917 and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, which turned the USSR and Russiainto a great world power. The victory overfascism, because so many of itsparticipants remain active, is a livingevent in memory.

Victory Day this year will likely be thelast ‘round’ anniversary of 1945 thatRussia can commemorate while manythousands of veterans are alive and able toparticipate. So the Kremlin is preparing tomark the event on a scale that Russia hasnever seen before. Needless to say, Stalin’sname will be mentioned countless timesduring these celebrations. But it would bea mistake to see this as a real yearning forevery aspect of the system he created.Instead, acknowledging Stalin is a way forRussians to recall a time of great deeds andperhaps even greater sacrifices. Project Syndicate

Roy A Medvedev, a dissident historian in theSoviet era, is the author of the classic study of

Stalinism Let History Judge.

selected Pakistanis and Indianseven during times of extremetension—as a way out of thecorners they have paintedthemselves into. But if therestrictive visa regime isremoved, there is likely to be aflood of people crossing to eitherside. Perhaps the process hasbegun.

Beena Sarwar is OpEd Editor at TheNews International, Pakistan

ROY MEDVEDEV in MOSCOW

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PERSONALPOLITICAL

Beena Sarwar

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131 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241SPORTS

TEE BREAKDeepak Acharya

How does one know if you are a good golfer or a bad golfer? Byyour handicap. The handicap system reflects the yardstick ofbetter levels of play. It allows players of varying abilities to

compete fairly against each other. This has led to the integrity of thesport.

Golf in Nepal has grown really fast these past few years, both inrelation to skill and the number of players and this has inevitably ledto higher levels of competition. Players are out to scoop prestigiouswins. But here’s what they must pay attention to: their handicap.

The lower a handicap, the better the player, such that a zerohandicap amateur is said to havereached one of the pinnacles ofgolf. A 28 handicap for men and 36for women would indicatebeginners. Because lower

handicappers are more appreciated in the golfing community, it isessential for a player to strive for less. To take pride in suchachievements is expected and accepted because it is no small feat.

To maintain fairness and honesty in the handicap system, allplayers must diligently submit their verified score cards after eachround they play. The essence of handicap allotment comes down toevaluating and averaging verified scores for a minimum of 10 full (18hole) rounds. Recently, major tournaments have seen someconfusion and disappointment because players submitted more thanone handicap.

Compared to othercapital cities, Kathmanduis considered small.However, it has three golfcourses and a number ofgolfers who are membersof all these clubs.Surprisingly, suchmembers often hold uptothree different handicaps,one for each club theyplay in! According tointernational standards, aplayer may have only onelegitimate handicap. Whenplayers hold more thanone handicap, finding outhis actual handicapbecomes confusing anddifficult.

As small as ourgolfing community is, letus keep it honest and

intact. Look at the international standard procedure set by thegoverning bodies of golf to solve this issue. Amongst the guidelinesgiven are:

The local governing body of the sport should have all the golfcourses in the country evaluated for their course and slope ratings.

A player who is a member of more than one club must declaretheir home club and only the home club must maintain the handicap.

Thereafter, when players play any given course, their handicapsare adjusted according to a very well defined system. The bottomline of this system is that if the course being played is more difficultthan the declared home course, the handicap allowance increases.Conversely, if the new course is easier, the allowance is reduced.

According to this internationally recognised handicappingsystem, the player is responsible for sending scores of all roundsplayed anywhere in the world to their home club, including alltournaments participated in. This way, handicaps can be properlymaintained. We have a golf governing body in Nepal and we lookforward to their taking up this issue seriously and promptly. Theresult of quick action will ensure that amateur tournaments continueto be fun and fair.

Deepak Acharya is a golf instructor and Golf Director atGokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu.

prodeepak@hotmail.com

Having more than one handicapis a real handicap

Less is more

hat are you waiting for?Go karting, it’s a brandnew sport in town and

its loads of fun. NarayanKarthekeyan, India’s first formulaone racer started his racing careerwith go karts. Who knows, youmight just be Nepal’s first as well.

“I don’t see why not,” saysKristjan B Edwards, a go kartingenthusiast himself, “In fact, I’mwilling to sponsor good Nepaliriders to go and participate in gokart races in India and othercountries.” Edwards has made ago karting track in Manamaijuunder the Tiger Karts’ banner. Hehad the karts built in Nepal,importing only a few of thecomponents and the engine.

“Go karting not only adds tothe list of fun things to do in theafternoon but could also be ahobby,” says Edwards. At amaximum speed of 40km perhour, you are barely inches off theground as the world goeswhizzing by. The racetrack is240m in length and five m inwidth, longer than most gokarting tracks. It’s easy to get

AARTI BASNYAT

Give me speedaddicted to the speed.

Initially, you feel hesitantabout getting into the seat of akart that looks like a toy but assoon as you are behind the wheeland you feel the rattle of the kart,the whirr of the engine and thewind in your hair, all your fearsare forgotten.

The only thing on your mindis how fast you can go withouthaving to brake for the turns. Theadrenaline rush is addictive once

riders have enough experience tostart racing. Riding karts is assimple as it sounds, with only abrake and an accelerator, thetechnique is: you are eithersitting still or hurtling throughspace.

Edwards plans to have 10karts in total and eight on thetrack. He and his team insist on

Go karts arriveand bring new

thrills to anentertainmentstarved Valley

complete safety. They have tiresall around the track to ensure thatshould a rider crash (and therewill be quite a few of those) therewill be minimal chances ofinjuries. The karts are built withlow centre of gravity so they don’ttip over, even in tight turns athigh speed.

A safety helmet and brightyellow boiler suits are providedto protect the rider. It is analcohol-free zone and anyone whohas visibly tanked up is notallowed on the track. Only thoseabove 15 years are allowed to rideand old age is no bar.

Tiger Karts is planning tohave two systems for itscustomers—the lap system andthe time system. The lap systemwill allow customers to pay for acertain number of laps on thetrack and the time system willallow them to ride according totime limits. Though the prices foreither system have not been set asyet, they plan to make itaffordable for the Nepalipublic.

Contact: Tiger Karts, Tiger Mountain4361500, www.tigermountain.com

KIRAN PANDAY

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Kristjan B Edwards test driving thenew go kart in Manamaiju.Kristjan B Edwards test driving thenew go kart in Manamaiju.

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1 - 7 APRIL 2005 #241

UNDER MY HATKunda Dixit

CDO Regd No. 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No. 04/058/59

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16

he airline industry’s top priority is the safety of its passengers,and that is why it pays special attention to in-flightannouncements which relay vital information to make your

journey smooth and safe.Most passengers tune off when the public address system crackles

with yet another announcement in four languages about en routeweather. If you are one of those frequent fliers who stopped listening toin-flight announcements back in 1983, then you don’t know whatyou’ve been missing. Like this one on a recent domestic flight fromBiratnagar:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your co-pilot. As some of you mayhave noticed we are now taxiing back to the terminal because theCaptain detected a malfunction in one of the engines. Please remainseated, relax and enjoy the infright service. We should be on our way

again shortly as soon as wechange the Captain.”Airlines have to follow strict

ICAO and IATA regulations onpassenger safety, and as planesbecome bigger and more sophisti-

cated, in-flight announcements can last the entire duration of alonghaul flight. In fact, there are so many announcements these daysthat there is no time left anymore on flights to Kathmandu forentertainment and refreshments.

“The pleasure in the cabin is automatically controlled. If thepleasure should fall, oxygen masks will drop, pull the mask towardsyou, clobber your nose and mouth and bleed normally. Passengerssitting below oval-head rockers should keep their helmets looselyfastened at all times. Rife jackets are below your seats, unless they havebeen stolen. In the unlikely event that we have to ditch on water pleasesnitch the one from under the seat next to you.”

With the recent changes in Nepal there are a lot more documents tobe filled out before landing in Kathmandu which means even moreannouncements:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain again. We shall becommencing our descent into Kathmandu shortly. The cabin attendantswill be moving through the aisles distributing arrival paperwork, whichinclude:a) His Majesty’s Government’s Disembarkation Cards for those withvisasb) Visa-on-Arrival Application Form for those without visasc) Visa Rejection Forms for diplomats declared persona-non-gratad) Customs Declaration Forms for those with nothing to declare at thepresent time because of curbs on free speech at destinatione) Yellow Disembarkation Cards for Nepali citizensf) Red Deportation Cards for Nepali citizens who are unsure whetherthey will be detained on arrivalg) Perambulator Re-registration Forms for passengers carrying more thantwo of the said contraband itemh) Compensation Waiver Forms for Daylight Robbery Airport TaxiService, Inc”

Right, now that we have the paperwork completed, time for somemore arrival information:

“Use of mobile phones is prohibited throughout the flight because itmay interfere with aircraft navigation, they are also banned in Nepalbecause they may be used to destabilise the country and send it totallyoff course.”

"Cabin Crew: doors to manual and ejector seat on automatic forblack-listed passenger on seat 11A."

Finally, we touchdown and there is just enough time for one lastannouncement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, in case yoiu hadn't noticed, wehave just landed at Tribhuban Interception Airport in Kathmandu.Please reset your watches back 45 years, and use the emergency exits fordisembarkation.”

In case of emergency,pull handle