Weekly Internet Poll # 451. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

Q. The Maoists’ true intention is:

Weekly Internet Poll # 450

Q. What is your opinion about thefederalism?

Total votes: 4,667

#450 8 - 14 May 2009 16 pages Rs 30

he fast-paceddevelopments of the pastweek with the Maoists

resigning over their sacking ofthe army chief presents us withanother opportunity to get thepeace process and constitutiondrafting back on track.

The row has now gonebeyond just civilian supremacyover the army, with theShaktikkhor Tape confirming aMaoist gameplan for total statecapture. The end game in thatstrategy seems to have beenreplacing the army chief with afriendlier general.

However much Dahal’s partymay try to explain away the tapethe fact is that he has admitted

deceiving the UN and everyoneelse on guerilla numbers andabout his commitment to thedemocratic process. The party’sactions after the resignation, theshow of force on the streets withthreats against the NC and UMLjust confirm Dahal’s wordsspoken to his forces and recordedon tape two years ago.

Dahal has cloaked himself ina martyr complex with hisresignation, but the internationalcommunity and other parties arenow going to take what he sayswith an even bigger pinch of salt.

However, it may be better forthis country to have the Maoistsin government than outside itplaying perpetual victim. Whichis why this crisis provides uswith another chance to start

afresh to cobble together anational government in whichthe Maoists, NC and UML try atie-up that eluded them ninemonths ago.

That best-case scenario may betoo optimistic, however, becausethe trust gap between the Maoistsand the others is now so great.Also, the pound of flesh thecomrades want in return forjoining the government(presidential apology andKatawal removal) are no-no’s forthe other parties.

The other likely line-up is aMJF-Maoist combine, whichwould be like reshuffling thedeck. And the UML staying in theopposition with the NC may be abetter counterbalance to Maoistextremism in government.

The third option is a UML-NCled coalition. The trouble withthis is that it is sure to have thesame tired old faces who areeven less likely than theMaoists to deliver.

All this is unlikely to bedecided by the presidentialdeadline on Saturday.Whichever coalition is puttogether, the new governmenthas to get to work immediately:accelerate the integration andrehabilitation of Maoist forces,crank up the constitution-drafting process and address thecountry’s economic anddevelopment emergency. Aconsensus national governmentwould be the only one that canaddress those dauntingchallenges.

Second chance

STREET OR SADAN: The aisles ofparliament are beginning to resemble

the alleys of the capital withsloganeering Maoist members bringing

proceedings to a halt for the secondstraight day on Wednesday.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

Crisis is anopportunity tostart afresh

ANALYSIS by KUNDA DIXIT

T

2 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450EDITORIAL

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda DixitCEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran MaharjanDGM Sales and Marketing: Sambhu Guragain marketing@himalmedia.comMarketing Manager: Subhash Kumar Asst. Manager: Arjun KarkiCirculation: Prakash Raut

Hatiban, Godavari Road, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845 Fax: 5251013Printed at Jagadamba Press 5250017-19edi tors@nepal i t imes.com

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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

T

CRISISThe president may be the supremecommander of the country as you arguein your online edition (‘Constitutionalcrisis’, www.nepalitimes.com) and itmay be his duty to appoint the COAS,but he is a constitutional president andnot an executive one. In another wordshe is a rubber stamp just like the Indianpresident. The president will stampwhat the prime minister appoints andstamp on who the prime ministerdecides to sack. This is the plain truth.Obviously what is happening in Nepalis a conspiracy, and there is no rule oflaw.

Toksang Tamang, email

The Maoist-leaning civil societystalwarts should remember that thepresident has saved this country fromtotalitarianism by making the right moveat the right time. These self-appointed‘civil society’ protestors whom no oneelected are paid lackeys of the Maoists.

Tirtha Thapa, email

STATELESS STATEI have not missed a single issue ofNepali Times since I left Nepal eight

politics (which is incidentally alsoone of the reasons for Gorkhaland) tomake her/his voice heard in theparliament. Therefore, we aresupporting Jaswant Singh, who is aformer foreign/defence/financeminister of India, so when he speaksit matters and if he wins, his voice,and through him our voice, will beheard in parliament.

Nepali politics does not affect usin any manner, neither does it matterto us. We have been demanding aseparate administrative set up of ourown since 1907. So your argumentthat maybe your ex-king hassomething to do with our demand isbaseless.

’Gorkhali’ is the term used byIndian citizens whose mother tongueis Nepali (in India). We are differentfrom Nepalis in Nepal, so whatapplies to you does not apply acrossthe border. We have hydro-electricity,tea, resources to attract tourism,horticulture, agriculture, medicinalherbs and forests. This is preciselythe reason why the government ofWest Bengal isn’t willing to let us go.

Upendra Mani Pradhan, email

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

USEFUL IDIOTSThis week’s political crisis is the perfect time for the parties topay attention to the real issues that 28 million Nepalis areconcerned about: law and order, prolonged highway closures,jobs, roads, health care and education. As far as the rest of thecountry is concerned the power struggle in Kathmandu ishappening on another planet.

The NC and UML have been given their chance in the pastand couldn’t deliver. In last year’s election the Maoist partywas given a chance, but they showed they aren’t much betterin getting the job done. The Maoist trade union is unrepentantlymilitant. The student wing calls itself ‘revolutionary’ androughs up anyone who dares stand in its way. The YCL isactually a corps of ex-guerrilla commanders. Even withoutcombatants coming out of their temporary camps, theMaoists have enough muscle to intimidate the entirepopulation into submission.

The machinery of the state, the administration, police forceand the armed police are so demoralised that they lack the willto take action against common criminals, political hooligansand even a bunch of teenagers blocking a highway. The NepalArmy used to be above it all, but now the leadership rowthreatens to destroy even that institution.

In the absence of any coercive deterrent, Nepal seems tobe ripe for the Maoist takeover. Pushpa Kamal Dahal told hisguerrillas to be ready for that in his Shaktikhor Tapes. Thatwon’t happen without a fight, and Dahal knows he daren’t goback to war. If the country disintegrates, his forces will besome of the first victims.

Other parties too need to realise that love them or hatethem, ignore Maoists they can’t. It is better for stability and thepeace process to have the Maoists in government than outsideit. Even though it may seem idealistic and unrealistic, this isthe time for all other political parties to stop behaving likeuseful idiots and start looking beyond getting to Singha Durbar.This crisis is the chance they have to bury their differencesand work towards a consensus national government at leastuntil the constitution is written.

Let ussimplify it all foryou: this countryis now dividedbetween thosewho want toseize totalcontrol byviolent meansif necessary, andthose whobelieve indemocracy andpluralism.

he current crisiscomplicates politics for thesimple reason that no side

feels that it has lost. This isn’t awin-win, all sides are smug, theirambitions are stoked, and theyare even more unwilling to makeany concessions.

This has actually been aproblem right since the 12-pointdeal. The king got dumped. Butbesides that, no actor has had torelent on its fundamental interestand offer concessions.

The army, after a temporarycooling-off period, wasrehabilitated and its privilegesprotected. For GPK, April 2006was a moment to take over thestate apparatus and keep the seatwarm for his daughter whileprotecting the interests of the NCclass base. The Maoists saw theentire process, and the polls, as atactical victory on way to totalstate control.

In the last fortnight, thepositions are even moreretrenched. The army’s politicalrole and links and divisions mayhave been exposed, but thegenerals feel they have won ahuge victory and will be even less

But everyone thinks the others lostNo one won

amenable to civilian control. TheMaoists may not have succeededin throwing out Katawal, but theyfeel they have won a moralvictory by resigning and arecomplacent that the politicalstalemate cannot be resolvedwithout them.

UML and MJF think this istheir chance to lead thegovernment. And NC is alreadythrilled at the windfall fromministries it will get to control.

It is a striking paradox that ata time when there is a sense ofcrisis, all political actors actuallythink they have won, the othershave lost and can be weakenedfurther.

Translate this mood intonegotiations on governmentformation. The UML is hoping toget rewarded for foiling Maoistplans on army. The NC is happyto see the left take on the ultra-left. Other key players feel thatthe Maoists have got a bloodynose and should be kept out inthe opposition, even as efforts toprovoke, weaken, and dividethem take root.

After three days of playingvictim, the Maoists are back inthe game to form the government.The resources and patronagedispensation opportunities arejust too tempting. They have toldUpendra Yadav, finally back fromhis holiday, that they maypossibly back him as PM whileretaining control from outside.

The ‘we have not lost’sentiment impacts on integration,too. The Nepal Army has becomemore secure because it nowknows for sure that India will notallow a Maoist takeover of thearmy. This confidence couldeither encourage them to becomemore open to integration, or itcould make them adopt an evenmore hardline stand opposing it.

After the video tape revelations,the latter seems more likely. Lackof progress on integration willsplit the Maoist leadership andweaken them.

The Maoists have become evenmore acutely aware of the need forintegration as a means to takecontrol of the army. Even thoughit is difficult to see how otherscan ever accept unit-wise entrywith space in the commandstructure, the Maoists will notgive up on that plan easily.

They may prefer to continuethe cantonment arrangement than,in their terminology, ‘surrender’their cadre to the army as fodder.As the resignation showed, theyare playing a long-term game.

This is not to say that if therewas a clear winner or loser in therecent crisis, things would havebeen simpler. On the contrary, itwould have invited a conflict:either an army reaction of somesort or Maoist dogmatists pushingtheir adventurism.

Nepal’s political dynamics,and socio-economic structure,dictates that there has to be amulti-class compact. There is noshort cut to reconciling myriadinterests. That was the sprit of thepeace process which has gotwaylaid with the latest crisis.

The Maoists would do well torealise this and curtail theirexcessive ambitions. PKD shoulduse this moment of enormouspopularity within the party todrive home the need forconsensus. The other partieswould do themselves a greatfavour by not letting fear andinsecurity dictate all theiractions. They will also need to beprepared to give up some keyinterests and privileges.

Unlikely as it is, this is thebest-case scenario one can hopefrom last week’s drama.

CHONG ZI LIANG

years go. Despite the country’s slide, yourpaper always offered solutions andprofiled Nepalis who were making adifference despite all odds. But afterfollowing Kunda Dixit’s East-Westtravelblog, I havenever been sodepressed about mycountry. The writingis so vivid andpersonalised that Ialmost cried readingthe one aboutJanakpur (‘State ofstatelessness’,www.nepalitimes.com)I can visualise whatit was like 10 yearsago. I phonedmy 80-year-old oldmother this morningin Dhanusha andshe says thingshave never been sobad. My mother,Nepali Ama, sounded so down andhopeless that my heart went out to her.Thanks for portraying our country’sgritty reality.

Nir Sharma, email

After reading Kunda Dixit ‘Sate ofstatelessness’ about his travels acrossNepal, I couldn’t help thinking, isn’t there anend to all this insanity? I was hoping toreturn to Nepal later this year, now I am

having second thoughts.Nothing seems to changeand it feels like we are insome theatre of theabsurd and macabre. Asthe Janakpur writer says,“Something really hassnapped in our society. Inever thought I wouldever say this, butremember how muchbetter the bad old daysused to be?”

Pemba Lama, USA

BRAND NEPALUnlike what the Beedsays, the debate is notover whether we shouldvote for a right-wing pro-

Hindu party (‘Brand Nepali,’ #448). Ratherpeople are asking if they should vote forGorkhaland or against it.

A Nepali speaking candidate is yet toreach a high enough profile in Indian

38 - 14 MAY 2009 #450OP-ED

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

Aweek is a long time in politics, but this weekseems to be extending into eternity.Anomalies abound: the Nepal Army has two

chiefs, the president is behaving like a chiefexecutive and the resignation of the prime ministerhas made uncertainty once more the only certaintyof Nepali politics.

The formation of a new government isn’t goingto be easy. The arithmetic of the CA is such thateven if a government were to be formed without theMaoists, it would last only as long as Pushpa KamalDahal wishes. The future of the peace process

becomes evenmore precariousas Maoistcombatants intemporary

camps begin to lose hope, and more crucially,patience. The framing of a new constitution and thevery fate of this nascent republic hang in balance aspolitical parties bicker over office.

It may not have been by design, but PushpaKamal Dahal demonstrated that were it not for thedecade-long armed insurgency, parliamentarydemocracy in Nepal would still be a free market forhorse-trading. The risk of totalitarianism can befrightening, but nothing scares people in the streetsas much as the incompetence and dishonesty oftheir leaders.

Meanwhile, President Ram Baran Yadav hasopened a different can of worms by an inventiveinterpretation of his role and responsibilities. Nepalhas been a military state since its inception. FromBhimsen Thapa to Padma Shamsher, every rulerthat lost his control over the army had to make wayfor more ambitious soldiers. In the post-1950decades of political volatility, monarchs used thethreat, and sometimes direct application (asin December 1960 and February 2005) of militaryforce to make prime ministers fall in line or dismissthem arbitrarily.

No one knows about the primacy of the army inNepal better than the former guerilla leader Dahal.But for all his faults and follies (and they arelegion in a man responsible for the death,disappearance, and displacement of thousands ofinnocent Nepalis) Dahal is correct in his assessment

that dual centre of power in a country can lead toeven worse disasters. The office of the presidentneeds to accept that the parliamentary system ofgovernance is the essence of the interimconstitution.

The ‘authority’ Yadav used to restore the CoASagainst the decision of the government violates oneof the fundamental principles of parliamentarydemocracy that holds the executive responsible tothe legislature. The prime minister is the leader of parliament and is subjected to its supremacy.Barring impeachment, the president is exempt fromparliamentary oversight and enjoys a fixed termunder the assumption that every act of thegovernment will be done in his name and on hisbehalf. However, should a difference of opinionarise between the president and the primeminister, the latter must prevail to prevent thedemocratic structure from collapsing. It’s not aboutYadav versus Dahal, the issue is whether democracycan function if the head of state refuses to respectthe boundary of his autonomy.

Yadav’s action has been compared with theauthoritarian decisions of Gyanendra on 4 October,2002. The comparison is unfair to the ousted king:the monarchy had tradition behind it, Nepal’spresidency doesn’t. There are three extraordinarysituations when a head of state may risk hisposition and reputation to take executive action-war, rebellion or economic collapse. Gyanendrafaced all three. Yadav had none that challenged thevery existence of state creating the condition for theapplication of the doctrine of necessity.

Long-term ramifications apart, the army row canhinder the formation and functioning of thegovernment. An exit strategy needs to be devised bythe whiz kids of Shital Niwas to end the deadlockthat their counsel has created.

It’s not about separation of powers or checks andbalances. The constitution has enough institutionsfor these functions. The duty of the president is toactivate another institution when one becomesdysfunctional. The dismissed CoAS should beasked to go to the court to uphold the doctrine ofcivilian supremacy. The president doesn’t need toapologise to the nation, but he must take correctiveaction.

Yadav vs DahalUncertainty is the only certainty in Nepali politics

CHONG ZI LIANG

58 - 14 MAY 2009 #450BUSINESS

World Link

LOS ANGELES: The phone hasnot stopped ringing since Ireached here with bewilderedNepalis trying to understand thenew political situation in Nepal.International newspapers arerunning stories of what could gowrong with Nepal–bad newsalways sells.

Everyone wallows in talk ofdoomsday and a failed state.Many fellow Nepalis in LA–mainly parents attending theirchildren’s graduation–are gratefulto be in a place of optimism ratherthan in their own despairingcountry. Collective loss of hopeactually kills recovery. On the

other hand, collective hope ofeconomic recovery in the US mayjust get the financial sector backon some semblance of a track laterthis calendar year.

The political history of Nepalsince its formation 240 years agohas been turbulent. Economicswere never a priority for the Shahkings, Rana rulers or the politicalparties under the constitutionalmonarchy or under completerepublicanism. The myopia ofegocentric politics and of cryingfoul when not in power haskilled economic development. Inthe US the importance of theeconomy prevails. Just look at thecirculation figures for the WallStreet Journal compared with theNew York Times. People careabout the economy.

The US is a meritocracy.

Establishing a meritocratic economy will improve our political system

You get what you deserveRegardless of their backgroundpeople earn success, be it ineducation, business or evenpolitics. They are not just bornsuccessful or wretched.

Narayanmurthy, one of thefounder members of Infosys inIndia recently launched a book ofhis speeches (A better India, Abetter world). It’s a must-read forNepalis because it is as applicableto Nepal as it was once to India.He talks about India being acountry that was a far cry frombeing a meritocracy–where peoplefought with each other to provewho was more underprivileged.

In Nepal too people wantreservations for jobs, education

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

and social benefits not on thebasis of merit but on the basis oflanguage or belonging to adisadvantaged group. In a worldwhere all societies are competingto be more advanced anddeveloped, we don’t want to shedour under-developed tag or moveon from protectionism.

Good politics is not a pre-requisite for economicdevelopment if societies startmigrating from protectionism tomeritocracy–as we are seeing inIndia. Despite the politicalplayers not having changed muchand the mud slinging at theelections being ever constant, theIndian economy moves on as

people believe that merit in acompetitive society leads toprosperity.

There is little we can do aboutour politicians, 10 years ofpeople’s war, the loss of 14,000lives and the trauma of thethousands that survived the warbut lost their loved ones. But if asa society we start building ourown little spheres of influencearound merit, then maybe wewill one day be able to establish apolitical system based on merit.Let’s give it a try beforepoliticians squander all Nepaliaspirations.

www.arthabeed.com

4 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450NATION

hen export orders at his Malaysian hydraulic hose company fellthis year, production operator Jiblal Shrestha knew his job wason the line. Sure enough, his three-year contract was

terminated prematurely. The 26-year-old is now back at his former job,working as a waiter at Hotel Yeti in Beni.

Myagdi is the district with the highest per capita outmigration inNepal, and there are hundreds like Shrestha who have been laid off andhave come home in the recent months.

“I was lucky I had skills and experience so I found a job in Nepaleasily within a month, but some of my friends have been jobless formonths,” Shrestha said.

Retrenchment is most severe in Malaysia, where foreign labourpolicies have been tightened. Approval for work permits have beenslashed by almost 70 per cent and worker levies doubled.

“It’s like slow poison, remittances will gradually go down,” sayseconomics lecturer Bhola Nath Ghimire, “the crisis could hit us full forceif developed economies do not make a fast recovery.”

Dhaulagiri Corporation, a Beni remittance company, used to handleRs 5 million worth of remittances daily till two years ago, but it has gonedown to Rs 3.2 million a day. Buddha Money Transfer handledRs 50 million in remittances last year, but expects a 20 per cent dropthis year.

The drop in cash inflow has affected land transactions and otherbusinesses. Jiban Biswokarma of the Chamber of Commerce saysinvestment has slumped 40 per cent. Land prices on Beni’s New Roadhas dropped by 20 per cent in the past three months alone.

“All this will increase unemployment because the local labourmarket can’t absorb all the retrenched Nepalis,” says Biswokarma.

However, some remain optimistic and most believe that job securityremains high in the Gulf. Supermarket staffer Shanker Subedi is on atwo-month leave from his job in Qatar and says he will return to hisRs 25,000 a month job.

Despite harsh working conditions abroad most are unable to resistthe attraction of higher paychecks. “Many of those retrenched are stilllining up to apply for foreign employment despite the risks,” says BholaNath Ghimire.

Laxman Khatri, 26, used to earn Rs 35,000 a month in his job as asupervisor at a Dubai steel company, six times more than his currentwage as a computer technician. Laid off three months ago due tofinancial problems within the company, he says: “To repay the loan I’vetaken and to afford my children’s education the only option is for me togo abroad again.”

The government has promised financial aid for the retrenched, butpeople here in Myagdi are demanding more should be done in the long-term to generate local employment through investments in tourism,cottage industries and agriculture.

“Our government lacks bargaining power when it comes toformulating foreign labour policies and regulating employment,” saysRamji Prasad Subedi of the Dhaulagiri Finance Corporation, “Nepalisare the first to be laid off when foreign companies face a downturn.The welfare and rights of Nepali workers must be better protected inforeign lands.”

As foreign workers return,Myagdi is buffeted by theglobal financial crisis

Feelingthe pinch

HARD TIMES: Farmer Kadevi Chhantyal, 32, (centre), of Kuine MangileVDC collects remittance at a finance corporation in Beni. In the past, herhuband, who works as a wielder at a steel company in Dubai, used tosend back as much as Rs 100,000 but the amount has decreasedrecently.

KONG YEN LIN in BENI

W

KONG YEN LIN

6 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

A video of Pushpa Kamal Dahal addressing thecombatants in Shaktikhor cantonment inJanuary 2008 was broadcast by Image Channel on6 May. In it, Dahal says he hoodwinked the UNinto taking 20,000 guerrillas into thecantonments when there were only 7,000. Healso urges them to prepare for ultimaterevolution. In a statement on Tuesday, Dahalsaid the “dated file tape” which was madeduring the election campaign “lacked relevance”.Below are excerpts from the speech:

ElectionsFirst, let me assure you that the elections willnot happen. But we cannot share thisunderstanding. We must insist that the countryneeds elections as that it is the only way out. Ifwe show enthusiasm, then they will stop theprocess. You may remember that in June, beforethe peace process, I said that if it looks like we

will win they will not let it happen. And if itlooks like they will win, we will not let ithappen. Either way, I have said there will be noelections. I was never confused about that. If itlooks like the Maoists are going to win, thereactionaries, America and India, together willprevent the elections.

When we win, we will just create a new lawthat includes our people and cuts those from theother side. Once we become the rooster, pleasepardon the expression, why would we need toobey the verification?

IntegrationFrom the start, I have said that we do not needsuch a large national army. Let’s keep it between30,000 and 50,000. Ours may drop from 20,000to 10,000, let’s just say. You heard what Katawalsaid the other day–even if the army absorbs only3,000 Maoist combatants, the whole army will befinished. He said a mere 3,000 could destroy

Maoists tricked UNMIN

ROBIN SAYAMI/NAGARIK

their 100,000. That is true. It will be under ourtotal influence.

If there are no elections, we will win through amovement. We will first capture power, and thenwork on integration. We will not throw all of themout, as it will be necessary to keep some of them.We will reduce them systematically and bring thearmy under our leadership.

Integration will happen in this way. It will nothappen one-by-one, on an individual basis. Wewill do it unit-wise. Our battalions and theirs willbe separate, under one command. Our people willalso be in command. The plan is to ‘democratise’the army, which means to politicise it. It’ll takefive to seven years to do that. If we are really goingto have integration, the way to do it is unit-wise,so that our units remain with us. This isimportant: if we do it unit-wise, we can react if weare betrayed.

MartyrscompensationNow, about the 600million for thecantonments, we willuse this for the revolt.We need money toprepare for the revolt.Remember my pointabout the need for 100million, to bring it all ina truck. We need moneyfor what the truckcarries, nobody gives itfor free. We don’t haveenough money for that.Of the 60 crore, you willtake a little bit, andabout 200 million willcome to us. Just imagine

the preparations we can do with 200 million. Lookdeeper, and you will understand how the braveparty is preparing for revolt.

VerificationBecause we have thousands in the People’sLiberation Army, everybody is petrified, even now.The Congress and UML don’t want to admit it, butthey feel the fear.

Our army has grown significantly. Speakinghonestly, we were few before the compromise. Wewere at 7,000 to 8,000. If we had reported that, wewould have had 4,000 left after verification.Instead, we claimed 35,000, and now we have20,000. This is the truth. We cannot tell others, butall of you and I know the truth. And on theoutside, we have created the YCL infrastructureand we have thousands in the YCL.

Longer version of excerpted transcript onwww.nepalitimes.com

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Positive moveEditorial in Annapurna Post,5 May

PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal’sresignation over the army issuesignals a new direction for Nepalipolitics. By resigning he hasdemonstrated his political ethicsand understanding–though itwould have been more effective ifhe had resigned when the otherparties were protesting againstdismissing Army ChiefRookmangud Katawal.

Prachanda has also made iteasier for other parties in thegovernment to continueimplementing the peace process.

Now that the PM has resigned,it is up to NC, UML and the otherparties to act with politicaldiscipline, far-sightedness andwisdom. Learning from theconflicts that the Maoistgovernment has had to face overthe last nine months is the biggestchallenge for these parties. In fact,if the parties had worked togetherfrom the beginning and formed apolitical consensus today’ssituation would never havehappened.

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Admit itEditorial in Kantipur, 5 May

Recent political events reveal thatthe government is still largelyrunning under the shadow of thearmed forces and a single head ofstate. The president’s move tooverturn the Maoist decision hasraised a number of constitutionaland political concerns. Dahal’sresignation was an easyconclusion. In his speech, heexpressed commitment to ademocratic state. But the Maoists’behaviour on the streets seems tosay otherwise.

By overturning the Maoists’decision, the president has createdthe impression that he controlsthe army. By taking matters intohis own hands as though he werevested with executive power, thepresident over-reached hislegitimate rights which are limited

to bringing official attention todeviations and taking advicefrom the Supreme Court. Thismove makes his intentions seempolitical and unconstitutional.

In a statement on Monday,the president attempted anunconvincing explanation for hismove on Sunday. However, if hewants to regain the people’srespect, he needs to admit to hismistake and assure them thatexecutive powers will be underthe control of the newgovernment.

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Impeach YadavEditorial, Janadesh, 7 May

History has repeated itself. Thecowardice on the part of thepolitical parties has permittedPresident Ram Baran Yadav todepend on foreign powers andattempt to take the role that theking took earlier.

Constitutionally, thepresident cannot do anythingwithout the cabinet’srecommendation. But Yadavwent so far as to overturn thecabinet’s decision. The politicalparties went one step further thistime, encouraging Yadav toundertake a ‘coup’. This clearlyproves that these parties believein army totalitarianism overpeople’s supremacy. The NC hasalways had questionable roots.But in this episode it is theUML’s reputation that has fallenmiserably.

This affair is a warning signof the delicacy of Nepalinationalism and sovereignty.Indian ambassador Rakesh Soodhad been meeting the primeminister every day to tell himnot to sack Katawal.

The Nepali people will nowtake to the streets to support thecourageous decision of thegovernment they had elected.Voices for Nepali nationalismand against foreign interventionshould echo in the parliament. Aproposal of impeachment againstRam Baran Yadav should bepresented to the legislativeparliament.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

78 - 14 MAY 2009 #450CONSTITUTION 2010

here is a need for a holisticapproach to federalism. Care to betaken in ensuring an equitable

distribution of natural resources (forest,water, places of tourism potential) andinclusion of ethnic and linguistic groupsin the proposed structure.

So far, proposals have centred onethnically-demarcated and named federalunits. But there is a need for an approachthat also addresses the country’s nationalintegrity, sovereignty and the economicsustainablility of the regional units.

As has been pointed out by manydemographers, geographers and socialscientists, ethnic-based demarcation wouldbe disastrous, and we have already seenprecursors to communal violence evenduring the transitional period. Tensions areflaring not just between Pahad and Madhesbut within ethnicities in the mountainsand in the plains. State restructuringshould aim to address existing injusticesand inequalities as well as futurepotentials. Smaller ethnic groups shouldnot be dominated by the major ethnic orlinguistic groups within a federal unit.

There is a close ecologicalinterdependence between the Tarai andhills. The grain-basket of the plains needthe regulation of water in the mountains toprevent floods and provide irrigation.Forests in the mountains ensure ground-water recharge and prevent rising of riverbeds. Increased productivity in the Tarai,on the other hand, ensures food security inthe mountains. The plains control access to

SUSHIL BHATTARAI

A federal eco-systemLet’s also take ecological regions into accountwhen delineating future federal unitsthe mountains, while the mountainscontrol water that flows down to theplains. There is no way but for the twoto co-exist in a highland-lowlandinteractive system.

The challenge therefore is for us to comeup with a workable solution that reducescommunal tension, preserves ethnic pride,promotes economic development andprotects the environment for the long-termbenefit of all Nepalis.

At present, the government is facingchallenges to support sustainabledevelopment in the five current regions and75 districts using resources from the centre.Local resources are either unmanaged or notenough to initiate development activities.

Current regions and zones address thesymbiotic relationship between the hillsand plains with river boundaries to theeast and west. These five developmentregions are just the right size to serve asfederal states. The sub-units could thenaddress the need to include various ethnicand linguistic groups, fair representation ofDalits and other disadvantaged. Theboundaries of existing districts,municipalities, VDCs and wards can thenbe re-delineated to accommodate the aboveissues. The major ethnic groups wouldthen automatically have a say in futurefederal units.

While delineating state boundaries, thetopography, geographical setting and richbiodiversity of Nepal must be taken into

consideration so that a harmoniousinterdependence can be maintainedbetween the people in the hills, mountainsand Tarai through an integrated eco-systemapproach. One way to do this would be touse Nepal’s main rivers as a criteria fordelineating state boundaries by namingthem Kosi, Gandaki or Karnali.

To do this, representatives of politicalparties must sit with groups agitating forethnic autonomy and experts to sort outtheir rival claims and ensure that no futureprovince is short-changed. A fair deal forfuture economic development must ensure

he debate about how thecivil service will be run hasnot started yet because the

federal authority still has to decideon the local, provincial and federaladministration. However, it is oneof the important issues to beaddressed.

Nepal has great geographicdiversity with high mountains,hills and lowland Tarai. There hasto be coordination between theprovinces and we’ve got to retainthe age-long relationship betweenthese territories.

Kathmandu alone has 42 percent share of the total nationalrevenue collection. If we add therevenue of Parsa, Morang,Rupandehi and Banke toit, that makes 85 per cent of thenational revenue.

There are places which haveinsignificant revenue collectionand the regions without resourcescan make little progress. It wouldbe counter-productive to createprovinces based only on languageand ethnicity: it will only increasethe gap between the rich and poor,resulting in conflict.

Administrative managementshould be three-tiered: central,

provincial and local. Themandatory central administrationlooks after overall administrationbut it should not impose orinterfere in local units. The mostimportant thing is that theadministrative structure isefficient and approachable,responsible and transparent. Itshould also embody regional andethnic inclusiveness andprofessionalism.

The structure should be pro-public and guarantee goodgovernance. The centraladministration can controlnational planning, implementation

and evaluation, national security,states of emergency, foreignaffairs, national resources andtheir equal distribution andeconomic and financial policies.

The judiciary, universities,public service commission,election commission, securityauthorities and national armyshould be run by the centre withthe local units carrying policiesand programs. The appointment ofdiplomats, central bank, highway,development infrastructure,treaties and understanding withforeign countries will be federalissues.

Local resources willeventually be managed at a locallevel though permission will needto be sought from the centre ifthere is an issue relating to morethan one province. The centreshould play a role of facilitatoruntil the provincial and localadministrations are self-reliant.

We also need to have auniform policy about the privatesector and non-governmentalorganisations. The aim of a federalsystem is to strengthen provincialand local government. The morerights the provincial and localpeople are given, the moreownership they feel overgovernment policies andprograms.

We need to find the expertsand human resources that theprovinces require. We mustcalculate the number of peoplerequired at a local level and thenumber of people that thatprovince can recruit. Provincialgovernments may hire experts oncontracts instead of recruiting anunnecessary number of people. Itprovides the government withefficient and skilled manpower tosuit their requirements and savesit from unnecessary financialburdens.

Shyam Prasad Mainali issecretary at the Ministry of Youthand Sports. .

The civil service in the new federal Nepal should beefficient, result-orientated and approachable

Amiable bureaucracy

COMMENTShyam PrasadMainali

T

T

an equitable distribution of hydropowerpotential, topography, demographics,agriculture, infrastructure possibilities andplaces of economic importance. Care mustbe taken to address the special needs ofthose marginalised, even within theexcluded ethnicities and regions.

Sushil Bhattarai is a consultant onEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA)and Natural Resource Management and hasserved 36 years in government, including asRegional Administrator in the Far-WestDevelopment Region.

HELEN ARTHY

Police administration,industrial security forces,issuance of passports andcitizenship certificates,maintaining and updating recordsof people’s property, managementof transport, real estate,implementation of developmentprojects, labour, road and forest management will be taken care ofat a provincial level with aseparate bureaucratic mechanism.The provincial government willdevelop an independent systemregarding recruitment and setterms and conditions for theirservice.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

8 NIGHT LIFE

or a capital city, Kathmandu certainly goes to sleep pretty early.By eight, traffic-logged streets are empty, a motorcycle headshome catching street dogs and stray cattle in its headlights.

Kathmandu always closed down early, but now with thepower cuts it goes to bed even earlier. Even when electricity isavailable, street lamps are often dim and spread too widely toilluminate the gallis. Yet, in the back alleys of Kathmandu city-zenshave found a way around in the dark.

As darkness falls, street vendors turn on battery-powered lamps inan effort to hawk the remainder of their wares. Corner conveniencestores use candles. Mina Tamang deftly measures out a kilo of tomatoesfor a customer under the orange glow of the flame.

Bonfires are also a common sight. As the working day draws to aclose, Sanu Basnyat burns the rubbish in front of his store. The Basnyatfamily gathers around the warmth of the flames. “We don’t do thisevery day, just sometimes when it’s cold,” says his son, Narvin.Finally, the fire dies out and Basnyat packs up his store. Elsewhere, themetal clanks of shutters rolling down can be heard. Like the rest ofKathmandu, even the gallis are turning in for the night.

TEXT AND PICTURES BY CHONG ZI LIANG

With or without lights,life goes on inKathmandu's gallis

LifeafterDark

F

98 - 14 MAY 2009 #450

10 NATION 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450

he oppressive afternoon heat and acurfew had kept people off thestreets of Gaighat all day. Even the

dogs have gone indoors. The silence issuddenly broken by the sound of anapproaching motorcycle, it is a macho-looking 123 cc Enticer and riding it is awoman in T-shirt and jeans.

The sight would make one sit up andtake notice even in Kathmandu. But here,in the middle of nowhere, in the capital ofone of the most deprived districts ofeastern Nepal, it is stunninglyincongruous. Locals have got used to seeingNajbul Khan Nilam roar around town inone of her mercy missions to rescuebattered women, take mothers to hospitalor take trafficked children back to theirfamilies.

“The motorcycle is the message,”explains Nilam, “it shows women what itmeans to be independent and empowered.But it is also practical to have a bigger bikebecause I have to sometimes carry twowomen on the back.”

It is rare enough to find a womanactivist like Nilam in rural Nepal and it iseven more surprising that she is Muslim.She understood very early in her childhoodwhat it meant to bear the triple burden ofdiscrimination within her family, hercommunity and society at large. When herfather discouraged her from going to school,she enrolled in adult literacy classes andgraduated.

Her brothers set fire to her books andkurta suruwal. “That is when I decided to

KUNDA DIXIT in UDAYAPUR

Lighting a lampActivist’s work shows there is nopoint just cursing the darkness

only wear jeans,” she says. Then shetaught herself to drive a Vikram Tempoand worked on the Gaighat-Jaljale route,just to show other women that it waspossible to earn a living that way.

Seeing victims of domestic violencein her community, women abandoned bytheir husbands, and seeing the traumasuffered by young girls rescued from

Muldhar gets about 20 cases permonth, and many of them are womenwhose husbands have divorced themsimply by saying “Talak” three times.Nilam, whose inspiration is maverickBangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, isdetermined to fight it. “We are in Nepal,and it is Nepali law that should prevail,”she says, “and if men can divorce theirwives by saying Talak then women shouldalso be allowed to do so.” It is such talkthat earns Nilam death threats, but shesays she has got used to them.

Nilam’s phone rings. A ten-year-oldgirl has been raped by a 67-year-old manin an adjoining village. She rushesdownstairs, guns her bike and is off in acloud of dust. We find later she hasbrought the man to the police and startedlegal proceedings with help from a womanlawyer.

Last week, Nilam travelled toKathmandu in an ambulance carrying awoman who had been severely burnt inthe neck and body in an acid attack by herhusband. She raised the money for theambulance by persistently badgeringofficials. “She is one headstrong woman,”said a district administration officer,“anyone else would have just given up.”

Nilam is appalled at her district’s highmaternal mortality rate. Frequent highwayblockades have cost many more lives. Soher next project is to raise money toacquire a maternity ambulance that canrush women to the nearest good hospitalin Dharan and have the equipment onboard for delivery.

Says Nilam: “I’d like to drive theambulance myself.”

hose who weredisappeared during the‘people’s war’ were the

direct victims but the familiesthey leave behind are alsovictims. Their relatives are stillunaccounted for, and now theyhave to endure the agonisinguncertainty of whether or notthey are dead or alive.

The International Committeeof the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nepalthis week released the reportFamilies of Missing Persons inNepal: A Study of Their Needs. Itemphasises the needs, rather thanrights, of the families. The studyis based on interviews anddiscussions in 10 districts,accounting for 43 per cent of themissing persons in Nepal. Formost families the right to truth,justice and reparation are not asimportant as survival andknowing what happened to theirloved ones.

They talk about their dailystruggle for livelihood, lack ofjobs and money. They still don’twant to believe their loved ones

Without a traceare dead. Although last rites canbe performed in the absence of abody in our culture, manyfamilies refuse to do so. Wives ofthe disappeared facediscrimination and ostracisationby their family members and livein terrible conditions.

Although justice is not apriority, families want thoseresponsible for the disappearanceof their relatives to be prosecutedand they reject amnesty outright.They believe that the trialsshould be accessible to victimsand should be held in their localarea. Most families thinkreparation and compensationmust await truth. However, theydo demand interim relief and tohave the missing acknowledged asmartyrs and memorials built ifand when the truth of their fate isknown.

YasodhaSharma ofBaglung is thewife of SuryaPrasadShrama, 35,who wastaken byNepal Army

in January 2002. “I have beendying every day since myhusband was taken away sevenyears ago. First tell me who gavethe orders to take my husbandaway. Tell my three childrenwhy their father is not cominghome so they don’t wait for himanymore. If he is dead tell ushow he was killed and give methe names of those who orderedhis prosecution. Give me hisdead body and then only comeand talk about reparations.”

RamKumarBhandariof Lamjungis the son ofTej BahadurBhandariwho was 55when he

went missing in December 2001.“The government is trying topass the disappearance billthrough ordinance. Why weren’twe consulted? As families of thevictims, don’t we have a bigstake in the process? They arejust not ready to face us anddiscuss why innocent people

were taken, which is why theyare trying to rush the process.”

JaiKishoreLabh ofDhanushais the fatherof SanjivKarna, 23,who wentmissing in

October 2003. “I dream at nightthat my son is back and when Iwake up he is not there. Loss ofa son means loss of pension. If aperson kills another they areseverely punished. Our lawseven have provisions to punishthose who are involved in pettycrime. So why are the lawssilent when a person isinvolved in the disappearanceof another?”

PremNeupaneof Gorkha isthe brotherof DipakNeupane,30, who wasdisappearedin February

For the families of the disappeared, knowing wheretheir loved ones are is more important that reparation

MALLIKA ARYAL

T2004 in Kaski. “Only the familiesof those who went missing knowwhat it is like to live in theuncertainty of whether or nottheir loved ones are dead or alive.Give me his corpse if he is deador tell me where he is if he isalive.”

Ram UjagirChaudhariof Kapilbastuis the brotherof Hari RamChaudhari,27, who wasdisappeared inOctober 2003.

“Any news of my brother makesthe family alive but we are metwith disappointment again andagain. My family dies every day.We haven’t performed his lastrites and we are stigmatised bysociety. Who is going to restoreour social prestige? Who isgoing to educate my brother’skids? Who is going to lookafter us?”

See also:'The long, long wait', # 409'How can we forget?' # 389

traffickers Nilam decided to devote her lifeto help them. She set up Muldhar(Mainstream Women Service Centre) toaddress problems specific to women,Dalits, indigenous groups, Madhesis andMuslims in Udaypur district. In the cornerof Muldhar’s office, there are mattressesstacked high, for rescued women who havenowhere to go.

T

MOTORCYCLE RESCUERS: Najbul Khan Nilam and colleague Mamitra Ale Magar of thewomen’s group Muldhar in Udayapur, which works with women from disadvantaged groupsin the district.

118 - 14 MAY 2009 #450NATION

n the May sky, we have the ringed planet Saturn in theevening, mighty Jupiter before dawn and some shooting starsearly in the month.

As far as stars are concerned, at 8PM you can easily identifythe bright constellation Leo the lion just overhead–it looks like aninverted question mark. At the base of the question mark, locate thebright star Regulus, which falls directly in the Ecliptic, theimaginary path of the planets. The bright star-like object to the east

of Regulus is Saturn.To the west from Leo, the

faint constellation Cancer thecrab, can be seen only from adark location. If you canidentify it, don’t miss the Bee-

hive star cluster, best seen through a pair of binoculars. Further tothe west, you may find the constellation Gemini the twins above thewestern horizon.

To the east of Leo, there is another faint constellation Virgo thevirgin, with the bright star Spica. To the north of Virgo, is the smallconstellation Coma Berenices and the fuzzy Coma Cluster of stars.To the east of Coma, there is the bright star Arcturus in theconstellation of Bootes the herdsman.

Don’t miss the brilliant Big Dipper (Saptarshi) display in thenorthern skies. At the ‘handle’ of the Big Dipper, identify the doublestar Mizar-Alcor that is visible to the naked eye. Please note thatthe two end stars of the Big-Dipper’s bowl point to the North Star(Polaris).

The Eta-Aquarid meteor shower peaked on 5 May, when theEarth passed through the centre of a dust trail left by Halley’sComet when it visited us in 1986. As bits of Halley strike theEarth’s upper atmosphere, we experience a meteor showerproducing up to 30 shooting-stars an hour. Look towards the southeast to the constellation Aquarius (where Jupiter is now located) inthe early morning hours.

Other Highlights for May:Mercury is at inferior conjunction (almost directly in front of theSun) on 18 May. We may just be able to glimpse it after sunset, atthe very start of May, but it will soon disappear and we won’t see itagain this month.

Venus is rising an hour or so before the Sun and we may be ableto see the brilliant 'Morning Star' very low in the east at dawn.Don’t confuse it with Jupiter, which is further right and somewhathigher up.

Mars is also in the morning sky, coming up in the east a fewminutes after Venus. But the Red Planet is very much fainter thanVenus, and will be virtually impossible to observe this month. Jupiter is rising in the south-east in the early hours of the morningand it is well up in the south-eastern sky at dawn. If you’re familiarwith the three bright stars of the 'Summer Triangle', you will findJupiter far below them. Saturn, in Leo, is overhead at dusk, and doesn’t set until dawn.Located well to the left of the bright star Regulus, Saturn appearsbrighter than Regulus, and shines with a steady, untwinkling light. kedarbadu(at)gmail.com

Steady untwinkling Saturn isoverhead from dusk til dawn

Planets abound

STARGAZINGKedar S Badu

eparting from its usuallarger-than-lifetheatrical productions,

this year Studio 7 is daring toperform Samuel Beckett’s mostfamous absurdist work Waitingfor Godot, directed by SabineLehmann.

The play opens with twocharacters, Vladimir and Estragonwho, as the title suggests, arewaiting for a person called Godot.The men clown around, jokingand arguing, as they wait throughone day and then another, for themysterious Godot.

They are later joined by Pozzoand his servant Lucky who

A play in which nothinghappens–twice

introduce the tension of socialinequality to the play.

Surprising, delighting andconfounding its audiences sincethe 1950s Waiting for Godot, likeall works in the theatre of theabsurd genre, lacks aconventional plot yetprovocatively explores thecomplexity of the humancondition. In fact you couldargue that nothing at all happensin the first half of the play–andthe second is a repetition of thefirst. But that very absence of aplot–and of the mysteriousGodot–will prompt discussionand personal interpretations

from the audience.Unlike the other productions

put forward by Studio 7, Waitingfor Godot has an all Nepali cast,bringing actors together fromvarious backgrounds. Theestablished cast at Studio 7 havedecided to opt out this time,giving younger players a chance toenchant and provoke theaudience.

Waiting for Godot plays at theNaga Theatre in Hotel Vajra everyFriday, Saturday and Sundayfrom 8 May-24 May. Allperformances start at 7.15 PM.4271545

D

MALIKA ARYAL

I

12 INTERNATIONAL 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450

HERE AND THEREDaniel Lak

ripping issues may be inshort supply for thecountry’s 700-million

plus voters who seemunderwhelmed by the parade ofpolitical ambition on display inrecent weeks. But just take a lookaround the region.

Sri Lanka’s relentless andbrutal campaign against the TamilTigers is on the brink of success.No one knows yet at what cost tocivilian lives. Pakistan’s armyseems serious as it ramps upmilitary pressure on the Taliban,engaging them in Dir, Buner andsoon Swat.

And then there’s Nepal. Thedeepening stand-off over GeneralKatawal’s attempted dismissalhas plunged the country intomurky and frightening newterritory. The mother of all powervacuums looks set to ensue.

Meanwhile, India’s netas keepon making promises and flingingmud but largely ignoring theregion’s turmoil. Nationalpower, they know, doesn’t lie inleading the way to peace in

neighbouring states.Yes, the UPA government

remains in place and is free–evenunder India’s strict model code ofconduct–to take decisions oncrucial issues of foreign policy.But External Affairs MinisterPranab Mukherjee is facing atough election fight in his WestBengal constituency and even hislegendary work ethic is beingtested by the bulging files thatkeep dropping on his often emptydesk at South Block.

Not just in New Delhi but innational capitals around theworld, India’s claim on politicalleadership across South Asia iswidely accepted. True, Chinamight have a thing or two to saybut even Beijing believes thatcountry’s should be free to leadthe way in their ownneighbhourhoods.

Washington, London, Berlinand Brussels know that India is akey player in regional affairs thathas to be onboard beforeforeigners take new initiatives.

UNMIN in Nepal neededIndia’s grudging approval.Norway failed in Sri Lanka, inpart because New Delhi wasn’tkept in the loop by aScandinavian style peace effort

that was viewed as increasinglypartisan.

Nor can India be de-linkedfrom a role in internationalattempts to undermine Islamismin Pakistan and ease the countryinto a more secular andprosperous future. Washington’sspecial envoy, AmbassadorRichard Holbrooke, is at pains to

treat Delhi’s powerful diplomatsand ministers as near-equals inhis attempts to sort things out inthe Af-Pak region.

So what to do when NewDelhi, political New Delhi, hasits eye off the ball during anunprecedented series of regionalfirestorms erupt and intensify.Well, if you’re the Maoists inNepal you make your move,accuse the Indian bureaucrats ofbeing partial to the Army, andhope that high risk carries highrewards. In poker, they call thisgoing 'all-in', shoving all yourmoney into the middle of thetable and daring everyone else tojoin the game and see just whatcards you're holding. Otherplayers at this particular tablewill probably make India part oftheir bid for power too, bettingon a total breach between theneighbouring country and theoutgoing Maoists.

Sri Lanka’s government takesa more subtle line. Begged twoweeks ago by senior officialsfrom Delhi to tone down anoffensive that was whipping upturmoil in electorally crucialTamil Nadu, they make visibleconcessions while keeping upthe military pressure in less

obvious ways.In other words, their soldiers

are still blasting away with gunsand mortars but they’ve stoppedbombing and shelling with heavyartillery. Non-combatants are stilldying, but less obviously.

Even Pakistani leaders(civilians only of course, thearmy needs a hostile India tojustify its grip on power andresources) have been reaching outquietly and secretly to India.They want desperately for Delhi,still angry over the Mumbaiattacks of 26/11, to renewdialogue and shore up efforts torebrand the Taliban and Al Qaedathe main existential threats totheir nation.

Even a distracted India playsits designated role in thisbenighted region. After theelections, look for fast action onforeign policy, involving Nepal,Sri Lanka and Pakistan.Diplomats and bureaucrats,however much maligned by thelikes of Baburam Bhattarai, can’tbe expected to take boldinitiatives or think outside thebox. It’s beyond their pay scale.Pray for an Indian election resultof your choice, but pray it comessoon.

There goes the neighbourhoodWhat a time to hold elections in India

G

138 - 14 MAY 2009 #450MUSIC

ver the last five years the bandKutumba has revived forgotten folktunes from villages and brought

them to the mainstream music scene.Celebrating their fifth anniversary on9 May, they aim to continue bringing life totunes from old forgotten instruments suchas tungna, arbajo, sarangi and dhimay andto continue to create music which the bandmembers characterise as new age folk.

At the beginning, Kutumba was a groupthat was formed on a whim–a couple offriends playing together.

Their first album Forever Nepali FolkInstrumental was launched in 2004 andsince then they have performed atfundraisers for the flood victims,collaborated with various artists to create apeace song and released another twoalbums- Folk Roots and Naulo Bihani andtoured throughout the country. They alsoperformed the back score for the featurefilm God lives in the Himalayas.

“Our music has always has been aboutgiving back to society”, says Pavit

Maharjan, the band’s percussionist.Currently they are working on the Danish-funded project Kutumba Sanga Hatemelo,which involves researching and preservingthe diversity of traditional music andinspiring other musicians in this field.

A memorable performance for all theband members and an inspiration for theirfourth album would be their concert atJanakpur, a place that has never heardorchestral folk tunes like theirs. ‘Mithila’,their new album, which consists of seven

New age folk

O

songs is dedicated to Maithili culture,festivals and traditions. This will bereleased on 9 May at Rastriya Nach Ghar.This concert which celebrates Newari,Gaardharva and Maithali culture is acontinuation of their Hatemalo series.

Free passes for the concert are available atEast and West Music Box, Thamel. Show isfrom 4-6PM. 4256411

Shradha Basnyat

SAM KANG LI

14 8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450CITY

ABOUT TOWN

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Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepalwww.jainepal.com

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker re-team for the ultimate chapter ofFast & Furious where they head back to the streets where it allbegan. When a crime brings them back to LA, fugitive ex-conDom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner(Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy,Dom and Brian must give into an uncertain new trust if they hopeto outmaneuver him. And, from convoy heists to precision tunnelcrawls across international lines, the two men will find thebest way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possiblebehind the wheel.

For inclusion in the listing send information to editors(at)nepalitimes.com

KATHMANDU VALLEY

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

The storm of last Sunday morning brought welcome relief toValley dwellers not just in the form of much needed rain but alsoclearer air. The coming week will see the onset of heavy dailyshowers over the weekend as we steadily approach the monsoonwith maximum temperatures remaining at around 28 degreesCelsius and humidity inching up to 51 per cent on Sunday whenwinds will be lighter than they have been of late.

KATHMANDU

Fri Sat Sun

28-17 27-17 26-17

EXHIBITIONSA Homage to Heritage, an exhibition by Birendra Pratap Singhat Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal Revisited from till13 May, 11AM- 6PM. 4218048 Silent Witnesses, an exhibition by Aymeric Hamon at theAllaince Francaise Garden, 16 May, 10 AM.

EVENTSYoga for Holistic Health 9 -10AM and Meditation 5-6PM, till8 May at Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre, KesharMahal Marg, Thamel. 4410402The Horn of Shame, artistic performance by Salil SubediKanika & Karl Knapop, 8 May, 6.30 PM, Alliance FrancaiseWaiting for Godot, a play by Samuel Beckett, Hotel Vajra,8-24 May at 7.15 PM. 4271545Workplace Bullying, a talk program, 24 May at The New EraInstitute,Battisputali. 9851023958.IPL 2009, watch IPL 2009 live matches at Rox Bar HyattRegency Kathmandu at 4491234Call for entries for Film South Asia till 31 May, documentariesmade in and after January 2007 qualified. 5552141

MUSIC1974 AD concert featuring Deep Shrestha, 8 May, PatanMuseum, 6PMLouis Bertignac & Bijaya Vaidya concert, with SAC MUSIC,Academy Hall, 23 MayThe Kathmandu Chorale presents -Enjoy Life, a springconcert at the British School, Jhamsikhel,16 May, 3.30PM-6PM

TGIF at Jazzabella Café every Wednesday and Friday.2110475Roots, a musical performance by Bob Manes along DesmondO’Flattery and Anthony Correll, 5.30- 8 PM. Lazimpat GalleryCafe. 4428549Kathmandu express, performance by International Acts,7.30 PM onwards, free entry at Moksh.Live band every Friday and rooftop bbq everyday at KausiKitchen, Durbar Marg. 4227288Sunday Jazz brunch barbecue and live jazz music at theTerrace, Hyatt Regency from 12-3.30 PM. 4491234Jazz evening at Delices de France Restaurant everyWednesday, 11AM-2PM. 4260326Epic, at the Brunchilli- the Acoustic Lounge every Friday,Thamel. 9851035437Strings Band live every Tuesday at G’s Terrace Restaurantand Bar, Thamel.Wednesday Melody at Jazzabell Café, Happy hour 6-8PM andTGIF party with live band Epic every Friday at 8PM. 2114075Some like it hot every Friday BBQ and live music by DineshRai and the Sound Minds, 7PM onwards, Rs 899 at Fusion,Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488Happy cocktail hour, 5-7PM, ladies night on Wednesday withlive unplugged music at Jatra Café & Bar.Live Sensation, performance by Yankey every Saturday, 9PM,Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. 4491234.Fusion and Looza Band every Friday night, Bhumi RestoLounge, Lazimpat. 4412193

DININGWeekend Brunch by the Poolside every Saturday and Sunday,Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu ,11AM-3PM. 4273999Pizza & Pasta at the RoxRestaurant every Monday &Tuesday, starts from 13 April,Hyatt Regency. 4489362Pasta pesto passion at LaDolce Vita, Thamel. 4700612Home made pasta at Alfresco,Soaltee Crowne Plaza.4273999Gourmet trout at Olive Garden,6PM onwards at Rs 850+,Radisson Hotel, Lazimpat. 4411818Chez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BabarMahal Revisited. 4263070High tea with scones and sandwiches everyday at the Loungefrom 4.30-6.30 PM, Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. 4491234Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle-East at The Café, Hyatt Regency. 4491234Nhuchhe goes Thai at Nhuchhe’s Thai Kitchen, Baluwatar.4429903Fusion of Marcela Ragan’s new menu and Mannie’s new barat Dhokaima Café. 5522113Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri La, Kathmandu, Rs 600.4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operatedby Dwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM. 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la withlive performance by Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the ShambalaGarden, every Friday 7PM onwards. 4412999

8 - 14 MAY 2009 #450 15HAPPENINGS

WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE: Maoists organised a torch rally in theValley after a demonstration in Ratna Park on Tuesday. Thedemonstration was in support of Pushpa Kamal Dahal's resignation fromprime ministership.

CHONG ZI LIANG

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

ON THE MOVE: Astonished Maoist cadres capture the PM's resignationspeech on mobile phones at Khula Manch on Monday.

BRAIN FREEZE: Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a pressconference on Wednesday to clarify the controversial video releasedthe day before.

WRITE ON: Janakpur journalist Sital Shah receives an award from UMLcentral committee member Raghuji Panta in the name of deceased writerBirendra Shah, organised by the Press Chautari Nepal on Sunday.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

RAIN ON PARADE: Communications minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara,FNJ president Dharmendra Jha and journalists brave the rain to markthe 18th International Press Freedom Day at City Hall on Sunday.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

ISSN

181

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

8 - 14 MAY 2009 #45016 BACKSIDE

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A fter three years duringwhich he contradictedhimself and said

diametrically opposite things todifferent people, PKD finally gotcaught “red” handed. Everyonethinks Tremendousnesshoodwinked UNMIN and lied toeveryone in government, but cometo think of it, what if he wasactually lying to his own PLA tostop them from mutinying?Anyway, what’s certain is thatTerrifico ain’t gonna go aroundshooting his mouth off anymoreeven within his family confines.

No sooner had the Maobuddiesturned into a non-governmentorganisation with PKD’sresignation this week, the countryreturned to normal. The Tharubund that had paralysed thecountry for two weeks was calledoff, Limbuwans lifted the schoolclosure in the east and sundrymilitants decided to lie low.With no one to fight with, thepeople were finally left alone.It looks like this country runsbetter without a governmentthan with it.

The news about BRB barfing intoan air-sickness bag of his EcurielSomewhere Over the Western

Caught red handedSector on Tuesday wasn’t the realstory. But what on earth was theFinance Minister doingsightseeing over Rara the day afterhis prime minister resigned? Thereally intriguing question waswhat was he doing over therewhen he should have been overhere at the Maoist secretariatmeeting to decide on the futurecourse of action? Is Laldhoj beingostracised again, or is the mansulking and showing his bossdispleasure for having inductedKaji Narayan over his head. Afterbeing soft-spoken for six months,BRB has sent tongues waggingeven within his own party by hisincreasingly belligerent tone.Some say he is trying to use thearmy row to correct theperception within his party ofbeing a tad too south-leaning.

The two who cut really sorryfigures this week were Bum Devand Cool Budder. Leftist Godstuck it out till the end in theUML meeting, and when everyonedecided to quit the govt hedecided to write a note ofdissent. But JN refused to evenminute it, so he gave it to thepress which, except for theBaddie media, everyone ignored.How does someone who lost theelection get to be not just a

powerful home minister but alsothe senior most UML in thecoalition? Meanwhile CoolBudder is cooling his heels atBhadrakali, hardly venturingout of his office, and not daringto speak on his phone for fearof bugs.

One casualty of the Maoistsstepping down was that First SonPrakash had to wave goodbye tohis budding cinematographycareer. Inducted into Dahaltar firstas the head of PKD’s securitydetail, then as computer assistantduring the trip with Daddy to theUS last year, Dahal Jr reportedlywas thwarted in his attempts torecord the family outing inNorway because his camera wastoo cheap. So the PMO had justbought him a Rs 250,000 videocamera to film the China visit but,alas, not only was the China visitcancelled, Dad had to go and givehis stupid resignation. Drat anddouble drat.

So, nine months later, the wholenumbers game is starting all overagain for that magic 302. Rumourhas it that Upadro theJunketeering Farang Ministernow has ambitions of being primeminister. Those who thought even

the foreign ministry was waybeyond his capacity are aghast.The man has been in Kathmandufor exactly one week in the pasttwo months. The Maoists wouldeven make him PM to ridiculethe dignity of the position andget back at Ram Baran Guruwhom Upadro can’t stand.

Wasn’t there somethingpolitically incorrect about YCLprotesters putting a Ram Baranimpersonator on a wheelchair

and parading him around town?Was that an insult to the office ofpresident or to all handicappedpeople in the country? Ouruncivil society stalwarts don’trealise just how silly they lookwith their defiance of prohibitoryorders at Shitall Nibas. Guessthat comes from being a pro-government civil society.

Only one entry for Absurdity ofthe Week from Kalu Pande inBaneswor: UMLstatement:‘We left thegovernment becausethe governmentcouldn’t perform.’

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