Prime Minister-Elect Prasain: "You Have The Power!"

(I am posting again this article that I wrote when Dinesh Prasain, my high school roommate for three years, got beat up by the Royal Nepali Army early last year.)

Thursday, March 18, 2004

Prime Minister-Elect Dinesh Prasain: "You Have The Power!"

The Kathmandu Post
November 4, 2010

By A Post Reporter

Speaking from his homevillage of Mugitar (pronounced Mujitar), Prime Minister-elect Dinesh Prasain has said that he is but a vehicle for the people to express their legitimate wishes, concerns and aspirations, and he will do the best he can to fulfill the promises he made on the campaign trail. He reportedly returned immediately to his symblic roots after winning the necessary votes in the Pratinidhi Sabha.

"Satta tapain haroo to haat maa chha, mero haina!" he said in Nepali, which is a loose paraphrase of the most famous line of the US presidential candidate Howard Dean who fizzled out in 2004 and again in 2008.

Some foreign correpondents were quick to point out that Prasain is the youngest Prime Minister in the history of the world, having beat Benazir Bhutto's record of 35. But Prasain's Defense Minister designate Kiran Sitoula informed the press in a conference call from Washington DC where he has been working as USA Today's bureau chief for the Chesapeake Bay region that such claims might not be warranted.

"Please don't go by Dinesh' official birthdate. It might be misleading. As is mine and those of a host of others who graduated high school together," Sitoula reportedly said.

He attributed it to cultural differences not immediately comprehended by the western eyes. "We celebrate festivals not birthdays where we come from," he added.

Some in Nepal wondered if Sitoula were referring to Prasain's eyes, but Sitoula made it clear that was not so. Sitoula acted utterly surprised such conclusions could have been drawn from his words.

Dilip Parajuli, Nuru Lama, and Swarnim Wagle are some of the other names floated for several top jobs in the government. Diwaskar Adhikari has said he will be an informal advisor to the Premier like he has always been, and that he will continue to stay abroad. He was last thought to be in Brazil.

CNN, Fox, and Drudge Report television cameras have supposedly descended on Pawan Adhikari's apartment in Manhattan and media helicopters are in the air.

"This is OJ-style fame for being Kiran Sitoula's roommate at high," Adhikari said.

It was later found out Adhikari never was Sitoula's roommate but they were in the same hostel twice.

The national media is abuzz with stories about the rapid rise of the Janata Dal. Dinesh Prasain rode a wave of support for him from his COCAP days as a skilled human rights activist after he got beat up by some members of the Royal Nepal Army early in 2004. The incident brought home an international and, followingly, a national outcry. The first result was that it became hard for anyone in Kathmandu to cast an evil eye on Prasain again. The second outcome was that COCAP saw a record number of volunteers to its causes nationwide. But the most dramatic and unexpected impact was on national politics.

The right wing got exposed to the point international pressure made King Gyanendra declare a referendum, conducted by an all party government headed by Madhav Nepal, to bring the civil war to an end. And the people voted to keep a multi-party democracy, but chose to discard the monarchy, and instead have a republic, which the Maoists accepted, as they had vowed to accept the outcome of the referendum, and had laid down their arms before it could take place.

King Gyanendra has gone back to the world of business and is expected to continue producing cigarettes for the domestic and the international markets.

Prasain reportedly held talks a few days back with Paramendra Bhagat in Hawaii offering him the presidency, since his party has the necessary number of votes, but Bhagat declined saying it might be too sexist for two men to hold the two top jobs in the country. And so Prasain has declared he will throw his support behind Renuka Devi Yadav from Birgunj, his colleague from his days in human rights activism. Bhagat also said he needed to stay on with his rapidly expanding global online marketing business that looks like will take over Walmart as the largest company in the world.

"I hope I can help Nepal on the global stage, especially on trade issues," Bhagat said, hoping to offer his vast global contacts, including those in India, his motherland, since his mother is Indian.

Bhagat also suggested he will instead focus on getting the United Nations reorganized, for which Prasain's role in the Global South would be indispensable.

It is well documented that Prasain could not resist pressures to enter politics after the civil war came to an end. And when he did, he came forth with a progressive agenda that the party of his choice, the Nepali Congress, could not stomach. He was assured a ticket but nothing much else. To that he and his supporters responded by floating a new political party, the Janata Dal. The Dal grew fast enough that it was able to field a candidate in every constituency in the country. They surprisingly emerged the largest party in the country, but did not have the majority. The Nepali Congress, the UML, the RPP, the Sadbhavana, the NMKP, and the Maoist Party forged a coalition government that lasted three years, after which the Maoists split away from the coalition. And elections had to be held, to which the Janata Dal came up with a majority of seats in the Pratinidhi Sabha that many describe as Blairite: Janata Dal 130, Nepali Congress 40, UML 30, and the RPP 5. The other parties have lost their national status.

The average age of a Janata Dal MP is 32. When brought to attention Prasain responded, "That befits a country where more than 40% of the population is less than 14 years old."

Prasain has a Masters in Sociology from Tribhuvan University, and has taken several elective courses on Methodology, Economics, Environmental Science, Global Economics, Mass Psychology, French, and Bengali from the University Of Phoenix Online. He says he hopes to complete a few courses in Sanskrit while in office to "keep my mental muscles in shape, besides, we are in the computer age."

Although his political career got launched on the anti-corruption platform, aka V.P. Singh style, Prasain says the national economy is his number one priority. Second, the Dal will repeal every sexist law in the country. Third, the country will have the most progressive anti-corruption laws and law enforcement anywhere in the world, the Dal manifesto says. Fourth, three years into the term, the Dal will organize a nationwide referendum to see if the people want a federal form of government or not. The Dal reportedly got a huge boost from the Madhesi and the Janajati communities and has been seen as a major voice for social justice, both in the country and on the sub-continent.

"In India they elected Indira Gandhi Prime Minister several times. But they never really tackled legal and social sexism," Prasain opines. "We will be different."

"We are a strong voice for social justice. But let there be no misunderstanding, my first priority will be rapid economic growth. There is no reason whey a country like Nepal can not achieve the ecomic status of a Singapore within two decades of hard work," Prasain said in an interview to Time magazine. "China and India are about to surpass the U.S. in terms of size of GDP. Guess where that puts the center of gravity for the world economy!"

Major high tech multi-national companies have already offered to lay down a national fiber optic grid, "the very best in the world," on BOOT basis, Build-Own-Operate-Transfer. The executives seem to have the opinion it is easier to lay down such a grid in a country like Nepal where all work will have to be from scratch. "There is less confusion. You don't have technology from three different decades sharing the same space, on the ground and, worse, in people's minds. You are looking at literally everyone in the country having broadband internet access. If you can have Harvard and MIT lectures delivered right here, why would you want to fly over to Harvard? It gets cold there in Boston in winter. Geography truly is irrelevant."

"We will make massive investments in human capital, and we will open up to the global economy which will take care of the rest."

The Univesity of Phoenix Online has decided to move over to Kathmandu to honor its most famous student.

"Who's next!" Prasain asked with a sly smile. The Premier's aide Jagadish Bhattarai failed to elaborate on the smile. And the Labor Minister designate Krishnanath Shah - not to be confused with the now gone royal clan - also refused.

The Dal General Secretary G.P. Singh is said to not go into the government so as to keep working full time to keep the party agile "because every major agenda on our platform will ask for a national campaign."

Laloo Yadav of Bihar is said to have said of Prasain, "Wo babhan hai, lekin honhaar ladka hai. Laloo ka aadmi nahin hai to kya hua!"

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AdvocacyNet
News Bulletin - Number 13, January 21, 2004
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NEWS FROM THE ADVOCACY PROJECT

NEPALESE HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER AND AP PARTNER BEATEN BY SECURITY FORCES

Washington, D.C., January 21, 2004: A leading Nepalese human rights activist and Advocacy Project partner has been severely beaten at his home in Kathmandu by a group of armed men from the Nepalese security forces, in an apparent attempt to intimidate Nepal's vocal human rights community at a time of growing insecurity in the country.

Dinesh Raj Prasain, coordinator of the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), was attacked at his home on January 13, and the event has triggered a major outcry among civil society in Nepal. In a press release issued January 15, twenty-seven prominent human rights activists appealed for international solidarity, and demanded a full and public investigation by the Royal Nepal Army and the National Human Rights Commission.

'(This attack) has exposed the insensitivity of the government towards the safety and protection of citizens,' states the release. 'It is a naked attack on all of us human rights activists who are always committed to advocate human rights of the people.'

COCAP is a community-based network of some 40 community-based groups working to rebuild Nepali society in the face of a bitter conflict between the central government and Maoist insurgents. The Advocacy Project arranged for Kate Kuo, a Georgetown student, to work with COCAP during the summer of 2003.

The attack on Mr. Prasain was clearly vicious and premeditated. According to Mr. Prasain's own account, about six men knocked on his door just after midnight on January 13, refused to provide identification, and then proceeded to break into his residence.

'One of the men pulled out a revolver and said he would shoot me if I did not open the door. I felt very fearful, and closed the door and latched it from inside. They started pulling and kicking the door. I did not know what to do, and in the frenzy, I ran towards the kitchen, planning to jump off the veranda. But within seconds, they broke the door, caught me and started beating me severely. They beat me up on my face, head, stomach, back and thighs with fists and kicks. I guess at least four of the six persons beat me. They beat me continuously, pulling me kitchen to corridor, corridor to kitchen.

'They asked why I tried to escape, if I had not some thing to hide. I told them that I was fearful that they were professional criminals, and kept on insisting that they show me their ID cards. One of them showed his ID but blocked his name.'

Mr. Prasain's 72-year-old father and nephew, who witnessed the search and assault, stated that one member of the group carried a 'long gun.'

Following the attack, COCAP commissioned a fact-finding team from seven COCAP member organizations. The team, which included the Vice President of the Nepal Bar Association, concluded that the assailants were from the security forces because according to eyewitnesses, they were led by an unidentified 'major.' Given that no other houses were searched in the area, the sole objective was clearly to assault Mr. Prasain.

Thousands of Nepalis have died since the Maoist insurgency erupted in Nepal in 1996. A brief ceasefire collapsed last August, leading to renewed violence and abuse. On 12 November 2003 the UN issued a press release in which three UN human rights monitors expressed 'profound concern over reports that dozens of individuals are being detained secretly in Nepal and are therefore at risk of suffering torture and other forms of ill-treatment.' Amnesty International has documented the disappearance of 250 persons by the security forces during the fighting. The Maoist rebels have also been blamed for disappearances and abuses.

While the recent attack on Mr. Prasain would seem to be a blatant attempt to intimidate one of the country's leading peace activists, it may also be linked to Mr. Prasain's own forthright stand against NGO corruption. Several local NGO leaders objected strongly to a December 2003 article in which Mr. Prasain criticized Nepalese NGOs.

After the article was published, Mr. Prasain received threats on his life. He feels it is possible that the security forces were falsely told that he was harboring Maoists, and were even bribed to attack him.

In the view of COCAP members, such a possibility only increases the need for a full and public investigation.

* For more information contact Laura Stein at info@advocacynet.org
* For a report of the COCAP fact-finding mission into Dinesh Prasain's beating, visit: http://www.advocacynet.org/resource_view/link_389.html
* For Dinesh Prasain's account of his beating, visit: http://www.advocacynet.org/resource_view/link_390.html
* Email or contact the Nepalese government, calling for an inquiry. For a complete list of embassies and consulates, with contact details, visit: http://www.immi.gov.np/location.php
* For a report of Kate Kuo's internship with COCAP, including her blogs, visit: http://www.advocacynet.org/cpage_view/interns03_COCAP_22_48.html

*

The Advocacy Project is based in Washington D.C. Phone: +1 202 332 3900;
fax: +1 202 332 4600. Visit the AP web site for information about current projects: www.advocacynet.org. For more information please e-mail info@advocacynet.org

Doing Business With Baburam Bhattarai

This article in The Tribune sheds some light on Bhattarai's mindset. But we also have to listen to him speak directly in his recent communication. Refer to Baburam Bhattarai On A Democratic Republic.

Some observations I would like to make:

1. The goal is to end the violence in the most peaceful way possible from a position of strength. The goal is democracy. That means engaging with the Maoists politically through dialogues. Back channel communications are where you start. There is no military solution. There has to be a political solution through respectful dialogue, especially since that is also the preferred of the two options.
2. I am for a Democratic Republic with or without the Maoists. In his recent communication Bhattarai has said the Maoists are for a Democratic Republic with or without the democrats. That is what they want on their own. Maybe a communist republic five decades from now. But it is their "scientific, objective" determination, judgment call, that what they want at this point for Nepal, owing to the socio-economic conditions, is a Democratic Republic.
   
3. And they do not want a Democratic Republic through an armed revolution. They want it through a Constituent Assembly. That is what I want.
4. And so it is for the democrats to do their homework. And form a coaltion with the Maoists. Got to engage them politically, and got to stay engaged with them. You have to do that if you are for the democratic process and are against violence. Meaning, if you do not, you are indirectly for violence, and continued civil war.
   
5. I feel the political platform has been gelling. It has been taking shape.
   
6. Next question has to do with disarming the Maoists. I want UN mediation. That is what the Maoists want. It can not be India, or some other state. It can not be bilateral, because the warring factions within Nepal have demonstrated time and again we can not do it on our own. If it is okay to take external military assistance for the fight, it is okay to take external assistance for peace. The UN is the most neutral, respected party I can think of for the purpose.
   
7. There will be many details, and many disagreements along the way. I expect some posturing by various factions along the way. But peacemaking is a process, it is work, it is a delicate process, like heart surgery. Let the UN professionals do the work. The process will be transparent for the most part.
   
8. The end result: an all-party government that has Maoist participation, that has the sole mandate of holding elections to a Constituent Assembly at the earliest, with the Maoists disarming before they become part of the government. In the process, I expect the RNA to get renamed, and reorganized in a major way. Personally I want it disbanded for good, but I am open to the possibility others might disagree. Mechanisms will have to be put in place to make sure the disarmed Maoist fighters do not have options to rearm quickly, at a moment's notice. And the state will have to provide extra pesonal security to the Maoist leadership as they participate in the government and the democratic process.
   
9. It is possible for the Maoists to emerge as one of the largest political parties within the democratic process. I am fine with that. And it is just fine if, in their internal deliberations, they continue to dream of a socialist utopia that they might be able to achieve in, say, five decades. I would not even mind their anti-India, anti-US, anti-UML rants. As long as they get disarmed, and stay disarmed, as long as they accept peaceful co-existence with other parties, as long as they accept the multi-party democratic framework, their internal deliberations and ideology are their private matter.
   
10. The whole idea is to move them from "Power flows through the barrel of a gun" to "Power flows through the ballot box."
    

In The News

• Power eludes Maoists in Nepal Chief ideologue and No. 2 in the Maoist hierarchy Babu Ram Bhattarai (BRB) comes from Gorkha .... He learnt the ropes at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi ...... On April 11, 2003, he made this offer to King Gyanendra: “Our basic agenda is to form a Republican state. If the King abdicates voluntarily, we will offer him some position. It will be good if he agrees to play the role of Norodom Sihanouk”. King Norodom Sihanouk, we all know, abdicated the throne on October 6, 2004....... The King is equally adamant about not rolling back...... it is instructive to study the recent thoughts of BRB, nom de plume Jit Bahadur, Commander of the newly formed Central Command, in interaction with his cadres sometime in October 2004. The dialogue recorded on four audio-cassettes and translated from Nepali to English, was captured by the RNA in their biggest military operation in Baglung from October 7 to 14 last year .... BRB was lucky to escape capture. Like the LTTE, Maoists are crazy about filming and recording their activities. The two previous prize catches by the RNA were films of a high-power training conference in 2001 and the famous attack on Beni. ...... all is not well with the revolution because the ultimate goal of capturing power in Kathmandu has eluded the Maoists. BRB maintains and correctly, that the High Command is united under the leadership of its supremo Prachanda, though there are differences between those who favour a negotiated settlement and others preferring to launch the so-called strategic offensive...... “as of now, we have lost at least 10,000 comrades but our party has achieved new heights” ....... Dominating the discussion are two themes: military power and India. The obsession with military power is evident from repeated references to “reaching Kathmandu” and the inescapable reality that “wars cannot be won without ammunition and weapons”. It is well known that Maoists are short of weapons and ammunition. Only 40 per cent of their fighting company of 130 cadres carry weapons....... Nepalese diaspora and the internal revolutionary tax regime have together contributed cash and jewellery worth $150 million, some of it looted from banks ....... The Maoists pay the highest attention to physical fitness. The speed of attack and dispersal carrying their casualties are given the highest priority...... BRB is reassuring comrades that though Kathmandu is far, “we will reach it step by step”.......The obsession to seize Kathmandu is deep-rooted..... capturing Kathmandu even for a day was vital for the morale of the movement and to justify the sacrifices made by the people ..... The road to Kathmandu, warns BRB, is difficult. We will need to improve our attack techniques at new heights, stock grain, interdict RNA supply lines, neutralise enemy air attacks and prepare for attacks on a very large scale....... No longer are Maoists able to dislodge the RNA from their defences. The last successful Maoist attack was in March 2004 at Beni and that too, against the police and not the RNA....... the biggest problem of this war for the Maoists is the lack of defence against air assault which is responsible for 70 per cent of their casualties..... The RNA have perfected a technique called Tora Bora which is free-fall delivery of mortar bombs from helicopters...... The Maoists have no anti-aircraft weapons. They are also unable to organise and mobilise large-scale attacks as they were able to throughout 2002 against the RNA....... BRB was counselling comrades on recourse to tunnel and mine warfare and espionage ...... Maoists have made villages dig trenches in some border areas so as to fight “expansionist India”, BRB’s obsession no. 2. He realises that the capture of power in Kathmandu is related to resisting India, organising Nepalese living in India and eventually overcoming the Indian Army......... He admits that the people were not happy with the ideology framed by them. It had to be reviewed. These remarks were made presumably in the aftermath of grave brutality and indiscipline by Maoists in Dailekh and Baglung where all the villages revolted against their cadres and punished them. Nepal’s human rights groups have catalogued in gruesome detail, some of these excesses........ Under no circumstances would Maoists allow the holding of elections or joining the government for what he calls “the drama of peace talks”. He is probably on the side of that section in his party that wishes to undertake the strategic offensive ...... He has also reiterated his party’s determination to fight the King and CPN UML, the two other class enemies after India and the US. His admission that in this day and age, no one is 100 per cent Communist, must be comforting for the illiterate but revolutionary cadres........ The illusions of a Maoist military victory are comparable with the miscalculation of the Royal game plan of defeating the Maoists. The ground situation in Nepal is still in a strategic stalemate. Only a political process will open a door. King Gyanendra is hardly likely to do a Sihanouk anytime soon.
• Maoist deal to sideline Nepal’s king
  
• US jittery over Nepal President [George W] Bush's declaration of the United States's support for freedom around the world very much extends to Nepal ..... Camp stated, "We are concerned about abuses and atrocities by Maoists and human rights abuses by government security forces including extra-judicial killings and 'disappearances'. We continue to vet units receiving US assistance to ensure that none is implicated in human rights violations. An amendment to the FY 2005 Senate Appropriations bill stipulated that Foreign Military financing could be made available to Nepal if the secretary of state determined that Nepal was taking a number of steps to improve the human rights practices of the security forces. We have made it clear to the government of Nepal that we expect to see appropriate, timely and transparent investigations of any credible allegations of abuse and that failure to do so could jeopardize our ability to continue assistance. We will continue to convey our strong concern about human rights violations by the security forces to the highest levels of the Nepal government and urge swift investigation and punishment." on February 20, met Royal Nepali Army (RNA) chief General Pyar Jung Thapa in his Kathmandu headquarters soon after the royal takeover, Thapa hinted at invoking the 1950 India-Nepal Friendship Treaty to seek Indian troops to deal with the Maoist insurgency...... The Indian position, as it was eventually communicated, was that India could not deny troops if asked....... Gyanendra forced the Nepali cabinet to shut down the Tibetan cultural center affiliated to the Dalai Lama following the Christmas weekend visit to Hong Kong of King Gyanendra's son, Crown Prince Paras, and the fact that the coup itself took place after his second trip to Hong Kong in January...... the king's decision to open the Lhasa-Kathmandu Road. This road had been built but never opened....... Pakistan never really condemned the Maoist movement within Nepal. China, by contrast, was always categorical in condemning the Nepali Maoists and supporting the royalty..... General Pyar Jung Thapa ... In Beijing for a week, Thapa held talks with top military officials such as Defense Minister General Cao Gangchuan and General Liang Guanglie, chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army.......... US legislators Frank Wolf and Mark Udall in a letter to colleagues criticizing the harassment of Tibetans in Nepal........ The US has also become a major provider of military assistance to Nepal, allocating over US$29 million in grants to pay for US weapons, services and training from October 2001 to October 2004....... For fiscal 2004, the Bush administration asked Congress for $10.6 million financing....... Washington has a series of military arrangements with countries bordering China, stretching from its new bases in the Central Asian republics through Southeast Asia to its formal allies in northeast Asia: Japan and South Korea....... the US was threatening to raise the issue of human rights in Nepal in the United Nations and other world forums. Nepal was threatened with expulsion from the UN, the World Trade Organization, and so on. According to Indian intelligence, Nepal has approached China to veto any such threat.

Nepali Times: Managing To Stay In Print

Nepali Times, the paper, has always had this tilt to it, this spice. I have been curious to know how they have been reacting to the curbed press freedom. Looks like they are managing to be colorful.

At Nepali Times

• Deuba’s democratic delusions .... Deuba, the twice dismissed, used a post-release press meet to lash out at the media ..... it wasn’t the message so much as the method of delivery: he was frothing and fuming and had to be restrained by colleagues .... symptoms of cognitive dissonance .... an extreme condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one’s beliefs and one’s actions such as opposing authoritarianism but assisting in its entrenchment ...... He wilfully let the tenure of local units lapse, he dissolved parliament, declared the first emergency, censored the press and mobilised the army to fight the insurgency.... people in the 50-plus age group suddenly found after 1990 that they had unfettered freedom to make mistakes ..... Deuba’s closest parallel in this affliction is Haiti’s Baby Doc Duvalier. At the height of his delusion, Baby Doc put up posters in Port au Prince that read: ‘I should like to stand before the tribunal of history as the person who irreversibly founded democracy in Haiti (signed) Jean-Claude Duvalier, president-for-life.’
• The middle ground The Washington demonstration followed meetings held by a group of prominent Nepali intellectuals at the offices of American senators...... The sooner the myth that opposition towards failed political leaders (and the Maoists) translates into unconditional support for the king is dispensed with, the sooner we are likely to experience concrete results on the ground in Nepal.
• When you’re a poor country The Pan Parag ban is really going to hurt. .... (Based on a secret poll by Wolfensohn and Associates, 50 percent of the World Bank staff thought poverty meant flying Business Class instead of First. The remaining 50 percent thought subsidised food in the World Bank Cafeteria was one of the most successful poverty reduction moves by the Bank in the last 50 years.)
• “The real issue is about security vs terrorism” Zamir Akram, Pakistani ambassador ..... the two countries share similar challenges like having large and powerful neighbours .... he has misgivings about the strong rhetoric coming from the international community. “This level of comment has taken place in other countries but they should be unacceptable for any sovereign country” ...... the justification used for King Gyanendra’s February First move is similar to those used by General Musharaff when he seized power in 1999: that the political parties had made a mess of things and someone had to step in to set things right. ..... will be heading the foreign policy desk at the prime minister’s office in Islamabad.
• Deuba blames messengers “I warned you that a time would come when there would be censorship but you didn’t listen did you?” said the visibly angry Deuba. “Today I am deliberately toning down my words so it will be possible for you to publish them.” “In my time, you criticised me, wrote nonsense against me, blasted me, can you do that now? All you can report is jindabad this and jindabad that.” “I am a person who wants the best for monarchy. I want democracy to work with monarchy. But you always called me a palace puppet, didn’t you say such nonsensical things?” He said he told the king: “I am not the problem, why should I resign?” “What the army said, I did, I increased the defence budget, bought four helicopters, recruited 11,000 soldiers. And the king does this after the army had been strengthened and if it hadn’t been strengthened, Maoist violence would have escalated.” “Publish what I’ve said and I’ll consider you all bahadurs.”
• Which Congress He will become a NC member of Lalitpur district’s constituency number one convention, which takes place this week. Bhattarai himself decided to be the member of the Mahasamiti after a delegation of the NC-D met the octogenarian leader.
• "Even small countries have pride" And all the people desire is for someone to deliver them peace. As the head of state the king can’t keep quiet and do nothing for the people..... If the Panchayat system were still in place, would we be seeing this crisis? Yes but the level of violence would not be as intense..... Fundamental rights are important. But these unlawful groups are misusing such rights. .... If you received an offer would you accept it? I will not back down if the nation feels my need.
• Tulsi Giri speaks out It’s not about what I want. It’s the king who wants certain things ..... Were you aware that the February First move was being planned? No. .... everyone should pull in one direction and those who are on the path of terrorism should abandon it ..... They can’t accuse the king of not giving them a chance. .... Terrorist tactics work best when governments are weak and in Nepal the past 15 years is proof. ..... Are there any moves towards negotiations? Not by me. But if they’re ready, we are ready. There has been a lot of criticism from outside the country and talk of aid cuts. That is a natural reaction based on their political ideology. But in state-to-state relations there are other issues. They haven’t cut off aid, some countries have suspended it and this can be lifted through negotiations. In the age of globalisation there is interdependence but you can’t force any country to do anything. It just doesn’t work. The people have misgiving that pillars of the Panchayat like you and Mr Bista have been brought back. How can I help it if people have misgivings? I have clear instructions from the king about what I have to do. If you start listening to people who have misgivings you don’t get anywhere. Why did you give up on Nepal and live abroad for so long? Again, you’re asking a personal question and I can only say I had personal reasons. Were you frustrated with Nepali politics? Maybe at that time I was frustrated, not just with Nepali politics but with politics in general. ...... The king is trying to rescue the country. I want to assure you that there are no political ambitions behind the king’s move.
• Party Nepal February First has presented Nepal’s political parties with the chance to moult..... the political leadership had stagnated, they lacked internal democracy, exhibited a shameless inability to work together not just among parties but also within their own hierarchies. Too preoccupied with power struggles, they didn’t see how far astray they had gone. This allowed outsiders, especially after October 2002, to play politicos off against each other and manipulate them..... horse-trading and floor-crossing, boycotts of parliament, politicisation of the police and bureaucracy, the cynical undermining of the democratic process for short-term partisan gain.... Adolescent democracies everywhere are rambunctious and noisy. The difference in Nepal was that politicians were not even fighting for seats at the dinner table, they were scrambling on the floor for crumbs.
• Tarai .... madhesis needed visas to travel to their own capital

Shaubhagya Shah: Autocracy 101 At Harvard

At the helm
Ethics of anguish and the solace of history
(published: Nepali Times)

by Saubhagya Shah
Budhanilkantha, Harvard alum

The king has sliced the Gordian knot and ended the triangular stalemate between the Maoists, the Nepali state and agitating political parties that had been snuffing the life out of the country.

At the very least the dramatic February First declaration will have the salutary effect of forcing both internal and external forces to show their hands. The festering political stalemate and moral ambiguity had been prolonging the crisis by inhibiting major actors from pursuing their position to their logical conclusions. The royal initiative will bring about a final polarisation in Nepali politics.

Denial of personal responsibility by invoking vacuous platitudes or retroactive abdication of agency has been a part and parcel of Nepali public culture. In order to stop the country from spinning further into chaos and mayhem, someone, somewhere had to take charge of the situation and say that the buck stops here. Only when there is clear acknowledgment of responsibility can there be accountability. The crown has now mandated for itself the specific task of ending the insurgency and creating an effective environment for the substantive exercise of multiparty system within three years.

Circumstances have forced the king to act. And he can only be vindicated by how well he delivers on these two specific objectives. The notion of karma in the Gita has a lesson here: it is the nature of crises on a Mahabarat scale that not all variables will be known beforehand but those at the helm must act to restore order using their best judgment, sincere intention and face history as honourable beings without excuses.

Everyone appreciates that this is a potentially risky course of action but the peril of not doing anything was graver. It is not only selfish but also irresponsible for people on the top floor to pretend that it is all normal when those living in the basement have already been incinerated. Somebody has to call for an evacuation and douse the blaze before it consumes the whole building. Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures and the lived experience tells most Nepalis that this is the most extreme phase in their nation’s 236 year history.

A number of foreign governments, the EU, the UN and others have criticised the monarch’s attempt at resolving the present crisis. While their concern are entirely welcome, there is also a need here to liberate the Occident of its heavy civilisational burden by disabusing it of the cosy misconception that only the west has the good of the Third World people at heart and if allowed to act alone, local governments will go berserk and ruin themselves and the planet.

While foreign players intervene because of their contingent ideological position and strategic interest, the local states must act for a longer term stake and also because it is a good thing to do. It is hard to believe in this age of global moral asymmetry that there can be goodness that is of entirely indigenous origin. Besides a general shared concern for citizens’ welfare, progress and human rights, there is one consideration that distinguishes the local state from all other actors: while foreigners cannot be bothered with the territorial and ideological continuity of the Nepali nation-state (westerners generally tend to scoff at nationalism as an infantile infatuation, except when it concerns their own nation) the crown must be cognisant of this imperative as well.

The fate of Kashmir, Tibet and Sikkim are sobering reminders that notwithstanding their beauties, the Himalaya remains treacherous terrain for the survival of small independent nations. None of these countries have been allowed to exist beyond their monarchic lines, this should be pause for thought to all those who seek to mould Nepal into their own image.

When the Indian government issued a statement describing King Gyanendra’s move as a ‘setback’ for democracy and the need to ensure the ‘safety and welfare’ of the political leaders and parties in Nepal, one suspects that the babu in South Block must have been doing so tongue-in-cheek. Was the decade-long anarchy and killings a blessing for our democracy? And why this protective instinct only for the political leaders...what about Nepal and Nepalis in general?

What a pity that New Delhi has not extended this enthusiasm for democracy and political parties elsewhere, say, to Bhutan. On the contrary, the Indian government has summarily imprisoned Bhutani leaders who were peacefully asking for a more equitable and democratic set-up in Bhutan and persecuted Bhutani political parties in exile.

Given this glaring doublespeak, the patronising gesture thrown towards the Nepali political class ought to be taken with caution. As BP Koirala discerned, the Indian establishment has always sought to exacerbate the differences between the political parties and the monarch and set them up in irreconcilable antagonism for its own designs. Rather than locking themselves into the alien embrace in a moment of crisis, the various political formations in Nepal will do well to let go of their egos, sort out their differences internally, forge a lasting national accord and collectively work to hasten the transition back to normalcy.

However seductive, the bad taste left behind by Gandaki, Mahakali, Laxmanpur and Kalapani grabs should remind all that neighbourly solace does not come free or even cheap. Internal compromises and consolidations have always been historically vindicated and and morally dignified than secret foreign concessions.



We all have our mental paradigms, our worldviews. The racists have it, the sexists have it. The autocrats have it. The Marxists have it. The democrats have it. Many of us inherit them, either through family and social circles, people we grow up around, hang out with, befriend. Many get through education, self, or at institutions. A few of us constantly challenge the paradigms we have, or at least present it as a disclaimer before we throw open our perspectives. But then many of us refuse to acknowledge that we have paradigms, and what they are. Instead we pretend to speak The Truth. Da Absolut Tru.

I take one glance at this article and see an autocrat, someone who finds his place in the world when he sees the name Shaha hit the world headlines: I am somebody, look!

The thing with paradigms is, people can accumulate all sorts of facts down the road, but all those facts only help to reinforce those strongly held paradigms. Prejudices are paradigms.

Prithvi Narayan Shaha militarily "created" Nepal - I mean, the whole talk of "creating" Nepal is like saying Columbus discovered America; Prithvi Narayan Shaha my ass - and then gave it to the Shahas and Thapas and the ilk. And then Jung Bahadur, one of the most gifted politicians in Nepali history, took part of the cake for the Ranas.

But all that is passe. This is 2005. The whole point about democracy is your last name should not matter. The state should be serving the individual, not harassing it. The citizens call the shots, not members of the lucky sperm club.

Shaubhagya Shaha is right about the polarization part, though. It is autocracy or democrcy. The choice is simple and clear. And I know where I stand.

If this king is going to face history, history is now. It is history fast-forwarded. As Madan Bhandari said, "Rajniti nai garna chha bhane sripench phukalera aau." If you want to actively engage in politics, rest your crown, and come into the open.

Shaha says, " ..... this is the most extreme phase in their nation’s 236 year history." And he is right. This is the turn in time when Nepal finally, for the first time ever, is going to become a full democracy. A total democracy.

His diatribe against "the Occident" is one of the autocratic mindset that claims to speak for the Nepali people whose voice they have muzzled out through use of force. I do not want India, US, EU to be making decisions for the Nepali people. By the same logic, I do not want the hereditary monarch to be making those decisions either. I want the Nepali people to be making decisions for the Nepali people. It is not "Nepali culture" to put up with autocracy, rather Nepal's misfortune that it has put up with it for as long as it has. But enough.

The junta has tried to use the sovereignty card. I am all for Nepali sovereignty. But that sovereignty belongs to the Nepali people. A democratic government will be the only legitimate guardian of that sovereignty. India is not trying to turn Nepal into a Sikkim. It is trying to put itself on the side of the Nepali people by being for the democratic ideal. It is the monarchy that has hijacked the sovereignty that belongs to the Nepali people, it is not India or some foreign power. And it has done so through sheer use of force, and so the Nepali democrats will forge any alliance, with any power foreign and domestic, to counter that force. It is called being effective.

I am for democracy in Nepal, in Bhutan, in Pakistan, in China, in Maldives, in Burma, and every other place that does not have democracy. I am an ideological democrat. But just because there is no democracy in China, in Pakistan, in Bhutan, in Maldives, in Burma does not mean I have to put up with the junta in Nepal. But then I thought you wanted Nepal's affairs to be entirely Nepal's internal matter a few paragraphs back. Why are you suddenly drawing your tentacles outside the borders? You want to go global with your autocratic instincts, but feel it wrong for the democrats to do so?

To the Shahas, the Ranas, the Thapas, and what have you of Nepal, this is what I am saying. You have every right to be families, and love your families, and take pride in your last names. All that is your private matter. But in the public domain - like with the state and governance, and the economy -there has to be equality, there is going to be equality. Make peace with the idea, or be thrown out of the momentum of progress.

As a Madhesi, I draw upon my personal experiences when I tear apart your diatribe against India. I call it the 1% theory. There is that 1% elite that has called the shots in Nepal for generations. It is classic divide and rule. Pit the Pahadis against the Madhesis. Maintain sexism to put the women down. Pit the Bahun-Chhetri-Newar against the Bhotes, Janajatis. Pit the Bahuns and Chhetris against the Newars. And define Nepali nationalism in a sick way solely as anti-Indianism. So it not that 1%'s fault that Nepal is so poor. It is India's fault.

The best aspect of your anti-India rant is I am glad it is coming out into the open, because I want the Indians to see what has always existed. I want them to shake off their unceasing one-sided love affair with what they call "constitutional monarchy."

Only democratic governments can bring dignity to their citizens in the vast community of nations. Autocrats, by definition, are too busy disrespecting those citizens inside the borders to be able to give them any dignity outside of it.

P.S. I guess Harvard is not all that progressive a place, after all. It has a racist, sexist president in Lawrence Summers, a pig, and it has an alum like thyself.

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"I’m sorry Mrs Sunuwar"

A tale of royal brutality

Yesterday, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Ramesh Nath Pandey, spoke before the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

He states how the government is fully committed to strengthen the independence of the National Human Rights Commission. Meanwhile, the government has restricted the travel of the top members of the NHRC so they cannot leave Kathmandu Valley to investigate rumours of large-scale violations in Kapilvastu.

He states how all incidents committed by security forces have been investigated and have been brought to justice. Meanwhile, a good friend of mine, who knitted me a beautiful blue and white scarf, and to whom I gave a good sweater and an electric heater, was informed recently that her daughter was killed. She had gone missing 11 months ago. Devi thought that her daughter was dead, but the uncertainty and the scrap of hope kept her in a constant state of unknowing for 11 months, until she heard the Chief of Army Staff tell her, in front of the US Ambassador to Nepal and the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations System, Louise Arbour, that her daughter was dead. I’m sorry. Mistakes happen.

Mistakes happen. Yes, mistakes happen.

But not mistakes like “I’m sorry, Mrs Sunuwar, we accidentally kicked in the door of your aunt’s house and kidknapped your daughter and your neice, because we accidentally suspected that they could perhaps be sympathizers of the Maoists or have gone to a Maoist meeting once. I’m sorry, Mrs Sunuwar, we accidentally took your neice into the woodshed and raped her for five hours while you had to stay in the house and try not to scream because we had told you we’d kill anyone who came out of the house. I’m sorry, Mrs Sunuwar, that we accidentally forgot to punish those involved even after you got the pro bono legal services of a human rights lawyer and the international backing of Human Rights Watch to write about your case because we just didn’t seem to give a shit whenever you came to our Army or Police offices. I’m sorry, Mrs Sunuwar, that we made your life a living hell, accidentally.”

Well I’m sorry, Mrs Sunuwar, that the rest of the world lets the Royal Nepalese Army under the Chief Command of a medieval King get away with atrocities, and then listens to their pandering Foreign Minister Pandey grovel and make excuses in Geneva.

I’m sorry Mrs Sunuwar.

I hope that the actions in Geneva have some relevance on the life of Mrs Sunuwar and all the others who are like her but never get the attention of the ‘international community’ even for the photo opportunities or the sickness of the ‘famous victim’ popularity contest.

Source: http://www.insn.org

eDemocracy, 4S Campaign, 24/7 Vigil For Democracy: Take Over Tundikhel

I think it is high time the democrats acted in ways that are effective. This is the proposal I would like to submit.

The common minimum program has to be 4S: Sarbadaliya Sarkar, Sambidhan Sabha (all-party government, elections to a constituent assembly). The more time the democrats take to come around to this, more time we are allowing for the escalating army-Maoist violence, and more the common Nepali people lose. So the democrats do not have the option to act like people with all the time in the world. We are under tremendous time pressure.

I believe the common minimum program is simple enough for all to understand, and comprehensive enough to bring together all the political forces in the country, including the monarchists.

And the action in the field I would like to call Take Over Tundikhel.

ANY AND ALL ELEMENTS OF THE STATE - THE POLICE, THE ARMY AND THE BUREAUCRACY AS WELL AS THE POLITICAL APPOINTEES - THAT MIGHT SUBJECT PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS TO PHYSICAL ABUSE WILL BE SUBJECT TO INVESTIGATION AND PUNISHMENT BY THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT ONCE IT TAKES OVER POWER.

Over email organize a critical mass of peaceful demonstrators in every city, town and village in the country, starting with Kathmandu and the major cities. What is a critical mass? Take Janakpur. If there are 2,000 police, and 2,000 army in the area equipped with 30 vans, and a capacity for 2,000 detainees at any one time, do not go out into the streets unless you know beforehand that you have at least 10 times as many people, preferably many more. Why email? Because it is the safest, especially for the key leaders. But all other forms of communication may also be used, to be decided locally. And, of course, email is not an option in the villages.

During the early stages of organzing, I suggest the leaders do not reveal their identities in their emails. So you could have "Eklabya" eklabya@yahoo.com for real name Gagan Thapa. Everybody who needs to know knows who Eklabya is, but even if the mass emails get infiltrated by the police, they can not determine such identities. That is the idea.

The idea is to overwhelm the police and the army to render them ineffective. Going out in small numbers, as has been the rule so far, results in arrests and brings down morale and hence is not effective.

1. Attain a critical mass in all 30 or so towns and cities.
   
2. Go out all at once in each place. Say, April 25, 11 AM. The date and time to be decided through e-collaboration by leaders in all cities. The point is it can not be different dates and different times for different cities. The police and the army should not be given the option to bring in reinforcements from other cities. And they should not know in advance what the date and time are.
   
3. Go and occupy the most public, open place in your town/city. Tundikhel in Kathmandu, Barah Bigha in Janakpur. And so on. For Tundikhel I would like to suggest a crowd that starts at 100,000 and goes on to 500,000, possibly beyond. The crowd should coalesce at the open ground in ways that the police do not get to stop them even before groups get there. Make use of every road that leads to the grounds, all gates.
4. Start and maintain a 24/7 Vigil For Democracy.
5. Do 8 or 12 hour shifts such that the critical mass is always maintained in the public place. Never leave the grounds unless your replacement has arrived.
   
6. Make maximum possible use of equipments like digital cameras so as to get the widest possible audience for the events as they unfold at the grounds. Arrange to post the photos online. Launch as many blogs as possible so as to post accounts of all that happens, in as close to real time as possible. In short, maximum possible coverage for the global audience.
   
7. Keep it non-violent at all times.
   
8. Get creative with skits, songs and dances, with posters, flyers, stickers, pins.
   

Please forward this message to every Nepali democrat anywhere in the world, but especially to those inside Nepal, especially to the student leaders.

How to visit blocked sites

March 20th, 2005

As some websites have been blocked by the authorities in Nepal, please learn the way to visit a blocked site:

1. Browse the site http://proxy.guardster.com
2. At “Free Anonymous Surfing” type the address you want to visit in the text box after “http://”.
3. Click “Surf”
4. After clicking you will see next page with terms and conditions. Go down of that page.
5. Click “Surf Anonymous”

Now you can see the site you want to visit, below the advertisement. Please write these directions.

Source: http://www.insn.org/

In The News

• Indian envoy in Nepal briefs Natwar The Tribune, India Gyanendra does not seem to be in a hurry to blink first vis-a-vis the political parties and Maoists .... Kathmandu’s strong desire for resumption of Indian arms supplies ..... the King is fast running out of options in view of recent informal contacts between Nepal’s Opposition parties and Maoists ..... the logjam between Nepal’s political parties and the Maoists were to be broken, it would send danger signals to the King and the situation would become virtually irretrievable for him ...... The Maoists’ stand is that it would be up to the Constituent Assembly to decide on the fate of monarchy in the country...... As Nepal’s political parties and the Maoists inch closer
• King to lose rights shield Calcutta Telegraph ...Unlike in the past, India will not use its influence to persuade the UN Human Rights Commission to tone down a possible censure of King Gyanendra for the coup in Nepal..... foreign donors, who are sensitive to human rights concerns, can push the king harder to restore democracy through a carrot-and-stick policy ...... So far, Gyanendra has not paid much heed to threats by India and other countries ...... Kathmandu has allowed United Telecom Limited (UTL), an Indo-Nepal joint venture, to resume its wireless telephone services ...... Cellphone services, however, remained blocked ....
  
• US, India tell Pak, China not to go to King’s aid Indian Express 19: United States and India have decided to call King Gyanendra’s bluff of seeking military aid from China and Pakistan by asking both Beijing and Islamabad not to fish in troubled waters ...... message is being replayed by visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Beijing and Islamabad...... New Delhi sought cooperation from Beijing and Islamabad .... China and Pakistan have responded positively ...... make it clear to the King that the international community’s resolve is one .... US, UK and India have taken note of King advisor Tulsi alias Peter Giri’s statement. The gist of it was that the King was Nepal’s boss and major international players had very few options except to come out in his support...... the international community will not blink on Nepal even if the ‘‘bogey’’ of China and Pakistan is raised
  
• Aid cut by nations won’t affect Nepal, say ex-envoys Himalayan Times, Nepal .... former ambassador to Burma and former Chief of the Army Staff, Sachit SJB Rana said today ..... “Why are those countries keen on pressurising Nepal for the sake of a set of people in the name of democracy and human rights.” “We cannot simply kneel down before terrorism just because one country stops military aid to us. There are others who have assured to supply arms.” ...... Former ambassador to China, Yuwaraj Singh Pradhan, came down heavily on some of the foreign envoys in Kathmandu for “crossing their limit by interfering in Nepal’s internal matter ...... “They are doing something which they don’t expect the Nepali envoys to do in their countries,” Pradhan said, labelling their activities as “against the UN Charter”. He accused them of maintaining double standards by using “the buzz words of democracy and human rights at a time when the humanity is at stake.” ..... a way to hide their undemocratic activities in the name of democracy ..... Former envoy to India, Brinda Shah, said Nepali envoys abroad should convince the respective countries and their people ...... since civil rights did not come overnight in their countries, democratic culture in Nepal, too, has to be developed over years ......Former envoy to the UK, Surya Prasad Shrestha, emphasised on “convincing” international ‘friends’ ......diplomatic activism starts growing when a country is in crisis. Former ambassador to the United States, Basudev Dhungana, laid emphasis on the need to “convince” other countries
• New political move: Patience, rationality needed Gorkhapatra Democracy is a much maligned word, here in Nepal and outside as well....... King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was forced to take a bold decision on February 1, 2005 through a historic Royal Proclamation. Things have started to improve on all fronts after that day ...... It is worthy of mentioning the conclave of the Rastriya Swayemsevak Sangh or RSS of India, which is a powerful group with close ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which criticised the Indian government’s decision to stop supply of “essential goods” to Nepal.
  
• Artistes hail royal move Gorkhapatra
• Nepal's media warned against publishing anti-government news: New Kerala, India The government has prohibited until six months from February 2, publication of interviews, articles, information or news that directly or indirectly goes against the Royal Proclamation ..... police interrogated the editor of Nepalese language 'Kantipur' daily for publishing a news report detailing the arrests made during anti-government demonstrations
• Police question editor for publishing 'objectionable' news in ... Press Trust of India .....police today interrogated the editor of the nation's leading daily for publishing a news report detailing arrests made during the countrywide anti-monarchy demonstrations ..... editor of its sister publication 'The Kathmandu Post' was twice summoned
  
• Humanitarian crisis looming in Nepal: UN Peninsula On-line, Qatar The power grab, which has been widely condemned internationally, spurred the rebels into intensifying their activities.
• Post Royal coup, hordes of Nepalese turn to Indian cities in ... New Kerala, India India has always been the most preferred destination for the Nepalese searching for work. And, now with the last month's royal coup, around 10,000 Nepalese have migrated ...... About 185 people had died in violence in the Himalayan Kingdom since King Gyanendra's Feb.1 power grab ..... It is only Kathmandu which is peaceful but other areas near border, the situation is very bad. The situation is getting worse day by day though it was not better earlier ..... From children to young men to elderly people, uneducated Nepalese take advantage of an open border and on account of their honesty and sincerity are preferred as domestic helps, cooks and helpers in restaurants and roadside eateries and as security guards and night watchmen. ......
  
• India-Nepal telecom venture resumes service: New Kerala, India Pressure on Nepal by India, the media and consumers finally bore fruit ..... "We will resume services within an hour," a jubilant N.R. Mokhariwale, CEO of UTL, told IANS...... UTL phones operate on the wireless technology used in mobile telephones and have limited mobility and were available within an hour of applying.... The closure had been causing UTL a daily loss of over Nepalese Rs.1.5 million. ..... an investment of over Rs.300 million ..... a violation of the Geneva Convention to which Nepal is a signatory. According to the convention, Nepal has to allow accredited diplomats in the kingdom full access to communication lines...... Indian TV channels continue to remain off the air
• Nepal's tough talk sign of despair: experts: New Kerala, India A senior Nepalese official's diatribe against India, accusing it of practising double standards, is being seen as a sign of Kathmandu's despair that would impair traditional ties.....The king will be much weaker after the crisis. The monarchy can vanish for all you know ......Maj. Gen (retd.) Ashok Mehta, a strategic expert on South Asia, read it as a sign of a "tottering monarchy" trying to talk tough. ...... "This shows the frustration and desperation of the current dispensation. His statements show how badly out of sync he is with real-politick on the international stage" ..... The king is holding on to his absolute powers despite unprecedented international condemnation ..... By his ill-advised action, the king may have given the country's fractious political parties a chance to get their act together and democracy a big chance to stage a comeback ..... "We are on the right track. We should wait and watch for the restoration of democracy in Nepal. More and more are getting involved in the democracy movement."
• Chinese minister’s trip may redefine India-Nepal ties Navhind Times, India

Baburam Bhattarai On A Democratic Republic

The Royal Regression And The Question Of A Democratic Republic

..... the episode of June 1, 2001, when the relatively more weak or liberal King Birendra, along with his entire family, was butchered and a new dynasty ushered in by Gyanendra ...... he has sought to project himself as the true follower of the US President George W. Bush in the international crusade against ‘terrorism’ ...... he has a tainted image as the hardliner autocrat even within the palace since his father’s and bother’s days and is particularly hated among the public .... his induction of the old palace stooges of known anti-democratic persuasions like Tulsi Giri and Kirti Nidhi Bista ...... the essential nature of his despotic military rule has been thoroughly unmasked ...... the supine parliamentary democratic system has been snuffed out and the autocratic monarchy restored in the country ...... one has to grasp the laws of social development in a scientific and objective manner and to correctly evaluate the weaknesses and limitations of the chronically infirm parliamentary system after 1990 ...... The traditionally dominant feudal class has the comprador and bureaucratic bourgeoisie with it; the small and weak bourgeois class has a section of the rural and urban petty-bourgeois class with it; and the proletariat has the vast number of poor peasants and semi-proletariat with it. ...... the monarchy representing the feudal and comprador and bureaucratic bourgeois classes is historically the strongest representative of the reactionary classes in Nepal ...... the inherent defects and weaknesses of the bourgeois parliamentary democracy established after 1990 and the general infirmity and incapacity of the middle strata and forces ...... the political change and the Constitution of 1990 did not properly settle the question of ’state sovereignty’ traditionally claimed by the monarchy and left the final ’state authority’ and strategic control over the RNA in the hands of the monarchy ..... the parliamentary forces during their twelve years long rule in between did nothing to bring about a progressive transformation in the traditionally feudal and increasingly comprador and bureaucratic capitalist socio-economic and cultural base of the society ...... Com. Prachanda’s recent People’s War Anniversary statement thus: “Ultimately, the so-called royal proclamation of February 1 has not only exposed the irrelevance of reformism in the Nepalese politics, but also shattered the collective lethargy of the parliamentary political forces.” ...... an attempt of the moribund reactionary classes to wage a final battle with the revolutionary forces ..... the pathetic showing of the RNA in almost every real battle with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ..... the super military ambitions of Gyanendra ..... as any common student of military science would know, the victory or defeat of a particular army ultimately depends more on its social class base and the political goal rather than on the leadership prowess of its commander ...... In the present day world of imperialist globalization any internal political event has more international ramifications than ever before. ...... the autocratic royal regime has been totally isolated from the international community so far, which is a good omen for the democratic movement. ..... The first is the ‘anti-terrorism’ card, and the second, the ‘geo-political’ card. ..... given the extremely shaky position and uncertain future of Gyanendra himself, it is hard to believe that any of the neighbours will go beyond diplomatic niceties to extend him any substantial material help ...... on the part of the proletarian revolutionaries they should be prudent enough to practice strategic firmness and tactical flexibility in the matters of diplomatic relations particularly with the immediate neighbours ..... the new objective reality of the country is that the new ‘two pillars’ of parliamentary and revolutionary democratic forces join hands to uproot the outdated and rotten third ‘pillar’ of monarchy. The CPN(Maoist) has already made a policy decision to this effect ..... earlier the national politics was divided into three streams of monarchy, parliamentary democracy and revolutionary people’s democracy, now it is gradually getting polarized into two broad streams of monarchy and democracy ...... it is a matter of serious concern that even after more than a mouth since the coup the democratic forces have not been able to come up with an effective & coordinated plan, programme or mechanism of resistance against the autocratic monarchy....... planning further mass-mobilization and military-action programmes ...... the desired sharp attacks against the monarchy in a unified manner, firstly, amongst the parliamentary forces and, secondly, between the parliamentary and revolutionary democratic forces, has not materialized so far ...... even if a few Rayamajhis from the left camp and a few Tulsi Giris from the Nepali Congress camp may arise ..... with the presence of the revolutionary PLA to take on the monarchist RNA, and the more favourable international situation than ever to fight against the absolute monarchy, a new objective ground is prepared for the democratic political forces to mount a unified assault against the monarchy so as to sweep it away for ever ...... the question of anti-monarchy common minimum programme and slogan acceptable to all the democratic forces, including the parliamentary and revolutionary democratic forces and the international community, has become pertinent ...... It has been the considered view of the CPN(Maoist) that the programme of election to a representative Constituent Assembly and institutionalization of the democratic republic is best suited for the purpose. .... any attempt on the part of the parliamentary political parties and the international forces to preserve the thoroughly rotten and discredited institution of monarchy, in this or that pretext, does not correspond with the historical necessity and ground reality of balance of forces in the country, and the agenda of ‘democratic republic’ has entered the Nepalese politics ..... As for as the sincere commitment of the revolutionary democratic forces, who aspire to reach socialism and communism via a new democratic republic, towards a bourgeois democratic republic is concerned, the CPN(Maoist) has time and again clarified its principled position towards the historical necessity of passing through a sub-stage of democratic republic in the specificities of Nepal. ..... The fact that the democratic republic is envisaged to be institutionalized through a freely elected Constituent Assembly, should cast away any illusions about the democratic credentials of the revolutionary forces. Further concrete issues like the creation of a new national army after the dissolution of the royal mercenary RNA can be discussed during the process of negotiations. ...... The need of the hour is unity of all democratic forces of the country on the common minimum programme of a democratic republic. ..... If anything is lacking so far it is the real democratic vision and will power on the part of the leadership of major political parties. ...... it is the time to win confidence of the masses of the people through a correct projection of the democratic credentials of political parties, and for this the correct practice of inner-party democracy would be a significant component.

I notice a few things:

1. This is a well-written article by a well-read person with a sound mind.
   
2. The democrats can do business with him.
3. All parties need to come together under the umbrella of a Democratic Republic. After 2/1, there are no options left.
   
4. The CPNM is ideologically for a Democratic Republic. It is not their compromise position. That is what they want with or without the democrats.
   
5. I am not alarmed with their long term socialist utopian vision. As long as they diarm, and participate in a multi-party democratic framework, I look forward to seeing what they will have to say over the next few decades.
   
6. It is the "democrats" whose commitment to democracy is cloudy, he says. He cites the utter lack of intra-party democracy in the parties as an example. And I agree. He has hit the nail.
   
7. He is also right in his criticism of the lack of an organized, effective response on the part of the democrats since 2/1.
   
8. Despite his ideological assurances, I would be leery at the stage of dissolving the army. The Maoists themselves will have to totally disarm long before that. And the RNA could then be dissolved, and the country could do without one after that.
   
9. If the democrats feel for the common Nepali people caught in the crossfires, they need to do their homework and take up the offer and coalesce around the two-word mantra of a Democratic Republic.
   
10. Well, what are we waiting for?

Ideological Overture To The Nepali Maoists (2)