Democracy For Nepal

Friday, May 19, 2006

Constituent Assembly Elections Before Dashain

Is it possible? I think so.

The 204 people in the revived House were elected in 1999. That is not exactly a mandate. The revived House is at best a temporary measure. And so this House should work to stick around for the shortest possible time.

Get a fresh mandate. Don't linger around for too long.

Reining in the king and the army was necessary to move towards the constituent assembly elections. Now we have to hold peace talks with the Maoists. And those talks have to be fast paced. And they can be fast paced because the end result has already been agreed upon. That end result: constituent assembly elections.

Power is a curious thing. When you get it, you like the taste of it. I think the current cabinet has to watch out for that. Some in the cabinet are saying this government will last 18 months. That is too long a time frame. Don't get too used to the perks that come with power.

Basically what has to happen is no voter in Nepal should have to fear either of the two armies when they go to the polls. That is the idea.

You do that by laying down arms. Both armies will have to lay down arms. And both armies will have to enter the barracks.

The arms that will be laid down will become the property of the future unified national army to be put for safekeeping with UN peacekeeping forces. Will it be the UN's job to make sure all arms were submitted? No. The two armies will have to convince each other. And they will have to allow cross checks by each other. And they will have to invite the civil society for cross examinations.

Once disarmed, the two groups of soldiers should be put together, I think. Organize interaction programs, reeducation programs. Maybe teach them courses in Human Rights. Kind of a hostel environment. Organize vocational training. Teach them computer skills, maybe. Teach them language. Help them better their reading and writing skills. Keep them preoccupied with non-martial stuff.

And I recommend African soldiers for peacekeeping. One, they will be less touchy locally than Indian or Chinese soldiers. And Nepal needs to get in the business of exporting revolution. Africa needs it more than any other continent. And Kofi Annan and Samuel Tamrat are both African, and both have played key roles in Nepal, and will play larger roles down the line. It will also be a token of appreciation. Besides Nepali soldiers have gone to Africa for peacekeeping before. Payback time.

All political parties that contest the constituent assembly elections will go to the people with a clear stand on both the monarchy and the army.

I don't know the exact figures, but let's assume the state has 90,000 and the Maoists 20,000 soldiers.

Each party will go to the people suggesting how big the army should be, and what ought to be its composition.

I would say 30,000 strong, with 30% women, 30% Madhesi participation. All 110,000 will be thrown into a pool. And global military standards will be used to select the 30,000 most qualified. The women and Madhesi will be pulled from that same hat, and if that not be sufficient, new soldiers will be recruited.

And the 80,000 that will not make it will be helped with job training and education so they can enter the economy. For that we will have to seek foreign money and expertise. I hope the big powers will help. I think they will.

Each party will also have to spell out the kind of meritocratic hiring and firing practices, promotion guidelines they want in the army.

So basically you are dismantling the two armies, and then building a new one from scratch.

Do all parties have to follow my guidelines? Not at all. But whatever guidelines they follow, they will have to write them down clearly and present them to the people. It is for the people to decide what the future Nepali army will look like.

The army issue is just like the monarchy issue. Each party is going to have to take a clear stand. And then go to the people.

The Nepali people deserve to see a new parliament before they go into the festival season. Let the festivals be a genuine celebration. If the country still has two standing armies during the festival season, it will be a betrayal of the April Revolution.

A New Nepal Has Been Born
Public Trial
Land Reform, Truth And Reconciliation
Dismantle The Two Armies
18 Days Of April Revolution: Victory
Constituent Assembly: 300 Seats Of Roughly Equal Population

In The News

Maoists must disarm: DPM Oli NepalNews
Victory rallies held across the country
Dabur Nepal closes down its factory
King will be a citizen after election of constituent assembly: Nepal
US, EU welcomes the HoR proclamation
Full text of the HoR Proclamation
Full text of US Assistant Secretary Boucher’s testimony
"Satisfactory, but not adequate": Pro-democracy fighters
Gradual improvement in Ranabhat’s health
Myths and martyrs
Govt. declares public holiday on Friday
SC dismisses restrictive media policies
Maoists welcomes HoR declaration cautiously
Nepal’s sweeping changes spell the end of a dynasty

BJP, allies protest Nepal decision Hindustan Times, India
Secular Nepal no good for India: Uma Chennai Online
Erasing the 'royal' in Nepal BBC News, UK
Nepal rebels back move to curb king Washington Post
It's punch time for Nepal Prince! Hindustan Times If made to earn their own living, Nepal's royal family would be put in a very tight spot indeed. Neither Paras nor his sister Princess Prerana nor wife Crown Princess Himani has a college degree..... Besides a fondness for football, fast cars, frequenting nightclubs, golf and letting fly with his fists, the crown prince is not known to have any other talent.
King loses powers, Nepal is secular Deccan Herald
BJP rues Nepal's switch from Hindu to secular state Times of India, India
BJP bats for a Hindu state in Nepal Outlook (subscription)
End of the road for Nepal's Shah dynasty NDTV.com, India
Nepal learns to look beyond the King CNN-IBN
Nepal rebels watch, wait Chicago Tribune, United States
Nepal's Maoists Welcome Parties' Proclamation OhmyNews International, South Korea
Nepalis Dissatisfied With New Government OhmyNews International
Nepal Faces Limited Opportunity for Peace, State's Boucher Says Washington File, DC
US ready to resume military aid to Nepal Financial Express.bd
America Still Tough on Atrocities, violence of Nepal Maoists Nepal human Rights News
US Ready To Give Military Aid To Nepal On Request All Headline News

After the Proclamation Kantipur Publications
Delhi magistrate court orders release of Nepali activists
Govt orders offices, public places to remove "Royal"
Govt talks team within this week: Deputy PM Oli
U.S. welcomes 'historic' House proclamation
Nepali taekwondo master selected as US national team coach
Pokhara celebrates historic House Proclamation
A Scene Outside Nepalese Embassy in Delhi
Tamrat to Nepal govt, Maoists: Sign ceasefire declaration
Nepal Army concerned
Now people are fully sovereign: Leaders
संसद्को सर्वोच्चता
घोषणा तत्कालै कार्यान्वयन
सेना अब जनताको’
शाही शब्द मेट्न खोज्दा गिरफ्तार
निकुञ्जबाट सैनिक हटाउन माग
चार महिनादेखि थुनेर यातना
सशस्त्र प्रहरीद्वारा अमानवीय यातना
संसदीय सर्वोच्चताको अर्थ
प्रतिनिधिसभाको घोषणा-२०६३
जनअधिकारपत्र घोषणाको क्षण

Visitors

Page views yesterday248

9.	19 May	15:58	Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
10.	19 May	16:00	University of Texas, Dallas, United States

15.	19 May	16:29	Nepal (wlink.com.np)
16.	19 May	16:32	University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, Philadelphia, United States
17.	19 May	16:32	NextGenTel AS, Norway
18.	19 May	16:40	British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
19.	19 May	16:40	AMD, Austin, United States
20.	19 May	16:41	Swipnet, Sweden

Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society

Audio

Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 1
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 2
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 3
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 4
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 5

Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 6
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 7
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 8
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 9
Dixit, Lawoti, Tamrat At Asia Society 10

Thursday, May 18, 2006

A New Nepal Has Been Born

Royal powers curtailed drastically, HMG/N becomes Nepal govt, RNA turns into Nepali Army, Nepal declared a secular state NepalNews The Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Janashakti Party, which are not the constituents of the SPA also supported the proposal ...... no members of the parliament voted against the proposal...... depriving His Majesty the King of all the privileges enjoyed by him and declared the reinstated House as “supreme.” ...... the provision of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Nepalese Army being held by HM the King has been scrapped. The provision has deprived the King of his control over 90,000 soldiers of the country........ dissolution of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee ....... the parliament will form necessary procedure to go for the election of the constituent assembly........ the full executive power will lie to the parliament........ the monarch will not have any authority to enact the law concerning royal succession, which will be done by the parliament....... scrapped the provision that His Majesty the King’s acts could not be challenged before the parliament and the Court........ changing the name of the Royal Nepalese Army into Nepali Army, and replacing “His Majesty’s Government” with the “ Government of Nepal”....... monarch will no longer convene a session of the parliament....... the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall convene the session on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. A special session of the House can be called on the request of 25 percent of the lawmakers........ The cabinet will decide about the appointment of the army chief, mobilisation of the army will be done as per the decision of the council of ministers. However, that will have to be approved by the stipulated parliamentary committee........ made the income and assets of the King taxable........ the parliament will fix the expenditure of the Royal Palace....... has declared all the provisions of the Constitution and laws that contradict this proclamation “ as nullified"......... it is not necessary to be the member of House of Representatives to be the minister......... has declared Nepal as a secular state and added that the government will make provision for resolving the citizenship problem.
“Historic” proposal tabled at HoR
Cabinet approves HoR proclamation

This is huge. This might not hit the world headlines, but this is huge. Like humongous huge.

Dean, DFNYC, Daily Kos, Justin, Brooklyn, Nepal

Now finally the parliament can tackle the army like it tackled the king. We don't have to wait for the peace talks to fire a few bad apple generals. We know who they are. We have to restructure the top level right away.

Just like we have now gotten rid of the shadow of the king and the army from the constituent assembly elections, we have to now do the same to the Maoists. The elections have to be utterly free and fair or they will have no meaning.

The beauty of what just happened is that a parliament did it. That is the 21st century way. The people already voted for a parliament. They should not have to come out into the streets, they should not have to face batons and bullets.

Interim Constitution, Revolutionary Parliament (April 8)

Audio: Baburam Bhattarai

Nepal Lawmakers Move to Limit King's Powers Washington Post, United States To be enacted, the resolution must be voted on as a series of laws, officials said. That was expected in the next few days. ..... laws will be drafted to implement the resolution ...... Earlier, the government banned rallies around key areas in the capital ahead of the vote.
Nepal parliament approves plan to cut king's powers Reuters AlertNet
Nepal clips King Gyanendra's wings Rediff
Nepal government to curtail King's powers NDTV.com

Nepal issues prohibitory order in capital city Xinhua, China
Monarchy in Nepal to end within a year: party leader Xinhua, China Bam Dev Gautam has claimed that monarchy in Nepal will end within one year...... According to Gautam, the seven-party alliance should join hands with the anti-government guerrillas to form an eight-party alliance to finish the monarchy in Nepal.
Monarchy will End Within a Year: Bamdev Himalayan Times
UN ready to monitor truce in Nepal: Special Advisor United Nations (UN) has agreed to assist Nepal in arms management and is ready to monitor the cease-fire and to be an observer during an election to a Constituent Assembly...... UN has not offered to play the role of mediator here, but is ready to monitor the cease-fire and be an observer...... The UN will help only when the Nepali government and anti-government guerrillas agree and request UN help

Maoists Should Lead Interim Govt: Yadav Himalayan Times Matrika Yadav said today that the Maoists must be allowed to lead the interim government.... Yadav said action would be taken against those collecting donation forcefully...... "We will continue collecting donations but it won't be forceful," Yadav said. He added that the Maoists would not threaten or take any kind of action against those opting not to give donations to the Maoists. He said that the Maoists are compelled to collect donations to run the party, militia and the Maoist government....... He took moral responsibility for the past criminal activities carried out by the Maoists.
Khadka Flays Deuba's Political Myopia
Cabinet expansion on backburner
AG says House is not be-all, end-all

India must checkmate ISI influence in Nepal Sify, India
Nepal-India border issue in Indian parliament Kantipur Online
Sexual Violence in Nepal's Conflict American Chronicle, CA
House should be allowed to fulfill responsibility Gorkhapatra
Local leaders sore over Maoist reluctance to return property Gorkhapatra

US wary of Nepal Maoists despite truce: official Reuters Washington was willing to help Nepal's security forces if the government requested it. ...... "there are multiple reports of the Maoists' continued campaign of violence, extortion (and) shakedowns."

Visitors

Page views yesterday242

18 May