Democracy For Nepal

Monday, September 21, 2009

The Word Madisey: Madisey Bhanne Shabda

I attended the Non Resident Nepali Association event at Shangrila Sunday evening. It was a well attended event. The energy level was high. It was good to see Binodji emcee the event. I take pride in the fact that a Madhesi - Upendra Mahato - launched the global NRN movement.

I think the NRN movement needs to address some structural anomalies before it takes off in the United States. There is a lot of opposition to the NAC - Nepalese Americas Council - becoming the national coordination committee for the NRNA. The association is going to have to start from scratch and build its own national coordination committee like in other countries.

Also in answer to a question from a Janajati if there were Janajatis among the founding leaders of the NRN, Suman Timilsina, who I gather is the national president of the NRNA in the US, replied by saying a "madisey" was the leader for this particular region.

The word Madhesi is like the word Negro, or even African-American, or black. Negro is an archaic term. We say black or African American today. But the word madisey is like the word nigger. Madisey, marsya, dhoti, they qualify as hate speech. There was no hatred in Sumanji's voice, and I have heard Karma Gyalden Sherpa use the same word in the same intonation before, and I need to correct him as well, but there is no ifs and buts about it. You do not get to use the word madisey. Say Madhesi. The word madisey is hate speech.

Karma Sherpa And The NYC Program For The Prime Minister

Thursday, September 17, 2009

A Federal Nepal: Emerging Maps

Looks like we will end up with somewhere between 10 and 15 states in a federal Nepal. The good news is all major parties have finally ditched the ridiculous idea of strictly geographic north-south vertical states. All of Terai will likely not end up as one state, but the only disagreement now is if the Terai will have two or four or five states. I say two: Tharuwan and Madhesh.

The Maoists were the original proponent of the two states in the Terai idea. Then after the first Madhesi revolution they decided to punish the Madhesi people by breaking up their own Madhesh state into many parts in their internal maps. Now they are back to having the original Madhesh state minus the two important eastern districts of Jhapa and Morang. They have to rectify that as well. All of the Terai from Rapti to Mechi has to be one state.

Looks like the Limbus will get Limbuwan, and that is fine by me. And looks like the Himali people will get their own two states. And the Khasan in my map will be two geographic states. The UML has better names for those two states than do the Maoists.

So in this map you end up with not eight but 12 states. The reason the Maoists have 13 is because they have mistakenly taken Jhapa and Morang out of Madhesh. Put them back.

12 would be a great number.

Getting Published In Republica: Thoughts On Federalism
What Shape Federalism?

In The News

NC proposes 16 provinces Republica five in Tarai-Madhes ..... does not suggest any names for them ...... Earlier, two models of state restructuring had been proposed. The first model proposed seven provinces, while another model proposed five provinces. ...... UML proposes 15 provinces 15 provinces, with autonomous zones within such provinces....... The committee had presented two proposals -- one comprising 13 provinces and another 15 ...... on the basis of historic continuity, economic viability and population density, and to delineate them on the basis of language, ethnicity, culture and the oppression the people have faced for centuries. ....... Birat, Limbuwan, Kirat, Mithila, Bhojpura, Sunkoshi, Tamsaling, Newa, Tamuwan, Magarat, Gandaki, Khaptad, Karnali, Tharuhat and Lumbini. ......... UCPN (Maoist) .. 13 provinces - three based on region and others on ethnicity - and over 50 protected zones with separate provinces for different ethnicities. The proposal has drawn widespread criticism for basing the provinces mostly on ethnicity. ......... the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) has decided to propose ´one Madhes one province´ comprising 20 districts in the southern plains.
Halt physical action against PM, ministers: Parties
Three parties to continue talks on House obstruction
Present govt duly elected: Prez
We're closer to a solution: PM
A mid-point is needed: PM
Kathmandu UML defies party decision
Big 3 agree to find common motion
Court orders suspension of Major Basnet The Kavrepalanchowk District Court has ordered the Nepal Army to suspend Major Niranjan Basnet, one of the four accused in the Maina Sunar murder case.
Rawal-Ansari rift hits home tasks
Promotion of SSP to DIG in limbo

The Maoists And Multi-Party Democracy

Image via Wikipedia

You don't get the impression the Maoists ever got over their original dream of a one party communist republic. They want to act like it is a one party communist republic while they are leading a coalition government, they want to act like it is a one party communist republic when they get out of power. You have to wonder how they will act should they manage to get a simple majority on their own next year. And people like Kiran Vaidya who is one of the top five Maoist leaders never hide it that it is a one party communist republic that they have in mind. So do you believe Baburam Bhattarai when he says his party is committed to multi-party democracy, or do you dismiss him as a lightweight Maoist?

HKNepal Interview With Prachanda

The Maoists have had the option to try and win away enough parties from the current coalition government to try and topple this government. They have had the option to push forth the

Image via Wikipedia

idea of an all party national unity government.

Instead they have prevented the parliament from functioning. That does not sound to me like a commitment to parliamentary democracy.

Prachanda has been waging a relentless string of political attacks on the president. That speaks of Prachanda's anti-Madhesi prejudice. It was Prachanda who was wrong in how he tried to sack Katuwal, not the president. But there are many Nepalis who do not like the idea that a Madhesi is president. Prachanda is one of them.

Lesson For Maoists: Rule Of Law
Prachanda Messed Up

Prachanda took his oath not in Daura Suruwal but in western clothes - which is fine by me - but the Supreme Court did not go after him for that. But it went after Parmananda Jha for taking his oath in Hindi.

The anti-Madhesi prejudice of the political class in Nepal is well and alive.

You have to doubt the commitment of a party to multi-party democracy if that party obstructs the parliament for months on end, if that party pelts stones at the Prime Minister. Show a black flag in protest. That would be legitimate. Those throwing stones should be arrested.

Awadh, Chitwan, Bhojpura, Mithila, Kochila = Madhesh

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