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Prime Minister G P Koirala is 'wrecked' fromwithin and thoroughly confused after the politicaldrift that has set in the country.” He feelscheated and betrayed as Maoists were all bentupon stalling the election to the constituentassembly even after Nepali Congress adoptedits republican agenda," a senior minister toldnewsfront on condition of anonymity.

Koirala was shocked to the hilt after the onlysurviving founder member of the party, KPBhattarai, severed his six-decade long relation-ship with the party in protest against its goingrepublic. That did not make him popular withinthe pro-republican camp of the party.

Narahari Acharya, central committee memberof the Nepali Congress and hard line republican,was the first to warn Koirala that he shall haveto resign if elections do not take place onNovember 22. With that as the likely scenario,Koirala is almost going to be the first target ofthe pro-republicans with no traditionalistscoming to his rescue.

There are worries within the party that hewould make more compromises now to save thechair in a speed that would discredit theCongress party thoroughly. What are the likelyscenarios? Firstly, he agrees to become thepresident of republic Nepal through a parlia-mentary declaration under Maoists’ dictate; with

Maoists, the second largest party bagging theprime minister's post. Secondly, he resignsowning failure to hold elections second time in arow; and thirdly, he defers poll date on conditionthat the country will adopt solely the representa-tive model of electoral system.

Koirala, sources said, went to the extent ofbulldozing dissents or any kind of debate against'republican agenda' during the recently held

party general assembly although at least 26district party chiefs and 18 central committeemembers of the Koirala led Congress party hadclearly stated their reservation.

Yagyaraj Pathak, leader and delegate of theparty from Doti went to the extent of tellingKoirala on face, "You have handed over the

party to Sher Bahadur Deuba,power to the Maoists andnationalism to the foreigners.""Never have I seen Koirala solost and down as in the past oneweek," said the minister, adding,he could not even refute what thedistrict level leader was saying.

With no way that he can correct thecompromises he has made there are growingconcerns in the party over the possibilities ofhim making more and more embarrassingcompromises. Accepting proportional repre-sentation system or becoming the presidentmay not be something that Koirala will beaverse to if that saves his chair, a centralcommittee member of the party said. ä

Interviewwith ayoung spirit

page 7

EC defers poll process page 3

InsideWrecked ! 'Dangerously con-fused' PM Koirala isprone to making morecompromises.

Maoists holding public rally to press their demand for proportional representation system of election in the capital on Sunday.

Koirala was shocked to the hilt after theonly surviving founder member of theparty, KP Bhattarai, severed his six-decade long relationship with the party.

Gulliver's travels in NewLilliput

page 10

Well aged photospage 11

Prashantin town

page 12

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

2 1-7 Oct., 2007 News

JCB introducesJCB India, one of the

prominent constructionequipment industries in theworld has introduced its latestentrant in the JS range ofexcavators, JS 140, in Nepal.The industry is producing over220 different models, whichare sold in over 150 countries.

The latest machine, JS 140,is best in class of 14TMachine. Tested in most demanding conditions, it is superior inreliability, performance and operator convenience whenbenchmarked against competitor’s model. JS 140 is powered byCummins B 3.9 100C engine with Gross H.P. 92 h.p., operatingweight of 13,600 kg.

Key applications to name a few include roadwork, massexcavation, pipe work and other underground installations,highway maintenance, foundation work and waste recycling.Morang Auto Works is the sole distributor of JCB products inNepal.

Medical featHistory was created in the medical chapter in Nepal on Sunday

when Dr C R Pandey conducted the first successful arthroscopyat Medicare Hospital on Sunday. The operation, the first by anyNepali doctor in the country, involved surgery of shoulderdislocation which was a two hour long exercise which was purelycamera controlled, Dr Pandey told newsfront.

The high tech surgery was conducted on Rabi Nepal, ajournalist from Tansen. Dr Pandey said he spent nearly six yearslearning this method. He added, the patient can be discharged 24hours after the operation.

Newsbrief

In yet another jolt to the ruling coalition,PM G P Koirala is under politicalobligation to include a new minister inthe cabinet in place of Industries andCivil Supplies Minister, RajendraMahato. With that the portfolio that isresponsible for ensuring import andsupply of petroleum and cooking gas inthe fuel starved country has will remainvacant for some more days to come.

Nepal Sadhbhavana Party (AnandiDevi) will soon be recommending theminister's name against the party quotaafter Mahato failed to secure theelection commission's recognition as the

Small crisisreal NSP-A last week. "We will besubmitting the name of the minister in aday or two," a NSP leader toldnewsfront.

Mahato now faces the prospect ofhaving to contest elections as anindependent candidate following the ECdecision which he said was biasedagainst the 'Madesh'. In fact, Mahato hadgot into the cabinet only few months agoreplacing Hridayesh Tripathi with whomthe apolitical party chief, Anandi Devi, hadfallen out with at that point of time.

Mahato who led his followers incapturing party offices in Kathmandu

and Birgunj soon after hefell out with Anandi Devigroup also burnt thedecision of the election asa mark of protest againstthe EC decision refusingto recognise him as the real NSP. As aresult, police took him in custody for twohours on Saturday.

The EC however said it was onlyfollowing the past precedence in theNepali Congress and RastriyaPrajatantra Party split cases in decidingwho should be recognised as the realSadhbhavana party.

Pix

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Police made public four suspects of the serial bomb explosion in Kathmandu last month on Sunday.

31-7 Oct., 2007News

After a marathon two hour longmeeting on Sunday, the ElectionCommission (EC) finally yielded to thepolitical dictate to defer electionprocess by five days. As a result, thefresh date for accepting sealedenvelopes from the political partieswith names of candidates under thelist system has been fixed for October5 instead of the earlier date ofSeptember 30.

Similarly, the process of nominationunder the first past the post system willbegin from October 10. Nominationwas to begin on October 5 as per theearlier schedule worked out by the EC.

A dejected EC defers poll process.

HelplessThe date of election, November 22,will however remain unchanged.

But it was not at all easy for PM GP Koirala to secure EC's endorse-ment of the cabinet decision fordeferring the poll dates. Thecommission meeting chaired by itsChief, Bhojraj Pokharel, weighedthree options: quitting en masse,endorsement of government requestor put off the polls; and ultimatelydecided to go for the second optionas one time exception. "We are doingthis with hope that peace process andelection will go as scheduled,"Pokharel told newsfront.

The cabinet meeting on Sundayfollowed failure of the seven partyruling alliance to come to anunderstanding on the Maoist party'srigid posture that they cannotparticipate in the election as sched-uled if their two demands are notfulfilled. They include immediatedeclaration of Nepal as a republicstate and going for proportionalsystem of election for all the 480electoral seats in the constituentassembly instead of the mixed systemwhich was agreed on throughconsensus earlier. "This alliance maybreak if our demand for proportionalrepresentation is not accepted,"warned C P Gajurel, the influentialleader of the Maoists.

Although the cabinet wrote to thecommission to defer the poll process,there has been no assurance fromthe Maoist party that they wouldhonour the new deadline andparticipate in the election process.Deferring the already declared pollprocess became necessary asMaoists refused to send the list oftheir candidates under the list systemon September 30, the earlierdeadline for the purpose.

Going ahead with the earlier schedulewould have meant going for the pollswithout Maoists participating in it. "Wediscussed thRo�e political implication ofthe Maoist boycott, and agreed to re-schedule poll process to encouragepeace process for which their participa-tion in the election is necessary," anelection commissioner said.

ä Chhatra Karki

Education for all ( EFA) by 2015is the main educational goal ofthe government. Manyprogrammes have been initiatedto achieve that goal, but it appearsdifficult to achieve it. About 1.2million physically disabledchildren who constitute more than92 per cent of the total children inthat category are still deprived ofany educational opportunities.

According to the governmentpolicy, this category includeschildren who are visually impaired,hearing impaired, mentallyretarded etc. Educationist BishnuKarki says, "The goal cannot beachieved if such a big section ofthe children are away from thereach of education."

According to Dr. Karki disabledchildren are discriminated at homeand in society. As a result, theirright to education has sufferedgreatly. A study by UNICEFstated that 84 percent of thedisabled children do not getinvolved in social activities due to

The plight of disabled girls inNepal is worse.

Education depriveddisabled children

humiliation they suffer in the society.This goes against the thrust of theEFA programme which is clearlyagainst discrimination on grounds ofphysical disability.

A UNICEF study conducted in 30out of 75 districts in Nepal in 2001,showed that there was a heavydropout of disabled category childrenfrom schools. While about 56 percentof school aged ( 6-16 years ) tookadmission in schools, more than onethird of them dropped out. There areonly around seven per cent childrenof this category studying in privateboarding schools, with the rest in thegovernment schools. Inadequatephysical facilities provided by schoolsalso discourage such children fromactive participation in school activities.

The plight of girls in this categoryis worse. Around 78 percent ofdisabled girls are deprived of formaleducation. An official in the ministryof education says that the govern-ment is aware of the problem anddoing its best to address thesituation. According to him; morethan 218 special primary schools arealready operating all over the

country where 1700 disabledchildren are studying; and 16integrated secondary school and 12higher secondary schools have beenproviding education to blind children.

13,000 disabled children areawarded scholarships; for which thegovernment has allocated 35 million

rupees but it is hardly enough,sources from department ofeducation say.

The ministry of education isworking to bring more disabledchildren into the mainstreameducation system under the inte-grated and special system. According

to the Joint Secretary, Lav PrasadTripathi, several policies andprograms for providing access toEFA for disabled children havebeen formulated and thegovernment is planning toimplement special programmesfor them soon.

Debate federalismThe Constitutional LawyersForum (CLAF) has demanded anational debate on the issue offederalism as the government'sdeclaration to switch to thefederal without securing publicendorsement was flawed.

The forum, through its nine-point declaration said a debate onpros and cons of the federalsystem has to take place beforeany final decision is taken. Adecision in the manner thegovernment took was muchagainst the system of publicaccountability as it came withoutadequate homework anddialogue with the people.

It said while the measurestowards decentralisation taken inthe past were inadequate, thenew system should have localauthorities empowered enough toensure that they promotedevelopmental activities, languageand culture. It favoured specialmeasures including reservation tobring people from all spheres,classes, communities and regionsinto the mainstream.

The declaration finalised after aseries of debates and discoursesin the five regional developmentcenters and finally in the capital onSeptember 26 and 27, favoured

election to the constituent assemblyon schedule to ensure a constitu-tion that guarantees a fullydemocratic constitution based onconstitutional supremacy. It askedthe political parties to honour theirdemands and dedicate themselvesto political, economic and socialjustice.

It said that the interim constitu-tion and 12-point agreement, thecomprehensive peace agreementand the inherent understandingsshould act as common agendaand there should be commitmentof all political players to issues likesovereignty, independence andnation's integrity besidescompetitive multi-party parliamen-tary democracy, civil rights,fundamental rights, regularelections, press freedom andindependent judiciary. All theseshould be adopted by the politicalparties as their common agendawhen they go the polls, thedeclaration said.

It said proper law and ordersituation was the key to holdingelections in a free and fearlessatmosphere and also appealed toall the political parties including theMaoists to contribute towardscreating a conducive atmospherefor the polls.

Seek public endorsement first

Editor & Publisher : Yubaraj GhimireExecutive Editor : Sushma AmatyaNews Coordinator : Manoj DahalDesign: Sunil Khadgi, Kishor Raj Panta & Ramkrishna RanaAddress : PO Box: 8830, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NepalTel : 4443888, Fax : 4421147 (Edt.), 4411912 (Mkt.)Email: newsfront@bhrikuti.com, marketing@bhrikuti.com (Mkt.)Printed by: Express Color Press, Buddhanagar, Tel.: 4781810, Distribution: Kasthamandap, Tel.: 2010821

1-7 Oct., 20074 Editorial

LettersGreat cartoons

Abin has emerged as the mostrespected cartoonist in the countrytoday. His punches are fierce, butnever at the cost of decency, whichsometimes most other cartooniststend to lose sight of. That makeshim greater that most of hiscontemporaries and seniors.

Cartoon not only makes a paperrich, it is altogether a different art ofexpressing facts and undilutedtruth, with satire. That is what Abinhas been able to do for newsfront. Isincerely hope that you will maintainthe quality of the cartoons.

ä Rehana MallaLazimpat, Kathmandu

Dictator KoiralaYubaraj Ghimire's article,

‘Captured state’, captured theessence of what has been going onin Nepal today. Absence of the state, lack of accountability onthe part of the government, dithering UN bodies and growingempowerment of political party chiefs at the cost of theirparties all seem to be leading the country to a disaster.

We have noticed how the PM Koirala is out to save hischair through any deal with Maoists and other political partieswithout trying to secure the mandate of the people. He is fastemerging as a dictator par excellence.

ä Narayan SharmaKirtipur, Kathmandu

Koirala, no leaderThis is regarding your lead story 'Countdown'. I fully agree

that G P Koirala will have no right to continue as the prime

minister if he cannot hold electionafter he misses the second deadlinefor election.

But this is also the time tothink about the implications oftoo many political experimentsand impending instability.Maoists should honour whatthey have publicly pledged in thepast and not precipitate thematter by demanding propor-tional representation system atthis stage. And for Koirala, it isvery necessary to step downnow that he has proved hecannot lead.

ä Ashok ThapaNaxal, Kathmandu

Yoga choiceCan Yoga be modern life's

choice? Last week’s issues of mostof tabloids, newspapers and

magazines were colored with stunning radiance generated byYog Guru Swami Ramdev from India, who was on his greatmission of making healthy society, mentally and physically,across the world using ancient self realisation techniques.During his one week long yoga teaching sessions here, heshared the values, importance and utility of yoga science inevery aspect of social life.

Before leaving Kathmandu, he mentioned that one of themajor problems in Nepali society is mental tension; which istrue. Why don’t we all practice the practical yogic living rightfrom the political leaders, party workers down to the commonlabourers?

ä Krishna Chandra DahalProject Coordinator,

Antenna Foundation Nepal

Justice doneThe Supreme Court has once again risen to the occasion. It hascome in defense of justice and upheld the basic principle ofdemocracy that all are equal before law. It quashed a law broughtforth by the G P Koirala government barring certain people fromcontesting election as and when the polls to the constituentassembly take place. And the sole basis of that law was thefindings of a commission of inquiry which was not only political incomposition, but was highly prejudiced in its conduct.

The Supreme Court (SC) by a 3-2 judgment, declared the lawas ultra-vires to the constitution and upheld the right of thepetitioners, and all those who are in the bad book of theRayamajhi commission, to contest election if they so liked. Thethree judges who constituted the majority opinion, KalyanShrestha, Balram KC and Tap Bahadur Magar, deserve all praiseand compliment as they bulldozed an authoritarian design of thelegislature, an out and out undemocratic exercise, and provedonce again that the SC will not remain a silent spectator whendemocracy and democratic values as well as principles are in peril.

It will be wrong to uphold such laws, bad in intent and principle,in the name of 'legislative wisdom'. Upholding such a law by theSC would have meant a total travesty of justice and justice system.Such fallacies by the apex court would mean encouraging thelegislature to go for any brutal attack on the right to equality beforelaw purely on the strength of brute majority in the House. Andmercifully, the SC saved the country from such a situation.

At a time when the government is making all efforts to bringjudiciary under the executive and legislative control at the cost ofwell laid and well-practiced democratic principles of separation ofpowers, such a judgment by the apex court is timely and is anopportunity for the government to retreat. Government's sinisterdesign vis a vis the court is clearly visible. It has deliberatelychosen to keep the chief justice's post vacant.

With the system of parliamentary hearing and judges' publicscrutiny introduced, everyone knows how much leverage a primeminister will have on the matter of appointing or not appointingsomebody a judge and chief justice if there is no consensus in the28-member house committee.

There cannot be pious intentions on the part of the prime ministerin appointing Shailaja Acharya as ambassador to Delhi in absence ofconsensus in the parliamentary committee and keeping the issue ofCJ's appointment in limbo. Does he want guarantee of a servilejudiciary from the would be chief justice? Koirala's fears must haveincreased with the SC verdict on the recent case. Only an authori-tarian regime plays an arbitrary role in appointing judges because itis mostly in favour of a committed or a guided judiciary.

Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of youraction.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Point to Ponder

Yunus Emre(1238 – 1320) is considered by many to be oneof the most important Turkish poets. He was aSufi dervish of Anatolia. His poetry expresses adeep personal mysticism, humanity and love forGod. He traveled and taught among the ruralpoor, singing his songs in the language of thecommon people. Yunus’ poems:

KnowledgeKnowledge should mean a full grasp ofknowledgeKnowledge means to know yourself, heart andsoul.If you have failed to understand yourself,Then all of your reading has missed its call.

What is the purpose of reading those books?

So that man can know theall-powerful.If you have read, but failed tounderstand,Then your efforts are just abarren toil.

Don't boast of reading,mastering scienceOr of all your prayers andobeisance.If you don't identify man asgod,All your learning is of no use at all.

The true meaning of the four holy booksIs found in the alphabet's first letter.You talk about that first letter, preacher;What is the meaning of that-could you tell?

Spiritual CornerLet a word mature inside yourself.Withhold the unripened thought.Come and understand the kind of wordthat reduces money and riches to dust.

Know when to speak a wordand when not to speak at all.A single word turns the universe of hellinto eight paradises.

Follow the way. Don't be fooledby what you already know. Be watchful.Reflect before you speak.A foolish mouth can brand your soul.

Yunus, say one last thingabout the power of words --Only the word "I"divides me from god.

Yunus Emre says to you,Pharisee,Make the holy pilgrimage if needbeA hundred times-but if you ask me,The visit to a heart is best of all.

Word A single word can brighten thefaceof one who knows the value ofwords.

Ripened in silence, a single wordacquires a great energy for work.

War is cut short by a word,and a word heals the wounds,and there's a word that changespoison into butter and honey.

1-7 Oct., 2007 5Debating Development

Those who understand Nepal know well thatDalits are the most ill treated and suppressedones in the country. They are segregated asuntouchables, considered outcastes and forcedto live in the fringes. They face discriminationand humiliation in their everyday lives.

In many villages they are denied use of publicwater taps; many landlords refuse to rent outrooms to Dalits. And the social order is so strongthat they get verbally abused, physically attackedor raped if they failed to observe the strict socialrules. The worse part is that, despite therhetoric of all the changes in Kathmandu, theyhave not been treated any better. And the stateor any party has not made any effort to stop thesocial injustices.

A blind couple in Illam district was recentlyforced out of their homes and communities onthe charges of committing the ‘crime’ of a Limbu(Janajati) boy marrying a Pariyar (Dalit) girl. Thesocially ‘exiled’ couple is now struggling to ekeout a living in a town area. The local govern-ment, the parties and NGOs have refrainedfrom raising any voice against such an illegaltreatment. This is the scenario in a country thathas been declared ‘free from untouchability’ and‘secular.’ There are many such incidents ofabuses that go unreported and unnoticed.

The case of a Limbu marrying a Dalit womanand being thrown out is a classic example of thefact that the Janajati are equally responsible forsuppressing Dalits. They are no less thanBrahmins and Chhetris when it comes to

segregating and mistreating the so-calleduntouchables. Sadly, the leaders and activists ofvarious ethnic groups fighting for their rightssuch as federalism along ethnic lines and right toself-detemination and autonomy are leastbothered about their need to change theirattitude towards Dalits.

Why do not people like Dr Om Gurung andPasang Sherpa championing the Janajati causespeak a word about liberating Dalits at leastfrom the hands of the people of their owncommunities?

The Madhesis have launched variousstruggles and agitation to put pressure on thestate to treat them on equal footing. But again,the Madhesi leaders have forgotten the issuesof many Dalits in their areas being treated in away worse than the hill Dalits. There arefrequent reports of Chamars, Doms and othersin places like Saptari and Siraha continuing tosuffer from social exclusion and humiliation.

There are many unreported cases wide-spread all along the Terai belt. Nothing haschanged for them even in the new regime. Isn’tit something that leaders like Upendra Yadavand others should be worried about? Are theynot ashamed of the way they treat their own so-called low caste people?

Rights and responsibilities are two sides of acoin. If the Janajatis and Madhesis demand theirrights from the state, they also have the dutiesto mitigate or discourage wrong actions and

activities within their own communities. Theycannot act as agents of social change if theyforgot their responsibilities and duties.

Indeed, it should be the primary duty of thestate to guarantee civic rights and liberty to everycitizen. But, the issue of caste based discrimina-tion is a very complicated one that is deeplyentrenched in our societies. It makes inroads intoalmost all social lives everywhere in the country.So, it should be the responsibility of everybodyworking to change societies to take the issuesmore seriously. Only then the outcome of anychange will be meaningful in the true sense.

It is important that the Janajati and Madhesiactivists look out for feudalism growing withintheir own communities while fighting againstother feudalism. It is time for them to discouragetheir people from stepping on the civic andhuman rights of other people including Dalits.Dalits too might revolt for their rights in thefuture, even if they have remained tolerant andquiet till now.

Ethnic tensions and violence will be preventedonly when the oppressed are given a chance tolive a better life. The Janajati and Madhesileaders and activists have a duty to addressthese problems. Only such concerted efforts byeverybody will help prevent the ethnic tensionsin future. If we do not wish to see Kapilvastuviolence, we should start acting now before it istoo late. Political developments are crucial butsocial changes should move along hand in hand.Only then can we dream of a peaceful Nepal.

Address issues ofoppressed Dalits

It is important thatthe Janajati and

Madhesi activistslook out for feudal-ism growing withintheir own commu-

nities…

ä Uday Pariyar

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1-7 Oct, 20076 Debating Development

At present, there are two kindsof Madhesi agitations takingplace: the peaceful movement,and the other so called armedstruggle. Madhes (also known asTerai) constitute a region which ison the southern side of Nepal,bordering India. The Madhesisociety is indeed a very complexgroup of people to understand.They have been suppressed andsubjugated since many years andsuffer from an identity crisiswhere until recently; they did notknow where they actually belong.

This situation in Madhes wasnot the creation of the collectivePahadi community as wronglyperceived by many. It was asituation created by successiverulers of Nepal, who alwaysdoubted the loyalty of thesepeople for the simple reason thatthey live close to the Indianborder and speak the samelanguage that people of neighbor-ing Indian states speak. Even theNepali media did not understandthe problems of the Madhesipeople correctly.

No doubt the Nepali mediaplayed a vital role in ending theautocratic rule of monarchy asalso in bringing the Maoists on thetract of peace process. Themedia also contributed immenselytowards educating the people onthe importance achievingdemocratic goals. But it failed to

produce the desired result when itcame to realistically projecting theissues confronting the Madhesis.Even those working in Terai could notunderstand the problems from aproper perspective.

The people had lots of expectationfrom the media, and when nothingactually happened, they felt let downand frustrated. Therefore, there weremany instances of direct attacks onmedia personnel, media houses andmedia organisations and thetendency is continuing even today.This is not a healthy development,which needs to be understood by thepeople and the media.

In the present situation in Terai,

there are various challengesconfronting the media personnel. Thearmed group wants that the media isdictated to suit their conditions, whilesome anti social elements andfundamentalists do not want it tofunction smoothly. On the other hand,the state is not able to ensure thesafety and security of mediapersonnel.

In the midst of all these unfriendlyatmosphere, the media can stillfunction as an effective institution ofnation building provided it is able todemonstrate through its functioningthat independent and free media is inthe interest of all. This can beachieved by correctly understanding

issues, and approaching them withoutsense of bias, partiality, and withindemocratic norms.

In this fragile transition period it isnot possible for the state establish-ments to see everything correctly,including the plights and difficulties ofmarginalised communities. As aresponsible institution, the mediamust therefore play the all importantrole of pointing out the shortcomingsof the state so that the nation at largebenefits from it. Its watchful eyesmust not be waver when the needarises to point out issues that areinter-community in nature.

The media also should play the roleof initiating inter-community dialogue

keeping in mind the need torespect the identity of everycommunity. It should function as acementing agent particularly in apluralistic society like Nepal. It isnecessary that the state iscontinuously reminded of whatneeds to be done.

Presently, Nepali society hasshown signs of dividing itself alongcommunal lines. And the mediafaces a daunting challenge ofbringing the society together. Forthis the big media houses mustadopt more inclusive policies intheir selecting their personnel.They must also ensure that theirstaffs are instructed to understandthe socio-cultural importance ofpeople they work with.

As media people, we are neitherPaharis nor Madhesis, butprofessionals functioning within aframework of democratic norms. Itis only when we compromise onprofessionalism and function asmembers of a particular community,leaving our professions behind, thatfingers are pointed at us. Similarly,no state machinery can effectivelyprovide security to media persons atany given point of time. Strictadherence to code of conduct,people sensitive approach, andrespect for social values can only beour automatic security.

(Chandrakishore is a Birgunjbased journalist, editor of Terai

Khabar Patrika)

Media is a powerful tool to maximize the modeof learning, creative thinking, feeling, perceiving,understanding and becoming active observerand finally becoming participant in public life ofthe nation. Reading habits of media involvessynergy; as learners become the futuremultipliers of knowledge and skills in other areasof life.

In order to effectively respond to rapid socio-economic, political and technological changesand growing competition in today’s medialandscape, it is important for the media tobecome a creative part of history in the makingand help arrest the drift of Nepali society's raceto the bottom. There is a generational divide injournalism in Nepal that isolates ideologues fromrealists; but the public function of media has notchanged much.

Media's success lies in enabling the public tothink critically about human life, free them fromstructural constraints and instill in them humanvalues. These are critical to transform peopleinto citizens and citizens into cosmo-politan public. One must understandthat a multi-ethnic, multi-religious andmulti-lingual society cannot existwithout a framework of laws protectedby a virtuous state. Politics becomesmore rational if people are informedand guided by a lively public sphere,public opinion and general interestformed through reasoned debate anddiscussion.

Public debate in an equal, openand free sphere is a precondition todemocracy and democratisation ofsociety. Media's diagnostic function ofthe ills of society and reporting of thepossibility of remedy justifies its searchfor the continuous improvement ofhuman condition. This, however,requires media persons to step asidefrom the sound-bite of politics wherepoliticians do nothing other than shoutat each other. Media should alsoexamine some of the long-termproblems the public and its institution,the state are facing in everyday life.

Rational public opinion allows thepeople to exercise their sovereign

power. The notion of popular sovereignty impliesthe legislative power of people. But, the criticalquestions are: How can people exercise equalsovereignty when media is unevenly distributedin society like income and condition of people'sparticipation in public affairs is reduced to their

level of access to other socio-economicpreconditions? How can media establishpeople's right to know if it is dominated byinterest groups, forces of market and adminis-trative power?

The answer to these questions lies in a

balanced reporting through uncoerced, fair anddiverse media. Structural freedom of media is,therefore, essential to stimulate the moralconsciousness of its power and its engagementin public's struggle for the creation of goodsociety. In contrast, the loss, decline and erosionof public mark a loss of democratic life. Socialand political pluralism requires an atmosphere ofmedia competition and professionalism wherepublic issues receive priority over private ones inagenda setting and framing of news.

Professionalism does not mean loss of humanfeeling. Rather it is defined as a social obligationto serve the public. Media is the voice ofvoiceless. Invisibility of public mirrors the failureof media workers in fair reporting and maintain-ing editorial independence. The public values ofmedia motivate media workers to interpret theirresponsibility to society and politics. Withoutresponsible media, politics operates only in avoid, devoid of substantive issues, creative workand critical social inquiry. Awareness about

learning needs and methodologies are,therefore, crucial to understand thechanging patterns of media culture.

An informed public opinion can reformsociety and leads to a more rationalcourse. It creates a vibrant publicsphere where opinion formation aboutpublic issues, suggestions, constructivecriticisms, activities and collective powerof society is engaged in a reasoneddialogue and compromise. Theresponsibility of media workers lies insatisfying the public's thirst for justicerather than reflecting only the institu-tional biases of their employer.

The public service values of media,therefore, entails them to focus on theweaker side of public, such as women,children, powerless and marginalizedand activation of the concept of citizenequality who makes governing powerlegitimate, transparent and accountable.Public accountability also calls for adiversity of voices and a rough sense ofbalance in reporting opposing intereststhat are given control of the access andnew rules of equity essential for ademocratic political culture. ä

MEDIAas a mediumWithout responsible media, politics operates only in a void,devoid of substantive issues, creative work and criticalsocial inquiry.

Terai problemand the media

This situation in Madhes was not the creation of the collec-tive Pahadi community as wrongly perceived by many.

ä Chandrakishore Jha

ä Dev Raj Dahal

1-7 Oct, 2007 7Interview

Inger Lissanevitch, 80, has spentthe past 55 years in Nepal, a placeshe fell in love with the very first timeshe landed here in 1952 with herhusband, Boris Lissanevitch, one ofthe pioneer entrepreneurs in Nepal.She watched, painted and experi-enced amazing twists and turns ofevents in this country of which shefeels very much a part of. She walkeddown the memory lane withnewsfront recently.

How has living in Nepal beenfor you?

Never has there been a dullmoment living here! I was 24 when Ifirst came here with Boris and my twoyoung children. You know, Boris wasone of the key persons who helpedKing Tribhuvan get back into power. Itwas a fascinating time andKathmandu was so beautiful and sosafe then! It was a miraculousmoment when we had our first viewof the mountains, when we steppedout of the plane into the crisp air ofthe valley.

My outstanding memories are thetreks to Tyangboche, the Everest area;where I used to go with Sherpas andmy tent and paint. The beauty of theplace was over powering! It was thebest time in my life when I was upthere surrounded by beauty, incrediblepeace and such friendly people. Sadly,I cannot trek anymore.

What was living with Boris like?

I had an interesting life with Boris. Iwould not say it was totally happy. Iwould have liked more family life buthe was very busy with his hotel, sociallife and so we could not see as muchof him as we would have liked to.Well, life is not always happy oralways sad. It is a mixture. But I wasnever bored; since he was always sofull of fascinating ideas.

Boris was a visionary, ten yearsahead of everyone else with his ideasand plans. He gave many feasibilitystudies to the government longbefore the word feasibility was heardof. He gave it free; all he wanted wasfor it to get implemented, like trout,mushroom, strawberries farming andmany other things. Nepal had beenclosed for so many years and Borisworked hard to open the country totourism. There is a big story on Lifemagazine about it. Nepal wouldsurely have opened eventually but tenyears later probably.

Where did you meet him?

I met him in Calcutta; where I hadcome back to join my mother andstep father after finishing myschooling in England. Boris was thenrunning a club in Calcutta, the firstmixed club where everybody couldgo. It was a tremendous success,with good food and dance music.

Did you work with him?

Being much older, he liked to dothings his way. I was his hostess andused to help with his English andwrite up his feasibility studies. I wasvery interested in interior decoratingas well. I did up the bar in his Royalhotel. I created the Yak and Yetifootprint logo which was stolen fromus along with one third of the Yak andYeti hotel; where a gentleman’sagreement was breached and theother party refused to honour hisverbal agreement. So, we lost all that.Boris was actually a terrible business-man.

Why did you stop painting?

I really could not concentrate onpainting after Boris died in 1985. Itseemed to dry out.

When I had an exhibition inCopenhagen years ago, I sold quite alot. Some of them, I wish I had notsold. I am no great artist but some ofthem were beautiful. I paintedlandscapes and a few portraits. Noabstracts, I do not want to changewhat god has created. I could notimprove on that.

You never felt like leaving Nepal?

I am from Denmark and Boris wasfrom Copenhagen. Some people Iknow had suggested I could go backto Denmark but what for? What can I

do there? Here, I can do somethingand fulfill a dream. In life, you have tohave a purpose and you must alwaysdream and try to realise your dreams.And if is possible to do something forothers, do it.

Tell us about your recent life.

I spent 15 years in Thecho alone,gardening, fight off village boys fromstealing fruits from my garden, butnot much success there! After I wasattacked twice by robbers that put mylife at risk, I shifted to Bhaktapur;where I lead a very quiet life and I amunder protection of my god sonRabindra Puri. I love living inBhaktapur with old houses, temples,everything antique. We share thesame dream, to bring back beauty toKathmandu valley in the form oftraditional architecture with allmodern conveniences.

Just look how interesting life is! Ihave three sons, two of whom havemarried Nepali women and alto-gether, I have four grandchildren.And now I am lucky to have a Nepalison who looks after me so well. Andhe is a great business partner too.

What do you feel about thechanges you have witnessed inthe country?

In the fifties, it appeared peaceful,people seemed happy, even if theydid not have very much. Now wehave almost a civil war. It really hurtsmy heart. But I keep hoping. I followthe news very closely. It is sad to seethe deterioration.

The government does not seem todo anything for the country. They arebusy quarreling among themselves, forpower. There is no free health service,no free schooling. Why do not they dosomething for the people? I do not

My body is old but not my spirit.

Living it upunderstand it. I also do not know if richNepalis do much for the poor; I havenot heard much about it. I hope it willchange for the better. It is sad that somany young people are leaving but Iunderstand why. Not everybody hasthe drive and energy to create one’sown opportunity.

Has your perspective of lifechanged now?

Perhaps I have become moreaccepting of circumstances. I used toget very excited about things liketrying to stop cement factory orcutting down of trees and wanted togo out on streets with a big bannerbut Boris used to stop me and tell methat I would not be doing him anygood. His generation could not acceptit anyway. If I had married somebodyyounger, maybe!

I try and learn each day and try notto think too much about the past orthe future; which is not alwayspossible but I try. And you must keepa sense of humour. God sends ustricky situations and humour makes iteasy. You should never lose it. Evenin worse in situation, there is a funnyside somewhere, not always though.

What keeps you interested inlife?

My dreams. I want to invest inrenewable energy, rain harvestingand solar energy. I have healthproblems but the secret of myalertness is to be interested ineverything that is going on and to tryand do something. We all havedreams, ideas, things we would like todo. And we should try to do it. Youhave to do things to keep yourinterest alive. You cannot just sit backand grow older! My body is old butnot my spirit. I hope to keep going afew more years. ä

I try and learneach day and

try not to thinktoo much

about the pastor the future;

which is notalways pos-

sible but I try.

Pix

by n

ewsfr

ont

1-7 Oct, 20078 Opinion

Nepali leaders, seven party coalition as wellas the Maoists, appear to have entrenchedthemselves into an intractable positionunwittingly. In order to accelerate the cam-paign from street and parliament for achievingtheir long stated goal of a republic Nepal, theMaoists have forced themselves out from thegovernment. Also by stating that without arepublic Nepal, the elections would not bepossible, they are taking a stand that does notconform to the interim constitution.

Although the present government and theparliament have made amends to theconstitution within a very short period of itsdeclaration in support of federal structure andother important issues, the question of changein the form of governance affecting the longheld system and belief of the majority doesrequire people’s mandate in a clear manner.For this reason, the interim constitution statesclearly that the issues relating to monarchywould be decided by the very first meeting ofthe constituent assembly.

The announcement of Maoists ousterfrom the government came as a shock to alllaw abiding citizens of Nepal. Theprogrammes launched by the Maoists at apublic meeting, especially the announcementof Bandh during the time of filing of nomina-tions of candidates for the CA electionscasts a serious doubt on the possibility of theelections in the scheduled time.

Although the Maoists have not yet formallyannounced that they will boycott the electionsin November, they have also not stated clearlythat they will take part in the forthcomingelections. Similar to the total failure of themunicipal elections called by the king’s

Lackinghumanesensibility

ä Amit Pyakurel

The discourse on shock, griefand monstrosity regarding therecent triple blasts in

Kathmandu now seems to have lost its vigour.There have been political conjectures but thehuman facet regarding this evil act seemsunder-rated, with less regard to the loss ofinnocent lives and irreparable trauma to thefamily members of the dead. Despite ourreasonable optimism and worries concerningthe CA polls, it seems the loss of innocent livesis trivial compared to this big objective.

Besides the blame game and obviousspeculations, we see no earnest efforts from theauthorities concerned to trace and punish thereal culprits. Relating the event with the currentvolatility and our all familiar mode of violence,also seem to give an ordinary face to theincident. Due to practical reasons, shockingincidents lose its prominence after few days ofmedia highlight. But the actual sufferers retaintheir pain for a long time, and they are deniedanswers why it happened to them and whetherthe real culprits will actually get punished.

Life has to go on but the question arises: arewe securing the safety of other citizens in faceof such unprecedented attacks? We must notallow the once-elevated urge for fair investiga-tion and stern actions against the real culpritsdiminish and disappear. Our human sensitivitymust not be compromised. We should acknowl-edge that if such crimes go unpunished, thecriminals could inflict similar atrocities againstothers in future.

Simply relating the incident to the days of theinsurgency also sounds untenable. Culprits whovictimised the innocents during years ofinsurgency should be identified and punished;although the acts were “unintentional” as perthe policy of Maoists and the state. Pastimpunities should not be used to rationalise thecurrent acts of evil or leave any doubts aboutmeting punishment to the criminals. Acts ofterrorism deliberately targeting innocentbystanders in public places can never bejustified.

Another painful aspect is the numericalcalculation of human fatalities by some ‘practicalanalysts’ who tend to relate the number of deadwith other greater war casualties. The Maoistchief, Prachanda calculated that the insurgencycaused the deaths of around “only” 13,000citizens as compared to other similar revoltsaround the world. Similarly, we have heardsome heartless comments that “only” threedead from three bombs in Kathmandu is a“minor” event. Both these assessmentsoutrageously underrate the value of human life.

Inadequate law and its ineffective implemen-tation have forced many aggrieved ones towonder if they will ever find justice. While thelives lost or dismemberment of limbs causinglifetime ordeal is irreparable, the emotional painand outrage of the victims and their close oneswill naturally increase if justice is denied ordelayed.

Fingers have been pointed at the all elusive“regressive” elements for the murders. Butwhoever the culprits are; they are accountablefor punishment, regardless of their regionalidentity, political standing or influence. A strongindependent body without any political proclivityneeds to investigate the issue. Thegovernment’s repeated, ‘assurance to punish’the culprits must be fulfilled well in time.

People need tangible answers as to who wasbehind this bloodshed? The government shouldact urgently before the culprits, who victimiseinnocents as their bargaining tool cause furtheracts of terror.

(Amit is a student, Shepherd Int. College,Kathmandu).

government some two years back, Maoistsabsence in the elections this time would reducethe CA elections to a hoax. Considering thepast record of the seven coalition partners whowere leading and controlling the system ofgovernance prevailing in the country beforeKing Gyanendra took power, the Maoistswould have to have a meaningful say in thenew constitution and the system of governancefor a new Nepal.

The civil society organisations of Nepal andother concerned groups and individuals havebeen voicing their concern about the suddendeparture of Maoists from the government.India, the United States, and the rest ofinternational community have been alerting theMaoists the difficulty of legitimacy that theywould face as a political party if they did notpartake in the CA elections.

At this juncture, Maoists’ responsibility as aformidable organised force surpasses all otherpolitical parties when it comes to CA electionsas their share as the creator and hopefully thepreserver of an all-inclusive democratic Nepalis much larger than others.

Lack of unity among the eight parties hasgiven rise to new problems as evidenced fromthe killings and a possible emergence ofreligious conflict that never ever happened inNepal before. People of Nepal have given theirfull support to the eight party’s sweeping andradical changes in the framing of Nepal’sinterim constitution and its subsequentamendments.

It is quite a feat that was achieved by theleaders of the eight parties during the time ofpeace. The people accepted the momentouschange with the hope that they would be ableto enjoy all their rights freely and fully, includingthe right to economic and social progress andprosperity. The parties have no choice otherthan to accept the reality that they must fulfilltheir commitments to the CA elections.

No party should be above the code ofconduct and the laws and regulations set up bythe national election commission and theparliament for the successful holding of the CAelections. Breach of this important element byany party is likely to negate the expectedsuccessful outcome of the elections. All partiesmust understand that all eyes are watchingtheir conduct and activities to the run up to theelection of a lifetime for all Nepalis. Failure toconduct the elections on time on such a gravematter might change the course of history ofNepal forever. And, it might not be for thebetter. ä

No party should be above the code of conduct and the laws and regulations

Nepal’s new dilemma

ä Binod P. Bista

Houses, shops and vehicleswere burnt down; ChandrautaBazar was in utter painfulsilence. The killing of one of theinfluential local leaders, MohidKhan by unknown assailantsbecame an issue of thecommunal riot. Places likeKrishnagar, Chandrauta,Gorusinhe, Birpur, Bisanpur,Ganeshpur, Khaire,Patthardahiya, Khuruhuria,Shivaghadi, Shivpur, Hallanagar,Jayanagar, Sundaridadi weredisturbed and gradually itspread to Butwal, Lamahi andTulsipur.

Ironically, the Home Ministerfelt it necessary to visit thevictims only after almost fourdays of the incident; which goesto show its insensitivity towardsissues of common people andtheir lives.

According to the local people,Mohid khan was regarded as asocial figure. He was the feudallandlord. Similarly, his father wasalso the member of the then RajParisad Standing committee.Mohid was also a type ofinstitution that played an

The victimised are living in extreme terror.

Who benefits from Kapilvastu riot?

important role to maintain socialand communal harmony amongpeople of his community. Itappears now that Khan’s killerknew that his murder could easilybe an issue of communaluprising. The killing took placearound 7:50 to 8 AM and theviolence started from 9:30, taking

shape of communal and ethnicriot which indicates that it was apolitically motivated murder.

The incident of Kapilvastu hasaffected the already fragilecommunal harmony. Manypeople have lost their lives,shops were looted and burntdown, trucks and vehicles wereburnt. More than 5000 peoplehave been displaced. The

displaced Pahadis have movedtowards the north and Madhesistowards the south and someeven have crossed the border.

People of Kapilvastu have losttheir trust in local administration,police, state and the govern-ment. If the police could havetaken some actions to resolvethe violence, when it started, itwould have been possible tostop the riot but the armedpolice force that was just aboutseven kilometers away from theplace of the incident remained

silent. It is said that the policearound 11 am Sunday hadinformed Muslim businessmenin Butwal to be alert toaftermath of the incident. So,why were there were notenough preparations from thegovernment to mitigate potentialrepercussions?

People in Kapilbastu,Chandrauta, Lamahi and

Tulsipur are today living inextreme terror. There existsmass fear psychosis and peopleare not certain about what willhappen the next minute.Nepalgunj and Birgunj are alsovulnerable places where suchchaos can easily take place. InChandrauta people were not atall willing to talk about theincident. They are extremelydisillusioned with the politicalparties who proved themselvesto be pathetically lethargic,shortsighted and careless.

In the meantime, both Muslimand Hindu leaders and civilsociety actors in different parts ofthe country are trying to play animportant role to createcommunal harmony. They havebeen pleading to the public tohave patience and be aware ofthose who are trying to getbenefit out of this situation. In thiscritical context, the role played byHindu, Muslim and the civilsociety leaders is praiseworthy.Finally, a fundamental questionarises – if the parties and thegovernment really care about thepeople, who is benefiting fromsuch communal riots? ä

Lack of unity among the eightparties has given rise to newproblems as evidenced fromthe killings and a possibleemergence of religious con-flict that never ever happenedin Nepal before.

ä Sabita Gyawali

People of Kapilvastu have lost theirtrust in local administration, police,state and the government.

1-7 Oct., 20079From the region

China called for an end to violence againstprotesters in Myanmar as United Nations SpecialEnvoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in the SoutheastAsian nation to meet with its military leaders.Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged Myanmarto seek a peaceful resolution to the protests,according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Website. Wen's remarks came after nations,including the U.S, and the European Unionpressed China, Myanmar's closest ally, to use itsinfluence.``China hopes that all parties concerned inMyanmar show restraint, resume stability throughpeaceful means as soon as possible, promotedomestic reconciliation and achieve democracyand development,'' Wen said. ̀ `China is veryconcerned about the situation in Myanmar.''Condemnation of the regime in Myanmar,formerly known as Burma, has increased sincesoldiers were deployed last week on the streetsof Yangon to end the biggest anti-governmentprotests in almost 20 years. Internet access wascut and ̀ `several multiples of 10'' have beenkilled, Australian Foreign Minister AlexanderDowner said Sept. 28.

a year ago.A spokesman for the UN in Yangon, Aye Win,said today in a telephone interview that``information had not been shared'' about whenGambari's meetings may take place. ̀ `Thereare reports of Gambari leaving tonight, but Ican't confirm that and I am on standby to hearfrom his party about their schedule.''Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the U.S.National Security Council, yesterday expressed``concerns'' that Gambari ̀ `was swiftly movedfrom Rangoon to the new capital, far frompopulation centers.''

Business Ally``We urge the junta to allow him access to allthose he wishes to meet with, including religiousleaders, as well as Aung San Suu Kyi,''Johndroe's e-mailed statement said.The authorities fired tear gas and forced off thestreets the few people who ventured out inYangon and Mandalay yesterday, the AssociatedPress said. As many as 40 civilians werearrested outside a Yangon hotel where they hadplanned a demonstration for Gambari, Deutsche

Presse Agentur said.The Htoo trading company, owned by ThanShwe's ̀ `right hand man'' and business tycoon,Tayza, shut down its operations on Sept. 28,Mizzima News reported on its Web site. Mizzimais run by exiled Myanmar journalists in India.Buddhist monks, the backbone of the protests,were holed up in monasteries, sealed off andsurrounded by barbed wire. Armed personnelwere stationed on nearly every street corner, APsaid.U.S. President George W. Bush and BritishPrime Minister Gordon Brown agreed yesterdayin a secure video conference to maintaininternational political pressure on Myanmar'sruling junta.

Global RalliesThe two leaders conferred on ``the need forcountries around the world to continue to maketheir views clear to the junta that they need torefrain from violence and move to a peacefultransition to democracy,'' White House DeputyPress Secretary Scott Stanzel said.Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komuralodged a protest with Myanmar counterpart NyanWin over the death of a Japanese journalist,Kyodo News reported. Koumura met with Nyanat United Nations headquarters, it said.Japan today sent Deputy Minister for ForeignAffairs Mitoji Yabunaka to Myanmar, where hewill ask for a full investigation of the shooting andpunishment for those responsible, Kyodoreported. The journalist was shot at extremelyclose range, Kyodo reported.The U.S. said it has banned visas for Myanmar'smilitary junta as global condemnation of theSoutheast Asian nation's government spread.There were protests in New Delhi, Geneva,Paris and Canberra yesterday.The U.S. targeted ``more than three dozen''officials and their families. It will add others``who bear responsibility for the ongoing attackson innocent civilians,'' the State Department saidon its Web site. (Bloomberg)

China backs end to Myanmar violence

``The streets are normal today, although thereare lots of troops and they have arrested hugenumbers in recent days,'' British AmbassadorMark Canning said today by e-mail. ̀ `We willcontinue to see small protests, but once thesecurity is lessened, they will grow.''

Gambari HopefulDemonstrations began more than a month agoafter the government raised fuel prices, andintensified when Buddhist monks took to thestreets. The government tolerated the protestsuntil Sept. 26, when soldiers began firing on andclubbing demonstrators.Gambari arrived in Myanmar's largest cityYangon, formerly Rangoon, yesterday after-noon, a UN statement said. Gambari said as heleft Singapore that he was hopeful for a ``fruitfulvisit.'' On previous trips, he has met Myanmar'stop general, Than Shwe, and pro-democracyicon Aung San Suu Kyi.``I expect to meet all the people that I need tomeet,'' Gambari told reporters in Singaporeyesterday when asked whether he would meetSuu Kyi. His last visit to Myanmar was more than

Pakistanis stage protest Karzai invites insurgent leaders to contest pollsAfghan President Hamid Karzaisaid yesterday he would talk totwo top insurgent leaders wantedby the United States in an effort tobring peace to his country.

Karzai also challenged MullahMohammad Omar and GulbuddinHekmatyar, leaders of the Talibanmovement and the radical Hezb-i-Islami faction respectively, to standin the forthcoming elections andsaid he would even offer themgovernment posts if theyrenounced violence.

The president made the newoffer hours after a suicidebombing killed 30 people in thecapital in one of the worst attacksof a bloody insurgency launchedby the extremist Taliban that wasdriven from government in 2001.

A suicide bomber wearing anAfghan army uniform set off ahuge explosion yesterday whiletrying to board a military bus inthe capital, officials said. TheTaliban claimed responsibility Theblast ripped off the roof of the busand tore out its sides, leaving acharred hull of burnt metal.

"For 10 or 15 seconds, it waslike an atom bomb - fire, smokeand dust everywhere," saidMohammad Azim, a police officerwho witnessed the blast. Karzaisaid 30 people were killed, 28

soldiers and two civilians. The HealthMinistry said 30 others were injured.

Karzai rejected the insurgents'demands that the 50,000 interna-tional troops helping Kabul to face thegrowing Taliban threat must leave forany negotiations to take place.

"We're ready to talk to all Afghans,any Afghan wanting talks, we'reready," Karzai said when asked if hewould negotiate with Mullah Omarand Hekmatyar, both of whom havemulti-million-dollar bounties on theirheads. If peace could only be broughtto Afghanistan through talks, "we'reready to do it".

This was his most direct invitation yetto leaders of the growing unrest, withprevious offers of talks vague aboutwhether the fugitives were included.

Karzai said that should the men ask,"President, give us this or that post in aministry and we won't fight', if they ask

me for such thing, I wouldimmediately accept." He said thetime for seizing power throughforce was over, with the countrynow pursuing democracy. "Doyou want power, do you wantgovernment?" the presidentasked. "There's elections, comeand stand. If you get elected, thenwelcome."

Red Cross staff freedFour members of the

International Committee of theRed Cross (ICRC) staffkidnapped by Taliban inAfghanistan three days ago werefreed yesterday, a Talibanspokesman said.

"The four employees of theICRC who were kidnapped bythe Taliban because of somesuspicions have been releasedjust now," spokesman ZabiullahMujahid said by telephone froman unknown location.

A spokeswoman in Kabul saidshe would not confirm the four hadbeen freed until they had arrivedback at the organisation'sheadquarters in the Afghan capital."I know that the operation for theirrelease, for their transfer, isongoing, but they are not hereyet," ICRC's Graziella Piccolo said.

(Gulf News)

Police used tear gasand batons yesterday todisperse lawyersprotesting legal rulingsthat cleared the way forPresident PervezMusharraf to seek a newfive-year term.

A day after theSupreme Court dis-missed several petitions challeng-ing Musharraf's bid for reelection,the Election Commissionyesterday approved his candidacyin a ruling expected to bechallenged.

Police first tried to disperse thelawyers, then turned on journalistscovering the chaotic clashes.Deputy Information Minister TariqAzim was also caught up in themelee, receiving a few punchesfrom protesters before beingbundled into a car by aides anddriven away.

More legal maneuvers areexpected from the opposition - arequest for the Supreme Court toreview its decision and a plannedmass resignation from parliamentfor the Saturday vote by federaland provincial lawmakers.

Despite dwindling popularityand increasingly bitter opposition,Musharraf, a close U.S. ally,seems set to win the election. Theruling coalition says it has the

numbers it needs, and even thegeneral's main challenger,retired Judge WajihuddinAhmed, has admitted he haslittle chance.

The Election Commissionapproved only six of the 43candidates, including Ahmed,who was nominated by lawyers,and Makhdoom Amin Fahim,vice chairman of ex-PrimeMinister Benazir Bhutto'sPakistan People's Party. Fahim'sparty earlier said he would runonly if Musharraf were disquali-fied.

The opposition alliance hassaid its lawmakers will quitParliament on Tuesday toprotest the general's candidacy,a move also aimed at deprivingthe election of legitimacy.

Musharraf, who seized powerin a 1999 coup, has pledged togive up his post as army chief ifhe wins the election.

(Philly.com)

1-7 Oct., 200710 Perspective

Heisenberg warns that spirituality/religious experiences and science/mathematical knowledge are twodifferent modes of thinking and shouldnot be confused. He warns, "manymodern creeds which claim that theyare, in fact, are not dealing withquestions of faith, but are based onscientific knowledge that contain innercontradictions and rest on self-deception." Heinrick Hertz, in hisintroduction to the Principles ofMechanics says, "a natural science isone whose proposition on limiteddomains of nature can have only acorrespondingly limited validity; thatscience is not a philosophy developinga world view of nature as a whole orabout the essence of things."

Erwin Schroedinger, the NobelLaureate of Physics in 1933 in hisvarious books like My View of theWorld, Mind and Matter, Science andHumanism etc says, "I do not think I amprejudiced against the importance thatscience has from the purely humanpoint of view. But with all that, I cannotbelieve that (for example) the deepphilosophical enquiry into the relationbetween subject and object and into thetrue meaning of the distinction betweenthem depends on the quantitativeresults of physical and chemicalmeasurements with weighing scales,spectroscopes, microscopes, tele-scopes, with Geiger-Muller counters,Wilson chambers, photographic plates,arrangements for measuring the radio-active decay, and what not……

Further Schroedinger says, "Thescientific picture of the real worldaround me is very deficient. It gives alot of factual information, puts all ourexperiences in a magnificentlyconsistent order, but it is ghastly silentabout all and sundry that is really nearto our heart, that really matters to us. Itcannot tell us a word about red andblue, bitter and sweet, physical painand physical delight, it knows nothingabout beautiful and ugly, good orbad,…Science sometimes pretends toanswer questions in these domains, butthe answers are very often so silly thatwe are not inclined to take themseriously…….Whence come I andwither go I? That is the great unfath-omable question, the same for everyone of us. Science has no answer to it.”

The well knownNobel Laureate ofPhysics in 1921,Einstein perhaps themost well known scientist of the 20thcentury says in his Ideas and Opinions:Objective knowledge provides us withpowerful instruments for the achieve-ments of certain ends, but the ultimategoal itself and the longing to reach itmust come from another source.

Ken Wilber, a distinguished scientistin his own right and a prolific writersays in his Quantum Questions:“Modern science, in its beginning, wascharacterised by a conscious modesty;it made statements about strictly limitedrelations that are only valid within theframework of these limitations…..Thismodesty was largely lost during thenineteenth century. Physical knowledgewas considered to make assertionsabout nature as a whole. Physicswished to turn philosopher and thedemand was voiced from manyquarters that all true philosophers mustbe scientific.”

This was the era named modernism,and we can see that the influence ofmodernism is found in almost all writingon religion, be it Buddhism or Hinduism orphilosophy; during this period. ManyBuddhist scholars of that period likeRahula Sankrityayana, Dr. Ambedkar arestalwarts of modernistic interpretation ofBuddhism. Modernism lasted in the Westtill about the miœd twentieth centurywhen the cognitive revolution, threwmodernism overboard and a new era ofpost modernism began in the west.

Many writers like Ken Wilber are of theopinion that post modernism is also on itsdeath throes in the West and it is lookingfor another world view. But alas Nepal, asusual always behind time compared tothe rest of the world is still in the throttlinggrasp of modernism, although asmattering of writers talk about post-modernism, the brunt of the Nepaleseweltanschauung (worldview) is still prettymuch coloured by modernism, which wasitself blinded by the view that the one andonly truth/fact/reality were what wascompatible with the empirical, reductionistpositivism that believed that only whatcould be measured by scientific instru-ments was real.

(To be continued.)(Sridhar Rinpoche is a Vajrayana Master)

ä The Wanderer

“I was surprised on my returnto Lilliput after such a long intervalto find an increase in populationbeyond my imagination. I was toldthat this was because of the influxinto the capital of many of thoseunfortunate Yahoos who hadmigrated to work in places likeBelefuscu–a country similar toLilliput in its mountainoustopography– as well as many whowere coming back from Lalputaand Brobdingnag.

My old friends among theYahoos were very concernedbecause they said the Lalputanshad the habit of throwing rocks atpeople who disagreed with theirpoint of view and, of course,interference by Brobdingnagianshas always been anathema to theLilliputians. It is not for LemuelGulliver to comment but I will tellyou what I have observed.

Everyone is talking about NewLilliput and how wonderful it isgoing to be. One of New Lilliput’scontinuing problems is that itsleaders believe that, if one is notrich, one has no excuse forenjoying life: hence the poorhardly get a day off and have toresort to strikes or ‘bandhs’ as theNew Lilliputians call them.Another belief, common to all, richand poor, politically powerful andpolitically sidelined alike, is that it isalways someone else to blame,never themselves. There aremany suspects for NewLilliputians to fall back on:ambassadors from Brobdingnagor Lalputa and agents of thesame springing most readily tomind.

Since my last visit, the LilliputianLiberation Army (LLA) has joinedup with the Houghnhnms andtogether they persuaded theYahoos with promises of fragrantgrease to agitate for New Lilliput.Unfortunately for the Yahoos,once the agitation was success-ful— as it always is when plenty ofYahoos get together against thediminutive peoples who originallyran Lilliput—the arrogantHoughnhnms, with their convic-

tions of superiority over everyoneelse, and the LLA with theirrhetorical overkill, sidelined theYahoos completely.

The Houghnhnms, havingspent so long in exile inBrobdingnag, obviously had verybig ideas and, suffering as theydo from verbal enteritis, madepromises that they certainly don’tseem to be keeping. Announcinga peaceful coup, they establisheda Great Revolutionary Council(GRC) of 1,765 membershandpicked and nominated by theHoughnhnms and the LLA cadresthemselves. Governance is byabsolute consensus of these1,765 unelected council mem-bers. They have already decidedwhat the outcomes of the nextelection will be before themajority—who are mostlyLilliputian Yahoos—have had achance to vote.

I had forgotten how quarrel-some Lilliputian Yahoos could bebut, when the GRC revived theold edict that everyone mustbreak their eggs at the small end,the Yahoos were enraged. Theiranger was aggravated even moreby the fact that eggs wererationed by the GRC and thatqueues were stretched for milesjust to purchase a single egg. Theprice of eggs in Lilliput, readerswill remember, is heavilysubsidised as a sweetener to geteveryone to vote for candidateswho have already decided withoutan election which end of the eggshould be broken. When theYahoos retaliated by disruptingthe normal traffic of Lilliput theGRC made the regressivedecision to discontinue the sale ofeggs until it could pay for previoussupplies.

You will recall, dear readers,that Lilliput is unfortunate in that itis landlocked and has no eggs ofits own, hence it has to rely onBrobdingnag for a steady supply.The council had been playing adangerous populist game sellingeggs below the global marketprice and Brobdingnag has rightlydemanded payment for goodssupplied. Why the GRC would do

such a foolish thing can only beexplained by the fact that its ownmembers and hangers-on don’tpay for their eggs any way; thatmany of those willing to pay fortheir eggs are not too fond of theGRC and might not vote for thecouncil members even if they’rethe last politicians on earth; andthe rest, who are Yahoos, areexpected to put up and shut uplike they always do.

It is at this juncture, of course,that I have chosen to return todear old Lilliput. It is, however,distressing to meet my old friendsamong the Yahoos who havesuffered a great deal. They tellme that, far from being peaceful,the agitations were long, violent,and sectarian, incurring greatlosses of lives and livelihoods.They have witnessed horrendousthings and are fearful that all isnot yet over. My heart goes out tothe Lilliputian Yahoos who have, itseems, been hoodwinked onceagain.

In my capacity as an objectiveobserver, I have it on authoritythat, contrary to general belief,millions of litres of eggs intendedfor New Lilliput have been waylaidat border crossing points. Theycannot be transported becausethe Yahoos themselves, poordears, have closed down thetraffic. No prizes for guessing whowill be landed with all the rotteneggs once they finally arrive.

I must say, dear readers, NewLilliput’s current system beggarsall belief! But then as theLilliputian Yahoos tell each other:“What to do, what to do? This isLilliput!”

I have observed on my secondvisit to this astoundingly beautifulland, with its quaint customs andanachronistic style of governancethat New Lilliput might just end upbeing the old one in newpackaging.

(The Wanderer wishes toexpress his gratitude to Lemuel

Gulliver for permitting him tofreely use and interpret his

journal. Lemuel may be almost300 years’ old, but his mind is as

sharp as ever it was.)

Marshland Flowersbut the ultimate goal itself and the longingto reach it must come from another source.

ä Acharya Mahayogi Sridhar Rana Rinpoche

Gulliver’s travelsin New Lilliput

Last week, an English daily started off a piecewith the statement, “Nepali Congress hasgone republican following the wishes of thepeople….” And the Communist Party ofNepal (Maoist) uses terms like “People’sLiberation Army” and justifies all its actions inthe name of the people.

Who exactly are these people? Does noteach and every one of us comprise the people?Are our political leaders speaking on our behalf,but without our knowledge or consent? Thehaphazard use of the term ‘people’ across thepolitical spectrum has gone on for long enough.It is time for us, the common people, to speakup and tell these power-crazed maniacs that weare the people and they cannot speak on ourbehalf without consulting us!

Democracy means: government by thepeople, exercised either directly or throughelected representatives; where the common

people are considered as the primary source ofpolitical power; where the majority rules andthere are principles of social equality andrespect for the individual within a community.

In Nepal today, we have a government notelected by the people. The common people arecertainly not the source of political power. Thereis no majority rule and social equality andrespect for the individual is flaunted by every-one, from top to bottom. And we are living in acountry falling apart from chronic shortages ofessentials, chronic bickering among political

parties and chronic inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflict. This must be a peculiar Nepaliversion of democracy indeed!

This situation reminds us of Plato’s assertionthat a democratic government holds out thepromise of equality for all of its citizens butdelivers only the anarchy of an unruly mob, eachof whose members is interested only in thepursuit of private interests. Does this not remindus of our current political landscape?

We do not live in a democracy in present-dayNepal. Our voice has been silenced by intimida-

tion and political trickery. It has been takenaway from us for others to use as theyplease. We are the silent majority whomust remain silent no more. Let us speakup for our individual rights as Nepalis whodeserve and want to work for a betterfuture. Let them not hang over us themirage of a “New Nepal.”

Nothing is new, only the honeyed wordsof irresponsible politicians seeking towaylay us while they pursue their dreamsof power and grandeur. Their dreams arenot our dreams. They must be made torealise this. The harsh fact is: we are apoor country with serious developmentproblems. The barrel of a gun or baselessdemagoguery cannot solve the problems.We the people must realise this and wakeup to our inherent rights and fight againstthe prevailing tyranny.

Who are the ‘people’?ä Roop Joshi

1-7 Oct, 2007 11Art & society

Mukunda Bahadur Shrestha, 81,showcased for the first time, aselected number of his workcollected over the years he spentworking as a photographer fortourism ministry for decades. Theweek long-exhibition held at PatanMuseum comprised of a mixtureof black and white and colourprints pictures taken with manualcameras only.

Outstanding were the picturesof Kathmandu taken in the sixtiesthat showed the valley beforemodern constructions invaded it;as also the pristine beauty of lakesand mountains in Syangbocheand Langtang. “I have traveled inalmost all the 14 zones of thecountry and my favorite placeremains Syangboche. I still recallthe moment when I peeped outfrom my tent and gazed at the skyin the brilliant moonlight, with thesnowcapped mountains allaround. It felt like heaven,” saidthe photographer.

He plans to hold moreexhibitions in future if he receivessupport for it and also hopes topublish a book of his photocollection.

From the fury of the blisteringwinds flutters Dasani’s skirt

like a failed nation’s flag waversDasani’s skirt

Million brutal kicks it has survivedwater wells of blood it has shed

so many rapes so many waterchannels it has pumped intolandlord’s barren fields

no matter how weary it looksbeaten by heat and rain it’s still arainbow

like a garden of million flowers thisDasani’s skirt

Went to get firewood from theforest never returned

Does someone know where mustbe fluttering the rainbow of Dasani’sembroidered skirt?

--Shyamal, “Dashani’s Skirt”

Nepali poet Shayamal’s poem aboutdisappearance of a Tharu girl in thequagmire of ongoing Nepalese political

conflict is difficult to translate. It’salways difficult to translate poemsabout pain and human suffering. Morespecifically the end of the poem that inthe original is intriguing and complex.

People vanish, political punditspredict more awful times in the yearsto come. The mere name of electionssends a chill down your spine. Somany more Dasanis are likely to godown the grinding wheels of politicalturbulence

In face of all this, activism on thepart of the writers has remainedlimited to a section of party workersor those who have been associatedwith the ruling clans and castes all

these decades. The averageNepalese literary and cultural iconshave stayed away from activism in therecent political upheavals. Theenthusiasm and active participationfrom almost everyone that was visiblein 1990 upsurge has this time remainlimited to party goons and craftycareer builders. Is this because theaverage people seem scared of thefearsome conflict; or a decade ofdemocratic rule has shown them theirroles in the scheme of things.

It’s often the case that a politicianprefers a worthless party artist to anable and famous literary figure orartist. For some this turbulence is agreat industry and they want theirrole and share reserved withoutknowing democracy involves eventhose who are on the margins or whodo not speak, hear and see the uglydance of the corrupt polity.

(writer@yuyutsu.de)

Rainbow of Dasani’s skirtIt’s always difficult to translate poems about pain and human suffering.

ä Yuyutsu RD Sharma

Bouddha showcases faith andprinciples transforming intopractices and devotion. Oftencalled small Tibet, Boudhanathhas developed dramatically sincethe 70s. The influx of Tibetanrefugees sparked off residentialand monastery constructions inBouddha and it was furtherfuelled by the booming carpetindustry in the ‘90s.

Its diameter exceeding 100metres and its height at 40metres, Boudhanath is claimed asone of the world’s largest stupas.A symbol of the Buddha’senlightened mind, it is almost anicon to Buddhism. Derivedprobably from a Pali word ‘Thuba’meaning a pile, the stupa lookslike gigantic pile. It stands on athree dimensional mandala.Objects of religious significance isnormally kept inside the centre onthe basement of a stupa andhere, Tibetans believe, a bone ofPadmasambava or GuruRinpoche, the Tantric master whospread Buddhism in Tibet, is keptas a votive.

The stupa has squareHarmikas in each directions, twoomniscient eyes, the Tika likeUrna – the symbol of Buddhha’sspiritual perfection and the noselike Nepali number one. The spirerepresents 13 steps towardsNirvana, like a pyramid ; theumbrella and the pointed pinnaclecompletes the stupa. TheMandala, dome, squareHarmikas, spires with umbrellaand pinnacle represent fivecosmic elements of earth, water,fire, air and ether. Instead of fiveDhyani Buddhas normally seen ina stupa, 108 smaller images ofAmitabh Buddha are set in nichesaround the dome and prayerwheels are mounted around theperimeter wall.

Boudhanath is generallyacknowledged as the mostimportant Tibetan Buddhistmonument outside Tibet.Tibetans call it ‘Chorten

Chempo’, the great stupa ; andNewars call it, Chaitya. The age ofthe stupa remains uncertain.Testomonials say the presentstupa may have been erected onlyafter 14th century. Boudhanathused to be a thanksgiving stop fora successful journey across theHimalaya in the Tibet-India traderoute. It is one of the very fewplaces on earth where Tibetan lifeand culture is practiced unhin-dered.

Numerous monasteries aroundthe stupa serve also as learningcentres for monks and nuns. Allfour Tibetan Buddhist sects ofNingmapa, Kagyupa, Gelukpa and

Sakyapa can be studied andpracticed here making it a primeplace to study Buddhism. Everymonastery has a gilded statue ofBuddha and Bodhisatvas, Tara orthe founder of the sect in itsassembly hall. Oil lamps, heaps ofrice piled onto three tiered silverstands, Tormas, fruits, coins,flowers and incense are seenarranged nicely as offerings.Beautiful frescoes on the wallsdepict guardians and deitiesexpressing the complex cosmologyof Tibetan buddhism.The serenityof such a magnificent setting getspunctuated by group recitation ofsacred texts and sounds of musicalinstruments.

UNESCO has recently removedBoudhanath from its list ofendangered World Heritage Sites.But improvements are required tocontrol rampant constructionsaround the site. Increasingproblems like traffic chaos,garbage litter and disorganisedstreet market among others alsoneed to be addressed effectively tomaintain its image.

Resonant chantings of monks,pilgrims performing prostrationsaround the dome creates magicalmoments in Boudhanathmespecially at dusk, when deepsounds of long horns are blownand drums beaten in the monas-teries fill the air. The crowd circlingthe stupa, sounds of murmuredprayers and creaking prayerwheels and fluttering of thousandsof five-coloured praying flagsoverhead add to the spiritualambience.

(nte@mail.com.np) A tribal boy in a forest, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh BY Sushma Amatya

INSIGHT

Boudhhanaththe little Tibet

Well aged photos

ä Pramesh Pradhan

World Heritage

1-7 Oct, 200712 Makers

An uncharitable comment of a radio jockey through a Delhi based FMradio station triggered an ethnic clash in West Bengal's Siliguri area, butthe situation was brought under control after both the central and stategovernment agencies swung into action.

The flare-up was sparked off after the jockey, Nikhil Kumar, said in alive broadcast that Nepalis were better suited to making Momos andworking as Chowkidars than becoming an Indian idol.

The derogatory remark instantly triggered communal tension in Siliguriwith a mixed population of the hills and plains people, where the newlycrowned Indian Idol, Prashant Tamang's fans took its ire out on thestreets. West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeo Bhattacharya called inthe army to contain the situation.

Aggrieved fans of Prashant also petitioned to India's Information andBroadcasting Minister PR Dasmunshi to take stern action against theconcerned radio station and the radio jockey. They were informed thatstation has been asked to submit its explanation in the issue so thatfurther actions could proceed.

While all that was happening India, Prashant was busy reaching out tohis expanding fan constituency in Nepal where he sang and also got intosome social meetings.

"Making a film in India can never beeasy," says director Wes Andersonwhose newest film, The DarjeelingLimited, was shot mostly inRajasthan. "Every little place in thecountry is so fascinating that you feellike making one film after another."

Darjeeling Limited opens the NewYork Film Festival on September 28,and focuses on three bickeringbrothers who go on a spiritual journeyin India hoping to reconcile with eachother.

Anderson, whose hit films includeThe Royal Tenenbaums, wanted toshoot the film in Darjeeling. "But Ihardly saw the sun when I spent afew days there while working on thescript," he chuckles. "By then, I hadfallen in love with Rajasthan, and thatis how we ended up with most of ourwork shot on a moving train throughthe state."

The 38-year-old director castOwen Wilson, Oscar-winner AdrienBrody (The Pianist) and JasonSchwartzman (who also co-wrote thescreenplay) as the brothers who havenot spoken to each other in a year.Veteran actress Angelica Hustonplays a small but pivotal role as theestranged mother of the three men.

London-based newcomer AmaraKaran, who among other interestingencounters with the three brothershas a scorching kissing scene, is thesteward on the train. And in a verybrief appearance, Irrfan Khanappears as the grieving father whoseson dies in a drowning accident.

Anderson says by putting the tensebrothers, who are suspicious of eachother, in a constantly fast moving India,he was able to create a kind of quietdrama he has never created before.

Eschewing the standard practice ofshooting the interior scenes of a trainon a sound stage in a studio, heopted to shoot them on a hired train.The train itself is one of the big'characters' in the film. But India is aneven bigger character, he says.

"India gets under your skin in notime," Anderson, who fell in love withIndia when he watched Jean Renoir'sThe River and practically every film ofSatyajit Ray. "I have travelled widelyand can't think of any other place thatis filled with colours like India. Another

amazing thing I found when I visitedIndia by myself four years ago washow people look at you as if you arefrom another planet. This happens insmaller towns and villages. I feel I aman alien. But soon, I realise I cannever be alone in India. Friendshipsare made in no time."

Owen Wilson plays Francis, theeldest of the three brothers in thefilm, and is a control freak. Wilson is a

close friend of the filmmaker fromtheir college days in Austin, Texas.The actor, who is recovering from asuicide attempt recently, is seenheavily bandaged throughout the film.It is suspected that he had tried to killhimself.

'Francis sees himself as one tryingto keep the family together,' he says inthe production notes. 'Because ourfather is dead, our mother is AWOL,Francis is literally damaged. And thereis Jack (Schwartzman), coming out ofa bad relationship. There is also Peter,who is having trouble with his wife. SoFrancis has united the brothers on thisgreat spiritual adventure in India, andhe has the funny idea they're going tohave a spiritual journey -- whetherthey like it or not.'

But a lot of things go wrong till thethree find sudden inspiration to altertheir lives. 'For much of the film, thestory reminded me of one of thosefamily vacations you had growing upwhere everything would in a disaster,'Wilson muses.

The second brother Peter (Brodie)is intensely unhappy with his life for anumber of reasons including the

thought of becoming a father soon.And the youngest brother Jack is awriter who finds plenty of 'inspiration'in the crises in his own family. Like hissiblings, he too has a mean streak inhim.

Despite visiting a number oftemples and shrines, the brothersdon't come any closer. But anunexpected incident lands them in themiddle of the desert in a small village.

Watching a tragedy unfold, andseeing the villagers addressing it withdignity, the brothers start another kindof journey. And this time, it looks likethey may learn a few life lessons.

Anderson has said that he alwayswanted to do a film about threebrothers because he is one of threebrothers. 'We grew up fighting andyet, they are the closest people in theworld to me,' he has said in aninterview. 'Of course, all the charac-ters in the movie are fictional.'

As the three watch things happenunexpectedly to them, they learn toapproach each other in a differentway. "They learn to approach deathin a different way too," Andersonsays, adding that their minds go backto their father's death and how theyhad behaved after the funeral.

Anderson, who also gotSchwartzman's cousin RomanCoppola to work on the script, talksabout how they started plotting thestory in the cafes in Paris, and went toIndia in 2006 to do more writing. Theytravelled by train and went to dozensof temples looking for plot ideas.

(rediff news)

Momos,Chowkidar andPrashant

Capturing India inDarjeeling Limited

Prashant in town