#477 20 - 26 November 2009 16 pages Rs 30

The extended politicaldeadlock is costing thecountry dearly. But until therecan be a power-sharingagreement that includes allthree big parties, nothing isgoing to move.

The CA committees areway behind schedule, and theconstitutional committee can’tstart drafting until that work isfinished. The assembly hasnow amended its timeline forthe seventh time to meet the27 May 2010 deadline.

But most people are pastcaring, says Prashant Jha.Apart from the party faithful,and tiny pockets of politicallymobilised segments, theapathy towards wider politicshas never been as deep as itis today. Hidden in thecynicism is wisdom.Decisions are made in Nepalipolitical culture when threeBahun men are pushed by theIndian ambassador to sit in adrawing room and arrive at aconsensus.

Fatalapathy

SolheimsaysNorway’s Minister ofEnvironment and InternationalDevelopment, Erik Solheim,speaks to the Nepali Timesabout the political deadlock inNepal. He says: “I havespoken to Prime MinisterNepal, former Prime MinisterPrachanda (and otherleaders). They have all giventhe impression that they wantto continue the reconciliationprocess and they want to finda solution to the problem, butof course they indicatedifferent ways out of theproblem... there are nospecific ideas about what it iswe can do at present.”

Full interview p10

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha p2Reality check

KIRAN PANDAY

2 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477EDITORIAL

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda DixitDesk Editor: Rabi ThapaCEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran MaharjanDGM Sales and Marketing: Sambhu Guragain marketing@himalmedia.comMarketing Manager: Subhash Kumar Asst. Manager: Arjun Karki

Hatiban, Godavari Road, LalitpurFax: 5251013GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845Printed at Jagadamba Press 5250017-19

edi tors@nepal i t imes.comwww.nepal i t imes.com

LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

F

MULE RULESSane people always have read the Assas the true image of Nepal for that weekand beyond. Sometimes, the columnmakes you cry because it’s so truthfuland at other times, it’s hilarious to anextreme and yet carries a deepundercurrent, which you figure out onceyour laughter stops.

Aawartan Discuss Nepal,www.facebook.com/nepalitimes

PEACEFUL PROTESTSThe demonstrations were very peacefulso it’s dishonest to say they weren’t(‘Ultra-violence’, #475). Would peoplehave preferred the routine tyre-burningand brick-batting kind of protests! TheMaoists should teach NC and UML how

BEAR UNMIN WITH A GRINThe government is peeved at the way UNMIN has deliberatelylooked the other way on continuing Maoist excesses, whilepulling up the Defence Minister for a trial balloon she floated onrecruitment. How come UNMIN is so prompt to slap the armyon the wrist at every turn when the PLA gets away with murder,literally, in camps supervised by the UN?

Be that as it may, one can’t blame the delay in demobilisingand disarming Maoist combatants on UNMIN. That was theresponsibility of the parties and the high-level committee set upto take the peace process forward. It is now clear that without adeal on power-sharing between the parties, the necessary truston disarmament and rehabilitation, the rest of the peaceprocess and finalising the constitution by May 27 simply won’tbe there.

The performance of UNMIN leaves a lot to be desired, butthe UN is always the lowest common denominator of itsmember states. To expect it to be superhuman is unrealistic. Abloated, bungling UN peacekeeping machinery is a given. It isup to us to work within its narrow mandate to extract what weneed for our own peace-building. Ultimately, it is up to the hostgovernment to create conditions that can put pressure on theinternational agency to discharge its duties in a more impartialand effective manner.

It’s no fault of the UN monitors here that a politicalsettlement to ensure the discharge of unqualified combatantshas not yet been made. That should have been the first priorityof the 22-party coalition that most resembles the seven-partyalliance government that signed the peace agreement with theMaoists.

The demobilisation of Maoist combatants cannot begin aslong as there is no consensus between political parties aboutthe structure of the process. Good intentions are not enough.

By now, it should be clear that the business of constitutionwriting will continue to be problematic as long as the Maoistsare not taken on board again as full partners of the peaceprocess. That is a goal that has very little to do with the UN.

The best and fastest way to get rid of UNMIN is making itspresence unnecessary. For that, Nepal’s political leadershiphas to get its act together.

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

share the loot and write what theywant at the end.”

Hidden in the cynicism iswisdom. Decisions are made inNepali political culture whenthree Bahun men are forced by theIndian ambassador to sit in adrawing room and arrive at aconsensus. The only other timethey are galvanised into action iswhen a popular movementthreatens their survival. Whenthere is such a confluence ofinternal and external pressure, thepolitical bunch realises there is noalternative and gets its acttogether.

At its root, the CA processfaces three challenges.

The first challenge is toreconcile conflicting views into acommon document. In eachcommittee, there are differencesbetween parties – on land reform,the nature of state organs, federalstructure and powers, nationalsecurity policy, bordermanagement, the scope ofaffirmative action, and prior rightsfor local communities.

It would be a bit simplistic tosee this as merely a Maoist-nonMaoist divide. There are fivecompeting models at play. Thefirst is the regressive socialconservative model. This wouldlike to see Nepal revert back to amonarchical, Hindutva,centralised state controlled byelites. The second is the businessas usual liberal democratic model,which would like to replicate thekey features of the 1990constitution such as periodicelections and the free press, andmake mild concessions to curb themore recent ethnic and classupsurges. The third is theethnicity-centred model, which ispushing for ethnic homelands,and sees Nepal’s problem asexclusively that of identitydiscrimination. The fourth is thedogmatic Maoist model, whichbelieves all institutions have a‘class character’, and thus have tobe brought under the people’s,read, the party’s control.

But there is a fairly broad

common ground that can spanparty lines.

This fifth model can betermed the radical socialdemocratic model. This wouldtake into account the need for aviable and strong centre; theliberal notions of freedom,pluralism, and open society; havea deep, internalised commitmentto federalism where ethnicity is afactor and to radical affirmativeaction policies; create a welfarestate that can address whatDevendra Raj Panday has called‘failed development’; andoverhaul state institutions tomake them truly accountable tothe wider citizenry – unlike whatthe NC and UML were used to inthe 1990s and the Maoists wantin more extreme form now.

The second challenge isconverting the constitutionaldesign into real institutions. Anexcellent policy brief by MartinChautari has highlighted the“dangerous vacuum in planningfor interim structures and aconsequential potential forgovernance gap”. There is a needfor time frames, structures,schedules for handing over ofpower, and overall managementof expectations. It is time tothink of what happens when thestatute is in fact completed.

And the third challenge is toensure the widest ownershippossible. The time for publicconsultation has been the firstcasualty of the subsequentdelays. There are several groupsout there, who are not in the CAbut have emerged as importantstakeholders on the ground.Getting predominantly BahunChhetri parties to agree, with afew token Madhesi leadersthrown in, will be an inadequatepolitical settlement, and it willsow the seeds of furtherdiscontent.

Politicians need to reach anew power-sharing deal as soonas possible, so they can focus onthe critical issues that will reallydetermine whether a Naya Nepalcan come into being.

Get on with the power deal sowe can deal with the real issues

Reality check

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Lettersshould be brief and may be edited forspace. While pseudonyms are accepted,writers who provide their real names andcontact details will be given preference.Email letters should be in text formatwithout attachments with ‘letter to theeditor’ in the subject line.Email: letters(at)nepalitimes.comFax: 977-1-5521013Mail: Letters, Nepali Times,GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal.

because India’s so much wealthier todaythan it was, say, a decade ago.

Name withheld, email

rom Baneshwor, here is afaint glimmer of good news.A seventh committee of the

CA, on fundamental rights,recently submitted its draftreport in line with the mid-November deadline.

Here is the bad news. Thecommittees on staterestructuring, forms ofgovernance, and distribution ofnatural resources could not

finish off their concept papers.By extension, the constitutionalcommittee, which has theunenviable task of integratingthese diverse papers into acomprehensible, meaningful text,can only wait. The CA has nowamended its timeline for theseventh time, while sticking tothe broader goal of having astatute by May 28. The time forpublic consultations and article-wise discussions has beencurtailed.

And this is the ugly realitycheck. Most people just don’t careany more. Apart from the partyfaithful, and tiny pockets ofpolitically mobilised segments,the apathy towards the widerpolitics has not been as deep inthe past three years as it is now.Ask people what they thinkabout the constitution, and theusual refrain is, “These chornetas, thieving politicians, havehijacked everything. They will

KIRAN PANDAY

to hold a peaceful protest.Dev Joshi, www.facebook.com/nepalitimes

NC HEROESCK Lal’s got it wrong(‘The daughter alsorises’, #472). He saysSujata’s rise is aconcern ofKathmanduites only andeven blasts NC leaderswho opposed herpromotion to DPM. Let’snot forget that whileSujata lost theelections, Ram ChandraPoudel won by a bigmargin, without having contested in

multiple locations. Poudel deserves farmore respect.

COPYCATRajesh Hamal’sinterview was veryinteresting, but I don’tthink he’s right when hesays Bollywood rivalsHollywood now partlybecause it has a historyof copying Hollywoodfilms. He suggests thisjustifies Nepali filmscopying Bollywood. ButBollywood isn’t doing sowell today because it hasproduced unoriginal

movies in the past. It’s doing well simply

320 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

OP-ED

D uring the Constituent Assemblyelections last year, the world cameto learn of the political loyalties

of Nepal’s leading business personalities. TheBeer Baron turned out to be a Marxist-Leninist. The Noodle Tycoon admitted tohave been a closet Stalinist. The owner of apremier trading house joined the Maoists tosafeguard his market position. The super-rich, in believing that they can use whoeveris in government to their advantage, continueto be supremely confident of their politicalabilities.

Perhaps that’s the reason the overclasshas not taken the challenge of the Maoiststoo seriously. Unlike the panicky NGO-entrepreneurs, the bankers and buildersappear to believe that Baburam Bhattarai isno different from Mahesh Acharya or BharatMohan Adhikari. This complacence of therich is confusing the middle class no end.

The class base of Nepal’s political partieshas never been very clear. However, a roughgeneralisation was still possible until themid-nineties. Following the first JanaAndolan, the upper class retained its loyaltyto Panchayat-era politicos. Independentprofessionals and the self-employedgravitated towards the Nepali Congress. TheNCP (UML) emerged as the bastion of thepetty bourgeoisie. In European terms, thesethree groupings formed the conservatives, thesocial democrats and the Hindu democratsof the Nepali polity. Since there was nopolitical force that represented the peasantsor the working class, they simply traded theirloyalties whenever and wherever they could.

Enter a group of wily politicalentrepreneurs, who mobilised theunorganised and carefully presentedthemselves as a credible challenger to allexisting forces. For the royalists, this new

formation was republican. For the NC’s freemarket fundamentalists, they werereinvented communists. And for thehubristic Brahminists of the UML, these newpoliticos who organised the outcastes,untouchables and the marginalised were achallenge that undermined their standing atthe very core. The Maoist brand name helped— nothing galvanises the underclass asstrongly as the idea of getting back violentlyat their real or perceived oppressors. But itwas such an incendiary mix of ideas that theresulting wildfire soon careered out ofcontrol. The middle class watched infascination until the heat of the insurgencybecame unbearable.

It was the very composition of the Maoistparty base that most frightened the insecuremiddle class. Maoist enforcers were neitherpeasants nor workers but belonged to a groupthat Marx called the lumpenproletariat —those renegades of society who often turnedout to be “bribed tools of reactionaryintrigue”. The Maoist people’s carnival lastweek was a mammoth public relationsexercise to reassure the Kathmandu

bourgeoisie that there was no need to fear aparty whose chairman was willing to boogiein public with a Nepali actress.Unfortunately for the Maoists, thecharade turned out to be completelycounterproductive.

Over half of Kathmandu Valley’s threemillion residents are well off by Nepalistandards. In emerging societies, prosperitydoesn’t come cheap; in fact it often extracts avery heavy emotional, moral and physicalprice. The protestors that the Maoists paradedaround Singha Darbar last week gave the

The queasy bourgeoisie

The Maoistshave little tooffer theaspiring middleclasses

aspiring class of the capital city a glimpse oftheir own past. No wonder the motorcyclistslooked so terrified. The sight of tens ofthousands of upstarts singing and dancing,ostensibly to grab their hard-earned comforts,must have been pretty unnerving.

The upper class of yesteryear had at leasta vague notion of noblesse oblige and rid itselfof its guilty conscience through favouritism,acts of kindness towards those who couldcome in handy in times of trouble. For theoverclass, everything has a price andeverybody is for sale, including the Maoists.Meanwhile, the underclass has little to loseand looks up to the Maoists with expectanteyes. So what if Comrade Chairman lives ina fortress? Even in a Dalit village of strawhuts, local deities have to be housed inside abrick house.

But for the aspiring class that has earnedits present level of prosperity by treatinggreed as god, the Maoists have little to offerexcept assurances. The future of the UCPN(Maoist) ultimately depends on how it canwin over the terrified middle strata of Nepalisociety.

KIRAN PANDAY

4 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477NATION

oday marks four decades ofthe United NationsChildren’s Fund (UNICEF)

in Nepal, and twenty years sincethe United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child cameinto force. These are anniversariesworth celebrating. When UNICEFopened its country office inKathmandu in 1969, the situationof Nepal’s children was amongthe worst in the world.

In 1970 Nepal had the 12th

highest child mortality rate in theworld. By last year, we had movedahead of 50 other countries, torank 62nd. During this period theunder-five mortality rate wentdown by nearly 80 per cent, from250 to 51 per 1000. Four decadesago, 400,000 children were bornevery year, but 100,000 of themdied before reaching their fifthbirthday. Last year, 732,000children were born, but less than40,000 died. Forty years ago,barely a quarter of school-agechildren went to primaryeducation. Today 90 per cent ofchildren enroll in primary school,including a majority of girls.

That certainly is progress. It isall the more remarkable that Nepalmade great strides in reducing thenumber of child deaths even inthe middle of the violent conflictof the last decade. In our lifetime,

he Armed Police Force and the NepalPolice were not paid their salaries lastmonth. Neither were they able to

withdraw money for their rations. The fivebiggest hospitals declared they had run outof funds in October. Several districts failedto pay their schoolteachers last month. If thebudget remains pending, noone will pay themnext month either. Nor will the government beable to provide allowances to Maoistcombatants stationed at various UNMINcamps. Prison authorities have run out offunds to buy food for inmates.

At the time of writing, the Rs 296 billionbudget has not been passed. The governmentis the largest single spender in the country,and the budget accounts for almost 28 percent of the economy. A pending budgetbasically means that the economy is runningon an empty tank.

The inability of the government to spendis already manifest in signs of a liquiditycrunch: money is not moving through privatemarkets. In response, on Sunday, the inter-bank interest rate rose from three per cent toa whopping 10.2 per cent.

But it’s not just a matter of injecting moneyinto the economy. Remote areas are dependenton the government for all of their economicactivities. During the harvest season, the

we have seen dreaded diseaseslike smallpox and polioeradicated, deaths due to measlesdrastically reduced, goiterdisappear, and immunisationservices for children becomingvirtually universal.

The children of Nepal todayare healthier, more educated, andmore knowledgeable about theworld than in any previousgeneration.

Both 1990’s first JanaAndolan, which ushered indemocracy, and the coming into

force of the UN Convention on theRights of the Child (CRC), gavegreat impetus to the cause ofchildren. Whereas earlierprograms for children weredesigned to be needs-based,sometimes even as a charitableresponse to the plight of children,a rights-based approach came intovogue following the advent ofdemocracy and application ofthe CRC.

While UNICEF continued tohelp tackle some of the age-oldproblems of illness, illiteracy and

malnutrition in Nepal with somesuccess, three new problemssurfaced in the past two decades:HIV/AIDS, trafficking and abuseof children on a massive scale,and a terrible civil war that led tonew forms of violence andexploitation of children. Butthrough its innovative, dynamicapproaches to complement itstraditional programs in healthand education, water andsanitation, UNICEF has been ableto address these challenges. Indoing so, UNICEF has become ahousehold name, a truechild-friendly UN presence

in Nepal.As we look ahead, I see a

bright future for the children ofthis country, provided we Nepalisare able to overcome our

GUEST COLUMNKul ChandraGautam

UNICEF has had a remarkablefour decades in Nepal, butthere’s some way to go

Safeguardingchildren in New Nepal

self-destructive orgy ofhyper-politicisation and violenceand adhere to the overarchingprinciples of the CRC. Theseprinciples are non-discrimination, the best interestof the child, the right to survivaland development, and respect forthe views of the child.

We must therefore ensure thatin education, for instance, we arenot satisfied by high averageenrollments but go for universaland equitable progress, withspecial measures for childrenwho are likely to bedisadvantaged, such as Dalits,those from certain indigenouscommunities and girls.

We may have reduced childmortality, but death is only thetip of the iceberg. We must investheavily in maternal, newborn andchild health especially to combatour unacceptably high levels ofchild malnutrition, and topromote early child development.After all, whether a child willgrow to live up to his or her fullhuman potential is largelydetermined in the first few yearsof a child’s life, before the childenters school.

Young people are amazinglyresourceful and we have seentime and again that childparticipation works. Participationis a passport to belonging, so letus give our young people theirplace in shaping their lives and amore democratic, peaceful andprosperous New Nepal.

Finally, in everything we do,if we are not sure what the rightway forward is, we should alwaysask the question: is it in the bestinterest of our children?

Kul Chandra Gautam is aformer Deputy Executive Directorof UNICEF and UN AssistantSecretary-General.

T

government usually delivers essential cropsto remote areas for the winter months. Noneof this has happened so far. Exacerbating theproblem is the dramatic decline in agriculturalproduction this year because of a 60 per centdecrease in monsoon rain.

The government was entitled to spend

one-third of the budget in advance. Fourmonths later, most of the ministries havealready used up this allowance. Governmentinstitutions are now staying afloat by takingloans from each other. The office of the primeminister, for example, had to borrow moneyfrom the Ministry of Physical Planning and

Too big to failWe are perilously close to aneconomic crisis

INDU NEPAL

T

Works to pay its staff. “We have been toldthat prison authorities had to borrow from theNational Food Corporation to feed inmates,”said Finance Minister Surendra Raj Pandey.

Bishambar Pyakurel, Professor ofEconomics at Tribhuvan University, iscategorical. “If the budget fails to pass, wewill have a crisis, much more severe thanthe Maoist war.”

But even if the budget is passed quickly,our troubles are not over. The budget wasstructured on the basis that the country wouldenjoy a growth rate of seven per cent in thefollowing year. It was an ambitiousassumption considering it was five per centwhen the Maoists were leading thegovernment.

Even aiming to maintain this rate is notrealistic, points out Pyakurel: “With thepolitical stalemate of the last six months,Nepal will be lucky if it has a growth rate of2.5 per cent.”

The budget could be passed byordinance, effectively bypassing parliament.But this is only a stop-gap measure. Theordinance would need to be ratified inparliament within six months, postponing thepolitical crisis for another day. “Passing abudget through an ordinance basically meanswaging war with the Maoists,” says Pyakurel.

In the past few days, the government hasscrambled to find a way to pass the budget.On Tuesday, Finance Minister Pandey said,“We have no alternative but to pass thebudget. We are in discussions with theopposition party about it.”

But the opposition party is framing thisas the government’s problem. Maoist leaderBaburam Bhattarai accused the governmentof using the issue of the budget to divertattention from their demands for civiliansupremacy. “We have never said we will stopthe budget from being passed,” he said. “Theyshould have been more responsible andaddressed our demands on time.”

KIRAN PANDAY

KIRAN PANDAY

520 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477BUSINESS

urgaon: Just as I was wondering, while cruising down a world-class expressway connecting Gurgaon and Delhi, what wasbehind India’s booming prosperity, I hit a kilometre-long

queue at a toll plaza.The cars are being held back by unscrupulous drivers criss-crossing

lanes, many using cash in the RFID pass lanes. As a result, it takes morethan 20 minutes to drive through the toll plaza. So much for the time Isaved on the expressway.

The point is, the benefits of the best roads and technology count fornothing if you can’t change people’s attitudes. So, lesson No.1:

hardware and technology upgradeshave to be backed by changes inmindset, which are always thehardest to achieve.

The skyscrapers may have givenGurgaon a look that puts some of the west coast developments in theUS to shame, but the streets are dotted with shacks, cattle and garbage.Every cop wants to pull you over to make a quick buck. To be sure,cops, car mechanics and politicians may be the same all over the world,but how can a city claim to drive the Indian economy when itsresidents remain the same as their brethren in Jogbani or Raxaul?

If the government makes lots of money collecting taxes frommultinationals and other companies operating in the cities, it has aduty to provide better citizen services too. Lesson No. 2, thegovernment must invest the taxes it collects in a particular area orservice back in thesame area or service.For instance, at ourown airport, whileairport tax collectedfrom a mere 25passengers could payfor a luggage trolley,we still rely on otherorganisations to givethem to us.

Gurgaon’s world-class housing and golf courses arrived in advanceof public infrastructure, fancy bathroom fittings preceded a reliablewater supply and expensive, sensor-aided, hygienic WCs were givenpriority over sewer lines. In the absence of public transportation, thechoice is between driving a BMW to the mall, and a subsequent 20-minute wait for a parking slot, or riding a man-pulled rickshaw. LessonNo. 3 for Nepal, we should build efficient service infrastructure beforesatellite cities.Perhaps there should be a system of collecting high infrastructuredevelopment fees from builders to be put into a fund managedaccording to public-private partnership models. This could ensurebasic service delivery.

During every visit to India’s National Capital Region, this Beed isstruck by the realisation that distance kills. While it takes minutes toconfirm a meeting on one’s Blackberry and respond to emails, it takeshours to get to the meeting that has been so easily set up. The Beedkeeps wondering how this hurts productivity. When most services areoutsourced, it becomes more important that the outsourced service isdelivered on time. When computer networks go down or when physicaldelivery of items is impeded by traffic, what is the effect onproductivity?

A well-managed city, therefore, has enormous advantages. Would itbe better to have a city where distances are manageable or one wheredistances are managed well? Lesson No. 4, does Nepal have theopportunity to leverage this and use it to attract businesses? www.arthabeed.com

Lessonsfrom IndiaG

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

Gurgaon’sflashiness masksits infrastructural

weakness

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

XchargeNokia has started a charger exchange programunder which certain Nokia-branded chargersmanufactured by a third-party supplier can beexchanged for free replacements. Call 4241923for more information.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Helping handInternational Money Express held a free healthcheck-up camp at Bhaleshwore SecondarySchool in Malpi VDC. The camp was held in

association with the Lions Club of Kathmandu-Ashoka, Ananta and Abishekh. Over 600individuals were treated.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

MemorandumHimalayan Infrastructure Fund and the IndianCredit Rating Agency signed a MoU on 16November to help set up a Credit Rating Agencyin Nepal.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Sky rocketingKumari Bank opened its 20th and 21st branch inKoteshor and Budhanilkantha. The AGM of thebank approved 10 per cent Bonus Shares, the

redemption of existing 70 per cent PromoterShares to 51 per cent and the remaining 19 percent Promoter Shares to Public Shares.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Care campMorang Auto Works, sole authorised dealer of

Yamahamotorcycles forNepal, announced

the ‘Yamaha Care Camp’ for 150cc SegmentYamaha Motorcycles from 17 to 20 November.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Warming earthThe Mountain Institute in partnership withHokkaido University (Japan), ICIMOD Nepal,and the American Alpine Club carried out theirfirst field expedition in the remote Hongu valleyof Makalu-Barun National Park between 12October and 15 November, 2009 to assess thecondition ‘potentially dangerous’ glacial lakes.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Automobile saviourBG, an American-based line of system serviceproducts, has finally arrived in Nepal. Soledistributor BG Nepal guarantees your vehicleswill be pollution free, eco-friendly and efficient.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Flying highYeti Airlines unveiled Dhangadi as a newdestination on 16 November, and has alsostarted supplementary flights to Janakpur andBhadrapur.

6 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Kokila Dhakal in Rajdhani,17 November

Almost all community schools in Ilam are short ofstudents since they transferred to private schoolsin the region. “It’s pointless coming to the school,there are hardly any students,” complains TaranathKhanal, principal of Saraswati Prathamik School.

Just two years ago the school had more than 80students per class, but there are now only eightstudents in the entire school, of whom five belongto the same family. Four private schools openedsimultaneously in the region, following which the‘wealthy’ locals of Ilam decided to spend more ontheir children’s education. Some parents still enroltheir children in community schools in order toreceive compensation from the government butsend them to private schools for their actualtuition.

Says local Bhednath Khatiwada, “Unlikecommunity schools, private ones include anEnglish curriculum.” This is attractive to studentsand their parents. “Had community schools

The police have a warrant for the arrest of StateMinister Karima Begumfor assaulting a CDO, butwho will dare arrest her? Despite the warrant,she apparently shared a meal with the HomeMinister inside Singha Darbar the otherday. Then she entered the Kantipur TV studiofor a live interview on its program Prime Time.The interview lasted 13 minutes, possibly thelongest live studio interview inKantipur TV’shistory. When news anchors Rupesh andSimrika tried to cut her off by telling Begum her

Mohan Shahi in Kantipur, 14 November

There aren’t any cows in Godadaka’s stables anymore.Instead, they’re packed with Dalits displaced byfloods and the subsequent landslides that sweptthrough the village on 5 September.

Extortion

Schools, no students

incorporated English, the students might not havemoved to private schools,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the irregularity and deterioratingquality of education in community schools isworrying those who cannot afford to send theirchildren to private schools.

Begum livetime was up, the minister shouted at them:“If you call me, you have to let me speak, youcan’t say your time is running out.” Rupesh andSimrika were lucky she didn’t slap them oncamera. She was asked whether she wouldsurrender or go into hiding, with a warrant out forher arrest. She replied that she wouldn’t do either.But she didn’t deny that she slapped the CDO,explaining that it was the CDO who first quarrelledwith her and grabbed her hand.

Comment: From Bir: It is true Karima Begumdid the wrong thing, but she is not the onlypersonto blame. What kind of a party is it that gave her aticket? And how about us who voted her to office?Unless we the people become moreaware andpunish those who misuse the system, episodeslike the Matrika Yadavscandal, Karima Begumscandal, Lauda scandal and Tanakpur scandal willkeep happening as long as this planet exists. From Sirkar:I’ve never seen a useless interviewlike this. A minister who can’t even talk, whodoesn’t even know what she is saying. She is ashame on Nepal, a shame on her party.

View the interview on:http://www.mysansar.com/?p=6765#more-6765

Marooned85 families have been displaced for the last

40-odd days, largely because government help hasn’tbeen forthcoming, reports the Godadaka VDC.

Many of the displaced wake up every day at dawnto go to Siligudi Municipality to look for help. Someeven carry their infant children with them.

Tularam Luhar says, “Because it’s so cold, manychildren are sick and have been tossing and turningall night.”

Taradevi Luhar adds, “We’re about to die of coldand hunger.”

But their pleas have gone largely unheard. “Peoplefrom the municipality gave us Rs 2000-4000 and toldus to forget our problems,” says Sher Bahadur Luhar.

Doti district has so far received five million fromthe government, but the Dalit families have onlyreceived Rs 2000-4000 and 25 kilos of rice, whichthey claim is insufficient.

PICS: KIRAN PANDAY

Santa Gaha Magar in Himal Khabarpatrika, 1-15 November

Side by side with the Maoist street protests, there has been anincrease in the number of beatings, robberies, extortion casesand other acts of violence by the Maoists nationwide. In fact, allthis is reminiscent of the war years. One example of this is theextortion of trekkers and security agencies in recent weeks. Lastmonth, a group of trekkers who had just returned from the Manasluand Annapurna circuits held a press conference to complain thatthey were all stopped and asked to pay Rs 2,000 each (see pic,trekker with Maoist receipts). TAAN chief Rajendra Bajgai saysthe Maoists have forcibly solicited ‘donations’ from many of the15,000 trekkers who visited the Manaslu area this season.

He says: “This has not just spread terror along the trekkingtrails, but it has also put a damper on the trekking industry.” TheMaoist-affiliated All Nepa lSecurity Workers Union has beencollecting a compulsory levy from all security guards. Union bossGhanashyam Thakuri admits that his group collects Rs 425,000 amonth from the estimated 17,000 security guards in the country.

Says former Maoist central committee member and thecoordinator of the newly-formed Revolutionary Communist Party,Mani Thapa: “The Maoist strategy is to use violence and extortionto propel themselves into power.” Union boss Thakuri says thelevy from individual guards is not compulsory, but security guardsworking for Group Four Falk, Fishtail, Welfare, andother agenciessay they are all forced to pay Rs 25 a month to the nationwidenetwork of security guards set up by the Maoists. Says one guardwith Kantipur Security: “Even if you don’t agree with the Maoistideology, you’re required to pay the fee. We never get a receipt,and noone tells us where our money goes.”

720 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477CONSTITUTION 2010

Increased tension amongst theparties has convinced many theapproaching May 2010 deadlinefor the constitution will not bemet, as Himal Khabarpatrikadiscovered during discussionsheld in Surkhet’s Birendranagar.

Himal Khabarpatrika: Howdo you view the constitution-writing process? Do youthink the deadline willbe met?Khagendra Thapa (teacher):I never thought the deadlinewould be met. People are trying tosplit up the country, and we facemountains of challenges. Thebiggest issue is that of federalism.I seriously doubt the constitutionwill be written on time.Pitamber Dhakal (Vice-Principal, Surkhet Campus):The Rana regime ended in 1951,but as we had not decided whatkind of democracy we wanted, itwas not sustainable. We are facingthe same situation now: theparties do not know what kind ofconstitution they want.Uddhav Pyakurel(researcher): Our politicians areaccustomed to coming to lasthour agreements, so they willagree on a constitution. Butwithout discussing thecontentious issues, it will bedifficult to come up with thetype of constitution the peopleexpect.Hariharnath Yogi (teacher):Hopes of a constitution andsustainable peace are fading.Maybe the constitution will get

Ram Rati Debi Ram, UML, Siraha

How is the constitution writing going?It was postponed until Chhat (24 Nov).We have been moving forward since.Six committees havealready presented theirdrafts, which have beendiscussed in theAssembly. We hope therest of the drafts will bepresented soon.

Will the constitution bewritten on time with all thedilly-dallying?Of course. We don’t havean alternative. We will alldrown if we don’t write theconstitution. So, thechallenge is whether weshould ruin our careersor write the constitutionon time.

Who is to blame for the current delay inthe process?All parties, including the Maoists, areweakening the process. We can’t writethe constitution until the parties reach aconsensus.

written in another two or threeyears?Prem Bahadur Thapa(Chairman, Nepal WorkersPeasants Party, Surkhet):We’ll get a constitution withinthe period specified but the issueis what kind of constitution.Better to have a good constitutionrather than one that might leaveus without a country.

Should we insist on havingthe constitution ready byMay or extend the term ofthe Constituent Assembly?Khagendra Thapa: The biggestproblem lies within the Maoists,and this has resulted in the callfor ‘civilian supremacy’. If theconstitution is not written it willbe because of the Maoist protests.Rishi Gautam (Bheri-KarnaliState Committee SecretariatMember, UCPN-Maoist):

“If the constitution isn’t written,the Maoists will be to blame”

demands for federalism. If themountain, hill and Tarai regionsare separated the Nepali peoplewill be dealt a terrrible blow.Federalism must incorporateregions from the north to thesouth.Uddhav Pyakurel:Federalism was meant forinclusion. But if this is done onthe basis of ethnicity, it willlead to more divisions.Arjun Bahadur Airi: Thereare no calls for ethnic federalismhere. Even though the Tharus inthe south and the janajatis in thenorth are demanding rights thisis to achieve inclusion.Federalism shouldn’t be basedon ethnicity, and neither shouldprovinces be named afterethnicities as this will give riseto the feeling that some groupswon and others lost.Pabitra Shahi (social

Dhyan Gobinda Ranjit, NC, Kathmandu-9

You seem more occupied with the party’smahasamiti meeting than the constitution?I haven’t missed a single CA meeting. Thecommittee to protect national interests, ofwhich I am a member,has already submittedits draft and theAssembly has alreadydiscussed it. I amfocusing on themahasamiti meetingbecause the CA is notin session right now. Iam the party’s districtchairperson, andsince the meeting is inKathmandu, I havesome obligations tothe party.

A while back some CAmembers pledged toestablish a Newarstate in Kathmandu. You were absent fromthe meeting?I got the invitation at the very last minute. Ididn’t have much information on the meetingeither, so I didn’t attend.

There has been vigorous debate aboutestablishing ethnic federal states in the CA,

“I am not in favourof an ethnic state”

“I will speak up forthe landless and Dalits”

hasn’t there?I believe in democracy, so I don’t care aboutcaste and religion. My faith is in democracy,not in ethnicity.That’s why I am not in favourof an ethnic state.

Is that stalling theconstitution-writingprocess?Constitution writinghasn’t gained momentumbecause of the the refusalby some parties to accepta majority governmentand the obstruction ofparliament.

Can the constitution bewritten within sevenmonths?There is no way it can’tbe written. Some peopleused to say we wouldn’thave the CA elections.But we addressed the

Madhes uprising and held the elections. Thesame people also said we couldn’toverthrow the king and establish a republicstate. We will have the constitution writtenjust as people talk about how impossible itis. If we can mitigate the differencesbetween various parties, we can definitelywrite the constitution on time.

Do you think the delay is caused by theMaoists’ obstruction of the parliament?One House’s effect is obviously felt inthe other House. Obstruction in theparliament means trouble for

parliamentarians.When they areaffected, thatis obviouslygoing to affectthe CA.Representativesshouldn’t beheld hostagetosloganeeringto createchaos.

What are yourexperiencessince joiningthe CA?I used to talk

about Dalits and the landless back inmy village. So I will be raising thoseissues here as well. I am also lookingat what can be done for women. Dalitissues have been discussed a lot in theCA, and I have been participating inthose discussions.

Politics has obstructed thewhole process of constitutionwriting. Everything the Maoistssay is viewed with suspicion.This has to be bridged by trustamong the leadership.Arjun Bahadur Airi(Assistant Principal,Birendranagar MultipleCampus): If we can’t meet thedeadline, then we could amendthe interim constitution or addtime to come up with a goodconstitution.

What kind of federalism dothe residents of Surkhetwant?Pitamber Dhakal: Thedecision to go for federalism wasan emotional one made in theaftermath of the Madhesmovement. Before that there wasonly some talk of staterestructuring, there were no

worker): Federalism is for thedistribution of power, fordevelopment and social progress.It’s to safeguard nationalsovereignity, not to split the stateinto pieces. Everyone should beable to feel that federalism wasfor their sake.Khagendra Thapa: We have toensure that provinces won’t gobroke and consider the risks ofdivisive forms of federalism. Ifwe really were to talk aboutethnic inclusion, then we’d haveto talk of Chhetris and Bahuns,who constitute 15 and 12 percent of the populationrespectively.Sanju Singh Biswokarma(Dalit rights worker): Thedisadvantaged communities donot want pity or alms, they wantparticipation on the basis ofpopulation.Prem Bahadur Thapa:Federalism should join the northto the south. If this is done thenlanguage rights can be given tolocal states. The provincialcapital should be in Surkhet onthe basis of its regionalheadquarters. Dang could also bemade a central capital.Shobha BK (social worker):If One Madhes One Pradeshcomes into being then all thecapital will accumulate in theTarai at the expense of otherregions. If the midwest becomesone province then what will bethe basis by which it will sustainitself? If we go into federalismwithout doing our homework itwill lead to more problems.

KAM SINGH CHEPANG

DEVRAJ POKHRELKIRAN PANDAY

8 ENERGY

Electricdreams

Boliviatakesmeasureof itstreasureoflithium

SCALING UP: Salt miners have long worked on the saltfields of Uyuni for a pittance, but the advent of industrialscale lithium mining could ring in the changes for theeconomy of Bolivia, the poorest country in South America.

ROCK POOL: Miners extract the floating lithium from saltyevaporation ponds filled with water from the undergroundlake beneath the fields, a process that takes about twomonths.

920 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477

ithium is used to make lightweight, high-poweredbatteries for mobile phones, laptops and increasingly,hybrid and electric cars. Demand is expected to triplein the next 15 years. With an estimated 50 to 70

per cent of the world’s lithium supply buried in the salt flats ofUyuni, Bolivia is poised to capitalise on its new-found status asthe ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium’.

Foreign governments and multinationals such as Mitsubishiand LG have expressed interest in investing in lithium miningin Bolivia. Its socialist government, however, means to treadlightly on the Salar de Uyuni to avoid foreign profiteering thatignores the indigenous communities that make up the majorityof Bolivia’s population. Bolivia has invested $6 million in aplant in Uyuni to go operational by the end of this year, and hasso far only accepted technical advice from abroad.

NEW GENERATION: The burgeoning market for hybrid andelectric vehicles will depend on a regular supply of lithiumfor battery cells.

REMOTE ATTRACTION: About 60,000 tourists visit Uyuniannually to marvel at its surreal mixture of tinted lakes, saltflats, volcanoes, hot springs and flamingos.

TEXT AND PHOTOS by RABI THAPA

PASS THE SALT: Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni spreads over 10,582square kilometres in the remote southwest of the country andcontains an estimated 100 million tons of lithium.

L

MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/GETTY IMAGE

10 NATION 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477

T

Nepali Times: I understandyou have been speaking toNepali leaders on the phonefrom here. What is yourassessment of the situationin Nepal from theseconversations?Erik Solheim: I have spoken toPrime Minister Nepal, formerPrime Minister Prachanda andUML leader Jhalanath Khanal,and Mr Koirala has also agreed tospeak to me but there are somepractical difficulties. They haveall given the impression that theywant to continue thereconciliation process and theywant to find a solution to theproblem, but of course theyindicate different ways out of theproblem. They have all askedNorway and the internationalcommunity to do what they canto help. We of course stand readyto do that, but there are nospecific ideas about what it is wecan do at present.

But don’t you tell them thisis something they shouldsort out themselves?Indeed, and that has been thebeauty of Nepal’s peace andreconciliation process over thelast few years. At everycrossroads, in the end you havefound solutions yourselves

“Nepal needs to comeback to the spirit of findinga homegrown solution”

without any substantial foreigninterference, and that has beenvery positive. It seems, however,that some of the momentum hasbeen drawn out of the processover the past year and it isimportant to come back to thatspirit of finding a homegrownsolution.

Are you worried by thecontinued use of violence bythe political forces?You have to expect this to takesome time but it should be madevery very clear that every form ofpolitical violence should bestopped. There must be nocompromise on that idea. TheYCL as well as the youth groupsaffiliated with other partiesshould stop using violence. Andof course, the Nepal Army shouldbe a completely depoliticiseddefender of the Nepali state.

What future do you see forUNMIN?I think UNMIN played a verycrucial role over a long period oftime. This kind of internationalpresence is always very helpful,in this instance with thedemobilisation of the Maoistfighters. The usefulness andfuture of UNMIN is up to theNepalis to decide for themselves.

Are you satisfied with thetrack record of Norwegianaid in Nepal?Basically our engagement ondevelopment issues isunconnected with thegovernment of the day, wecooperated closely with theMaoist-dominated government ata time when Prachanda was primeminister, and of course now withthe Madhav Nepal government. Aslong as they are in power througha democratic process, whoever isin government can reckon withNorway as a development partner.A key area where we want toincrease our involvement is in thehydro sector. Norfund has linedup with India’s Tata group in apartnership to boost investmentin hydropower. We also standready to find ways to support thepeace process, through smallamounts of money, or Norway canoffer its embassy. But in principleit should be a Nepali-drivenprocess.

You’ve just returned fromCopenhagen. Thenegotiations seem to bestuck.I am fairly optimistic we will geta political agreement inCopenhagen that will befollowed by a legally bindingagreement later in 2010. All themain players: the US, China,India, the EU, all want anagreement. But a lot more needs tobe done. Nepal is very vulnerableto climate change as your bigrivers and glaciers will be affectedby melting snows, and this can bean area of future cooperationbetween Nepal and Norway. I haveagreed to meet with PrimeMinister Nepal in Copenhagennext month. Your environmentminister has also indicated aninterest in coming to Oslo, and heis most welcome. I myself shouldbe in Nepal early next year tocatch up on climate changeissues, but also to talk to themain players in the peace process.

Your program to helpforestry worldwide throughthe REDD (ReducingEmissions fromDeforestation andDegradation) mechanismdoesn’t yet recognise andreward the contribution ofNepal’s successfulcommunity forestryprogram. Any plans?

I am absolutely ready to talkabout that. The main focus of theREDD program has been theprotection, conservation andsustainable use of rainforestsbecause those are the mostimportant from the viewpoint ofbiodiversity and climate change,but we can expand it to ‘REDDPlus’ to include other aspects likecommunity forestry. We areabsolutely interested indiscussing this.

Norway’s Minister of Environment andInternational Development, Erik Solheim,spoke to the Nepali Times on Wednesdayin Oslo about the political deadlock inNepal, Norwegian development aid andthe negotiations leading up to theinternational climate conference inCopehagen next month.

here I was, in deep discussion with a member of the AnimalWelfare Network Nepal, getting the low-down on theimpending sacrifice of half a million animals at the Gadhimai

Mela in the southern district of Bara. “It sounds like madness,” Inodded as I listened to her deride what seemed a veritable orgy ofalcohol-fuelled slaughter condoned by mass superstition to theends of organised crime syndicates.

Then a friend who’d been listening in blurted out: “Didn’t youjust take part in one of those things?”

It was true. Only months back, I’d visited my ancestral villagenorthwest of Dhankuta under the pretext of attending a kuldevatapuja, wherein 400 goats had been sacrificed to our clan gods(#470, ‘The land of my fathers’). Or was it the other way around?No doubt discovering the land of my fathers was a profoundexperience, but would it have been the same without the excitementof that day of bloody colours?

“I’m sorry, I’m a totally compromised animal lover,” I offeredlamely, but my cover was blown.

Not that caring foranimals precludes thekilling and eating of them.But ideally, it should at itscore consist of a convictionthat if we use animals for

labour, food, entertainment or companionship, our treatment ofthem should be humane, in as much as killing can be humane.

Many campaigners for animal rights, too, understand thatfoisting vegetarianism upon the essentially omnivorous humanspecies is unlikely to work. They are therefore willing to acceptthat most people (for the foreseeable future) will continue to eatmeat, as long as the process by which they obtain their meat iskosher, so to speak. Life is full of half-measures after all, else wewould be either gods or demons, not humans.

What this means in practice is not always so clear. While I’vealways found it a little disturbing to see roadside goats tetherednext to the remains of their erstwhile companions, I am notconvinced slaughterhouses are better in any sense other thanthat of scaled-up efficiency and hygiene. These are good enoughreasons to keep animal slaughter out of the public space, surely,but in a country where animal sacrifice is so deeply embedded inreligious culture, one can’t just decree it out of existence.

How then does one who accepts animal sacrifice as virtuallyindistinguishable from the process of obtaining meat for food faceup to slaughter on the almost unimaginable scale of the GadhimaiMela? The Animal Welfare Network Nepal and the 1000-strongmembership of the various Mela committees are diametricallyopposed on the issue of animal sacrifice, and may inevitably endup demonising one another. Those in between may root for thosehalf-measures – quarantine checks and vaccinations for livestock,adequate arrangements for the anticipated 10 million pilgrims,transparency in Mela finances, among other things – but what ofthe actual fact of the mass slaughter?

It is the fact of the slaughter, more than anything else, thatattracts or repulses. The imagery employed by those speakingout against the mass sacrifice – drunken men hacking away at20,000 hapless young buffalos, a marshland of blood and gore –betrays a horror of industrial scale barbarism that is anathema to(western) notions of sanitised, civilised progress. The focus ison this barbarism. Never mind that 40 million turkeys are sacrificedin the name of the nation’s history every thanksgiving in America.At root, the global protests against Gadhimai can be applied to allindividual sacrifices in the name of religion that are conductedwithin the premises of the household, the temple, or the street.They constitute an appeal against the faltering machismo of theyoung Chettri boys compelled to wield khukuris on the fatted goatcome Dasain, an initiation not only in manhood, but also, somewould have you believe, barbarity.

So until we resolve the conundrum of animal sacrifice at theheart of Nepali Hinduism, we can work on making God’s work alittle less barbaric. If the Meat Act and the Animal TransportationAct are implemented, and if a much-needed Animal Welfare Actever sees the light of day, then we will not only be performing aservice to public health and safety, but will also do much to easethe suffering of those animals whose deaths we considernecessary to our lives.

KALAMRabi Thapa

Animalfights

AWNN

KUNDA DIXIT

1120 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477NATION

fter a lifetime devoted todeveloping Nepal’sindigenous capacity to

harness water resources, what doesOdd Hoftun have to say about thepower cuts in Kathmandu?

The sprightly 82-year-oldNorwegian is surprisingly upbeat.“Look, so much political changehas taken place in Nepal since1990, it takes time to digest it alland move ahead,” he said thisweek in Oslo during the launch ofhis biography Kraftverket (TheHydropowerplant). “You just needa new generation of technocratpoliticians to take charge andmove forward.”

The book was launched on the25th anniversary of the Norway-Nepal Association in Oslo lastweek, following three years ofresearch by author Peter Svalheim.Hoftun went to Nepal as amissionary in 1958 and helpedbuild the Tansen Hospital, whichhalf a century later still stands asa model community medicinecentre. Hoftun soon realised thatto tap Nepal’s enormoushydropower potential and use itto drive development, indigenouscapacity had to be built. He startedwork at the Butwal TechnicalInstitute and later the ButwalPower Company (BPC), whichworked on successively largerhydroelectric projects like Tinau,Andhi Khola and Jhimruk.

Today, BPC is part of a largerconsortium of joint Nepali-Norwegian energy companies thatbuilt the Khimti project and isnow working on the Tama Kosi 3power export project incollaboration with India’s Tata

Odd Hoftun’scontribution toNepal’shydropowerdevelopment isremembered ina newbiography

Norwegian guru

BEFORE AND AFTER: Odd Hoftunwith his wife Tullis in Tansen at thehalf-built hospital he helped buildin 1959, and last week in Oslo atthe launch of a biography thatdetails his life’s work in helpingNepal develop its hydropowercapacity.

Group. The step-by-step growthof engineering capacity is justwhat Hoftun had envisioned 50years ago: to make Nepal self-reliant, to spread the risk, andtake on ever larger projects as thetechnical capacity of Nepaliengineers improved.

The book, which will soon betranslated into English andNepali, also follows Hoftun’s lifein Nepal through the tragic lossof his anthropologist son Martin

in a plane crash in Kathmandu in1992, to the setting up of theresearch centre, Martin Chautari,in his name. The centre holdsregular discussions on the socialsciences, media, education andpolicy issues.

Hoftun was a keen observer ofNepali society, and says that itwas evident even when he firstarrived that conflict wasinevitable. “Nepal was aninnocent society in those days,but the injustice, thediscrimination of the castesystem were glaring. It was theneglect of these issues thatultimately led to the upheavalsof the 1990s,” he recalls.

A modest and self-effacingman with a frugal lifestyle,Hoftun has shunned interviewsand avoids the media. But, he

says, he wanted to publish thebook so there would be a recordnot just of his life but also ofhis ‘small is beautiful’philosophy towards technology.

He calls this the ‘bottom-upapproach’ of empowering ruralareas first. But Hoftun is carefulto stress that not all big is bad,and that a country and societyhave to be ready for big projectsand make sure the benefits aredistributed equitably while theysupport national development.You can have a network of smallhydro plants but, he says, fornational-level planning andeconomies of scale there have tobe big reservoir projects too.

Hoftun remains supportiveeven of the much-delayedMelamchi project because, hesays, it is a project whose timehas come. He agrees with Nepaliactivists who want the currentdesign to be expanded toinclude hydropower andirrigation components that willmake it a multi-purpose regionalscheme, and not just a watersupply system for Kathmandu.

He also thinks power exportsto India are now a necessitybecause of Nepal’s trade deficitwith that country. “We nowneed export projects,” heexplains, “but we have to buildour own industrial base at thesame time.” Hoftun’s use of thewords ‘we’ and ‘our’ are agiveaway as to his loyalties. Thatfeeling was reciprocated at thebook launch at the Nepal-Norway Association function,where he received a standingovation.

Says the Association’s MaritBakke: “We wanted to honourHoftun’s life and work becauseit is an inspiration for the nextgeneration of Nepalis andNorwegians.” Kunda Dixit in Oslo

A

MANOHAR SHRESTHA

12 NATION 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477

t’s not everyday one cycles fromLondon to Paris. But that’s exactlywhat Alison Marston and other keen

cyclists from 60 different charities did toraise funds over three and a half days.They managed an astonishing £160,000 intotal. Alison herself raised £2000 (Rs224,859) from friends and relativessupporting her sponsored bike ride. Thedonations went to Burns ViolenceSurvivor Nepal (BVSN) and will be usedfor the care of burn patients in BirHospital and other government hospitals.

“It got extremely tiresome at times,”Alison confesses. “I thought only Nepalhad hills, apparently England does too.”But the spirit of her friends back in BirHospital kept her going.

Alison has been working for the BurnsUnit in Bir Hospital since 2001. Patients

Cycling for lifeSUBEKSHA POUDEL from all over the country throng the unit

for its exceptionally inexpensivetreatment. “It’s generally marginalisedpeople, mostly women, who come,”Alison explains, adding that there aremany cases of attempted suicide ordomestic violence. Had it not been for theservices Bir Hospital provides, thedressing, nursing and medication requiredto treat burns would have beenprohibitively expensive for these patients.Also, the hospital provides the patientswith protein-rich meals free of cost. Thepeople who come here are usually so poorthe entire family shares the free meal.

Unfortunately, the country’s premiergovernment hospital has been without amuch-needed plastic surgeon for fouryears. This means burn victims, withoutthe surgery needed to treat deeperwounds, not only heal more slowlybut may also end up becoming disabledor disfigured.

With Alison’s help, Acid SurvivorsTrust International (ASTI) is willing totrain surgeons for the Burns Unit in Birhospital. ASTI is a UK-based charity thatrecruits teams of volunteer doctors toprovide medical, surgical, and other formsof professional assistance to doctors indeveloping countries.

If you would like to help improve thecondition of burn patients in BirHospital, please contactalimarston@alimarston.com, as thehospital “desperately needs help”.

One woman’sbike ride will bea balm formany at Bir’sBurns Unit

I

13REVIEW 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477

hen nepa-laya published its pictorial record of the conflictin December 2006 it became an instant bestseller. A

selection of the 180 photographs in A People War were thentaken around the country in a travelling photo exhibition that wasseen by a staggering 350,000 people in 32 districts.

Now, nepa-laya is teaming up with Madan Puraskar to put thephotographs on permanent display at the latter’s library in Patan.The exhibition centre will also feature follow-up photographs ofsome of the subjects of A People War, as well as temporaryexhibits from visiting photographers from conflict zones aroundthe world.

Theexhibition willserve as arepository ofwarexperiencesand testimoniesfor visitors aswell as anarchive forliterature,letters, postersand otherartefacts fromthe Nepaliconflict thatlasted from1996 to 2006.

Explainsnepa-laya’sKiran Shrestha:“We are very happy with this collaboration with Madan Puraskarand hope that a lot more people will not only view thephotographs but also record their experiences and help in thehealing process.”

The permanent exhibit will open on Saturday, 20 November tocoincide with the launch of the last book in Kunda Dixit’s trilogyof books on the conflict, People After War. The third book followsA People War and Never Again, and also follows the subjects ofthe first book to find how they have coped with the legacy of war.

Says Dixit: “These are astounding stories of how peoplehave struggled with their sorrow, survived and in many instancescome out stronger. It shows the resilience and inner strength ofthe Nepali people.”

Some photographs from People After War will also betouring various parts of the country for three weeks until 14December.

Nepali Times is excited toannounce a new feature onour website – two newblogs. For a continuousupdate of news in Nepal,visit The Brief – this blogsummarises news events inNepal as they happen. Nowyou no longer need waituntil Friday to get your newsfrom the Nepali Times.

ost of us seated in theRussian CulturalCenter’s auditorium

are finding this hilarious. We’rewatching funky seventies Israelifilm Kazablan’s finale. Thatstandard scene in a musicalwhere everyone celebrateseverything turning out OK, withthe hero getting the girl. But hereit is set to a communitycelebration of a Briss, the malecircumcision ceremony central tothe Jewish faith. Now that mustbe what the organisers of theEmbassy of Israel’s film festivalmeant when they said they wereconfident such cultural eventswould serve as a bridge betweenthe people of Israel and Nepal.

Israel has drawn more columninches since the end of theSecond World War than probablyany other country in the world,with the exception of the UnitedStates and Russia. Everyoneseems to have an opinion about

A People War inpermanent exhibitW

Visit Kunda Dixit’s travel blog East-West for a deeper understandingof the ground realities as he wanders across Nepal and abroad.

www.nepalitimes.com/blogs

The Israeli film fest wasn’t one for thebrochures, but made for compelling viewing

Israel, often ill-informed, andmost of us know precious littleabout its rich culture. The4th Israeli Film Festival, heldfrom 16-19 November, wasintended to redress that withstories from a young and outward-looking country steeped in fourthousand years of religiousheritage.

My education started with alook at the underbelly of Tel Aviv.Yaky Yosha’s Dead End Street,from 1982, is a portrait of a youngprostitute who is picked upunexpectedly by a cynical andexploitative film crew tasked withdocumenting the challenges ofrehabilitation.

Danny Verete’s YellowAsphalt is even starker. Calm,quiet and devastating, it tellsthree short stories of personaltragedy, brought about by theuneasy co-existence of indigenousBedouin tribes and Jewish settlersin the Israeli desert. The focus of

this outstanding film is firmly onwomen: the wailing widow whosechild is run over by truckers; theGerman wife of a Bedouinprevented from going home byvillage elders; the Bedouin house-cleaner shunned by her Jewishemployer-turned-lover when theaffair is discovered.

These two films are certainlynot tourism board material, to thecredit of the organisers. EvenMenaham Golan’s upbeatKazablan comments on thepressures of social diversity,something as relevant for Israel asfor Nepal. The Israeli embassy isto be commended for a thought-provoking film festival that gaveNepalis here a glimpse into theirsociety and culture, warts and all,through the medium of what isclearly a healthy domestic filmindustry. Here’s hoping that otherembassies organise equallycompelling (free) programs. Alexis Morcrette

Watching Israel

M

FOLLOW-UP: The last in nepa-laya’s trilogyof the conflict, People After War, is beinglaunched on Saturday and pictures from thiscollection will be part of a permanentexhibition at Madan Puraskar from Saturdayonwards.

14 20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477CITY

ABOUT TOWN

sfd ;fgf] 7"nf] eGg] x'Fb}g . kl;gfsf] s'g} /ª / hft klg x'Fb}g . sfdu/]/ vfg nhfpg' klg x'Fb}g . rf]/]/, 9fF6]/, 5n]/, n'6]/ vfg kf]nhfpg'k5{ . hf] hxfF /x]/ h'g sfd u5{ pm To;}df /dfpg'k5{ uf}/aug'{k5{ / ;dlk{t eP/ ug'{k5{ . sfd g} zlQm xf], elQm xf] / d'lQmxf] . sfdsf] OHht u/f}+, kl;gfsf] ;Ddfg u/f}+ .

g]kfn ;/sf/;"rgf tyf ;~rf/ dGqfno

;"rgf ljefu

Ques

t Ent

erta

inm

ent

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

Avantika (Kareena Kapoor), a psychology professor inNew York, decides to make her way back to India tobe with her ailing father. She temporarily finds work atthe prestigious Delhi University and meets EhsaanKhan (Saif Ali Khan), a substitute teacher there.Ehsaan’s charm is irresistible and despite reservationsabout Ehsaan being a Muslim, Avantika’s father agreesto their wedding. Avantika and Ehsaan get married andleave to start a new life in New York in a conservativeMuslim society. Her changed lifestyle is a shock toAvantika, and her life turns upside down once she iswarned not to trust anyone.

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

KATHMANDU VALLEY

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

Expect foggy mornings and clear days this week. The cyclone inthe Arabian Sea, which had generated cloud cover last week, hasby and large disappeared. Satellite pictures show scattered, passingclouds. Daily mean temperatures are dropping by 1 degree everytwo weeks on average. Conclusion: hit the trails, the mountains willbe clearer than ever.

KATHMANDU

RECIPES

‘Tabouleh’

by GRAHAM SYDNEY

This middle eastern salad can be varied by adding almost anything youwant. Try variations like adding chopped chicken, shrimps, smokedsalmon, sautéed mushrooms, feta cheese, grated carrot, finely choppedgreen peppers or roasted vegetables(Serves 6-8)

Q. What did Girija and Prachanda find inSingapore?

Weekly Internet Poll # 477

Q. Who would you slap if you hadthe chance?

Total votes: 2,733

Fri

19-10

EXHIBITIONSA People War, permanent photo exhibition, Sunday-Friday atMadan Puraskar, Patan Dhoka.‘Unfold invention’, exhibition of paintings by Govinda Sah Azadat Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal Revisited,till23 November, 11.00AM–5.00PM, 4438979Exhibition 2009 of Nepalese Buddhism and Hinduism ArtPainting by Sudarshan Suwal at Summit Hotel, Kupondole,till 30 November

EVENTSWhatever Works, movie screening at Lazimpat Gallery Cafe,26 November, 6PM, 4428549Spanish Fiesta, at the Mirabel Resort Hotel in Dhulikhel,28 November, 12PM onwards, 4439584, reservations requiredNepali Art: In Present Scenario, documentary screening,28 November, 2.30-3.30PM and 5-6PM, Yala Maya Kendra,Patan Dhoka, 5553767Kathmandu Chorale, a winter concert at The British School,Jhamsikhel, 12 Dec, 3.30PM and 6PMPatan Press Club meets every Thursday at Dhokaima Café,6PM, 5522113Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre, Tai Chi 10-11.30 AMSaturday, Yoga 8.30-9.30 AM and Meditation 5-6PM weekdays,Keshar Mahal Marg, Thamel, 4410402AWON Christmas Bazaar with locally produced arts and crafts,5 Dec, 10AM-3.30 PM, Hyatt Hotel, awoncom@gmail.com

MUSICHyJazz every Friday evening by Inner Groove at the Rox Bar,4489362Baja gaja every Tuesday at Moksh, Pulchok, 7.30 PMonwards, 5526212Live band every Friday and rooftop bbq everyday at KausiKitchen, Darbar Marg, 4227288Sunday Jazz brunch, at The Terrace, Hyatt Regency withbarbeque and live jazz by Inner Groove from 12-3.30 PM,4491234Live Band Sensation every Saturday till late with Aprilrush atRox Bar, 4489362Jazz evening at Delices de France Restaurant everyWednesday, 11AM-2PM, 4260326Some like it hot, every Friday BBQ and live music by DineshRai and the Sound Minds, Rs 899 at Fusion, Dwarika’s Hotel,7PM onwards, 4479488Happy cocktail hour, ladies night on Wednesday with liveunplugged music at Jatra Café & Bar, Thamel, 5-7PMNepali Ghajals and songs at D’Lounge Beijing DuckRestaurant, every Thursday 6.30 PM onwards, 4468589Rudra Night live fusion music by Shyam Nepali every Friday,7PM at Gokarna Forest Resort, 4451212

DININGThanksgiving Celebration, at K-Too Beer & Steakhouse,Thamel, 26-28 November, 4700043Live continental BBQ Fiesta, exclusive BBQ Dinner at SplashBar & Grill, Radisson Hotel, from 6.30-10.30PM everyday

Global flavours at the casual table forthin-crust pizzas, fruity hookahs, brewedcoffees & desserts, 4254809

Chocolate, Coffee and Caramel, everyevening at The Lounge, 4.30-6.30PM,4491234

Wine and cheese, every Friday &Saturday at The Lounge, 5-8PM, 4491234

A cafe’s café, Dhokaima Café, PatanDhoka, 5522113

Jazzabell Café, relaunched at Jhamsikhel, TGIF, 10% discountall day, happy hour 6-8PM, 2114075The Corner Bar, 5-7PM, 3-11PM, Radisson Hotel Kathmandu,4411818Al Fresco, for homemade pasta, steak and freshwater trout,Soaltee Crown Plaza, 4273999Kakori, for biryanis, curries and kebabs, Soaltee CrownePlaza, 7-10.45PMChez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BabarMahal Revisited, 4263070Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle East at The Café, Hyatt Regency, 4491234Teppanyaki meat items and garlic rice at Le Restaurant,Gairidhara, 4436318Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri-La, Lazimpat, Rs 600, 4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operatedby Dwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM, 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-La withlive performance by Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the ShambalaGarden, every Friday 7PM onwards, 4412999Himalayan Rainbow Trout at Hotel Yak and Yeti, Darbar Marg,4248999Tiger for Breakfast, breakfast everyday at 1905, Kantipath,4215068Stupa View Restaurant, for vegetarian creations & clay ovenpizza at Boudha Stupa, 4480262Gokarna Forest Resort for a variety of sizzlers at Tripti bar,4451212

Weekly Internet Poll # 478. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

In a large bowl mix the couscous with the orange juice,lemon juice, water, olive oil, cumin and red chilli andallow to soak for 20-30 minutes, breaking up any lumpswith a fork every few minutes. Mix the spinach, rocket,spring onion, coriander, parsley, and celery togetherand mix in the couscous. Add theshaved almonds and season to tastewith salt and pepper. Garnish withsome extra shaved almonds and serve.

Summiteers’Summit

World-renownedmountaineers will come

together in Copenhagen onthe occasion of

International Mountain Dayon 11 December to raise

awareness on climatechange in the Himalaya.The Summiteers’ Summit,led by the Government of

Nepal, is supported byICIMOD, NTNC, NTB,

NMA, the World Bank andWWF. Mountaineers ApaSherpa and Dawa Steven

Sherpa of the WWF’sClimate For Life Campaignwill be representing Nepal.

www.climate4life.org

1-1½ cups couscous½ cup orange juice½ cup olive oil½ cup cold water or vegetable stock4 tablespoons lemon juice2 cups roughly chopped raw spinach2 cups roughly chopped rocket1 cup finely sliced spring onion1 cup roughly chopped coriander1 cup roughly chopped parsley1 cup roughly chopped celery½ cup toasted shaved almonds1 teaspoon ground cumin½ teaspoon ground red chillisalt and pepper to taste

Sat Sun

20-9 19-9

20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #477 15HAPPENINGS

LIFE AND DEATH: Maoist protestors block an ambulance duringdemonstrations outside Singha Darbar on Friday.

KIRAN PANDAY

LEARNING BY EXAMPLE: Himal Editor Kanak Mani Dixit with ProfessorMushirul Hasan, who spoke on the 'Evolution of Federalism in India' atthe Yak & Yeti Hotel on Tuesday.

KIRAN PANDAY

DONE DEAL: Prithivi Pande of Himalayan Infrastructure Fund and P.K.Choudhary of ICRA Limited shake hands on Wednesday after agreeingto a joint venture to set up a credit rating agency in Nepal.

CHAMPIONS: Everest Bank's volleyball team lifts their championshiptrophy after winning the RSR Beach Volleyball 2009 at Kurintar onSunday.

ANUP PRAKASH

YOU STOLE MY SPOT: Prachanda and Paras' cars side by side atTribhuvan International Aiport before their flights to Singapore onTuesday.

KIRAN PANDAY

KIRAN PANDAY

ISSN

181

4-26

13

CDO Regd No 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No 09/066/67

20 - 26 NOVEMBER 2009 #47716

ww

w.n

epal

itim

es.c

om

BACKSIDE

idn’t Girjau just go toS’pore on Monday,and isn’t he returning

on Sunday? Don’t PKD andGPK get together every otherday at Maharajganj anyway?And each time after everymeeting don’t they expresstheir commitment to resolvetheir differences by forging yetanother high-level politicalmechanism to break thedeadlock? Then what was theneed for a SingaporeSummit? Is there somethingeven beyond the Ass’surveillance radar going onhere?

Or did something path-breaking really happen on theseventh floor VIP room atGleneagles Hospital? We willknow only if the govt indeedfalls as Awesome predicted assoon as he got back. If itdoesn’t, then we couldlegitimately ask who paid forthe Maoists’ roundtrip on RoyalSilk Class and who paid forGPK’s Learjet air ambulance.

The bizarre nature of theSingapore shuttle has set a lotof tongues wagging and a lot ofspeculation flying about whySingapore. OK, Prof Muni is avisiting faculty member at LKWbut does he have to be afacilitator for a secret power-

Gleneagles SummitD sharing pow-wow? That seems

to be stretching it, andmethinks the professor isfloating that rumour himself toboost his image as kinglessNepal’s kingmaker. Besides,GPK and PKD are united bytheir common interest inweakening Makunay, theirmistrust of the Indians and theshared allergy for President RamBaron. They don’t really need anex-JNU prof to expedite things,therefore.

So that leaves us with the onlypossible explanation for theGleneagles Summit: the self-importance of these two leaders.With eternity staring at him inthe face, GPK is finally worriedabout his legacy. The image ofthe great statesman that hecultivated during 2006 has nowbeen whittled away by his lateropportunism and willingness tosleep with the enemy just so hisdotter could be deputy PM. Themost unpopular leader in Nepalafter king G just got moreunpopular and the old manwants one last chance tolaunder his reputation byfixing the political deadlock.We would never be in the soupwe are in now if we only had letGirjau be president last year. Hetook it out on all of us, and stillhasn’t quite forgiven us.

Now there is noone left to blame,and he wants to fix things beforehe goes. And Makunay must befeeling his days are numbered coshe just named Cousin Bikupa asconsul general to Hong Kong.

One has to hand it to theMaobaddies, the comrades areserious about corruption control.And what an ingenious way theyhave found to go about it. Thosewho bemoan the delay in passingthe budget miss the point. Sinceso much of the budget isembezzled, by not lettingparliament function to ratify thebudget, the Maoist have removedthe biggest source of corruptionin the country. If there is nobudget, there can be nocorruption, hoina?

If the Mule hadn’t actually seenthe circular DfID sent out to itspartners recently, it would neverhave believed it. With a newsurge in Baddie extortion beingreported nationwide, thedepartment fell over backwards tojustify it by saying by way ofpreamble: “we have tounderstand that the UCPN-M have expenses and have totake care of their cadre” or wordsto that effect. With an agency

from a democratic country thatwould never tolerate politicalviolence on its own soil justifyingextortion here, who needsenemies?

Here’s this week’s most interestingvacancy ad. It’s sure to set off astampede outside the Norwegianembassy for a Specialist Visa.

WANTEDNepali Brahmin PriestRecently resettled Bhutani

refugees in Alta, Norway, need aBrahmin priest pronto to officiateall annaprasans, bratmans andbihays. Should be a god-fearingvegetarian who can read the starsof the northern hemisphere andwork for extended periods abovethe Arctic Circle.Interested candidates shouldapply withreferences from allthree politicalparties.

ass(at)nepalitimes.com