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ä nf correspondent

Despite the tall claims by the ruling seven partyleaders about Nepal’s irreversible march todemocracy, Nepal is almost headed not onlytowards bankruptcy, but is being categorised asa fragile state by many friendly countries.

The ‘fragile category’ includes country with thelevel of anarchy prevailing high as a result of poorgovernance and bad law and order situation. Thisindirectly brings into question the legitimacy of thegovernment and its deliverycapability.

According to a seniorgovernment official, Japanwhich has always beenforthright in giving generousgrants with least interferencein the country’s internalaffairs, has put Nepal in thecategory of fragile states. That, in other words,means Nepal being treated at par with countrieslike Afghanistan and Sudan As a result, theministry of foreign affairs expects a drastic cut orwithdrawal of grants from Japan unless thesituation miraculously improves in the country.

According to the indication available, theworsening law and order situation,government’s failure to enforce the rule of law,erosion in people’s hope for the peace processmoving on track, and high level of corruption in

Nepal in Afghan, Sudan category

Fragile Statethe government, all have contributed to thegrowing negative feeling of various countriestowards Nepal. The ‘fragile’ status, sources say,may create a situation for ‘humanitarianintervention’ as elsewhere.

While the US and European Union countriesare still favouring that Nepal must hold election ina credible manner, with improved law and ordersituation as one more crucial condition, they havenot gone to the extent of treating Nepal as a‘fragile state.’ They have however, raised serious

concern about the government’scommitment, or lack of it to thehuman right violation cases.

Similarly, India, which officially‘encourages’ Nepal to holdelection to the constituentassembly in April, has made itclear that the legitimacy of theentire political system and that

of the government cannot be established if it ispostponed once again. The current Indianposition vis a vis Nepal has a lot of ambiguitywith a veil of warning that its way of dealing withNepal would be drastically different if Nepal failsto hold the election.

But for countries like Japan, the legitimacyfactor alone would not be sufficient for review ofits current position. For that, the governmentshould have a strong law and order machineryand enforcement of the rule of law. ä

InsideSujata 'rewarded'

Govt exercise : Rampantplunder

Something went right inNepal

What Hillary meant to us

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The ‘fragile’ sta-tus, sources say,may create a situa-tion for ‘humani-tarian intervention’as elsewhere.

BACK AS A HERO : Grateful citizens paying homage to Prithvi Narayan Shah, the architect ofmodern Nepal, on his 285th birth anniversary on 10 Jan, 08. People from different walks of lifegathered in front of Simha Durbar where the late King’s statue lies shrouded in red cloth. The figurewas damaged during last year’s vandalism.

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Sujatacrowned

ä nf correspondent

The Congress circle was expecting it at anymoment. Given Prime Minister GP Koirala’sknown weakness for his only daughter; SujataKoirala, being brought into the centre stage ofthe national politics had ceased to be a matterof speculation. It was only a question of when itwould happen.

Koirala chose to make her the all powerfulminister without portfolio on January 9, barelythree days after he declared that the countrywill have a woman prime minister soon.Sujata’s inclusion in the cabinet also settles theleadership issue in the extended Koirala family.While the BP family suffers a total eclipse withhis sons - Prakash Koirala and Shashank,totally marginalised, PM’s another risingnephew, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, has beensidelined once again.

The PM had nominated Sujata as a memberof interim parliament a year ago. “Sujata’selevation as a cabinet rank minister is an insultto the Congress party. The PM knows thatalmost all the leaders are like his slaves andthey cannot oppose to what he has done,” asenior functionary of the party said. “But thereis a much deeper game yet to unfold.”

Sujata’s inclusion in the cabinet took place

after her series of statements in favour of the‘monarchy’ even after the party adopted aresolution in favour of the republic. “She istutored to do that by her father. Otherwise,how will she vote in favour of the parliamentaryresolution to declare Nepal a republic now?”- acentral committee member told newsfront.

The issue has invited many sarcasticcomments within the party. “Look, the PM hasnot given a portfolio to his daughter. If he wasactually trying to groom her, he would havegiven her a major ministry,” Party Vice PresidentGopalman Shrestha retorted when someMaoist leaders teased him for having kept mumover the beginning of this new political ‘dynasty.’

But the issue has irked many senior leadersof the party. “More than six dozen parliamen-tarians and central committee member willsoon be sitting to assess the latest politicalscenario including the mishandling of thesituation in Terai,” a former minister and aparliamentarian said.

According to him, Koirala’s move to includeSujata in the cabinet has twin objectives: If hefails to hold election once again, he might stepdown in his daughter’s favour; and if electionsare held, the elder Koirala would want to bethe first ‘president of the republic’ with hisdaughter as the PM. ä

Long live ‘Loktantrik’ dynasty

One more dateThe cabinet once again dictated a

new date to the Election Commissionthat the country must go to theconstituent assembly poll on April 10,and the EC complied. But there aregrowing signs and fears, at home andabroad, that the election may not takeplace.

Chief Election CommissionerBhojraj Pokhrel said, “We are readyand committed to hold the election

and seek cooperation from all theparties concerned.” The model codeof conduct has been brought undereffect from January 16. Yet there aremore doubts than hope about theelection taking place.

The biggest fear comes from Teraiwhere the Terai Madhesh LoktantrikPartry (TMLP) leader, MahanthThakur besides the MadheshiJanadhikar Forum leader, Upendra

Yadav have begun talking in moremilitant tones, that election cannottake place without their demandsbeing met.

That means a guarantee from GPKoirala that the promised Teraiprovince will have an autonomousstatus with the right to self-determina-tion. These groups are to launch theirmovement soon; and minorities andthe people of hill origin who have

been living there for generations areunder threat of attack from themajority groups.

Seasoned politicians like SuryaBahadur Thapa have been question-ing the intention of the parliament andthe government behind declaringNepal a republic, dictating what thefuture constituent assembly electionshould do on the issue. “This is notthe sign that the government issincere and serious about election,”Thapa said in a public meetingrecently.

“I think election will take place inApril. The seven parties appear moredetermined than ever before, andeven the Maoists have no otheroption now,” Shekhar Koirala, Centralcommittee member of the NepaliCongress, told newsfront.

But that does not seem to bedispelling the doubts. The disburse-ment of funds from the stateexchequer to the sitting MPs at therate of rupees one million each isbeing questioned by many individualsand groups. “This is unfair andviolates the spirit and essence of thelaw of equality,” a Congress member

said, adding, “I will be happy ifsomeone challenges it in the court oflaw.”

“Yes, it is unacceptable and itamounts to influencing voters on theeve of election in the interest of theruling seven parties,” said theRastriya Prajatantra Party leader,Kamal Thapa. ä

Skepticism over election grow

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Sujata Koirala

Election Commission

Bhojraj Pokhrel

314-20 Jan, 2008News

RAW and planehijacking

Prime Minister GP Koirala hasof late been revealing his years ofpolitical adventurism. He hasadmitted having been involved incounterfeiting Indian currencynotes while in exile in India. Healso recently admitted that he waslured towards gold smuggling toraise money for ‘struggle fordemocracy in Nepal’ but had togive it up on BP Koirala’s advice.Koirala however, has claimed thathe got into the fake currencybusiness with the consent andknowledge of the legendary BP Koirala.

GP Koirala has however, withdrawn the content of his versionregarding his involvement in the hijacking of Royal Nepal Aircraft in1975 and robbery of Rs. 40 lakhs. Koirala had stated that the hijackingof the aircraft that took off from Kathmandu was done after the thenChief of RAW cleared his move.

Although the interviewee has taken the blame for the content saying,“it was wrong translation of what GP Koirala had said in Hindi,” thereare repeated references of the event in Nepali in which the PM quotesBP Koirala categorically asking what the government of India would doafter the hijacking.

GP’s answer to BP, in his own words was that government of Indiawould not do anything to the hijackers. There are reports that a seniorofficial of the Indian embassy in Kathmandu approached the PM, aboutthe damage that his confession could cause to the image of RAW asan outfit that encouraged terrorist activities like plane hijacking.

No to impunityThe international community has taken serious note of the

government’s move to grant general amnesty to the Maoists in casesinvolving violation of the human rights of serious nature and that of theinternational humanitarian laws.

The issue was taken up by a delegation of diplomats comprisingBritish, US and Danish Ambassador; the French Chargé representingthe EU Presidency; and a representative of the European Commissionwith Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel.

The government, following a 23-point agreement among themembers of the ruling alliance, is going to withdraw all cases againstthe Maoists leaving the proposed Truth and Reconciliation commissionwithout jurisdiction to reopen those cases. The embassy of Norway hasalso endorsed the plea.

Although there was no categorical response from the Minister, thedelegation said that some of the provisions of the proposed TRC billdid not meet the international standards and, “will not advancedemocratic principles.” “This is of particular concern in regard to thepotential granting of amnesty for serious violations of human rights andof international humanitarian law. This is not the basis on which lastingpeace can be built,” the delegation said.

Bisphot in police netBisphot Singh, leader of the Samyukta Janatantrik Terai Morcha, has

been arrested. Singh, wanted in several cases of murder, abductionand possession of illegal arms was arrested by the Armed Police Forcefrom a hotel in Lahan on December 11. They have also recoveredsome arms and ammunitions from him.

The police said that along with one set of revolver and rifle each,they also recovered ration cards issued in his real name, Ram ShankarShah, by the Bihar government. Singh who was associated withJaikrishna Goit - now heading a separatist group, broke away fromGoit to form his own outfit.

Sujata speaksWhile there are intense debates

over what happens if elections arenot held by April, the newlyappointed minister withoutportfolio, Sujata is clear about theoutcome. “The constitution of1991 will return,” she asserts.

In her interaction with PressUnion in Biratnagar on January11, Sujata said,” If new hurdlescome in the election, the old constitution has to be revived,” she said.She was equally candid and forthright that now that she has become aminister, she would not be reiterating her earlier demand for resigna-tion of Home Minister KP Sitaula. “I have kept that in abeyance fornow.” But she has managed to have her loyalists appointed as Ministerof State for Home. Ram Kumar Choudhary, the new Minister of Statefor Home is a Sujata loyalist.

Newsbrief

ä nf correspondent

As the government of Nepaldemonstrates unparallel generosity inopening its coffer, there are signs thatthe country is headed more towardsbankruptcy. A highly placed govern-ment official forecasts tough daysahead in which disbursement ofregular salary to governmentemployees would be another problem.

The government needs to allocatenearly rupees two billion for theelection proposed in April; and is inurgent need to make arrangementfor payment to the Maoist combatants-both qualified and unqualified. As itscoffer is getting emptier, the govern-ment recently allowed its massplunder by allocating rupees onemillion each for over 330 members ofthe interim parliament whichaltogether makes a whopping 330million rupees, ostensibly to carry ondevelopment activities in the areasthey choose.

Police interrogating a youth in BICC on Saturday after a group of protestors clashed with police at the Job Fair 2008which was cancelled on the first day because of youth protests against the organiser. Job seekers began to protest asjob interviewers demanded exorbitant sums for the training.

BankruptcyA generous government with a begging bowl

In addition, the government is hardpressed to clear debts to the IndianOil Corporation that almost runs to anamount of rupees six billion, withoutwhich the normal supply of fuelincluding petroleum may be ham-pered in the days to come. “Thegovernment may have to raise somebonds,” said a senior governmentofficial. There are already moves to

sell shares of government undertak-ings to the private sector.

In the meantime, UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki Moon has pleadedwith the international community togenerously support Nepal, ashumanitarian assistance anddevelopments would require at least6.65 billion Rupees (140 million USdollars) for the coming year.

COAS firmChief of Army Staff,

Rookmangad Katawal hasasserted that Nepal Army(NA) is firmly committed tosovereignty and supremacyof the Nepali people, besidescountry’s independence,territorial integrity anddemocracy.

He said it is an army thatbelongs to an integratedNepal, and will be functioningunder a legitimate nationalgovernment. “Please keep itaway from politics,” he saidduring his brief chat with themedia representatives on hisreturn from China, at theend of his week long officialvisit, barely a month after asimilar trip to India.

“The army belongs to thewhole country.” He reiteratedthat it should have no placefor politically indoctrinated andpolitically motivated people.Asked if he was still opposedto integration of the Maoistscombatants in NA, he said hisviews were clear and, “noattempt by any quarter tobring Nepal Army intocontroversy would succeed.”

In response to a query bynewsfront about the outcomeof his visit to China, GenKatawal said that it was a visitin deference to a long traditionof friendly relations and added,“China’s understanding andgood-will for Nepal deservesappreciation.”

Bhas

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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

14-20 Jan, 20084 Editorial

LettersCitizen speak

Former Speaker DamanNath Dhungana’s interviewpublished last week reflectsthe current political crisisand Seven Party’s leaders’autocratic rule. I wantNepal to be republic but notin that way. I wish that allNepali citizens should takepart in the decision so thatwe can feel and play ourrole as citizens.

The Interim House ofRepresentatives approvedthe Seven Party’s decisionto write in interim constitu-tion that Nepal is a republicnow, but in a strange waythey put the line in theconstitution. They wrotethat the decision will beimplemented after the firstmeeting of constituentassembly. I, as a Nepalicitizen, feel that the leadersare taking us and ourcountry for a ride.

Dhungana himself is a republican buthe condemns the path the leaders havetaken. The Seven Party has forgottenthe people’s mandate and proventhemselves to be no different from theautocratic King Gyanendra.

ä Narendra PrasainKathmandu

UNMIN - beyond its man-date

UNMIN has, under the very difficultand confusing context of Nepal, has a

Integration debateNepal’s peace process and its journey have suffered many

hiccups. The latest one is the position that the Maoists and theNepal Army (NA) have taken on the issue of Maoist combatants’reintegration in NA.

General Rookmangad Katawal has said he is opposed toinduction of any ‘ism’ or politically indoctrinated and motivatedcadres in the army. Prime Minister GP Koirala, known for takingconvenient position on any given issue, depending on whether thatcomes to his personal political advantage or not, has swung from,“You are right, Gen Katawal” to, “I did not say that comradePrachanda,” in less than 48 hours.

Effective democracy based governance envisages its army towork under its parliament, but the assumption that it shuts itsmouth when it is constantly vilified or is being targeted by one andall, has been proven wrong. Ever since the peace process began,NA is being constantly needled, beginning with Prachanda’s publicaccusation that, “It is a bunch of rapists,” right in the presence ofHome Minister KP Sitaula at the official residence of the PrimeMinister who also happens to be the Defense Minister.

Koirala has never stated clearly where the issue of integrationlies in terms of the priority issues of the peace process. Is it analtogether isolated issue, or related with sincere implementation ofother provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement andadherence to the code of conduct by the two sides of the conflict?This is not an issue that can be unilaterally dictated just becauseMaoists or Koirala want it.

Army speaks rarely, but it does. That is what the US army andNATO alliance did in deference to the order of US parliament andthe alliance in Iraq and in Kosovo a few years ago. Indian Armyacted and spoke out in public when it carried the order of its politicalmasters in Punjab in 1984 during the Operation Blue Star. One seespeople in uniform speaking frequently about their determination todefeat their enemies in Kashmir, or when places of worship andordinary public have been targeted in Gujarat and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Koirala and his political clans who ruled this countryduring the height of Maoist insurgency are not owning up their role,but simply making the army and the security agencies the scapegoats.Koirala quit in July 2002 because King Gyanendra turned down hisproposal to let NA to be used against the Maoists. He was the onewho chaired the government when the Nepal police was used againstthe Maoists in the name of the Operation Kilo Sera Two.

It would be prudent not to engage outside agencies in the nameof Security Sector Reform which if done would invite dangerousconsequences. It needs to be totally indigenous as the past 18months have shown. Mere arrival of agencies like UNMIN willhave no magic effect on peace process and the related issues. Itmust be decided by an elected government answerable to thelegislature; not by the one without people’s mandate. The issue ofintegration can be settled easily if the Maoists and GP Koirala go infor serious implementation of the provisions of the CPA.

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not ofwords. Trust movement. - Alfred Adler

Point to Ponder

The word is the guruGuru Nanak (1469-1539) was one of

the greatest religious innovators of alltime and the founder of the Sikh religion.Intrinsic to the Sikh faith is the holy bookGuru Granth Sahib. It is founded on theteaching of Guru Nanak and the nine Sikhgurus who followed him. This book istreated with the greatest of respect and isthe cornerstone of the religion.

“There is one reality, the unmanifest-

manifestedEver-existent, he is Naam (conscious spirit)The creator; pervading all without fear,

without enmity;The timeless, the unborn and the self-

existent; complete within itself.

Through the favor of histrue servant, the guru, hemay be realised.

He was when there wasnothing; he was before allages began;

He existeth now, ONanak, and shall existforevermore.- Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak’s quotes:

Let no man in the world live in delusion.Without a guru none can cross over to theother shore.

The word is the guru, the guru is the word,

Spiritual Corner He who shows the real home in this body

is the guru. He makes the five sounded wordreverberate in man.

Even kings and emperors with heaps ofwealth and vast dominion cannot comparewith an ant filled with the love of god.

As fragrance abides in the flower, asreflection is within the mirror,

So does your lord abide within you, whysearch for him without?

For the sake of it, you journey to sacredshrines and holy rivers;

but this priceless jewel is within your ownheart.

- from Guru Granth Shahib

for all nectar is enshrined in theworld. Blessed is the wordwhich reveal the lord’s nameBut more is the one who knowsby the guru’s grace.

God is one, but he has

innumerable forms. He is thecreator of all and he himselftakes the human form

One cannot comprehend him

through reason, even if onereasoned for ages.

The lord can never be established nor

created; the formless one is limitlesslycomplete in himself.

mixed record in tackling its job. It isunlikely that UNMIN is going to delivermiracles anytime soon. The Maoistcombatants are still being used as thefinal blackmailing point and UNMIN cando little more than pay lip service tocurbing the YCL lawlessness. Mr. Martinand crew came to Nepal with a limitedmandate and are at the fag end of theirgiven tasks. In this context, Mr. Martin islobbying hard to do what UN missionsdo the world over, elongate and expandhis mandate and survive.

UN mission experience is nothing new

to the Nepalis. We too,along with our military andpolice, have served in thehot spots of Africa, Asia andelsewhere in manycapacities, myself as a UNV.But nowhere have I seen orheard of a UNMIN typemission seeking to take overthe entire gamut of theDisarmament,Demobilisation, Rehabilita-tion and Reintegration(DDRR).

In other places, themissions themselves focusprimarily on the first two D’s– Disarmament andDemobilisation. TheRehabilitation and Reinte-gration aspects take muchlonger, a decade at least,and fall under the realm ofthe other agencies. Doesthe track record of Martinand his crew give us anyglimmer of hope thatUNMIN that could not even

deliver on its original limited mandate, isgoing to succeed in an impossibly widermandate?

ä Dipsu NiraulaNew Baneshwor, Kathmandu

Readers, your reactions,criticisms, comments,suggestions are mostwelcome. Please addressit to:

newsfront@bhrikuti.com

14-20 Jan, 20085Debating Development

ä Yubaraj Ghimire

In an act of quietservility, FinanceMinistry has committed

an unscrupulous act. This is far moretragic since it happened when Dr.Ram Sharan Mahat presides over theministry. All the sitting 330 oddmembers of the current parliament -a body that does not representpeople - have collectively robbed thestate exchequer. The nation is poorerby 33 crores of rupees overnight, just48 hours before the cabinet decidedon the election date.

The Election Commission, which ispacked with members of the majorpolitical parties, with the notableexception of Chief CommissionerBhoj Raj Pokhrel and anothermember - Dolakh Gurung, can onlyreact to it with mute helplessness.

There could be no better exampleof rampant plunder than thisexercise of the governmentin which Prime Minister GPKoirala and Maoist leaderPrachanda besides MadhavNepal are involved in. All thisextortion of the stateexchequer by ‘law’ is aimedat improving their respectiveparties’ prospects in theelection. This all is takingplace in the name of carryingout developmental activities,at a time when nominatedmembers of parliament donot represent any constitu-ency and people.

A bizarre practice of Nepaliparliament chaired by SubhashNembwang, a professor of law, is inthe process of seeing three newmembers who are to be nominatedby leaders to fill up the vacanciescaused by various reasons. Eventhose nominees would be entitled toRs. one million each during thecoming four months now that the CApoll date has been fixed for April 10.

The government’s decision is notonly morally and constitutionallyflawed, but is also a test case for theindependence and impartiality of theelection commission. Its silence whenthe members are walking away withtheir pockets filled would only meansit is just a rubber stamp of theexecutive.

The Finance Secretary simply saidthe decision was taken by theprevious government. Which previousgovernment was that? This is a clear

violation of the law or equality as itgives clear advantage to the sittingMPs over their political rivals whenthey go to the poll for CA.

Why should the state be favouringa set of politicians against anotherwhen fairness is the ground rule forelection? Even the Communist Partyof Nepal-Maoists is a party to thismass plunder. They justify the deedon the plea that in any case,the fund is not going directlyto the Member of Parlia-ment, but is being routedthrough the ministry of localdevelopment and the districtdevelopment committees.

This feeble defenseignores the fact that morethan Rs. two billion are stillunaccounted for as thereport of the Auditor Generalof Nepal would suggest. Thisis clearly a politics that willgive birth to new feudalism;which is something theMaoists had pledged theywould fight against. Thestate is giving birth to newpatrons of the politics andpolitical system above ruleand accountability.

In George Orwell’s term,they are an emerging breedwho is more equal thanothers. The government hasalso taken advantage of theexisting situation as it knowsthat the Supreme Court hasbeen substantially broughtunder the influence of theexecutive, and the chancesof such decisions beingnullified are far less thanwhen the country has a freeand fair judiciary.

A brief history of the

situation reveals theparliament that was electedin 1999 and dissolved in2002 was revived purely as

None of these MPs have faced theelectorate. People have alreadyresented the size of the proposed CAwhich will have 601 members; sincethe poor country cannot afford theluxury of these MPs. All the sittingmembers now who are lavishlydrawing their allowances and salaryhave already become liability to thepeople. This is a mega version of theinstitutional corruption in the past.This is also an opportunity for anymember or party to turn it down andwin people’s respect when thecountry goes to the poll.

Although Rs. 33 crores look muchsmaller compared to Rs two billionthat the government has promised topay to the disqualified Maoistcombatants; this will establish a newfeudal rule in the country. Of course,the country is not at all unfamiliar withsimilar exercises in which donors doselect like minded people and createa group to implement their agendathrough their money. Civil society hasacted as such a tool. And so havemany NGOs.

The only difference between the

donor patronised NGOs and civilsociety; and the state patronised MPsis that with the former, the targetedgroups benefited largely by weaken-ing the apparatus of institutions of thestate; and in the latter, the state hasassumed the role of all powerful andan instrument above the law.

The state that is not accountable toany law or institutions like theparliament can only be authoritarianby definition and conduct. However,given the fact that both lack transpar-ency, it is unlikely that such civilsocieties and NGOs, perhaps withsome notable exceptions, will opposethe State’s arbitrary en masse‘Bukshish’ system - a modern revivalof what the Ranas used to do.

This arbitrary bungling of the stateexchequer without even a rubberstamp parliament debating it, shouldnot go unchallenged. This case ofbrazen corruption among theCongress, UML and Maoists andtheir top leaders in this plunder showsthey have a remarkable meeting ofthe minds - that plundering the statefor narrow partisan interests is fine ifit suits them. Does the foundation ofnew Nepal lie on such deplorablemind-set? ä

InstitutionalisedplunderThere could be no betder example oframpant plunder than this exercise of thegovernment in which Prime Minister GPKoirala and Maoist leader Prachandabesides Madhav Nepal are involved in.

an ad hoc body in 2006, almost twoyears after its normal tenure of fiveyears was over. It was later convertedinto an interim parliament nominatingall the sitting MPs, with addition of 83Maoist MPs; with the honourableexception of PL Singh who refused tobe a part of it on moral grounds.

The government’sdecision is notonly morally andconstitutionallyflawed, but is alsoa test case for theindependence andimpartiality of theelectioncommission.

There could beno better

example oframpantplunder

than thisexercise of the

government.

The state that isnot accountableto any law orinstitutions likethe parliamentcan only beauthoritarian bydefinition andconduct.

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14-20 Jan, 20086 Debating Development

ä Dr. Rita Thapa

Amidst the chaos ofsocial and politicaltransitions occurringin Nepal, a few brightones can be spotted.

The decline of the MaternalMortality Ratio (MMR) for the firsttime is one of such bright spots. Asreported by the 2006 NepalDemographic and Health Survey,the number of women’s deathoccurring in the life giving processhas declined from 539 in 1996 to281 per 100 000 live births.

This is no small gain for a countrymarred by poverty, internal conflictand difficult terrain. It has earnedNepal a prestigious place among thecountries that are more likely toachieve the health objectives of theMillennium Development Goals. Therecently held Sixth Conference of thePerinatal Society of Nepal had rightlydevoted its scientific deliberations onthis important subject with the theme,“Reduction of Maternal and NeonatalDeaths: A Critical Look.”

What is more interesting is thatNepal was able to cut down itsappallingly high maternal mortality toalmost half within a span of tenyears with only 19% of birthsattended by skilled health personnel(SBA). When viewed against theexisting epidemiological norm, thisdecline seems a bit paradoxical. Fora 20% SBA births is associated withmaternal mortality ranging from 400to 1500 per 100 000 live births. Tothis effect, Nepal’s model presents anew paradigm of maternal mortalityreduction.

The question is how such reduc-tions could be achieved with only 19%births attended by skilled healthworkers? True, the presence of skilledhealth personnel at birth is central, butthis is not the only determinant ofmaternal mortality reduction. Historicaland recent evidence show thatreduction of maternal mortality is amulti sectoral entity. No specific factorcan be pinpointed to its decline.

Several interacting health and socialfactors come into play to influence thefertility i.e. the exposure to the risk ofbecoming pregnant and the maternityfactor - the risk of dying of complica-tions of pregnancy & childbirth afterbecoming pregnant. A reduction ineither component or both can effect areduction of maternal deaths.

Evidence shows that both thefertility and maternity factors havebeen effectively addressed in Nepal.

Since its inception in mid ‘60s, theMCH/FP services have beenexpanded at the population levelthrough primary health careapproach. Family planning, antenatalcare, clean safe delivery and essentialobstetric care constituted the basicsafe motherhood package. Theseservices were delivered at villagelevels through the network of frontline health workers such as VillageHealth Workers (VHWs) and FemaleCommunity Health Volunteers(FCHVs) with the back up support ofhealth posts and district hospitals.

Though limited, safe abortion care

What went right?following the amendment of Nepal’sCivil Code in 2002 is being providedthrough trained government andprivate institutions. This would greatlycontribute to saving women from thecomplications of abortion.

Clearly, the effect of theseinterventions at the population levelover the long period has mitigatedthe risk of maternal death bylowering the fertility as well asimproving maternal health. To cite afew example, the total fertility ofmore than six in the 1960s camedown to the current level of threechildren per woman, thus loweringthe risk exposures to maternaldeath. The declining birth rateamong adolescent girls in 15-19years would significantly contributeto the MMR reduction; because apregnant adolescent is two to fivetimes more likely to die than thatbetween 20-25 years.

Similarly, the impressive use ofmaternal health interventions at thepopulation level like antenatal care,three cleans, iron supplements bypregnant women including the use ofoxytocin medicine after childbirth tostop bleeding; would have greatlycontributed to saving a huge numberof women from the death risks arisingfrom pregnancy and childbirth.

Lastly, the current decline of thematernal mortality in the countryshould be cheered as a newemerging paradigm that has workedto saving the lives of a countlessnumber of women and their babies,the most valuable resources requiredto making a more functional, happierand wealthier Nepal. ä

Saving a huge number of women from the death risks arising from pregnancy and childbirth.

As reported bythe 2006 Nepal

Demographic andHealth Survey, the

number ofwomen’s deathoccurring in the

life giving processhas declined from539 in 1996 to 281

per 100 000 livebirths.

can be referred for generic or non-generic anti-depressive psychiatricmedications.

Culturally and gender wise,depression may be associateddifferently with men, women andchildren. As most of the Nepalicommunities struggling with povertyare patriarchal, men may often tendto take immediate liabilities forpoverty. Therefore they end with risksof being addictive to alcohol or drugs,and at times take their own life.

Women may notably observepoverty and internalise it with feelingsof helplessness, fatalism, pessimism,and delusional guilt. Children mayrealise being poor with their own

world views and from their peers.Finding self-vulnerability they mayas well internalise their depressivefeelings. Therapeutic approachesand interventions such as art andplay therapy can be effective withdepressed children.

To address the issues of poorand depressed men, women andchildren; multi-system familysessions, group sessions, as wellas individual sessions can beimplemented in interventions andtreatment plan designing.Depression is an unseen pain ofthe communities struggling withpoverty, and it is clearly notewor-thy that poverty is a deep rootcause of depression.

For these reasons, poverty ofNepal needs to be addressed toalleviated depression and theassociated mental disorders. Aholistic approach for povertyeradication should be designedand implemented from govern-ment or non-governmentorganisations. Mental healthindicator needs to be integratedalong with economical, social,cultural, and political measure-ments. ä

(Subrath@gmail.com)

of death, suicidal plans or suicidalattempts.

According to the Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM IV), depression can be identified,analysed, and divided into depressivedisorders, the bipolar disorders,depression due to general medicalconditions, and depression due tosubstance abuse.

The significant point to observe fordepression with poverty is thesubstances induced features. It is morelikely for a person who is poor anddepressed to be addictive to alcohol ordrugs. The addiction may manifestdefense mechanism and denial ofpoverty. There are many types ofdefense mechanism such as irrationalbeliefs, avoidance, rational guilt, andsocial disorientations to name a fewthat a poor depressed person canmanifest.

Such defense mechanism can bechanneled into coping mechanism withprofessional consultation and help fromclinical counselors, psychiatrists,psychologists, psychiatric nurses, andpsychiatric social workers. Theseprofessionals can help depressedpersons to identify possible copingmechanisms, install hope, reach out for

support, and build self-confidenceand self-esteem.

Carl Rogers person centeredapproach is genuinely humanisticwhich help a poor person assimilatethat he/she is a person first. Itsupports in gaining human dignity.Cognitive behavior therapy whenapplied can facilitate a patient indealing with irrational beliefs throughtools such supportive confrontations.Solution focused brief therapy can bea very effective intervention fordepressive issues as it helps in installpositive thinking, and is solutionoriented. It has encouragingtechniques and tools such as miraclequestioning and scaling questioning.When in need the depressed patients

Poor anddepressed

ä Subrath Shrestha

It is the character-istic of humans to‘struggle forexistence’ thatcreates the status

of livelihood. Poverty is beyondcultural diversity, economicalwellbeing and social conditions.When identifying etiologies ofpoverty, often mental health(psychological) features are notcontemplated.

Depression is the mentaldisorder that creates havoc in apoor person’s psychologicalwellbeing; be that self-confidence,self-esteem, delusional guilt forbeing poor, hopelessness, andsuicidal thoughts.

A person struggling at least fora period of two weeks withdepressed moods or loss ofinterest or pleasure in nearly allactivities is likely to be diagnosedwith depression. The person canbe experiencing changes inappetite, sleep, decrease inenergy, feeling of worthlessnessor guilt; difficulty in thinking,concentrating or makingdecisions, and recurrent thoughts

Therapeutic approaches and interventions suchas art and play therapy can be effective…

Women in Jumla

Rudr

a kh

adka

14-20 Jan, 2008 7Obituary

What has been mostly written andpublished about Sir Edmund Hillaryfollowing his death is something quitestereotypical; saying that he openedso many schools and health centresin Nepal. That is no doubt true butthere are many more interestingaspects of his personality that madehim truly great.

Firstly, he himself admitted onmany occasions that luck played apart in his success. In 1953, he waslucky enough to scale the Mt. Everest.Many people, stronger and moreexperienced than him had tried toestablish the record, but with no luck.However, he and Tenzing succeeded.But he was respectful always to allthose who had made such attemptsin the past.

Hillary must have been asked amillion times about who stepped on

the mountain top first. It was perhapsin his book ‘Looking from the top’ inwhich he said that he was the first toget to the top. But otherwise, he hadalways responded to the questiondiplomatically saying, “we twobrothers got there together.” He hadhis own way of respecting people andalso telling the truth.

Did Erwin Mellory actually die onhis return after ascending the world’shighest peak? Hillary always referredto Mellory as ‘my hero.’ His answer tothe puzzle was invariably, “I wouldhave been very happy if that were thecase….But you know, amountaineer’s success lies in hisbeing able to return and tell the worldabout all those adventure andexperiences involved. Getting to thetop alone is not success.”

In our own context, Hillary and Mt.

WHAT HILLARYMEANT TO US

Everest have been synonyms of eachother. One gave fame and recognitionto the other. It is not the world oftoday when he scaled the top. It wasa different era unlike today when alldetails about the Mt. Everest isavailable with one touch on acomputer. It was in the fifties whenNepal was still a forbidden land, littleexposed to the world outside. It wasmountaineers who first visited Nepalfrom the world outside. They werethe first tourists to our country.

Once Everest was conquered,more tourists started coming in. Theadventure and lust for mountaineer-ing took almost an institution’s form.The department of tourism wasexpanded into the ministry of tourism.

Dr. Harka Gurung worked on SirHillary’s mission to give tourism andmountaineering a wider meaning andrespect.

Hillary had a tremendous under-standing of what we, mainly Sherpas,were in need of. I will give you justone example. Once the number ofstudents wanting scholarship or thoseasking for his assistance in otherfields from the remote areasincreased, the Himalayan Trustbegan scrutinising the petitionsreceived. Some of us suggested thatit was perhaps time to decide thecases on merit basis. Some othersraised issues like whether it ispossible to meet the increasingexpenses on education.

We also suggested that as moreand more people who the Trust hadfunded were leaving the country andsettling down abroad, our policyshould be reviewed. Some suggestedthat maybe the trust should focus

its priority on providing health carefacilities. While Sir Hillary was notopposed to the Trust getting intoother areas, he said merit aloneshould not be the consideration.

“We must give opportunities to morepeople”. He said, adding, “After all Iwas never a bright student.” But hewas always humane. “As long as theyhave the drive and the will to study, wemust give them a chance.” That iswhat Hillary meant to all of us – hewas so full of drive and will. ä

ä Tashi Jangbu SherpaExecutive Director, EverestTreckking & former President ofNepal Mountaineering Association.

My association with Sir EdmundHillary goes back to 1962. I sawhim first as a little boy that year atKhumjung in Solu district wherehe had set up a primary school.He was perhaps attached with thevillage as some people from thevillage had worked for him duringhis expedition. He opened moreschools in the area later. Thisinjected some awareness in othervillages that education was thekey to overall development.

I recall one incident. In 1963,residents of Thame village, aboutthree hours walk from Khumjung,petitioned to Hillary saying, “Weare people who have eyes but areunable to see.” What they meantwas that one needs to beeducated to see things around.Hillary, who we used to call BadaSahib then, responded positively.He used to visit the area andthose schools almost every timehe came to Kathmandu. We used

to line up to offer him Khataduring his visit to the school.

I completed class six inKhumjung. Since there were nohigh schools in the area,Kathmandu was the only option forthose who wanted to pursuehigher education. Edmund begansponsoring students who stoodfirst, second and third in the classfor higher studies in the capital. Iwas one of those lucky ones. I wasadmitted to Anandkuti Vidyapeeth.

He used to come there sometimes tofind out how we were doing.

In fact, he had made somearrangements with the Britishembassy and Brig. Richardson wouldoften visit the school to clear ourdues. There was one understandingwith Edmund when I was admitted to

Anandkuti; that once I pass out, Iwill go back to Khumjung and teachthere. I went back and took over as aheadmaster of the school that Hillaryhad founded.

My association with him grewdeeper here. It was during thatperiod that an idea to make Khumbuarea the national park was mooted.Hillary’s role in having roads, schools,health centres and the airport atLukla is well known, but not too manyknow that his was the mind and spiritbehind creation of SagarmathaNational Park.

The construction of the airport

made its own contribution towardsenvironmental degradation. Theissues of land and resourcesmanagement needed a fresh lookwith focus on conservation. The ideaof having Sagarmatha National parkwas an outcome of that concern. Hetook the lead in that project and usedhis clout with the New Zealandgovernment. A project manager wasdeputed for that purpose. But he wasclear that the without the involvementof the local people, the project couldnot run effectively.

I was one of those drafted to studythe National Park Management inNew Zealand under a scholarshipprogramme. Once in his home country,Hillary was host to many students fromNepal. He would invite all of us duringChristmas and other occasions. I methim last in April 2007 in Kathmandu.As always, he would mostly talk aboutSolu and other areas that he loved somuch. For the past few years, everytime we met him, we thought it is goingto be his last visit in the country heloved. We were happy to be proved

wrong so often.

But last time he said, “You know,actually I am not in very goodshape.” Sadly, his words turned outto be prophetic. I accompanied himup to the airport, spent fewmoments at the VVIP lounge at theairport before saying goodbye. Allthat he achieved and all that hegave, appears so impossible forone person to do in one life time.

He was possessive about us,especially the Sherpas. I met Helenin college in New Zealand. Whenwe were married, I think Hillarywas not very pleased. His fear, thatsince I am married to a foreigner, Iwill settle down abroad and forgetNepal, was understandable and sotouching. We owe a lot to him.

He has created one institution -Himalayan Trust with its chapter inNepal and some other countries.Hopefully, it will give continuity to hisdream and mission. His demise, nodoubt, will create a big gap, hard tofill up. We will definitely miss him. It isa big loss. He has helped raise ourlivelihood and life standard. We theSherpas have also become moreresourceful now and we will givecontinuity to all that, but we have losta powerful ally of internationalrepute. We have lost a guide.

It was in 2003, on the 50thanniversary of his ascent to the Mt.Everest, that he spoke to theBritish Ambassador. “Why don’tyou remove the travel advisory,after all, I have been visiting thecountry every year without beingharmed.” That one sentence didthe magic. We do not have anyone like him now. ä

He said he neverwas a brightstudent but wesaw that he wasalways humane.

ä Dr Lhakpa Norbu SherpaCo-Director, Himalayan Programme,The Mountain Institute (South AsiaRegional Office)

Hillary wasthe mindand spiritbehind cre-ation ofSagarmathaNationalPark.

14-20 Jan, 20088 Opinion

with or without the Maoists in it buthaving full representation in theparliament, has remained a littleshort of dictatorial and sometimeseven more in nature. By bringing thejudiciary within the ambit of execu-

JANANDOLAN II -tive, and the unelected parliamentbacking every act of the government,this has been an unprecedentedmoment for the present leaders inpower if they had chosen to transformNepal into an enlightened nation.

Since the only argument that givessome credence to one party systemlies in its swiftness in decision makingcompared to useful but lengthyprocess of majority participation,resolving differences between politicalparties and other such processesthat, sometimes in nascent democra-cies, lose the very purpose ofdiscussion, Nepal should haveenjoyed the best of both. Unfortu-nately, most of the time of thegovernment and the leaders wasspent on matters either assigned toan agreed national commitment suchas the constituent assembly electionsor securing continuity of the presentmembers of the governmentrepresented from major politicalparties.

In fact, the present governmentcan be termed as a three partygovernment with the communistparties having an upper hand overthe Nepali Congress party, formed asa socialist democratic party by itsprominent founder members, BPKoirala, KP Bhattarai and GM Singh.As it stands, the upcoming electionsof the constituent assembly in Aprilwill be a face saving event for manydomestic as well as foreign actors.The law and order situation thathardly improved, despite therepeated promises and commitmentof the government, particularly theprime minister and the home minister,remains the main cause of a likelyfailure of the elections.

With the present mind set of thepeople, it would be unreasonable toassume that people will take even aslightest risk as long as they are notconvinced of their government’s abilityto ensure their physical safety andsecurity. Closely linked to personalsecurity is the matter of fairness ofthe present government in theconduct of elections.

The minority parties represented inthe coalition government as well as inthe parliament appear to be highlyskeptical on the conduct and outcomeof elections. Since the political partiesexcepting the Maoists have done verylittle to fulfill their pledge to the peoplein matters yet unresolved such as theissue of inclusiveness, peace andreconciliation commission, it would benow up to the Maoists to lead.

At this stage, Maoists are not onlythe best choice because the peoplehave yet to experience their legitimateform of governance but they havealso extracted almost all theirdemands from the political parties ofNepal. In order to steer, they have toprove their worth by reformingthemselves.

Some of the critical areas are: fullobservance of law and order, facingthe peace and reconciliationcommission for the criminal actsperpetrated by their militias, fulladherence to the democratic normsof which they have become a part.They should also avoid deliberatelyirritating the friendly countries andrisking great tragedy to the nationsimply to prove their point, and so on.They must now learn to behave as alegitimate civil political party which isalso in power. ä

staged byMAOISTSIt proves beyond a doubt that the pact,if there was any, was between theMaoists and the seven political parties.

ä Binod P. Bista

Contrary to assertionsmade in public bymajor political partiesthrough public forumsand media on the

secret pact between government ofIndia and King Gyanendra, Maoistsand King Gyanendra, GP Koiralaand the king, the latest event ofturning Nepal into a ‘federaldemocratic republic,’ by Nepal’ssitting parliament proves beyond adoubt that the pact, if there was any,was between the Maoist and theseven political parties.

It does further confirm that theJana Andolan II was not merely amovement but clearly a modernrevolution staged by the Maoistswith highest degree of sophisticationand finesse. Maoists must be givendue credit for their skills and abilityas well as intelligence in steering thecountry toward a federal democraticrepublic in less than two years afterthe April revolution. Though theMaoist insurgency continued for tenfull years with heavy casualty onboth sides in pursuit of makingNepal a secular federal republic, theachievement of the past 20 monthstowards this end is monumental.

Moreover, this period hasremained quiet except for a fewbursts of violence due to Terairevolt. Although the period, undera comprehensive peace treatybetween the coalition governmentof seven political parties and theMaoists, saw a freefall in law andorder situation, the number is yetlow compared to the earlier period.After the promulgation of the

interim constitution, basically engi-neered by the Maoists with helpinghand coming from unexpectedagencies and nations, Nepal’sstatecraft gained a good momentum.The coalition government of Nepal,

news

front

14-20 Jan, 20089From the region

Musharraf: ExhumeBhutto’s body

Pakistan’s president has called forthe body of Benazir Bhutto to beexhumed to confirm exactly how shedied. Pervez Musharraf’s commentscome amid growing accusations thatthe government was complicit in herassassination on December 27; butwhile he rejected the charges, hestopped short of ordering theexhumation.

Her supporters insist she was shotbefore a suicide bomber blew himselfup, but the government says she diedwhen she hit her head on her car’ssun-roof as she waved to supportersafter a campaign rally. “Exhume it,100 per cent,” Musharraf toldNewsweek magazine, “I would like itto be exhumed.”

However he ruled out using hisexecutive power to order a post-mortem examination without theagreement of Bhutto’s family.“Everything is not black and whitehere,” he said. “It would have very bigpolitical ramifications.”

“If I just ordered the bodyexhumed, it would be careless, unless[Bhutto’s] people agreed; but they willnot ... because they know it’s a factthere is nothing wrong.” HoweverBhutto’s family said it would onlyagree to an exhumation if Musharrafallows the UN to lead the inquiry into

her murder, something he has ruledout. No autopsy was ever carried out.“There cannot be a UN investigation,”Musharraf said. “There are not twoor three countries involved. Whyshould there be a UN investigation?This is ridiculous.”

No trustBenazir Bhutto’s son backed the

UN investigation, saying he does nottrust officials in Pakistan. “We do notbelieve that an investigation under theauthority of the Pakistani governmenthas the necessary transparency,”Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told reportersin London. “Already so much forensic

evidence has been destroyed.” The Oxford University student was

chosen to succeed his mother asleader of the Pakistan People’s Party(PPP), but day-to-day leadership iscurrently in the hands of his father,Asif Ali Zardari. The party wants aninternational investiagtion similar tothe probe into the killing of formerLebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Bilawal criticised the USadministration’s support of Musharrafas a key ally in its “war on terror”.

He said: “I believe that the problemis that dictatorships feed extremism,and once the United States stopssupporting dictators we can success-

fully tackle the extremist problem aswell.” Bilawal pleaded for privacy ashe pursued his studies at Oxford,where he is in his first year.

Musharraf’s pledgeMeanwhile, Pervez Musharraf,

Pakistan’s president, has said hisgovernment is committed to findingthe truth behind the assassination ofBhutto and vowed to punish herkillers. At the beginning of January,Musharraf asked the UK to assist inthe investigation of the murder and ateam of British police officers wassent to Islamabad.

Musharraf met the Scotland Yarddetectives and said the Pakistangovernment was committed to“unearthing the evidence, finding out thetruth and bringing those responsible forthis heinous crime to justice”. The Britishpolice said they were thoroughly siftingthe evidence to ascertain the facts.

At the same time it was announcedthat the Pakistani detective whosolved the 2002 murder of DanielPearl, the Wall Street Journalreporter, had joined the Bhutto killinginquiry. A senior Pakistan governmentofficial said: “He has joined theinvestigation and will co-ordinate withthe Scotland Yard team.”

(Aljareera)

Fukuda gets anti-terror law approved

Japanese Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda’s governmentFriday won approval for an anti-terrorism refueling law througha special legislative procedure.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force will now be ableto resume its refueling missionin the Indian Ocean in supportof the U.S.-led anti-terrorismoperations in and nearAfghanistan, Kyodo newsservice reported.

Fukuda’s coalition govern-ment, which had made theissue a high priority tostrengthen ties with the UnitedStates, planned to resume theoperation in a few weeks, thereport said.

The measure was defeatedThursday in Japan’s opposition-controlled upper house. It passedFriday with a two-third majority inthe lower house which thecoalition government controls.Under a special legislativeprovision that victory allowed thebill to become law despite itsdefeat in the upper house.

“Terrorism is the bane of ourtime. By passing this legislation,Japan has demonstrated itswillingness to stand with thosewho are trying to create a safer,more tolerant world,’’ U.S.Ambassador to Japan ThomasSchieffer was quoted as saying.

(earthtimes)

Taiwan’s main oppositionNationalist Party has won alandslide victory in legislativeelections. The Kuomintang (KMT)handed the ruling DemocraticProgressive Party (DPP) its worstever election defeat on Saturdayby gaining 72 per cent of the vote.

The convincing victory will boostthe KMT’s hopes of regaining thecountry’s presidency in March andcould signal improved relationsbetween the island and China.According to final results from theCentral Election Commission theKMT won 81 of the 113 seats inthe national assembly.

The DPP picked up just 27, or24 per cent, with the remainingseats going to other parties.

Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan’spresident since 2000, immediatelyresigned as chairman of the DPP,saying he should take responsibilityfor the heavy defeat. Many votersblame the DPP for allowingTaiwan’s economy to languishunder Chen.

Big win for Taiwan oppositionChen’s family members and

closest aides have also beeninvolved in a series of scandalsover the past year, plunging theparty into its worst crisis since itwas founded in 1986.

The results come as Chinachose 13 people of its own torepresent Taiwan, over whichBeijing claims sovereignty, statemedia said on Saturday.

The 13 were chosen “via asecret ballot”, the official Xinhuanews agency said, and will sit inChina’s largely rubber stampNational People’s Congress.

The KMT has promised that closerties with China will revive Taiwan’seconomy and open the door to newjobs. The DPP however says thatTaiwan’s sovereign identity is vital toits democracy.

Voters were choosing from morethan 400 candidates vying for 113the parliamentary seats that wascut from 225 in the previouslegislature.

(Aljazeera)

Fighting kills 67 aheadof peace envoy

Thirty-Six hours of intense fightingacross Sri Lanka’s north left at least66 rebels and one soldier dead, a dayahead of a visit by a Japanese specialpeace envoy.

Japan, Sri Lanka’s top aid donor,has voiced deep concern overColombo’s recent decision to formallyscrap its 2002 truce with Tamil rebels,saying it feared the move wouldfurther stall peace efforts and worsenthe conflict.

Yasushi Akashi was to arrive inColombo on Sunday for talks with

President Mahinda Rajapakse andgovernment officials on “the currentsituation of the peace process and itsfuture,” Japan’s embassy said.

Analysts said Mr Akashi’s three-daymission might prove fruitless.

“The government is hell-bent onpursuing its military plans” to crush therebels before entering into any peacetalks, said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu,head of the Centre for PolicyAlternatives, a Colombo think-tank.

“Japan has serious economic cloutin Sri Lanka and it will be interesting

to see what his message to thegovernment is,” said MrSaravanamuttu.

The envoy’s trip follows anescalation by security forces ofattacks along rebel-held areas inJaffna and the slaying of a cabinetminister in a suspected guerrilla bombattack on Tuesday.

Some 231 rebels have been killedso far this month while nine troopshave been killed in the same period,the military said.

(news.com.au)

Sri Lankan policemen check the mobile phone and wallet of an unidentified man during search operations in Colombo.Heavy fighting raged in northern Sri Lanka where Tamil Tiger rebels said they lost a key leader, as Norwegian-led monitorsbegan pulling out before the formal end of a tattered truce.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

14-20 Jan, 200810 Perspective

ä Acharya MahayogiSridhar Rana Rinpoche

Whatever differences there are, are inthe finer interpretation of these thingsand not in the basic tenets themselves.No forms of Buddhism believe in a godwho created the universe, no forms ofBuddhism believe in an eternal soul orAtma. No forms of Buddhism believe inan unchanging entity that transmi-grates from one life to another. Noforms of Buddhism believe that karmais given to one by some super power/energy/ deity and can be changed bythe grace of such a power.

No forms of Buddhism believe that thisuniverse, was created at a certain timebut rather samsara is beginning less andendless. Actually this is intimately relatedto the principle that there is no creator –god. I use the word creator – godbecause nowadays many theistic systemshave also been re-interpreted in a moremystical, experiential way by some oftheir supporters – especially those whopractice meditation in one form or theother. But it must be said that suchinterpretation of god is not accepted bythe mainstream theistic religious systems.

While it could be said a stray few inall religious system had alwaysinterpreted god in a more mystical

sense, it must also be said that thosewho interpret god in this way wereeither considered heretics or in somecases even put to the sword.Although such an interpretation ofgod is a step towards the Buddhistconcept of enlightenment, it must stillbe said all such mystical interpretation

of god still falls short of the Buddhistenlightenment.

Even if god was considered more amystical – experiential experience,this god would still be an eternallyexisting entity which is very far fromthe Buddhist enlightenment which is

the experience of the emptiness of allentities/dharmas. It must be saidclearly that this emptiness is not thesame as the emptiness found in manyHindu texts like the Vigyana BhairabaTantra etc.

Within Buddhism there are infiniteand beginning-less cycles ofbeginning and ending. We can onlytalk of a cycle beginning (created) butthat is not the beginning of samsara/universe itself but the beginning ofone small unit of samsara. One unit ofsamsara (may be a galaxy in modernterm) called Lokadhatu begins andends but there are endless suchLokadhatus beginning and ending atany one time.

And even these Lokadhatus arenot created by any creator of a sortbut appear and disappear based onvarious principles/laws called‘Niyaama’ which includes karma –niyaams. When the power of the pullof the karmas of sentient beings andthe other niyaams synchronise then aworld – system (Lokadhatu) appears(rather than created) etc. Theseniyaamas are more like the principlesof gravity etc. which no one created.

(To be continued)(Sridhar Rinpoche is a Vajrayana

Master)

No forms ofBuddhism

believe thatthis universe,

was created ata certain time

but rathersamsara is

beginning lessand endless.

Actually this isintimately

related to theprinciple that

there is nocreator – god.

Marshland Flowers

No beginning, no endThere are endless such Lokadhatus beginning and ending at any one time.

14-20 Jan, 200814-20 Jan, 200814-20 Jan, 200814-20 Jan, 200814-20 Jan, 2008 11Art & society

äääää Y Y Y Y Yuyutsu RD Sharmauyutsu RD Sharmauyutsu RD Sharmauyutsu RD Sharmauyutsu RD Sharma

A poet’s visionturned out to bethe focus of the firstIrish LiteraryFestival of the

subcontinent opening this week inNew Delhi. The festival began witha performance by internationallyacclaimed soprano Judith Mok,and with a lecture on early Irishmythology and Hindu mythology bydistinguished folklorist and writerDaithi O’ Hogain.

Mok’s dramatic recital, Molly

says No! was awe-inspiring.Written by Irish Poet Michael OLaughlin, now writer-in -residencein Galway, the performance wasoriginally commissioned for theJoyce Centenary celebrations in2004. The performance aims toshow a different side of MollyBloom. Only a Nepali shaman’sperformance could be a match forMok’s vibrant show as she sangsongs from the era of JamesJoyce, electrifying her audience.

The event also displayed the

affinity that fiction has with poetry. InSouth Asia today, poetry and fictionseem to be two different things andthe sacred link seem to have beensevered. As Irish AmbassadorKieran Dowling pointed out, “Musicwas very important for Joyce, bothpersonally - he had a good tenorvoice - and in his works.” He quotesRichard Ellmann to whom‘Finnegans Wake,’ is “an Arabesqueon the Irish ballad of that title.”

Hogain’s profound note

touched several crucial issuescentral to the makeup of Irishnation and the composition of thesubcontinent. Professor of IrishFolklore at University College,Dublin, Hogan discussed the roleof a poet in a traditional societyand explored similarities of the

Surdas as a poet is an enduring metaphor here.

Celtic traditions with the HinduMythology.

Especially significant remained

his discourse on poet’s vision, howin the Irish traditions a blindperson was considered a bettercandidates for the vocation. Aspoetry opens the inner eye, thenotion of a blind man as awak-ened identity, a seer seemsrelevant. The one who sees theinner reality remains the one whocan’t see. Paradox of a seer asblind person is a striking similaritythat Irish tradition shares with ourcontinent. Surdas as a poet is anenduring metaphor here.

Hogain also discussed the

tradition of poets using poetry tomake things literally happen. Thepoets have been known to havesent signals to benefit or harm thepeople around them. Likeshamans in Nepal, they can causehavoc on the enemy by sending anevil agent or help a friend bysending good omens. Like theirAsian counterparts, they can causerain, raise alarm, light fire or sendrats to the enemy’s house.

This coincides with the view

Islam has about the poets. In theholy Koran a poet is not consid-ered worth an attention at all. Thepoets tell lies and present what’snot there. In early times they wereconsidered to be the people with adevil or a sinister spirit as a pet.This led to the negation of thepoets as dangerous people inIslam. Like Plato’s view, the poetsshould be banished from the polisfor they tell lies and are twiceremoved from reality.

In the Irish and Hindu mythol-

ogy, the poet/prophet imageserves to dignify poet as a

visionary, ‘an unacknowledgedlegislator’ of the world.

(writer@yuyutsu.de)

The Poetand the vision

äääää Pramesh Pradhan Pramesh Pradhan Pramesh Pradhan Pramesh Pradhan Pramesh Pradhan

The ancient villageof Bungamatiprobably came intoexistence in theseventh century AD in

the name of Bugayumi. It lies tenkilometres on the southern rim ofKathmandu valley. An agriculturaloutpost of the valley in the Mallaperiod, it stretches to the banks ofBagmati River. It has a population ofaround 4,000 inhabitants, predomi-nantly Newars - who are masterwood carvers, stone sculptureproducers and farmers.

The houses in Bungamati aresimple and quintessentially Newari.They are decorated with red chillygarlands or dried corns hanging fromthe top floor to the ground floor. This

is Bungamati where one can findsome of the best woodcrafts in thevalley. Around 300 individualworkshops in the small village speakof its wood carving excellence.

Most of the villagers are farmersand make use of their spare time withmasonry, carpentry and other manualworks. The women are even morediligent and apart from their heavydaily household schedule, they engagethemselves in weaving, knitting, andtailoring to support their families.

The main sanctuary in Bungamatiis the Shikhara temple of RatoMachhindranath in the centre of thevillage. It is the birthplace of RatoMachhindranath. In Kathmandu, he isregarded as the patron guardian ofthe valley. A unique tradition has itthat the god spends half a year in

Bungamati and the other half in theRato Machhendranath temple inPatan. The tradition and process ofmoving the god back and forth toBungamati is celebrated with muchenthusiasm. The courtyard aroundthe temple has a large prayer wheeland many stupas.

Bunga-dyo is the Newari name forRato Machhindranath orAryavalokiteshwor. According to thelegends, Bungamati marks the spotwhere Machhindranath, having arrived

in the valley in the form of a bee, tosave the valley from drought, was bornas the valley’s protector-rain makerdeity. The deity is taken around the cityof Patan and it is one of the mostcelebrated festivals. The deity is thentaken in a tall wooden chariot decoratedwith green leaves. Once in every twelveyears, the chariot with the deity is pulledfrom Bungamati and taken back.

An imposing temple of HyagrivaBhairav, a Shiva manifestation is withinthe main square. A gigantic face ofBhairav is worshipped by the Buddhistsas well. There are a few nice butunfortunately dirty ponds in the villagewith religious importance including DyoPukhu (pond of god) in the centre ofthe village where Bunga-dyo takes bathduring religious festivals. In a walkingdistance lies yet another importanttemple of Karya Vinayaka (Ganesh–the god of luck and accomplishment).

Yet another important village nearbyBungamati is the Khokana village. Mostof the farmers in these villages areeither involved in spinning or oil pressingbusiness. The mustard oil of Khokana isone of the best trade marks of a Nepalikitchen. Shekali Mai temple - a massivethree storied pagoda temple of naturegoddess is the main attraction of thevillage. Agrarian in character, Khokanais smaller than Bungamati. Some of thebest one day hiking places inKathmandu valley would be aroundBungamati and Khokana for itsunmodernised setting replete withculture and faith. ä

Quaint villagesin Kathmandu

Bungamati marks the spot whereBungamati marks the spot whereBungamati marks the spot whereBungamati marks the spot whereBungamati marks the spot whereMachhindranathMachhindranathMachhindranathMachhindranathMachhindranath, having arrived, having arrived, having arrived, having arrived, having arrivedin the valley in the form of a beein the valley in the form of a beein the valley in the form of a beein the valley in the form of a beein the valley in the form of a beeto save the valley from drought,to save the valley from drought,to save the valley from drought,to save the valley from drought,to save the valley from drought,was born as the valley’swas born as the valley’swas born as the valley’swas born as the valley’swas born as the valley’sprotector-rain maker deityprotector-rain maker deityprotector-rain maker deityprotector-rain maker deityprotector-rain maker deity.....

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HERITAGE SITE

14-20 Jan, 200812 Profile

ä Keshav Sharan Lamichhane

Prakash Gandarva has passed through thekind of tragedies and disappointments normallyonly seen in theatres or movies. He is the mainactor in the life-like radio drama, Katha MithoSarangiko, which is being produced by the BBCWorld Service Trust.

Prakash still does not know who his father is.His mother eloped with another man when hewas only one and a half years old, leaving himwith his maternal grandparents. All he knowsabout his father is that he was in the Indianarmy and of a higher caste. Not wanting tomarry a woman from a Gandharba family, hepaid his mother off with 1,000 rupees,abandoning her when she was eight monthspregnant.

Prakash picked up the art of playing theSarangi from his mother's brother, himself aGandharba, and subsequently took the surnameof Gandharba. He wasbrought up by his lovingmaternal grandmother,but didn't go to schooluntil he was ten yearsold. "When I moved upfrom grade four to five, Iwas second in the class.I started grade five buthad to leave after fivedays. The singing I didon Saturdays didn't payenough for me to stay onat school." From anearly age he wanted tojoin the army, butbecause he didn't havecitizenship - and stilldoesn't - he had no chance of being evenconsidered. "You need parents to get acitizenship. I had none. I knew who my motherwas, but she couldn't be bothered to provide thedocumentary proof needed for my citizenship;as for my father, I didn't know where to begin tolook for him."

Prakash is now 21 and after leaving school,he has been wandering around the mountainsin the regions of Dhaulagiri and Gandaki,singing for his living. But now his situation haschanged radically. His voice and musical talentwill be listened to by millions, both inside thecountry and outside. Two months ago, PrakashGandharba was chosen to be the narrator andleading actor in a brand new BBC WorldService Trust drama, Katha Mitho Sarangiko,which is part of the peace-building process inNepal. The character he plays is Dilu - anomadic figure who travels all over the countryexperiencing the good and the bad. On theone hand, he comes across a culture ofimpunity with Bandhs, crime, prejudice; and onthe other hand, he makes great friendships,both musical and personal, using his Sarangias a medium of communication and collabora-tion with people from very different back-grounds.

"We searched for the right actor, high andlow," said director/producer Deepak Rauniyar,"auditioning over 14 Gandharbas in the villagesof Kaski and surrounding areas. Just as wewere about to return to Kathmandu, we got acall from Prakash. Returning from his travels, hehad just then picked up the message we left withhis wife some days back. He said he would like

to try for the part. His singing and musicianshipproved extremely good - not that surprising,since he was a professional Gandharba - butwhat we found amazing was what an outstand-ing actor he was, with phenomenal improvisa-tion skills."

Before he met the BBC team, Prakash wasstruggling to support his wife and daughterwith his musical skills. A few years ago hemarried Thuli, a widow and mother of a younggirl, whom Prakash treats as his own. As thestar of a BBC drama, Prakash can nowconfidently provide for his family. He isearning a regular income, learning the art ofradio, and working with a supportive anddedicated creative team. His job has givenhim a chance to get to know Kathmandu, acity he had only dreamt of before. It's the kindof life-change, which you usually only readabout in fairy tales.

Prakash has always tried to turn round themisfortunes in his life, andthis reflects one of the centralthemes of the drama whichexplores the idea that conflictcan be transformed intoharmony, confrontation intocollaboration. The drama isfunded by the UNDP and itwill be aired by the BBCNepali Service and FMstations all round the country.The drama team consists ofeditor- Fiona Ledger,editorial consultant - KedarSharma, and three director/producers: Deepak Rauniyar,Khagendra Lamichhane andSushma Pandey.

Music is woven throughout the drama.Stories and relationships will be exploredthrough the musical medium of Prakash'sSarangi. Prakash adapts traditional Sarangirhythms to Maithili songs performed by SmritiMishra who plays 17 year old Manju, a livelygirl who decides to leave her traditional life inthe Terai to pursue a musical career inKathmandu. Her brother Ujjwal Mishra joinsPrakash with his Dholak. Mile Gurung' bringshis guitar to the mix and Suresh Chand addshis Deuda singing.

Katha Mitho Sarangiko brings some landmarkchanges to radio drama production in Nepal: therecording of the drama takes place, not in theconfines of a radio drama studio, but on locationwith three different casts of actors, many ofthem non-professionals. All dialogue isimprovised. This is a new thing in Nepal,introduced by Fiona.

"Reading a radio script is as a highly skilledbusiness, generally the gift of very educated,Kathmandu based actors," says Fiona."Improvisation enables a whole range of peoplefrom very different educational and ethnicbackgrounds to take part in our drama. In thisway we hope to be giving a voice to a wholerange of people who are not usually heard onthe radio." In line with this very colloquial,regionally sensitive approach, the drama avoidsdevelopment jargon along with charactersmaking speeches about peace, harmony anddevelopment. It is a whole new approach toradio drama combining international expertisewith Nepali sensibility and aesthetics, to create agreat effect. ä

Artimitatinglife

His voice andmusical

talent will belistened to by

millions,both inside the

country andoutside.

Prakash has alwaystried to turn round themisfortunes in his life,and this reflects one ofthe central themes ofthe drama whichexplores the idea thatconflict can betransformed intoharmony, confronta-tion into collaboration.

CDO Regd No 93/063/64 Kathmandu, Central Region Postal Regd. No 46/063/64