#467 4 - 10 September 2009 16 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 468. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

Q. Will the PLA-Army row be settled withinsix months as the newly reconstitutedSpecial Committee has promised?

Weekly Internet Poll # 467

Q. The vice president retaking his oath inNepali is a:

Total votes: 2,962

here is no other way to write the new constitution, protect the peaceprocess and reduce foreign interference than for the political

leadership to work together. Yet they can’t bring themselves to do it.Individually, they all give speeches saying there is no alternative to

consensus politics. But their actions say just the opposite. Even whenantagonistic parties get together, like the NC and the Maoists, it is forselfish and partisan reasons. Threatening “to capture state power through

a people’s rebellion” and a bloodbath will not take the process forward.Openly moving around with guns, refusing to rehabilitate those rejectedin the cantonments, continuing to obstruct parliament, will not help.

The election of respected jurist Nilambar Acharya to the constitutionalcommittee shows how negotiations and compromise can lead to afavourable outcome. The parties have proven that they can act responsiblyand do the right thing. Acharya’selection will hopefully givemomentum to theconstitution-writingprocess, which hasbeen pushed backfive times.

p8-9

KARAOKEKRAZE

Whosays you

can’t sing?

Come togetherT

EDITORIALDeadly deadlock p2

PLAIN SPEAKING Prashant JhaReading the Maoist mind p2

BOOK REVIEWSTwo new books on security p10-11

BILASH RAI

2 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467EDITORIAL

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, Lalitpur Fax: 5251013GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845Printed at Jagadamba Press 5250017-19

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

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

WDEADLY DEADLOCKThe Maoists are not allowing the CA to function because they saythey want to ensure ‘civilian supremacy’. The UML-led coalition isdetermined to resist what it considers a Maoist gameplan toestablish totalitarian rule. The NC seems to be driven by only oneagenda: ensuring that the daughter of the party boss gets to head thenext government.

Part of the reason for all this posturing is that all three partiesare trying to manage their internal rifts and contradictions. Theyhave no one to blame but themselves, as they have boxedthemselves in by radicalising their own cadre.

The tragedy, of course, is that as a result governance has cometo a complete halt, the budget hasn’t been passed, the legislature isstalled, and the peace process and constitution-making are in limbo.

No matter how hard they try to hide their intentions, it’s thepolitics of brinkmanship where the aim is to wipe out rivals.Moderation has no place in this game where those who shout theloudest are the only ones heard. Any compromise formula runs therisk of being labelled a surrender. This is a no-win situation.

But the triumvirate of the three big parties know this, which iswhy all is not lost. Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepalboth detest Girija Prasad Koirala, but they distrust each other evenmore. However, all three know that their political legacies, theirreputation and all they have worked for is at stake. They have thenecessary two-thirds majority in the legislature to complete theconstitution-drafting process, and there is no other option but towork together.

The Maoists may be the largest party in the CA, but its majorityhas little meaning if Dahal can’t win back the NC’s trust. The troubleis he has double-crossed everyone so often he is finding it difficultto get people to take him seriously. Nepal is the head of government,but his party lacks the numbers to claim respect and leadership.

That leaves Koirala, who seems to have lost the will to take theinitiative and pull the country out of its present morass. He is nowso obsessed with perpetuating his dynasty he is compromising thelong-term interest of his own party and the nation.

Just as the new constitution can’t be written without the Maoistsbeing a part of a new government, it also needs the NC back ingovernment. Working out the mechanism and the numbers is thecritical aspect.

Since the country has already started winding down for Dasain,our leaders must use the holidays to thrash out a formula for anall-party government with a clear strategy to rescue the countryfrom this potentially deadly deadlock.

The formation of a UML-led government was necessary to fill thevacuum when Dahal decided to resign on point of principle. Thatpoint has now been made. It’s time for his party to join the nationalgovernment as its decisive stockholder.

hat are the Maoistsplanning? Thisquestion has been at

the heart of Nepali politics forthe past decade. It remains soeven today. This week, the formerrebels gave us a glimpse of theirstrategy, or more accurately,strategies.

On Sunday, they set up ajumbo ‘shadow government’,with multiple departments,accommodating leaders from allfactions, reminding many of thewar-time parallel structures.

On Monday, they decided toboycott programs involving theprime minister, signalling thatthey would continue to challenge

the legitimacy of the government.On Tuesday, they broke the

logjam on the composition of thespecial committee, accepted thePM’s leadership, sent twonominees and allowed it tomeet. The move was geared toshow their commitment to thelarger peace process.

Through the week, the partyleadership met with strikingregularity to review currentpolitics. They also found thetime to reorganise their statecommittees.

Connect the dots and Maoistpriorities start becoming clearer.The core aim is to keep the partyintact, consolidate, and energisethe cadre. Even as they have been

The Maoist mindinvolved in larger politicalnegotiations, the Maoists havefocused on internal party workfor the last few months. Allleaders are involved in trainingprograms across the country.They have divided upresponsibilities about whereto address mass meetings incoming weeks.

The Maoists recognise that alltheir opponents would like toexacerbate the divide between thepragmatists and dogmatists,leadership and cadre, politiciansand PLA, and the party and itsethnic fronts. But they also seeother parties are inself-destruction mode because offactional feuds. The Maoistcalculation is if they can staytogether, even as others fragment,they will inevitably get backto power.

The leaders may not like eachother, but for this larger objective,pride is being swallowed anddifficult compromises hatched.And the cadre is beingindoctrinated with slogans ofchange and ‘civilian supremacy’.They are being told it is time foranother struggle, and that successis near.

Success would mean leadingthe government again, or at theleast, toppling this government,settling the PLA question at aconvenient time in a waypolitically and financiallyadvantageous to the party,writing a constitution whichwould appease their diverseethnic base while creating a

strong centre and leaving spacefor hegemonic rule, and going infor elections when victory isassured.

As this week’s events show,the Maoists appear to haveadopted a three-pronged strategy.

The first is to mount acalibrated movement that doesn’tdraw international condemnationand a backlash. This is uncannilysimilar to the strategy they hadadopted after withdrawing fromthe interim government inSeptember 2007, leading to thepostponement of the Novemberelections. The idea is to generatepressure, show they are relevant,encourage ethnic movements, butnot cripple Kathmandu yet: toprevent the internationals,middle class and media fromgoing on an offensive.

Simultaneously they willkeep Madhav Nepal ontenterhooks. Thisinvolves stoking GPK’sand Jhalanath Khanal’sambitions and ensuringthat the government’scredibility remains in thedumps. They weredelighted at thegovernment’s discomforton the VP issue. They areencouraging local actorsand groups to oppose thesecurity policy. And theMaoists’ ownachievements (essentiallyBaburam Bhattarai’s) arehighlighted to show upthis government’s non-performance.

The third element isto reach out to India andassuage concerns onChina, multi-partydemocracy, and security.The other more gullibleinternationals are beingtold: look, we have beendeprived of leadership ofthe executive, legislature,and now the key CAcommittee, but wecontinue to beresponsible. If you wantprogress on the peaceprocess, this governmenthas to go.

Whether this strategywill succeed is difficultto tell. The Maoists have

to reconcile two conflictingstrands: of going in for amovement to enhance theirbargaining power, yet projecting aresponsible image to show theirdemocratic commitment.Skeptics will see it as acontinuation of Maoist duplicity.

The intra-party divisions inthe NC and UML complicate thelarger politics. Hostile generalslurk in the background. Themedia will not be kind. India isnot in a generous mood, andwill judge the Maoists not onwhat they say, but specificactions.

Enjoy the Dasain and Tiharinterlude, for the winter aheadwill be politically turbulent.

A three-pronged strategy from thecomrades in the run-up to Dasain

IN THE DARK: Nepali Congress CAmembers Radheshyam Adhikari andNilambar Acharya wait out a power cut inthe House on Tuesday. Acharya waselected to head the CA’s powerfulconstitution committee last week.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

34 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467

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

OP-ED

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

he exact constitutionalstatus of Parmanand Jhais unclear. The CA

elected him as Nepal’s first vicepresident. At an elaborateswearing-in ceremony in July2008, President Ram BaranYadav administered the oath ofoffice in Nepali. Jha chose to

translate the text and repeat itin Hindi. A year later, theSupreme Court has decided thatJha has to swear in again inNepali or face the consequences.

No pragmatic politiciancomplies willingly with thedirectives of courts, committeesor commissions unless they arein a tight spot and are lookingfor legal respite. In a democracy,an elected official is notanswerable to anybody save hisown constituency. Jha is onsolid ground here. Almost allMadhes-based parties haveapplauded his refusal to re-takethe oath of office in Nepali.

Pahadi-dominated partiesare furious. Jha has publiclychallenged their linguistic

superiority. But electoralcalculations prevent them frompublicly speaking out againstthe language rights of non-Nepali speakers. Hence, apurely political issue is beinggiven a constitutional colour:the argument being that even ifthe judgment of the court wasflawed, Jha should haveresigned to uphold the ‘rule of

law’. A pliant person couldthen have been elected inhis place.

The rule of law is meant tobe a deterrent against theabuse of power. The concept isturned on its head when thelaw becomes merely a tool togive continuity to the statusquo. It then becomes legalarbitrariness, which creates

grounds for open defiance. Thejudges of the Supreme Courtneed to reflect whether theirruling about the legality ofJha’s oath was based on rule oflaw or rule by law. Legalopinion is divided alongethno-political lines.

The political fallout ofJha’s decision remains to beseen. If Sadbhavana, TMDP andMJF (Democratic) were to stickto their election manifestos,Prime Minister Madhav KumarNepal would have to quit. Butif Madhesi parties in the anti-Maoist coalition were to signon the dotted line, MahanthThakur and Bijaya Gachhedarmay as well begin preparing toset up a new ‘nationalist’ party.

One of the unintendedconsequences of the face-offbetween an elected vicepresident and a few nominatedjudges of the Supreme Court isthat the Constituent Assemblycan now discuss bases ofpopular sovereignty, of whichthe democratic form isparliamentary supremacy.

The principle ofconstitutional supremacy flowsfrom the belief that allpoliticians are fallible while

most judges are angels. Thisoften leads to judicialsupremacy. Under communistor military rule, judges as wellas parliamentarians areexpected to be subservient toeither the politburo or thejunta. Sovereignty is theninterpreted to mean the right ofthe rulers to do as they please.

The 1990 constitutionended up establishing judicialsupremacy when one of itsframers agreed to become thechief justice. The executivebecame impotent, thelegislature was madedysfunctional. Whims of thecourt reigned supreme. Finally,the constitution collapsedunder the weight of its owncontradictions, the Maoists justaccelerated the process.

The CA needs to assert itselfand tell the courts to leavepolitics to politicos. The bestplace to debate which languagethe vice president should takehis oath in is the CA. It’s goodto have experts on tap, but apriesthood of judges at the topof the constitutional hierarchyis a fundamentally flawed ideain a democratic republic ofmultiple minorities.

Where does the buck stop,at the Supreme Court orthe Constituent Assembly?

The fallacy of supremacyT

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Lettersshould be brief and may be edited for space.While pseudonyms are accepted, writerswho provide their real names and contactdetails will be given preference. Email lettersshould be in text format without attachmentswith ‘letter to the editor’ in the subject line.

Email: letters(at)nepalitimes.comFax: 977-1-5521013Mail: Letters, Nepali Times,GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal.

CORRECTIONS Due to an editorial error, the front

page picture (#463) was wronglyidentified. It is actually an aerial shotof Bhakunde Besi.

Photo credits for front pagepictures (#466) were missing. Thetop photo of Mt Taboche was takenby Alton Byers of The MountainInstitute and the bottom image ofMale was by Kunda Dixit.

In ‘A climate for change’ (#466) the‘cash for trash’ program is run byEco Everest Expedition and the‘Beat the GLOF Action Event’ wasorganised by the Sherpa studentgroup Sherwi Yondhen Tshokpa andsupported by iDEAS, a non-profitorganisation run by Dawa StevenSherpa. This event took place on 18-19 June 2009.

CARTOON BY BATSAYAN IN KANTIPUR

whether an insect has wider vision thanour leaders.

Anupam, email

WHAT A PITYIn ‘Rinchin reaches Ulan Bator’ (#465)your reporter says that the word “skoda”in Czech means “sorry”. Not exactly. It’smore “what a pity”. But that’s just atechnicality, congratulations toRinchen.

Luba Svrcina, Prague

HINDII fail to understand why PrashantJha (‘Swearing in Hindi” #466),among others, insists that Nepali isonly a Pahadi language. Why can’twe say that Nepali is the nationallanguage of Nepal which alsohappens to be spoken by manyPahadis? Divisive columnists willdivide the country. Taking an oath inNepali in no way impinges on one’scultural identity. In fact one who aimshigh in life, and even otherwise inthis globalised world, needs to haveseveral identities. Why can’t one bea Madhesi and a Nepali at the sametime?

Rajendra, email

I am saddened to read this article(‘Swearing in Hindi” #466) becauseit only serves to stoke ethnic hatred.I think the writer, along with our vicepresident, is yet to see the bigpicture. The crux of the issue is thatthe vice president, who is a juristhimself, defied the law from the veryoutset. Plus, he was taking the oathas the vice president of Nepal, as arepresentative of the entire Nepalipopulace, not just some section of it.So he is required to take the oath inthe official language of Nepal, whichstill is Nepali according to theconstitution.

Name withheld, email

Throughout this whole Hindi oathepisode, we've missed one thing:Parmanand Jha's mother tongue isMaithili, not Hindi, yet no one hasspoken out about him taking the oathin Maithili. As a Nepali, I am proud tosay Maithili is the second mostwidely spoken language afterNepali. When will your renownedcolumnists recognise this fact? Orare they in league with UpendraYadav?

Name withheld, email

TREK RESPONSIBLYIn response to ‘Climbing to keep theHimalaya alive’ (#466), it’s too much toexpect that there would be a moratorium ontrekking or climbing to protect the Himalayafrom human activity. Alternately, anyresponsible mountaineer/trekker should beadopting eco-friendly measures to protectthe fragile Himalayan environment. Forexample, resources should be utilisedsparingly and efforts made to leave as littleof an eco-footprint as possible. Seriousefforts are needed to harness renewableenergy sources like solar and wind and beless dependent upon biomass fuels. Theefforts of Dawa Steven Sherpa inpreserving the Himalayan environment arelaudable.

DBN Murthy, Lalitpur

GHOOSComplaints about the Maoists’unofficial fund raising areprobably valid but I have foundpersonally that for the two yearsthat they ran the government, Iwas rarely asked for a bribe atsome of the ministries. Now thatthe UML is back, so are thebribes.

Name withheld, email

A CLIMATE FOR CHANGEI appreciate Nirvana Chaudhary’scomment (‘A climate for change’,#466) about the impact of globalwarming in Nepal. But, as grim asthings may be, Nepal is in aunique position to serve as a greatexample of a nation thatcelebrates sustainability. In factwe’ve already come a long way.We’ve learned to use cow dung to makegas, to use hydroelectricity and solar powerpanels in place of coal-powered electricplants, and we have a fairly well developedpublic transportation system for adeveloping country.

If only we stopped burning tyres,government vehicles and adulterating fuel,

and restored forests and found betterways to operate brick factories, Nepalwould literally be one of the greenestnations in the world.

Sushil Bogati, USA

WOMEN IN REDEnjoyed Mallika’s Aryal’s ‘ReinventingTij’ (#465). The idea of women standing infront of Singha Darbar in red to forcepolitical and social change is a good one.We must take advantage of thisopportunity to transform the patriarchy inNepal that motivates festivals like Tij,where women have to fast for theirhusbands but not the other way around.

Mona, UK

INSECTSIf I remember correctly Ratna SansarShrestha has been writing on the theme ofrational hydropower planning for quitesome time (‘Sharing waterresources’,#464), yet our leaders don’tseem to listen. Such disregard forimportant issues makes me wonder

4 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

hen governmentscientist RamPameru goes to the

market he steers clear of thestacks of perfect produce andhunts for vegetables that are“infested with insects”.

That, he says, is the onlyway to guarantee that theproduce hasn’t been treatedwith as much as 25 times therecommended dose ofpesticides. Children andmothers are particularlyvulnerable to pesticides, whichare known to impairintellectual development anddamage the immune system.

Desperate to increase yields,commercial vegetable farmers inplaces such as the KathmanduValley, Chitwan and Kabhre aredrenching their produce withchemicals. They believe therecommended doses simplydon’t deal with pestseffectively, and they can get ahigher price for moreaesthetically pleasingvegetables.

Farmers also use banned orout-of-date chemicals broughtover the open border with Indiaby unscrupulous traders. Oftenfarmers dip green vegetables,especially broad leaf mustard,tomatoes and brinjal(aubergine) in malathion ormancozeb solution just beforetaking them to market toenhance their shiny appearance.

Organic Village outlets in Baluwatar (4414343)and Bakhundole (5528468).Email info@theorganicvillage.com or checkwww.theorganicvillage.com

The Organic Cafe and Salad Bar in Thamel (4215726, 9841286055)Email love@loveorganic.com.np or check www.loveorganic.com.np

Organic Food Market every Wednesday and Sunday,10AM-12.30PMThe Summit Hotel in Sanepa (5521810)Email summit@wlink.com.np or check www.summit-nepal.com

1. Wash your vegetables several times in wateror soak them for several hours. This willreduce the levels of some pesticides butwill not eliminate them.

2. Look for the imperfect fruit or vegetable. Ifit’s been nibbled at or still contains someinsects it’s clearly not full of pesticides.

3. Buy organic fruit and vegetables wherepossible (see box opposite).

4. Try growing your own. It’s remarkable howmuch you can grow in a small kitchengarden or even pots.

5. Only eat produce that is in season: growersattempt to lengthen the season of vegetablesby treating with chemicals.

6. Buy local. Ideally from small growers whoare unlikely to be able to afford to treatvegetables with a lot of chemicals. Failing

You are what you eat

Researchers have discoveredthat potatoes have been sprayedwith toxic organochlorineinsecticide endosulfan at thepoint of purchase to give them apolished look while buttonmushrooms are sprayed, thenpackaged to keep them lookingpristine. The vegetables mostlikely to be over-treated aretomatoes, brinjal, cucumbers andbitter gourd.

Official government figuresshow the legal import ofpesticides had fallen from a highof 744,485kg in 2002 to338,365kg in 2006. But importsrose steeply in 2007/2008 tospike at 762,000kg.

About 319 types ofpesticides have been registeredfor use under the PesticidesAct (1991) and PesticidesRules (1993). Lindane,phosphamidon, organomercuryfungicides, BHC and the dirtydozen – the Persistent OrganicPollutants (POPS) which the2004 Stockholm Conventionlisted for global elimination –are all banned. But some stillseep over the porous border,particularly DDT, whichcontinues to be available inIndia for a ‘grace period’ totackle malaria.

The Nepal AgriculturalResearch Council’s numerousdepartments are housed in whatwas once an impressivelyelegant set of buildings nearSatdobato. Now they are simplyrotting away. The highlyeducated and concernedscientists working there wait forfunding but are powerless.

“This needs to be a topgovernment priority,” says chiefentomologist Shree BabaPradhan. “We have strong rules

Beware of tomatoes too red or veggies too green

W

PICS: MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

Where to go organic inthe Kathmandu Valley

Ten ways to limit theeffects of pesticides

that make sure it’s Nepali as Indian importsmay be worse. As much as 70% of thecultivated area of the country employsorganic farming methods because farming ison such a small scale.

7. Peeling also reduces exposure but valuablenutrients are often lost in the process.

8. Fruit and vegetables with tough skins, likecarrots, should be scrubbed with a brush toremove any pesticide residue.

9. Produce like apples and cucumbers shouldbe peeled because the wax-laden skins tendto hold more pesticides than other produce.

10. Leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinachshould be stripped of their outer leaves,which tend to collect most of the pesticideresidue, and the rest should be washedcarefully.

and regulations. Butimplementation is theproblem.”

And it’s not just the healthof farm workers and consumersthat is at stake. Pests are slowlybuilding up resistance, andindiscriminately usedpesticides accelerate thisproblem.

This is all good news fortraders who can then sell moreproducts. “They are thriving,”says Pameru. “They are highlyinfluential in the farmingcommunities and lure farmersinto using more pesticides.The government should closethem down.”

Nepal has traditional waysof growing vegetables, butfarmers find it difficult to goback to the old ways. TheCouncil has new technology tostart residual analysis checks atvegetable collection centres,which won’t be costly. Thosefound using too muchpesticide will be banned fromtaking their produce to market.The Council also wants to look

into the effects of Nepali-stylecooking on chemicals.

Jagadish Bhakta Shrestha,pesticide registrar at thePesticide Registration andManagement Division, says alack of training and technologymeans Nepal is “a little bitbehind” in terms of introducingbio and botanical pesticides,integrated pest management(IPM) systems and organicfarming, but is beginning tocollaborate with Indianorganisations.

He admits that little can bedone to bring those farmers thatare knowingly breaking the lawto task. Pesticide inspectorswork through the districtdevelopment offices in75 districts but all they can do istry to convince farmers to changetheir ways. Nevertheless heclaims it is a high prioritybecause it concerns publichealth.

Says Shrestha: "We lackthe resources to do fullinspections and monitoring,which is vital.”

KATY WILLIAMS

54 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467BUSINESS

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

very company needs to hiregood people. A managergets better at hiring the

right people through practice: bymaking mistakes and learningfrom them. Even then, it’s safe tosay that many hires do not workout for various reasons.Sometimes, the chemistry is notthere to allow smoothcollaboration. At other times, thejob is too vague for the person.Still, as so often happens in

Nepal these days, even whenthere’s a severe shortage of goodpeople, the person you end uphiring turns out to have wantedthe long-term job for a short-termduration while he privately waitsfor a student visa abroad.

How then does a manager goabout hiring correctly? There’s noexact answer, but there are ways toreduce hiring errors.

Results matter. Most managersfirst put together a genericvacancy ad, then wait forcandidates to show up. This isthe traditional way of findingpeople. What is likely to workbetter is to first visualise what thejob demands in terms of specificactions and results, think aboutwhat personal traits and strengthsare needed to produce thoseresults, and then draw up thecharacteristics of the person who

Don’t expect to get what youwant if you’re not really looking

Hiring howscan best fulfill that role. Thisway, the role gets filled explicitlyfor results, and the ad focuses onthe results that are to bedelivered. A generic ad is onlyhelpful to the headhunters whocan cursorily sort and listapplicants without having tothink about how non-traditionalcandidates could add value totheir client’s organisations.

Broad interviews. At mostNepali companies, it’s the headof human resources or seniormanagers who conduct theinterviews. They do so becausethey are the decision-makers.What they often miss is that oncethe person is hired, she willwork primarily with colleagues ather level, who may or may notlike her, and not necessarily withsenior managers. If the chemistryis not there, most new hires endup not performing well, and mayleave the company. Such anaction costs the company time,money and morale.

One way to preempt this is toinvolve prospective colleagues inthe first-round interviews sothey can assess the candidate foran interpersonal fit. With thisfreedom, the manager needs toensure the hiring process doesnot degenerate into like-mindedstaff hiring clones, therebyreducing staff diversity.

Experiences and intangibles.Except for high-level precisionwork such as brain surgery or

low-level clerical work thatinvolves stuffing printed matterinto envelopes, most jobs requirea mix of experience andintangibles. Too many years ofexperience in one specificdomain can be a hindrance toperformance for most candidates.In these fast-changing times,stuck in their old ways of doingthings, staff may fail to respondto new ways of conceptualisingtheir roles, their company andtheir industry.

Print journalists with years ofexperience, for example, mayforever reminisce about the goodold days while failing to adapt tothe challenges posed by digitalmedia. Similarly, retail bankersmay be stuck on chasing the sameold high net-worth Nepalis whilebeing clueless about howunassuming small businessowners and rural landownerscould be an untapped source ofrevenue. As for intangibles, socialtraits such as curiosity, drive, aneagerness to learn quickly whatone doesn’t know and an abilityto share what one knows withothers ultimately beat, at theworkplace, symbols of respectedbut lonely achievements such assuperior academic achievement.

Good employees take acompany to greater heights.Finding them is a process oftrial and error. The best that amanager can do is to minimisethe usual hiring errors so thechances of finding the rightpeople go up.

E

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

Economy callsWorldLink Communications launched its‘India Call Card’ last week. Customers cannow call anywhere in India for just Rs 2 perminute. Calling cards worth Rs 250, Rs 500and Rs 1000 are available in the market.

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

HornetOn 28 August, Syakar Company launched‘Honda Hornet’ in Nepal. The Hornet CB600Fwas first introduced to the Honda range in1998 and is still touted as the most stylish andadvanced bike around.

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

Money managementStandard Chartered Bank Nepal signed a memorandum ofunderstanding with Beed Invest on 2 September to introduceportfolio management services to its customers.

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

SumptuousBarek Bawarchi introduced the authentic tasteof Dhaka Biryani in Hyatt Regency’s ‘DhakaBiryani Promotion’ last week. The buffet’ssumptuous menu catered to the taste of bothvegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Win-WinHajmola is organising ‘Hajmola khau, Harke laihasau’ once again. A panel of judges will choosethe most humorous joke every 15 days.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

New branchKamana Bikash Bank openeda new branch in Srijana Chok,Pokhara last week. The bank will open another branch in Chitwanin the near future.

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

Easy payKumari Bank and Education Consultancy Association of Nepal(ECAN) signed a memorandum to help students register forstandardised tests. Students can now pay online for these tests.

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

ConservationIn an attempt to preserve the country’s cultural heritage, KumariBank signed a four-year agreement with local organisation SinhaSwan Khala and handed over Rs 50,000 along with 300 t-shirts.

6 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Rameshwor Bohora in Himal Khabarpatrika,1-16 September

The government and the Maoists signed theComprehensive Peace Agreement in November 2006,marking the formal beginning of the peace process.The process has not brought much hope to thepeople, although overRs 58 billion has already been spent in the lastthree years. Peace is expensive.

A huge portion of the peacefund comes from donors. Thepeace ministry alone has spentaboutRs 18.97 billion if we includethis year’s budget. Otherexpenditure is as follows:

Reconstruction of demolished infrastructure:Rs 20.5 billion United Nations Mission in Nepal: Rs 13.19

billion

Letter to the Editor inNagarik, 2 September

Vice President Parmanand Jhamade a mockery of the rule oflaw by defying the SC order.He continues to object to theSC order and argues hisposition is legitimate. Heclaims to be Nepal’s vicepresident, but takes his oath ofoffice in Hindi, the Indiannational language. What doesthis say about his moralcharacter?

Jha himself is a lawstudent. The court hasclarified with sufficientreasons and precedents why

Khagendra Panta in Naya Patrika, 1 September

The interim constitution clearly states that if any CA member isabsent from 10 consecutive meetings without giving notice to theassembly, he or she will be expelled. To date, a total of 57 CAmeetings have taken place. Despite constant reminders from theCA Chairman Subash Nembang, most senior politicians are guiltyof having neglected the parliamentary duties for which they wereelected. Attendance is negligible on the part of most:

CA member Number of days present

Girija Prasad Koirala (NC) 0(Though he attended three meetings,Koirala did not sign the attendance book)

Pushpa Kamal Dahal (CPN-Maoist) 4

Madhav Kumar Nepal (UML) 3

Jhala Nath Khanal (UML) 13

Sher Bahadur Deuba (NC) 2

Bijay Kumar Gachhadar (MJF-Democratic) 12

Mahant Thakur (TMLP) 15

Upendra Yadav (MJF) 12

Rajendra Mahato (Sadbhawana) 10

Baburam Bhattarai (CPN-Maoist) 9

Ram Bahadur Thapa (CPN-Maoist) 7

Apart from these leaders, a dozen more CA members risk beingexpelled from the assembly. Constitutionally speaking, theyalready have been.

Jha’s justice

Madhav Basnet in Nepal,31 August-6 September

Multi-purpose cooperatives,poultry-farming, pig-rearing andmedia outlets are among theventures Maoist cadres haveinvested in to successfullygenerate income and becomeself-reliant. The Maoist party isthe first in Nepal to have investedin business through affiliatedgroups such as the YCL andstudent groups.

Maoist leaders themselveshave invested in a range ofventures. But it is difficult toobtain particulars of suchinvestments. The reason for thisis the party’s long-standingrejection of the notion of privateproperty. Accordingly, the assetsof all party members belong to theparty itself, and no leader or cadreis allowed to invest for personalprofit. However, it is rumouredthat despite the sanction, manyparty members have investedsecretly in business. Thepossibility has stirred up debatewithin the party.

The question of investment byparty leaders was raised at the last

Playing truant

central committee meeting. Acommittee was formed under theleadership of Mohan Baidya forthe express purpose ofinvestigating the matter. The15-point code of conduct that wasmade public thereafter states itthus: “If central committeemembers are found guilty ofcorruption or are using the party’sname to secretly raise funds itwill be treated as a serious crimeand dealt with severely.”

It is not difficult to concludethat such a blunt statement canonly be the result of actualmisdemeanours on the part ofleaders or cadres. What is more,when the investigative committeeallowed a grace period of 15 daysfor party members to declare theirassets, more than 250 cases werelodged with the committee byparty members at all levels,Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahalincluded. This shows that secretinvestments are rife withinthe party.

According to sources, theMaoists have invested overRs 10 million in Mirmire FMalone, almost Rs 50 million on afleet of over 300 cars, and about

Rs 45 million in the partyheadquarters in Koteshwor. Theparty has also investedRs 40 million in its flagshipMartyrs Memorial CooperativeOrganisation in Sindhupalchokdistrict. When Baburam Bhattaraiwas Finance Minister, overRs 10 million was made availableto this cooperative by thegovernment. The deposit ofRs 32 million for Balaju’sJanamaitri hospital was drawnfrom government paymentsintended for PLA temporarycamps, according to a source.Total investment in this hospitalnow stands at Rs 330 million.

The debate on theinvolvement of leaders in suchventures continues. Maoistpolitburo member and YCL incharge Kul Bahadur KC says hetoo has heard the rumours offinancial dealings by party leadersand admits this is why theinvestigative committee was setup. Echoing the 15-point code ofconduct, he warns, “If anyone isfound to have invested forpersonal profit then it will betaken as a serious crime and willbe severely punished.”

Mao, Inc.

CA election: Rs 3.05 billion Logistics for PLA soldiers: Rs 2.27 billion CA session (1 year): Rs 742 million

Considerable sums have also been spent onconstitution writing and inclusion:

UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme

(UNDP):Rs 1.8 billion

United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID):

Rs 2.14 billion Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC):

Rs 2.73 billion European Union (EU): Rs 510 million Canadian International Development Agency

(CIDA): Rs 470 million Germany: Rs 190 million

Peace expenditure

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

“Civilian supremacy”

Yubak in Nagarik 9 September

his oath taking in Hindibreached the constitutionalprovision. But he does not seemto admit that he is mistaken. Ifhe truly believes in the rule oflaw, he should have obeyed thecourt order and retaken the oathin Nepali. This would havesecured his position as well assupported the justice ofthe state.

The court decision is notbiased at all. The interimconstitution has declaredNepali to be the nationallanguage and the language ofcommunication. By defying thecourt order, Jha has challengedthe judiciary and questioned

the delivery of justice. His act istantamount to contempt ofcourt. He should resign.Kamal Koirala, New Baneswor

74 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467CONSTITUTION 2010

he elected ConstituentAssembly is supposed towrite the constitution.

But we jumped the gun. Thecommission tasked to write theinterim constitution declaredthe country a federal republicbefore CA members had a chanceto debate its merits.

We need to step back andtake a fresh look at the problemsinvolved, not least because thecommission doesn’t have theright to preempt the popularlyelected CA.

For one, the proposed ethnicfederalist model impinges on acitizen’s right to equal access tonational resources since it grantscommunities special rights toprovincial forests, mines, rivers.This pits communities directlyagainst one another since itencourages them to undercutone another’s rights.

The recent cold-bloodedmurder of seven yarsagumbaharvesters from Gorkha by alocal community in Manangprefigures the devastatingconsequences a federalarrangement could have. It couldalso set off a wave of internalmigration and displacement, aswe’ve already seen in the Tarai.

Second, the proposal toentitle particular ethnic groupsto the exclusive leadership ofparticular provinces could take

COMMENTRatna SansarShrestha

Jumping the gunthe country down theYugoslavia path. Take theproposed Newa province inKathmandu Valley. Since only45 per cent of the valley isNewari, the majority willperpetually be led by a minority.If the valley’s 11 adjoiningdistricts were included in theprovince, then 25 per centwould rule the rest. This willalso require the government tosplit up territory that manygroups claim, which could setoff race riots.

Third, federalism will bevery costly since it will createmany more high offices of stateto be filled with pompouspersonalities. We already have a

president who likes stoppingtraffic when he’s on the road,and a trouble-making vicepresident who puts even the ex-crown prince to shame.Federalism will elevate morepeople like this to the posts ofgovernors and ministers at theprovincial level. The question is:do taxpayers really want toshoulder this extraadministrative burden?

Finally, federalism in itselfwon’t accomplish what it setsout to do: empower ethnic andmarginalised communities. Theunitary structure at theprovincial level will continue toleave some groups out of power.It will add one more layer ofpoliticos to the bureaucracy whowill leach off money that’ssupposed to help people.Already, less than half of the

money slated for developmentwork actually reaches the people.Provincial federalism couldexacerbate this tendency.Instead, we should devolvepower to the grassroots level andskirt the provinces. This way,there will be less corruption andgreater representation.

Federalism has its merits, ofcourse, but it’s dangerous at thedoses we’re recommending. Theright medicine, at the right time,at the right level will work. Nomore, no less.

We need to discussfederalism in more detail andrejecting it doesn’t mean lessrepresentation. Take the demandfor a Newa province as anexample. If one is to lookaround, many of the majorcultural celebrations of Nepal arebased on Newa culture.Similarly, what is famed asNepali architecture is actuallyNewa architecture. Therefore itis in the Newa interest to ensurethat our motherland, Nepal,doesn’t disintegrate due toproblems with its proposedfederal structure.

Newa identity is like a fishthat will not survive outsidewater, in this case, ourmotherland. The same could besaid of all of Nepal’s ethnicities,scattered as they are across thecountry. It is just notworthwhile to split this countryalong ethnic lines.

Ratna Sansar Shrestha is a waterresource analyst.

Federalism is fraught with potential failure

T

KIRAN PANDAY

Shakuntala Lepcha, UML CA member, Ilam

How have you spent the last 13 months in the CA?We’re currently writing preliminary drafts on the basis of thesuggestions we received from ordinary people. Five committees havefinished their drafts already. Although the schedule’s already beenrevised a couple of times, there’s no need to panic. CA members shouldwork deliberately, not hastily.

Has your committee finished itsdraft?I am in the Protection of MinorityRights and MarginalisedCommunities committee. We’vealready submitted the draft and havebegun discussions on it.

The house is frequently disrupted. Atthis rate, will the constitution bewritten on time?If the parties stop bickering, thegovernment is more sensitive andCA members work really hard thenthe constitution can be written ontime.

Do you support a unicameral or bicameral system?A bicameral system, with a lower and upper house, would be bestfor Nepal.

What should be the official state language?First of all, we’re all Nepalis, almost everyone understands Nepali, sothe government should conduct its work in Nepali. But the governmentmust help to develop the other languages that Nepalis speak.

How does it feel to represent the less than 4000-strong Lepchacommunity?This is the first time in 240 years that a Lepcha got this far up ingovernment. There are two of us in the CA right now, the other beingTikaram Lepcha. We were both elected from the same place. We areboth extremely proud of the fact. The 2001 census recorded 3,600Lepchas in Nepal.

Shramaner Anand, Maoist CA member, Kathmandu

How did you spend the last year in the CA?In the 13 months that the CA has been running, good and badthings have happened. We declared the country a republicduring the first CA session, and then got ordinary people’ssuggestions for the constitution and on this basis began work onpreliminary drafts within our thematic committees. Fivecommittees have finished their drafts already. But there’sgrowing mistrust between the parties, which has put theconstitution work on hold. I’mbeginning to think that theconstitution won’t be written ontime.

You’re a monk and a Maoist. Isn’tthat a contradiction?Religion is about equality,happiness, humanity and isrevolutionary in its own way, sowhat Buddha preached 2500years ago isn’t too different fromwhat the Maoists are saying now.

But Buddha wasn’t violent like theMaoists, right?I don’t believe in violence, it’sinhuman.

If you don’t believe in violence, how did you ever fall in with theMaoists?After training to be a monk in Sri Lanka for 20 years, I returnedto Nepal in 2001. After witnessing the violence here, like othermonks, I wanted to convince people to turn against violence,which required that I stay close to Maoist fighters, which is whyI’m officially a Maoist CA member. But I’m a humanitarian, not aMaoist.

Are you for a unicameral or bicameral system?Let’s see if a unicameral system works first, since we’re in anexperimental phase right now.

Will the constitution be written on time?The parties must first cooperate, focus on the people’sdemands, and there shouldn’t be any more protests. If all thishappens, the constitution will be written on time.

“Humanitarian,not Maoist”

“Almost done”

PICS: MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

8 MUSIC

So wca

Karaoke isthe new-

fangledtonic for

everythingfrom

boredomto stress

Tonight, inkaraoke bars

around theworld,

somethingmore

profound thanyou might

realise will behappening

94 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467

f you’re such a bad singer that you croak like a toad, don’t worry.You’re more than welcome at any of the new karaoke bars inKathmandu, where after a few drinks you will have the distinctimpression you can sing like Frank Sinatra. Karaoke is a new fixture in the Valley’s popular culture, and

karaoke bars have caught on as a favoured hangout for people wearyafter slogging all day at work.

We’ve taken a cue from the Philippines, where half the populationhas a karaoke box at home. Filipinos even host their own singing anddancing competitions! Karaoke is a form of daily recreation and anabsolute must at all get-togethers and festivals in the Philippines.

Little wonder then that it was Roselle Prisno from the Philippineswho set up Kathmandu’s first karaoke bar in her restaurant Baryo Fiestain Naxal. It was an instant hit. Nepalis showed up from day onehowling like wounded dogs into the microphone.

"People come here and have the most enjoyable time and it’s nicefor us to be sharing this love for singing with Nepalis,” Prisno says.

Thirty-year-old Shweta Pradhan visits Baryo Fiesta regularly tounwind after work. “It’s the most effective stress buster for me. When Ising everything that’s bothering me comes out, and though it’s latewhen I get home I end up feeling really refreshed after an evening ofkaraoke,” she says.

Karaoke is apparently also a great way to work out since it increasesoxygen levels in the blood without leaving you hot and sweaty. It alsoproduces ‘feel-good’ endorphins (eating chocolate does too, but singingis less fattening). Doctors in Japan and Taiwan are now prescribingkaraoke instead of Prozac to cure stress.

If you don’t like going out but are eager to try karaoke, you can do sofrom your couch at home. All you need is a computer microphone andsoftware that’s available online. Croon to the moon!

Top Ten Karaoke HitsMy Heart will go on–Celine DionEverything I do–Bryan AdamsAlways–Bon JoviEvery breath you take–The PoliceSummer of ‘69–Bryan AdamsAll summer long–Kid RockBorn to be wild–SteppenwolfHotel California–The EaglesI love rock n’ roll–Joan Jett and the BlackheartsI will survive–Gloria Gaynor

Karaoke Bars in KathmanduBaryo Fiesta, NaxalEverest Korean Restaurant, SorakhutteStation, LazimpatCafé de Patan, Patan Darbar SquareKorea-Pyongyang Okryu-Gwan Restaurant, Darbar Marg

hat do you get whenyou mix music,diplomatic intrigue and

a supreme leader who fanciesAmerican girls? A North Koreankaraoke bar, and there’s one righthere in Kathmandu. The word onthe street is the Korea-PyongyangOkryu-Gwan Restaurant fundsKim Jong Il’s internationaldiplomatic forays.

The restaurant near Yak andYeti in Darbar Marg is a modernlooking affair with bright neontube lights. It’s hosted by smilingKorean girls in baby pink and bluesuits who look like stewardesseswith Air Koryo, the hermitkingdom’s flag carrier. We wereescorted into one of seven cosyprivate karaoke rooms, where wefound an impressive list of songsin English, Korean, Hindi andNepali. We jumped right in and araucous evening of off-keyscreeching followed.

A couple of hours later the bill

what if youan’t sing?

SABHYATA TIMSINA

Korea-ke barput paid to our mood. A thousandrupees just for the room, inaddition to exorbitant pricesfor everything from water toice cream.

I returned a few days later, stillmiffed, but determined toinvestigate the bar’s Pyongyangconnections. The managementwas tight-lipped, never mind thatits business is to get people toopen up. A dour looking ladybehind the counter was clearly incharge but she totally ignored me.Instead, one of the attendantscame over and handed me abrochure that purportedlycontained all the information Ineeded. I tried to extract more‘information’ out of her, but itseemed she spoke neither Nepalinor English. Perhaps she hadbeen warned not to divulge anymore than was absolutelynecessary?

But I did pick up somesnippets. The restaurant has been

around for two years and isattended to by 11 waitresses,all unmarried, who sing anddance at specific times listed inthe brochure. All the otherbranches of the restaurant arein China. The restaurant isfrequented by our owncomrades when they have tomeet their diplomaticconnections. They seem to findthe privacy they want in thecubicles, but I doubt they everturn on the karaoke machine fora session of Sino-Nepali duets.

Finally, I broached the bigquestion. “Who owns therestaurant?” The waitresspointed to the lady behind thedesk. “Can I get her name?”The answer was anunsurprising "no". North andSouth Korea are different, sheseemed to imply, and, unlikethe former, the latter do not liketo feature in bar reviews. Surabhi Pudasaini

I

W

bout the karaoke machine, that most prophetic of postmodernleisure devices, almost any number of intelligent-sounding things

can be said: like the cellphone and the iPod, it seems to haveinvented us more than we invented it.

You can say, for example, that ours is a Karaoke Age, in whichthe arts of mimicry and simulation are more esteemed than originalityor sincerity. You can say that in the trash democracy of global popculture, where the anonymous soul has been replaced by theundiscovered star and the celebrity-in-waiting, it is karaoke that hasritualised the emergence of this inner performer.

None of this, however, will get you near the true nature ofkaraoke. Deeply awful at times, even sordid, it is never less thaninteresting – and it can be revelatory. I once saw a friend of mine do

Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak’, and I’ve never been able to look at him thesame way again. At the instant he sang “See the boys and me meanbusiness…”, he became legendary to me.

Karaoke, a book by Zhou Xun and Francesca Tarocco, tracks thewestward spread of the phenomenon, from its birth in Japan in 1971with the low-rent keyboardist and vibraphone player Daisuke Inoue tothe installation of a karaoke machine in an English church, 30 yearslater. (“I’m afraid singing unaccompanied just wasn’t the same,”explained the vicar.)

Something of the mystery of karaoke is contained in its etymology.The word is a compound abbreviation of two Japanese words meaning‘empty’ and ‘orchestra’. Karaoke is above all a space, an absencehaunted by the missing vocal line. The instrumental accompaniment is

ghost-music, tinkling with its own deadness, and that unsungmelody is spectrally beckoning, beckoning. The heart of the karaokeperformer swells: into this vacancy he must project his beautifulessence, his soul. He or she may be emboldened or confused byalcohol, wild with a private grief, or, worst of all, suffering from agenuine desire to excel before his peers. Regardless, in theperformance that ensues, something will be brought to light.

Tonight the bars will fill and the microphones will be gripped. SoI dedicate this column to the karaoke-lovers, who will make tonighttheir own. James Parker

The Boston Globe

‘This one goes out...’A

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

10 NATION 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467

epal is the very pictureof insecurity: its armyresists civilian

authority, the police and theAPF are perceived by some asprivate political militias,political thugs terrorise thepublic, and ordinary peoplestarve and endure epidemics ofwholly preventable diseases asdevelopment grinds to a halt.

Changing Security Dynamicsin Nepal, co-edited by Rosy Caveand foreign policy adviser to thePrime Minister Rajan Bhattarai,is a collection of essays writtenby security experts such asDhruba Kumar (see book reviewbelow) and Kul Chandra Gautam,and the editors themselves. Itinvestigates Nepal’s securityestablishment with emphasis onits history and ongoingproblems. The book’soverarching argument is that theestablishment has historicallyobsessed over the threat of aforeign invasion and as a resulthas ignored more pressing, localconcerns of ‘human security’such as lawlessness andmalnutrition. The government’sloose hold over the militaryhas distorted security policiesto reflect these outdated fearsand has contributed to oursecurity woes.

Contributor Geja SharmaWagle notes that in 2001 thegovernment established theNational Security Council withthe prime minister, defenseminister and army chief asmembers. But nothing changed,largely because it became asounding chamber for the army.Little else was done to bring thearmy more firmly under civilian

INTERESTING TIMESMallika Aryal

Security beyond

tends to look for outsideleadership, says Khatri.

The bigger security problem isthe lawlessness that has sweptacross the country these pastthree years, which reflects agrowing legitimacy crisis. Thestate appears illegitimate partly

A wide-rangingcollectionstill missesthe point

control until the reestablishmentof democracy in 2006.

Security expert Sridhar Khatriof the South Asia Centre forPolicy Studies agrees. “Thedefense ministry was a post-boxfor the army so it didn’t have anyreal powers at all.” As a result, hesays, security policy becameincreasingly unresponsive toordinary people’s needs.

The NSC floundered partlybecause it wasn’t heldaccountable to parliament,which the governmentrelentlessly undermined.Contributor Dhruba Kumarexplains that parliamentarycommittees were warned againstgrilling security personnel abouttheir misdeeds. But the book exaggerates thethreat the army poses since theNepali military is lesstroublesome than its regionalcounterparts, most notably thosein Bangladesh and Pakistan.Since 1990 the army hasaccepted a more democratic rolealthough there have beenhiccups along the way. The armypanicked when the Maoists cameto power as it felt threatened bythe PLA. Still, the Nepal Army

SUVAYU DEV PANT

The army must

N

KIRAN PANDAY

KIRAN PANDAY

he government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepalturned 100 days on Wednesday. These have not been the

easiest 100 days for Nepal, neither the PM nor the country.Nepal was elected unopposed by the CA a year after

embarrassing defeats in elections in two constituencies,Kathmandu and Rautahat. Critics said this would discredit the CAelections. “We selected the person who was rejected by thepeople as the leader of the country, what do you expect?” adisenchanted young activist asked.

Nepal has become the butt of many jokes. So desperate is heto fulfill his life-long dream to be Nepal’s PM that he will signanything, they say. The Maoists obstructed house proceedings,hurled insults and finally stepped down to start street agitationsand boycott the PM’s functions.

Most urban moderates, who secretly believed that Nepal wasnot at all qualified for the position, decided to keep mum, so

relieved were they that theMaoists had been ousted.Others just didn’t care asthey knew that no matterwho is in power thingswon’t really change.

When MKN became PM there was no euphoria or celebration,just a lot of cynicism. Those who voted against veteran leaderslike Nepal were angry and unhappy that the achievements madesince the end of the ‘people’s war’ were all going to go to waste.With such low expectations, the Nepal government didn’t havemuch to prove.

Yet the UML-led government has been surprisingly resilient. Itappears more confident after the PM’s Delhi visit, and theMaoists are scratching their heads about how to wiggle back intogovernment. But the government got by with doing absolutelynothing on the development front for the first 100 days. It can’tafford to now. If there is one thing that will give Nepal legitimacyand moral authority, it is a perception that he means business.

The challenges are daunting: the peace process must be kepton track, the constitution must be written, the security situationmust be improved, inflation controlled, food supply ensured andthe two armies have to be integrated.

It would not be fair to say that the government has donenothing right. The appointment of the chair to the constitutionalcommittee, the formation of a special committee on armyintegration, the appointment of secretaries in various ministriesand the start of a special security plan to deal with thedeteriorating security condition were all done by the book.

All this, despite having to firefight over crises like the VP’soath row, the flak over the cholera epidemic, the decisions overpriests in Pashupatinath. Nilambar Acharya, the new chair of theconstitutional committee, said this week that it is still possible towrite the constitution in the next nine months if everyone workshard and stays focused on the goals. All the parties had betterlisten to him.

The leaders of this government must also remember thatwhile the overall goals of the country are broad, there are certainareas in Nepal that need special attention. The families in the farwest whose sole bread-winners died of cholera don’t really careabout the new constitution. The people in the mid-west want food,clean drinking water, medications and relief that proves to themthat they are not alone and the state actually does care aboutits people.

Nepalis grew tired of the political bickering a long time ago.We may write the constitution on time, but if we can’t even deliverbasic services and show the presence of the state in thecountryside, the people are going to get even more disillusioned.And this will benefit only the extremists.

There has always been the fear that the constitution may notbe written on time and this government has done nothing to allaythose fears. In fact with its inability to act or make difficultdecisions, it has proven its critics right—that it is unreasonableto expect anything from this government.

But it is still not too late. Nepal’s team faces rough daysahead, and those days may be numbered if the Maoists decide topull the rug from under it after Dasain. But the government muststay true to the commitments of an inclusive new Nepal, showwith their work that they are serious about the people. Nepaliswant action, not more speeches. It’s not enough for Nepal to stayon in government by the skin of his teeth.

One hundreddays with Nepal

Time to make difficultdecisions and prove tothe people that thisgovernment really exists

T

114 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467NATION

the security sectorthat sparked the currentlawlessness and ignores the factthat our gravest threats are corruptparties and rampant politicisation,not a stubborn army. Unless we reform our partiesso that they better representpeople’s interests, civilianoversight of the army isn’t going toreorient the securityestablishment’s objectives, and thepolitically disenchanted willcontinue to turn to violence. Yetthe book fails to ask the milliondollar question: how do youreform parties when you need theconsent of their leaders, who standto lose the most from reform? Apractical answer to this questioncould pull us out of the messwe’re in.

The book is available for freeonline at: http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/Policy-Briefs/Detail/?lng=en&id=103628

because it’s timid, factionalisedand often out of sight. Thegovernment fears that toughaction against political thugs willspark reprisals that will unseat itand parties factionalise stateinstitutions like the police andjudiciary to score political points.

The state is also absent in largeparts of the country, leavinggoons and militants in charge.Urban planner Pitambar Sharmawarns that “the absence of thestate at the local level is a bigblow to its legitimacy and couldruin us if we don’t fix it soon.”

The legitimacy crisis has beenaggravated by growing unrestcaused by a widening incomeinequality.

Bhattarai and Cave suggestshoring up the National SecurityCouncil so that it makes ratherthan receives policy, developing a

coherent security strategy,professionalising the police andarmy, and educating policymakersabout Nepal’s new internalsecurity threats.

But the book’s biggest failingis that it makes only a fleetingmention of the legitimacy crisis

espite the restoration of democraticrule and the end of the civil war,Nepal’s security situation can

hardly be said to have improved.Insecurity at the hands of state and non-state forces continues to thwart theaspirations of Nepalis, and is examinedmore closely in Dhruba Kumar’s NepaliState, Society and Human Security: AnInfinite Discourse.

Kumar’s broad-based definition ofhuman security sets the stage. Drawingfrom the Human Development Report1994, he declares that human security is“a child who did not die, a disease thatdid not spread, a job that was not cut, anethnic tension that did not explode inviolence, a dissident who was notsilenced.” Correspondingly, humaninsecurity “arises from worries about dailylife”, thereby encompassing everything

be handled with carefrom financial and economic insecurityto fear of violence at the hands of thestate, common criminals or other groupsdue to sexual, religious or ethnicdifferences.

Kumar, who lectures at TribhuvanUniversity, pays special attention to thequestion of army-PLA integration. Heconsiders it a particularly knottyproblem because nobody is obviously inthe right. The row over RookmangadKatawal’s sacking and subsequentreinstatement has only worsenedmatters. Nonetheless, there are deep-rooted problems with the Nepal Armythat need to be addressed, according toKumar. Basically, the institution isunaccustomed to civilian rule. But thebungled Maoist move to subjugate themshould make one thing clear: the armyshould be eased into civilian rule, notmanhandled.

“Maintaining civilian supremacy andstable civil-military relations does not

Changing Security Dynamics inNepal: A Collection of EssaysEdited by Rajan Bhattarai andRosy CaveNepal Institute of Policy Studies(Kathmandu) and Saferworld(London), 2009ISBN 978-9937-2-1305-9Pages 226

Nepali State, Society and HumanSecurity: An Infinite Discourse

Dhruba KumarMohiuddin Ahmed, The University

Press Ltd., Dhaka (2009)ISBN 978-9840-5-1794-7

Pages 365

mean that the armed forces should obeycivilian orders imprudently”, writesKumar. It means the development of acode of conduct for the security forces,particularly with regard to theirrelationship with Nepali society. Sucha code of conduct could be bolstered byparliamentary oversight committees.

Problems of human security reachfar beyond security sector reform, as thescope of this book indicates. Politicalhooliganism and the ongoing army-PLArow are only the most obvioussymptoms of a more general malaisethat is manifest not only in risingcrime and the burgeoning numbers ofarmed groups in the Tarai and the eastbut also in the human insecurityunderlined by the epidemic in thewest. These are all interrelated, Kumarseems to say, so the need of the hour isa security policy that can deal withthem simultaneously andcomprehensively.

DHRUBA SIMKHADA

D

12 INTERNATIONAL 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467

his week we celebrate the 52nd

anniversary of Malaysiaísindependence. What in 1957 was an

underdeveloped country with a poverty rateof 78 per cent and an annual per capitaincome of $270 has now emerged as aprogressive and prosperous country of27 million people with a per capita incomeof $7,000. By Malaysiaís National Visionyear of 2020, the country aspires to join theranks of the developed nations.

I have often been asked what madeMalaysia tick. There are ten points thatmade our progress possible:

1. Political stability. The National Front,consisting of 13 political partiesrepresenting all the ethnic groups inMalaysia, has been governing the nationsince independence. The alliance,painstakingly forged by the forefathers in

1954, was built on an overwhelming spirit ofaccommodation and moderation. It servesas a unique example of long-term powersharing among multi-ethnic andmajority-minority communities and betweenWest Malaysia and the regions of Sabahand Sarawak.

2. Peace, security and social harmony. Thecountry is blessed with visionary leaders.The people havenít felt the need to change awinning combination. Our leaders think outof the box, like the time we rejected the IMFpolicy prescriptions and successfully

adopted home-grown remedies to lift thecountry out of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.Our approach is being adopted by evendeveloped nations to tackle the currentglobal recession.

3. Enduring inter-ethnic harmony. Instead ofcreating a melting pot, Malaysiapainstakingly weaved a rich cultural mosaic.The plurality of lifestyles this engenders hasgiven rise to an extraordinarily multi-facetedsociety that stands as an example of how afragmented multi-ethnic, multi-religious andmulti-cultural polity can be welded togetherin a common nation.

4. Eradication of poverty. Malaysia investedin free primary and secondary education andfree health care, and has used its expandingeconomy to preserve social peace. Weadopted pragmatic, globalised economicpolicies long before globalisation. A strongeconomy has acted as a glue to bind ourpeople, first, by forging inter-ethniceconomic partnerships and second, bygiving to every community a share in anexpanding economic cake.

6. Peaceful and cooperative socialengineering. Malaysia embarked on apragmatic expansion of opportunities for all.This reduced tensions that flared in 1969 dueto the economic gap between themajority-minority communities.

7. A culture that avoids open confrontation.Behind-the-scenes negotiations andcompromises on a whole range of issues arepreferred to open confrontation. Malaysiaimposes severe controls on mass protests,thereby keeping social conflict off the

It wasn’t a‘miracle’ that

broughtprosperity to

Malaysia, it washard work

GUEST COLUMNIlankovanKolandavelu

Malaysia’s ten-point agendaT streets. This may have some human rights

implications by western standards but hascircumvented the continuous cycle ofpolitical and religious violence that bedevilsmany democratic societies. Trade unions donot resort to bandas and demonstrations topress their demands in Malaysia.

8. Professionalism and competency of theMalaysian civil service in planning andimplementing development programs. Thegovernment has invested massively indeveloping human resource capital andupgrading its public delivery capacity.

9. Malaysia as a Muslim country is anexemplar of a moderate, multi-cultural andtolerant society. Secularism and Islamco-exist peacefully despite the rise ofpolitical Islam due to the governmentísbalancing of Islamic measures with thebroad secular, capitalistic, democratic andglobalised features of Malaysiaís multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

10. Womenís rights. In the work place, inschools and in universities, women easilyoutnumber men. About 65 per cent of studentsin colleges and universities are women.

The World Bank used to categorise theachievement of Malaysia as an ëAsianMiracleí. Itís a compliment, but Malaysiaísprosperity was not the result of some divineintervention, it was brought about by ourown hard work and sacrifice.

Ilankovan Kolandavelu is ambassador ofMalaysia to Nepal. This is an excerpt of aspeech he made on his countryís nationalday on 31 August in Kathmandu.

134 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467REVIEWS

he intimate and tranquilPipalbot that has justopened at Baber Mahal

Revisited should not really bewritten about because if itbecomes too popular, crowdsmay spoil the entire effect.

Pipalbot is a unique blend ofmany things: a bright and airycafé with a communal table, anevent space, and a store forcontemporary furniture, comfortclothing, rugs and art objects.The open room exudes optimism,and has an uplifting, quietambience.

“Kathmandu is a small placewith very diverse people whomove in their own circles, wewanted to mix them up,” says DikiOngmo, who opened a store inSydney 15 years ago called TibetSydney. She moved back tolaunch Pipalbot with her partner,

ichael Jackson was not the only moonwalkercommemorated this year, 2009 marked the 40th

anniversary of the Apollo 9 mission that placedAmerican astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin onthe moon.

Even as China and India are cautiously attemptingspace missions of their own now, that first moon landingmarked in the world the height of a certain optimism inthe notion of progress, a certain faith in the endeavours of

science and humaningenuity, and ourinherent ability toovercome challengesand transcend our

limitations, a mindset that seems to have long recededfrom our common perspective.

It does not seem unfair to question that optimismwhen 40 years later diarrhea and malaria are still amongthe leading causes of death, a fact brought home to Nepalisby the epidemic in Jajarkot.

Next month Hollywood technicians will releaserestored footage from that landing, a cinematic landmarkin its own right. So now might be the perfect time torevisit Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, whichbegan earlier in that decade as a collaboration with sci-fiauthor Arthur C. Clarke and was released a year before themanned moon landing. Kubrick’s masterpieceencapsulates the promises of human progress andhighlights man’s conflicted relationship with technologythrough a vision peppered with the anxieties of the ColdWar and enlivened by curious notions of what the worldmight be like at the beginning of the 21st century.

The lynchpin of the sprawling, segmented 2001 is theimage of a black monolith, a towering slab of black rock. Itis alien, inscrutable and totemic, and stares back blankly atthe humanity it encounters, first in the recesses of the past

Under the pipal tree

Australian architect Tim Linkins,who works as a design consultantin Kathmandu.

Ongmo explains: “We wantedto provide a venue where peoplewith different interests couldoverlap, talk, eat, be entertained.It’s really open-ended how thespace can be utilised and thiskeeps the space fresh and ever-evolving.”

Indeed, at different times thisweek at Pipalbot, we spotted EricValli, Gotz Hagemuller, SapanaMalla and Dubby Bhagat. Peoplewho have been in Kathmandumany years mingled with thosewho have just arrived, and thecommon table brought everyonetogether in like-minded intimacy.

Within this oasis-likesanctuary, it is hard to imaginethat the south gate of SinghaDarbar is just 200m away and

there is a noisy political sit-ingoing on there.

Pipalbot is also a venue for artexhibitions, weekly film nights andpractical meditation classes, and

Back to the future

where it inspires an ape-like ancestor to kill using a tool,then thousands of years later at the end of the 20th centurywhen a group of Americans uncover it on the moon, andfinally on Jupiter’s moon where the ‘Odysseus’ of the film,Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea), comes face to face with itwhile on a lonesome manned mission. It is a commoncomplaint of canonical works, and cinematic ones such as2001 are no exception, that they are inaccessible andobscure. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 may be guilty of the charge,but mostly because of its uncompromising vision.Audiences today might find the central segment set on thepioneering spaceship, which details the contest betweenthe human passengers and the onboard computer HAL, tobe the most narratively coherent and satisfying. It is in thissection, still rich in the kinds of serious questions thatmark this film, where the innovative storytelling—itsexperimental use of sound and silence, for instance—ismost effective. Indeed, even in its ambiguity (moral andnarrative), there has rarely been a piece of cinema asgripping as the final confrontation between the surviving

DESIGNER INTERIOR: Diningtable with ceramics, wall carpetsand lampshades combineKathmandu’s traditional craft withcontemporary design at Pipalbot,set up by Diki Ongmo and TimLinkins (above).

T

M

CRITICAL CINEMAA Angelo D’Silva

human and his homicidal computer.Reconsidering 2001, one can’t help but wonder at its

curious contraction from the science fiction genre. Despiteits audacious arc spanning thousands of years, thedirection that it begins in is in the past, and it extendsscant decades into the future. Nor does it, for the mostpart, venture outside the solar system. Even as its image ofthe future exceeds the accomplishment of today (we haveno manned missions heading to other planets and noSoviet-American space stations outfitted like the lobbiesof 5-star hotels), it remains oddly modest and prosaic.Kubrick and Clarke do not imagine a resolution to theCold War, let alone even cosmetic changes to the race andgender politics of their time: American women serve asflight hostesses and receptionists and nary a person ofcolor besmirches the screen. That aside, in the premiumplaced on ‘realism’, one finds a still entertaining attentionto mechanics and the everyday tedium of life in zerogravity space, from magnetic shoes to meals drunk out of astraw. The state-of-the-art special effects of the time arestill curiously effective.

What is most admirable and audacious about 2001 isits insistence on remaining agnostic towards its meanings,conferring on them a meditative aspect, even in momentsof real terror or surrealism. What is the next stage in theevolution of man? Are we fundamentally a violent speciesand is transcendence beyond us? Does technology allowus to overcome our limitations or will it simply lead toour destruction? 2001 evokes these questions for theattentive viewer but does not allow for comfortableanswers. The movie is iconic beyond doubt, and hasattracted parody and homage in equal measure. But it alsoprovides a template for a more sophisticated,contemplative and adult science fiction that has rarelybeen repeated in American cinema.

2001: A Space OdysseyDirector: Stanley KubrickCast: Keir Dullea, William Sylvester, GaryLockwood, Daniel RichterRuntime: 2 hrs 39 minsRelease date: 1968

on Friday 4 September there isa raga evening with GurudevKamath.

“We really feel that the builtenvironment has a subtle butprofound impact on a person’s wayof thinking, so we wanted toprovide an exemplar ofcontemporary design in the Nepalicontext,” says Linkins, who has

designed furniture mergingKathmandu Valley’s traditionalcraft with contemporary lines fordining tables, sofas, lamp shades,partitions and ceramics.

The overall effect is of goodtaste, minimalist functionality andtraditional elegance in a restoredspace within a former Ranaresidence. Linkins has a definitevision: “Whether you aredesigning a building, piece ofclothing, cutlery or a businesscard, design is integrative andholistic: it is all about approachingdesign challenges and, byextension, life in general, with anattitude of clarity and simplicity.”

But why the name Pipalbot,we ask Ongmo. She is happy toexplain. “The pipal tree givesshade, it’s where travelers take arest and stop to chat, and it has aspiritual dimension.” Kunda Dixit

PipalbotUpstairs at Baber Mahal RevisitedOpen Tuesday – Sunday11AM-7PMLunch (bookings required),all-day tea and dessert, dinner byprior arrangement.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

14 4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467CITY

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

In GI Joe, the first film made about a fictional troupe ofsuper-soldiers, the team must contend with COBRA which,after stealing a special broadcast satellite, now threatensthe world with a teleportation device called MASS. The GIJoes find the original designer of the device, who saysthe only way to counter it is to build a MASS device oftheir own. However to do that, they need three rare andexotic elements to power it. This pits the team againstCOBRA in a race to find these elements while humanity’ssurvival is at stake.

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

KATHMANDU VALLEY

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

This late monsoon has sure had a lot of late surprises. But it is finally settledinto the familiar pattern of Bhadaure Jhari that is familiar for this time of year:bright, clear mornings, hot afternoons, buildups by evening and night squalls.Expect more of this during the coming week, since the Bay is pumping in a lotof moisture up our way. in addition, there is a lot of transpiration from midhillforests who rise up the mountains in the afternoon convection and fall in theevening as rain. It will be hot and humid during the sunny spells, but the nightswill be substanitally cooler over the weekend. We are still looking at a coupleof deep troughs spinning out of the Bay, and these will keep the monsoonactive to beyond teh expected close of the rainy season in mid-September.

KATHMANDU

RECIPES

This is an easy dessert or tea tart recipe. I usually serve itwith a coffee syrup but one can also use a fruit coulis or achocolate sauce.

1 cup flour75 grams butter¼ cup sugar1 teaspoon baking powder1 eggCream the butter and sugar together.Beat in the egg. Mix in the flour andbaking powder to form a dough and pressinto a thin layer in a pie dish or individualpie dishes. Bake at 180C until goldenbrown. Allow to cool.

South African Milk Tart(Serves 4)

½ cup sugar2 eggs1½ tablespoons cornflour1½ tablespoons flour2 cups milk1 tablespoon butter1 teaspoon vanilla essencecinnamonBeat the sugar and eggs together before adding thecornflour and flour. Bring the milk to the boil and add the

vanilla and the butter. Reduce the heat to a slowsimmer and beat in the egg mixture. Continue

stirring the mixture over a low heat until itbecomes a thick custard. Pour the

mixture into the pie dish, sprinklewith cinnamon and allow to cool.

EXHIBITIONS‘Concealed splendour’, photography exhibition by ShubhechaTewari, Shangri-La hotel, Lazimpat, till 6 Sep, 11AM

EVENTS Monsoon Wedding, movie

screening at Lazimpat Gallery Café, 5Sep, 5.30PM, 4428549 ‘Patan Press club’, meets every

Thursday at Dhokaima Café, 6PM,5522113 Himalayan Buddhist Meditation

Centre, Meditation Mon-Fri 5-6PM,Yoga Mon-Fri 8.30-9.30AM, Tai ChiSat 10-11.30AM at Himalayan

Vegetarian Garden Café at HBMC, Keshar Mahal Marg,Thamel, 4410402

MUSICRaga Evening, performance by classical vocalist Guru DevKamat at Pipalbot, Baber Mahal Revisited, 4 Sep, 6.30PM,9721331390Baja gaja, every Tuesday at Moksh, Pulchok, 7.30 PMonwards,5526212Live band every Friday and rooftop bbq everyday at KausiKitchen, Darbar Marg, 4227288Sunday Jazz brunch barbecue and live jazz music at theTerrace, Hyatt Regency, 12-3.30PM, 4491234Jazz 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, 5-7PMLive Sensation, performance by Yankey every Saturday 9PM,Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu, 4491234Nepali Ghajals and songs at D’Lounge Beijing DuckRestaurant, every Thursday 6.30 PM onwards, 4468589

DININGIndra Jatra Festival, at 1905 postponed to 10 Sept.Dhaka Biryani Festival, by Barek Bawarchi from Bangladesh atThe Café, till 12 Sep, 4489362Wine Festival, till 15 September, Kilroy’s Thamel, 4250440Chocolate, Coffee and Caramel, every evening at The Lounge,4.30 PM-6.30 PM, 4491234A cafe’s café, Dhokaima Café, Patan Dhoka, 5522113Jazzabell Café, relaunched at Jhamsikhel, 2114075The Corner Bar, 5-7PM, 3-11PM, Radisson Hotel Kathmandu,4411818Al Fresco, for home-made pasta, steak and freshwater trout,Soaltee Crowne Plaza, 4273999Kakori, for biryanis, curries and kebabs, Soaltee CrownePlaza, 7-10.45 PMChez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BaberMahal Revisited, 4263070Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle East at The Café, Hyatt Regency, 4491234Teppanyaki meat items and garlic rice at Le Resturant,Gairidhara, 4436318Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri-La, Lazimpat, Rs 600, 4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM, 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-La with live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the Shambala Garden, everyFriday 7PM onwards, 4412999Himalayan Rainbow Trout at Hotel Yak and Yeti, Darbar Marg,4248999Tiger for Breakfast, breakfast everyday at 1905, Kantipath,4215068

GETAWAYSDhulikhel Lodge Resort offers an overnight stay for Rs 1600 till30 September, 4222389Relax Package at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu for Rs 5555 plustaxes, for a night of double occupancy with breakfast,complimentary use of spa. Offer valid for Nepalis and localresidents only, 4489800Spa package, ayurvedic massage and access to the pool andspa with either breakfast or lunch at The Café or hi-tea at theLounge at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, 4491234

by GRAHAM SYDNEY

Sat Sun

28-16 28-16

Fri

26-16

Himal Khabarpatrika1-16 September 3, 2009

CoverThe sun sets on GPK

Editorial:The dark clouds are parting

Report:The Peace Industry

How much the donors have givento whom in the name of peace

Swine fluThe danger spreads

Opinion:How to do integration by

Kul Chandra Gautam

Constitution SupplementNilambar Acharya in theConstitutional Committee

Barsha Man Pun’s Six ConditionsLimbuwan debate in Phidim

4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #467HAPPENINGS

STICK 'EM UP: A health worker at Kathmandu airport testing a youngpassenger for signs of swine flu on Monday. The manual testing andfilling of health forms results in huge queues at immigration.

DIVINE REVOLUTION: Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at aprayer vigil organised by preacher Dinabandhu Pokhrel at Kapan onTuesday to raise money for a local school.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

15

THANKS A LOT: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal with Koreanambassador, Hong Sung Mog, after the inauguration of the GovernmentIntegrated Data Centre on Wednesday at Singha Darbar.

RAJESH GURUNG/THE HIMALAYAN TIMES

WHEN I AM 77: Founder of Dwarika's Hotel, Ambika Shrestha, in aceremonial chariot at her jankhu that marked her reaching 77 years, 7months, 7 weeks and 7 days on Tuesday.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

KIRAN PANDAY

ISSN

181

4-26

13

CDO Regd No 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No 04/058/59

4 - 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 #46716

ww

w.n

epal

itim

es.c

om

BACKSIDE

The Nepali language has all kinds of uses for the verb“khanu” (to eat). Ministers greet each other with “Khanubho?” when they meet in the corridors of power, but they

actually mean “How are you?” We eat air (“haba khanu”), we eatwater, we eat cigarettes (“churot khanu”), eat blame (“gali khanu”)and we even eat bribes (“ghoos khanu”). The whole debate aboutthe vice president is about him eating his oath (“sapath khanu”)in Hindi. Given the food crisis that is looming in this country, itfigures that we are a nation preoccupied with filling our belliesand one that prioritises eating above all else.

The Makunay Govt’s honeymoon period is over, and the PMmarked the occasion by supersizing his jumbo cabinet by anotherdozen or so ministers to reach a record 42 members who are nowall eating their ministries (“mantralaya khanu”). This provesParkinson’s Second Law which states that the size of the cabinetwill expand in indirect proportion to the government’seffectiveness. The Madhesi members were inducted into thecabinet to shore up the fragile coalition and hopefully it willwork otherwise we will have a huge hole in the state exchequer.Quite symbolic, though, that the last ministries to go were theMinistry of Environment, and the Ministry of Men, Women andChildren and the Ministry of Scientific Technology. These areregarded as ‘not important’ ministries because of the slimpickings available there (“khanai paidaina”). Still, that didn’tprevent one Sad Bhavana stalwart to strike while the iron was hotand grab whatever he could: a berth as Minister Without Portfolio.Wonder what potentiality to forage he saw there.

There is a lot of moaning and groaning among Kathmandu’schatterati that there is no government at present. What are theycomplaining about? What else is new? The best periods in thiscountry have been when there has been no government. The logicis simple: since governments make mistakes, not having agovernment means no one has a chance to make any mistakes.Which is why a militant party staged a press conference at theReporters’ Club the other day brandishing pistols in front of thegathered journalists and dared the Home Minister to come and getthem. And when there is no government, a five-year-old boy inBanepa was allowed to drive a car through traffic, cheered on bycops and be felicitated by none other than the vice-chair of theConstituent Assembly. Way to go!

Has Comrade Awesome taken the Baddies from being a godlessparty to one that is god-fearing? Chairman Dahal seems to havesuddenly turned spiritual in his old age to atone for his sins.What else could explain his presence at a prayer vigil organised byDinabandhu Pokhrel the other day bedecked in khatas andgarlands? The preacher man looked stern-faced throughout theproceedings, and we can’t really blame him since it was Awe-Inspiring’s party that assassinated his father in Nawalparasiduring the war. Guess even atheists have a guilty conscience.

Worried by growing illicit liaisons among his flock, ChairmanTremendous has got his party secretariat to dash off a directive tofemale comrades to get married forthwith. The letter from ParisDanda to 13 women CA members of marriageable age states thatfemale comrades currently living in sin should tie the knot, settledown and raise families. This hasn’t gone down too well withfeminist comrades like Jayapuri Didi who have told the party togo mind its own business.

Without too much fuss in the paparazzi press, King-ji has movedback up to Nagarjun, and has granted audiences to a slew ofvisitors in the past week, including an NRN delegation and like-minded hacks. The ex-Majesty is supposed to be relaxed, happyand rather pleased with himself. His message to everyone is:“Look, I voluntarily stepped down from the throne so thingswould get better, but the country is going to pot.” With onevisiting journalist, KingG even expressed his fear that thecountry was heading towards ethnic fragmentation andthat if the people wanted him back to preserve thecountry’s unity, he was always willing.

ass(at)nepalitimes.com

Let’s eateverything