On Monday (2 August) a group of 11 MPs from MPRF crossed the floor to vote for Maoist prime ministerial candidate Prachanda. That was round three. The fourth-round voting for a new prime minister (Prachanda vs NC's Ram Chandra Poudel) will be held tomorrow (August 6). A cartoon by Batsyayana (via Kantipur). For more info on the floor crossing incident and Round 3, click on the cartoon.
Posted in Batshyaan Cartoon, Nepali Politics 2
Tagged Nepal, nepali-politics, parliament, politics, society
Shyam Saran talks to reporters in Kathmandu.
हामी लघूमानव हौं।
हामी आफूखुशी कहिल्यै मिल्न नसक्ने
कसैले मिलाइदिनुपर्ने,
हामी आफुखुशी कहिल्यै छुट्टिन नसक्ने
कसैले छुट्टायाई दिनुपर्ने,
हामी आफू खुसी कहिल्यै अगाडि बढ्न नसक्ने
कसैले पछाडिबाट हिर्काउनुपर्ने, हिँडाउनुपर्ने
हामी रङ्ग-रोगन छुटेका,
टुटेका, फुटेका
पुरानो क्यारमबोर्डका गोटि हौं
एउटा मानोरञ्जक खेलका सामाग्री,
एउटा खेलाडीमाथि आश्रित,
आफ्नो गति हराएका
एउटा ‘स्ट्राइकर’ द्वारा सञ्चालित
हो, हामी मानिस कम र बढ्ता गोटी हौं।
[Click on the photo above to read the complete poem by Bhupi Sherchan]
You will be forgiven if you thought Bhupi Sherchan penned those lines this evening after watching Shyam Saran land in Kathmandu today afternoon as Indian Prime Minister’s special envoy to Nepal to tell the quarreling political parties how to ditch differences among them and form a government. As Bhupi says: We (the Nepalis) are nothing but subhumans, we can’t voluntarily live in harmony, somebody has to come and reconcile us with each other.. we are more carrom-men than humans that are operated by a striker.”
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“Prime Minister of India has sent me here as an envoy so that I can, along with excellency ambassador [Rakesh Sood], have extensive round of meetings with all the political leaders in the country to see whether or not there is someway in which we can try build consensus so that a constitution in Nepal is formulated as quickly as possible. We have great interest, as neighboring country in the political stability of Nepal, and in the economic prosperity of Nepal, and as a friendly neighbor we will try and make all the efforts possible.”
-Shyam Saran, speaking to journalists at Tribhuvan Inernational Airport, Kathmandu today.
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New Delhi: India has send a senior envoy to Nepal to help resolve a political crisis that has left the Himalayan nation without a prime minister for five weeks. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran has reached Kathmandu to aid talks between rival parties who have repeatedly failed to elect a new prime minister in the latest chapter of a long power struggle. “Nepal’s political situation is in limbo, and India wants to help them set up a stable government,” an Indian foreign ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Continue reading
Posted in Nepal-India, Nepali Politics 2
Tagged india, indo-nepal, Nepal, nepali-politics, politics
By Kamal Raj Sigdel
Maoists Want Talks with India: The United Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (UCPN-M) wrapped up its third phase of protests and declared a fourth one today (Tuesday) concluding that there was no point in holding talks with local parties since they were all controlled by New Delhi. It was more meaningful to talk directly with Delhi. The party has been hitting the streets demanding the establishment of civilian supremacy in the country. This is the first instance since the 12-point agreement in 2005 that the Maoist leadership has come out openly against what it calls Delhi’s intrusion in Nepali politics. The implication was that the entire peace process was basically between the Maoist party and New Delhi, with other Nepali parties as fringe players.
The party announced that a national awareness campaign would start from Dec. 25 and run for a month. If the speeches made at the party rally on Tuesday were anything to go by, the Maoists will adopt a strong nationalist pitch in the next few weeks. Still, the party leadership displayed ambivalence in its treatment of India. “We are ready to hold talks with New Delhi,” Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told the party rally, held symbolically outside the Constituent Assembly where the Maoists are the largest party. “But what is the agenda? Are we citizens of a sovereign country?” There was the inevitable frustration with local parties. “For the last six months, I have reached out countless times to the parties, but they have all gone in vain,” said Dahal. “It’s a pity that the parties are helpless when it comes to taking any decision on their own as they are remote-controlled by New Delhi.”
India Reacts to Dahal Statement
By Dinesh Wagle
NEW DELHI – Influential Indian leaders and foreign policy buffs expressed a range of views on Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s statements pertaining to India on Tuesday. Dahal had said that he would only talk to New Delhi.
While some termed Dahal’s speech ‘a street talk by an angry leader’, others took it as a reflection of the ‘India will resolve it all’ tendency in Kathmandu.
The Ministry of External Affairs refused to comment. “We don’t want to comment on the internal issues of another country,” said a ministry official.
Former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha saw Dahal’s speech as contradictory. “They blame India for interfering and then say they want to hold talks with India,” Sinha said noting that the onus of resolving Nepal’s problems lies with Nepali leaders and elected representatives. According to him, Maoists in Nepal have been trying to impose what they wish. “But in democracy, it doesn’t work that way all the time. “When in the government, they wanted to impose decisions through the Constituent Assembly. Now they want to impose things through force.”
Former Indian Ambassador to Nepal K.V. Rajan said India has always been in touch with all political parties in Kathmandu in one way or the other. “The government could rethink if Dahal means to talk straight with the ministry or the Prime Minister’s Office, skipping the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu,” said Rajan.
Dahal offered five key agendas that should feature in the Nepal-India dialogue: 1) scrapping of the 1950 Nepal-India Friendship Treaty, revision of other unequal bilateral treaties, 3) revision of Indian policy to ensure Nepal’s right to international transit, 3) a tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and China on a long-term strategy for Nepal’s development, 4) Nepal-India border disputes, including Susta, and 5) the Indian army’s withdrawal from Kalapani.
Who is Kapoor to say like that? Dahal expressed serious concern over Indian Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor’s recent remarks against the en masse integration of former Maoist combatants in Nepal Army. Gen. Kapoor’s statement came during Army Chief Chhatra Man Singh Gurung’s India visit that concluded on Saturday. Kapoor had said that “if Maoist fighters wish to join Nepal Army, they should follow the due recruitment procedure as other Nepali citizens aspiring to join the Army.”
“What is the point in India prescribing what should or what should not be done on the Army integration issue, which has been clearly outlined in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement?” asked Dahal, adding that silence on the part of Gen. Gurung was indicative of the fact that the current establishment could not speak against New Delhi “even if the silence could cost us our sovereignty”. Dahal asked: Who is that Kapoor to jeopardize Nepal’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement?”
Fourth Phase: Nationalism on Focus The fourth phase of protests, according to the Maoists, will focus on raising “national awareness” by “exposing clandestine deals” with foreign compradors. “We are approaching a situation when we have to fight not only local compradors but also their foreign masters,” said Maoist Vice-Chairman Baburam Bhattarai. The one-month protest, from Dec. 25 to Jan. 24, is scheduled to culminate in declaration of an indefinite general strike if the government fails to address the party’s demand for a House discussion on the president’s reinstatement of then Army chief Rookmangud Katawal. The Maoist leaders also took strong exception to the government decision to buy arms from India, stating that it breached the peace accord and was a part of the “plot” to derail the peace process and suppress the Maoists.
Related blogs:
Posted in Maoist Politics
Tagged foriegn affairs, maoists, nepali maoists, nepali-politics
FIVE Fundamentals of Nepali Peace Process, according to Ian Martin:
The first fundamental is the commitment to power-sharing and consensus. The second fundamental is the commitment of the Maoists to the transformation of their movement, to conform to democratic multi-party norms and to respect the rule of law. The third, the commitment to transformation in the security sector: to the “integration and rehabilitation” of former Maoist combatants, and to an action plan for “democratisation” of the Nepali Army. The fourth, the commitment to political, economic and social transformation, where the Comprehensive Peace Agreement set out a radical and ambitious agenda. The fifth and last fundamental is the commitment to address the needs of victims of the conflict, and to build the rule of law by ending impunity.
By Ian Martin
[Martin is former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal for the United Nations Mission in Nepal]
In recent days there have been calls for the revision of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, accusations and counter-accusations that it is being broken by Maoist agitation or threats of mobilisation of the Army, and calling into question even of the 12-point Understanding which was the very foundation of the peace process. It is thus timely to ask whether the peace process is failing; if so, why; and what is required to save it.
I no longer speak for the UN on Nepal, and I want to make very clear that I am speaking only for myself. I do so solely as a friend of Nepal, and as someone who deeply wants to see Nepal go forward in peace, respect for human rights, and socio-economic progress for all its diverse peoples.
I want to try to address what I regard as the larger underlying issues of the peace process in Nepal, which I believe is the way to address the question of what needs to be done to get it back on track.
Five aspects of the peace agreements have been unchanging and are fundamental, and it is the extent to which they have been respected or not respected which I want to examine this evening. Continue reading
Posted in Peace Process 2
Tagged ian martin, Nepal, nepali peace process, nepali-politics, Peace Process, unmin
They want to establish ‘civilian supremacy’ in Nepal but they want to do that the cost of people’s right to live peacefully. The Maoists today began second phase of their agitation aimed at bringing down the current government by enforcing blockade in the Kathmandu valley. They have picketed at the entry-exit points in the Kathmandu valley. The pre-announced “blockade” began early morning with flag-waving Maoists gathering at Thankot and Sanga, reports Republica. As a result, vehicles coming to and fro the capital have been stranded at the entry points. There is heavy presence of police at Thankot and Sanga. Continue reading
With the lapse of time, whether the history of ruling monarch will repeat in changed form? This fear hangs over the mind of common people, as the present Constitutional developments are not so encouraging.
By Suryabahadur Singh
The constitutional evolutionary phases were continuously witnessed throughout the development process in Nepal. The post second Jan-andolan,2062 (2005) period has provided ample opportunities for stabilizing and institutionalizing the institutional democracy, peace and constitutional reforms. The formation of Constituent Assembly has raised the common man’s hope of period getting a constitutional solution forever. The Nepalese masses have not forgotten that, the Constituent assembly was a mere declaration by the King Mahendra in 2007(1950) and the successive constitutions were formed by the related Constitution drafting committees. At that time, the constitutional experts were hand picked, the rigidity, abstract law, limited constitutional resources, least judicial developments and impact of ruling monarch were major hurdles in the way of making appropriate Nepali constitution. Along with this, soaring socio-economic problems has obstructed a lot for experimenting with past six constitutions having colors, flavor and impact of then existing time. Continue reading
Posted in Nepali Constitution
One of the biggest reasons for the failure of democracy in Nepal in the 90s is the lack of democracy in the then largest democratic party of Nepal: the Nepali Congress. Girija Prasad Koirala, the paramount leader of the party- then and now- is responsible for that. He, along with other leaders like KP Bhattarai and Ganesh Man Singh, tried to run the party as if it was their club. No wide consultation was done before taking any vital decisions by a party so mass-based in Nepali context. The President of the party is like a dictator. The President, for the past several years, is Koirala. Continue reading
Maoists have hit the streets from today aiming to topple the current government. They should have gone to the Constituent Assembly instead.
Sticking to their old demand that the presidential action over the sacking of the then army chief by the then Maoist-led government some four months ago be corrected, the Maoists have started today their ‘decisive’ agitation to bring down the Madhav Nepal-led government. This is clearly unfortunate not because the shaky coalition is at the helm putting the largest party in the Constituent Assembly, the Maoist, out of the government but because the Maoists are not honest to their demand and they are not fighting for the civilian supremacy as they tirelessly and consistently claim. Continue reading
Posted in Maoist Politics
Tagged agitation, anti-government movement, maoist, nepali-politics
The Constituent Assembly has faced repeated delays in drafting the new constitution. The delays have led to growing public speculation and concern that the May 2010 promulgation deadline will not be met.
Report of the UN Secretary-General on the request of Nepal for United Nations assistance in support of its peace process
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1879 (2009), by which the Council, following the request of the Government of Nepal and the recommendation of the Secretary-General, renewed the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) until 23 January 2010. UNMIN was established as a special political mission in 2007, with a mandate which included monitoring of the management of arms and armed personnel of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) and the Nepal Army. Following its merger with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unity Centre (Masal) on 13 January 2009, CPN-M was renamed the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). Continue reading
Posted in Peace Process 2
Tagged maoist, Nepal, nepali peace process, nepali-politics, unmin
The Himalayan Republic Celebrates First Republic Day Anniversary
[From a year ago: 1. Nepal is Declared a Republic!!! 2. Minute by Minute Account of the Historic Session of the CA that Declared Nepal a Republic
Republic Day rally in Pokhara, Nepal. Pic by Krishna Mani Baral
The first anniversary of the declaration of federal democratic republic of Nepal is being observed throughout the nation on Friday (today). Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people within and abroad the country are celebrating the first republic day. A large number of people thronged the capital to observe a special function organised at Tundikhel in which various cultural programmes and other vibrant displays were organised by the government appointed organising committee. Continue reading
Democracy in Action ब्लगमान्डू
