Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Why It Is Important To Me The Congress Takes Up A Federal Republic


NC not in favour of ceremonial King: Sitaula NepalNews ceremonial monarchy was not the NC's agenda for the proposed constituent assembly elections ..... the King would remain as a 'ceremonial King' until the election to a constituent assembly and the election will decide the fate of monarchy....... the party is yet to prepare its agendas, including the one on the issue of monarchy, for the constituent assembly elections. The party will make public its official agenda for the election of the constituent assembly before announcing the dates for it ...... “The PM did not say that ceremonial king is the NC’s agenda as NC is in favour of inclusive democracy and restructuring of the state.” ...... discussions are underway among the parties about the formation of an interim government and management of Maoists' arms...... the government will take action against any people as per the recommendation of the high level committee formed to probe the atrocities to suppress the popular movement ........ “If the committee recommends any action against the King, the government will follow it and take appropriate action” ....... "The government will consider keeping the Maoists in the barracks and feeding them"
The April Revolution was for a federal republic, and that is why all eight parties have to come out for it. That simple. Parties that have come back into the mainstream because of the April Revolution will simply have to follow its orders. Let there be no mistake. The April Revolution gave you all a mandate.

A multi-party framework is a new awakening for all the communist parties. That includes the UML and the Maoists. But the Congress has always been for it. And so this oldest democratic party has got to prove it is in tune with the people's sentiment. And that sentiment is clearly for a federal republic.

If all seven parties take the lead on the federal republic question, you take a lot of wind out of the Maoist outfit. You eat their lunch. Then the Maoists will be forced to compete on other issues.

Even after the Congress formally adopts federalism, there will still be a lot of debate as to what form that federalism will take. The Maoists have divided the state into about eight ethnic enclaves. My proposal on federalism is economic, not ethnic. I am for three states, Kosi, Gandaki, Karnali. But if you empower the 75 district governments, that is better than eight states. Ultimately a democratic state is about the individual, not groups and ethnicities.

The Congress is a party with its base in the Terai. If it does not adopt federalism, it will be betraying its base.

If all eight parties were to formally adopt the goal of a federal republic, that will make the elections to a constituent assembly much smoother. And we do want that. That will be as good as the king abdicating. The monarchy will no longer be a burning issue in the elections, and that is a good thing.

Mugabe Chor, Desh Chhor
The King Should Abdicate

The focus has to be on how best to design the constitution so as to shoot for double digit economic growth. Poverty is the number one political issue in Nepal. My passion for social justice issues is also economic. Unless you settle the social justice issues, you can not focus on the economy with the intensity of a laser beam.

My Proposed Republican Constitution 2006 has one goal: double digit economic growth.

Nationally Televised Roundtable Conference
International Sanctions On Nepal Army Have To Continue
Madhesis, Social Justice, And The DaMaJaMa Equation In Nepal
Jason Fults
Why Were The Women Beat Up?
Rameshwor Shah: Inclusive Constituent Assembly
June 17 Madhesi Gathering In New York City
Madhesi Gathering Photos 2
Madhesi Gathering Photos

Krishna Sitaula

Girija Koirala: Not In Tune With The April Revolution (June 14, 2006)
Phone Marathon II
Phone Marathon: Called Up Delhi (April 2, 2005)

Krishna Sitaula's reassurance on the issue of a federal republic is very reassuring. This was much needed. I have fond memories of my long conversation with him in April last year. He was in a hospital in Delhi.

Other Issues

Even if all eight parties formally adopt the slogan of a federal republic, there will be plenty of other issues to disagree on.

What form should that federalism take?

What to do with the army? Should it even exist? If yes, how big? How to restructure it?

What to do about language rights?

What should be the relationship between the state and the private sector of the economy?

Prachanda

He scared me with some of his recent utterances.

I admire him for his staunch stand on a federal republic and a constituent assembly. It is his party that has taken the lead on them, and they deserve credit.

But some of his other ideas are out of line, and maybe that is why a one party state is a very bad idea. We need a free competition of ideas between parties.

He has this weird idea that every Nepali citizen should go through five years of military training. That is hogwash.

And he suffers from economic illiteracy, I would say. You have to learn to put the right to property on par with the right to free speech. I think he still struggles with that. Give him some time.

On the other hand, I think he is more passionate about issues like education, health and micro credit than the other parties, only he has yet to prove himself on the ground.

Federal Republic

Let all eight parties formally adopt the slogan of a federal republic. Spare the country the pain of having to discuss the monarchy.

In The News

King's man gets a thrashing in Nepal! Hindustan Times, India Bharat Keshar Singh, who is also the President of the World Hindu Federation, was returning from a party on Tuesday night when his car hit a parked motorbike, near the Royal Palace ..... Heated words were soon exchanged between Singh and the motorcyle owner following which students from nearby college and other persons arrived at the scene and beat Singh and his two sons...... The students and youths turned violent after learning that a King's aide was beating up an motorcycle rider....... They also torched Singh's car following which he took shelter in a nearby hotel. ...... Singh was taken to Army Hospital for treatment while his two sons were placed in custody in Kathmandu District police office.
Mob fury strikes Nepal king’s once powerful loyalist India eNews.com
UN gives emergency food aid to drought-hit Nepal Reuters AlertNet, UK
WFP starts emergency food deliveries in Nepal People's Daily Online
300 palace employees to lose jobs as Nepal king’s power shrinks Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates there were about 900 employees in the palace and most of them were employed without competition or qualifications ..... the palace employees would be brought under the country’s civil service rules and regulations and come under the control of the government....... there was no age limit for the palace employees or any rules as to how many years an employee could stay on a particular job position..... In the Nepalese civil service, the upper age limit is 58 years and no person could stay on in a special class job, the top echelon of the civil service, for more than five years..... the term of office of the top-most Nepalese Royal Palace employee Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, one of the most powerful men in Nepal until King Gyanendra lost power in late April, would end on the day the palace service becomes part of the country’s civil service.
Nepal Maoists 'will not disarm' BBC News, UK
Nepal Politics update: Many loose ends in a Maoist-democracy joint ... Mounteverest Last Friday, out of the blue, Maoist leader Prachanda showed up in Kathmandu ...... a transition government which will include ‘democratic’ parties and Maoists alike. ..... The Maoists will lose their “terrorist” tag, and get an (easy) access to power - in return for accepting the rules of democracy. ..... Without wasting a day, Prachanda launched a huge campaign: Going from hiding to spotlight in breakneck speed, Prachanda gave speeches through the weekend promising a bright future for Nepal .........
Gyanendra and Prachanda removed from press freedom predators list
Chhattisgarh rebels have links with Nepal Maoists: minister Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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