Monday, August 21, 2006

Between The Maoists And The Congress


Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 17.

    (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

    (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 25.

    (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

    (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

    (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

    (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

    (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Wikipedia, the free ...

UML Thoughts On Interim Constitution
Critiquing The Nepali Congress Proposed Constitution
नेपाली कांग्रेसको संविधान मस्यौदा
Critiquing The Maoist Proposed Constitution
माओवादीको संविधान मस्यौदा

Right To Property, Right To Free Speech (May 31, 2006)
Land Reform, Truth And Reconciliation (May 11, 2006)

No political party in Nepal has the option to take any political position that goes counter to the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights. That is basic. There can be no compromise whatsoever on that point. And the Declaration is a very clear document. There are no ifs and buts. There is no confusion.

The Maoists have to realize the right to property is just like the right to free speech. The right to property can not be taken away. That does not mean you can not implement meaningful land reform. That does not mean you can not have state owned corporations. That certainly does not mean you can not have massive state expenditures on education and health, especially for the people in the lower income brackets.

Right to free speech is not easy to appreciate, to understand. And so right to property can also get confusing at times.

The Maoists are thinking in terms of a mixed economy. They are thinking in terms of land reform. I understand that. And I agree with the goals. I think land reform is so necessary to raise the productivity in the agriculture sector. Land reform makes market sense, makes capitalism sense, forget Maoism.

But it has to be done right. The Maoists have to take their proposal for land reform to the people and earn their votes. If based on that proposal they win a simple majority, they go ahead and use the state machinery to implement it. But likely a coalition government of the UML and the Maoists will get into this land reform business. Land reform has to be done throught the mechanism of rule of law. You do it through a legislation you pass through a popularly elected parliament.

But all that is later. We need to go one step at a time. First, arms management, then an interim arrangement, then constituent assembly.

Koirala's Hallmark: He Is A Mediocre Intellect

Girija Koirala's fantassy is to retain the 1990 constitution. As long as the king's powers get reduced, and the army is brought under civilian control, that is all he wanted. Everything else is headache stuff as far as he is concerned.

He has become the constitutional monarch of the seven party alliance. If the SPA manages to do good, it will be because the second rung leaders took the initiative.

He would have liked nothing more than for the seven parties to rally behind his call for a ceremonial monarch, and compete against the Maoist agenda of a republic during the constituent assembly. He wanted the constituent assembly elections to be a one issue election.

The Nepali Congress has not been taking the lead on social justice issues, and Koirala is a big reason why.

In The News

Govt-Maoist negotiators hold talks NepalNews
Rayamajhi commission grills eight army officials Lt Colonels Sagar Bahadur Thapa, Niraj Poudel and Sagar Bahadur KC, Majors Umesh Karki, Sepchen Lama and Sahakul Thapa, Caption Dev Bahadur Chhetri and Lieutenant Sunil Khadka.
Businessmen protest extortion; close Lahan A statement issued by the Lahan Chamber of Commerce today said the closure has been called against the donation drive of the Maoists that has been intensified in the last few weeks. The rebels have been asking a large amount of donations from the businessmen of Lahan, the trading center of Siraha district. ...... Transportation, market, schools and industries remained closed due to strike. The organization has accused the Maoists of violating the ceasefire code of conduct signed between the government and the Maoists. ..... Earlier, the businessmen in Jhapa had fixed the rate of donation to the rebels at Rs 50, 100 and 150.
Conspiracies being hatched against elections of the constituent assembly: Mahara Mahara said weapons can be managed in three phases. In first phase, the Maoist army will stay in temporary barracks; in the second phase the authenticity of Maoist army and weapons would be verified under UN supervision. The Maoist army and Nepali Army should be inactive during the elections and in the third phase a new national army should be formed by merging the Nepali Army and Maoist army, Mahara added...... “We will disarm ourselves during the restructuring of the nation.” ...... the Prime Minister's recent statements on the state of affairs were increasing confusion vis-à-vis the peace process
Maoists murder another NC cadre Dhanusha district. .... NC activist Dip Narayan Yadav ..... Maoists had recently killed another NC activist Sushil Gyawali in Bardiya ..... Maoists abducted Yadav from his house at Barmajhiya in Dhanusa district on August 5. ... Maoists had accused Yadav of being involved in the killing of their leader Ram Brikshya Yadav, and theft and robbery in the district. ... Yadav had been living in Janakpur since the last two years as a displaced person due to Maoist threats and returned home just two months ago.
Maoists disturb religious meet of Shiva Sena
Campaign to be launched against 'Chhaupadi system' ...... the 'Chhaupadi system' rampant in districts of the far western development region. ..... a tradition where women and girls are ostracised during their menstrual period....... the programme will target three groups: schools, community healers and vulnerable groups..... legal provision and a penalty system will be introduced to discourage the practice ..... Women and girls live in cowsheds for more than a week when they menstruate because they are considered impure during the time.

Dalits and the Interim Constitution Kantipur Publications Nepali-American Society for Oppressed Community (NASO) ..... tremendous opportunities to change our nation forever. ..... 1. Confer a state apology in the preamble of the Interim Constitution against age old oppression/discrimination against Dalits. 2. Confirm as illegal any activity, event, incident and/or any practice that discriminates against citizens based on their caste/ethnicity, gender, creed, race, age, class, physical appearance, religion, and/or ideological inclination. Avoid totally any term/sentence/phrase or any syntax that contrasts or opposes this provision. Explicitly state Nepal as a secular nation that respects all citizens and strictly protect their human rights and dignity. 3. Ensure that any practice of discrimination based on caste/ethnicity, gender, creed, race, age, physical appearance, religion, and ideological inclination is severely punishable. In the case of such incidences, the perpetrator(s) must undergo at least six months to 10 years of imprisonment and fifty thousand to five million rupees of financial compensation to the victim, depending upon the degree of such discrimination. 4. Establish an independent constitutional body, “Dalit, Women, and Indigenous Commission”, on par with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, to ensure that the rights and dignity of these minorities or disadvantaged groups are protected. 5. Ensure that all Nepali citizens will have choice to adopt first and last names through their own choice. Any citizen can choose a surname on his/her own or families’ discretion or can select the first name of his/her father or mother as a surname. 6. Ensure that the Constitution Assembly (CA) will have proportionate (at least 20%) representatives consisting of Dalit men and women. Also, ensure representation from the Dalit community at all levels of committees or units (in addition to CA) that will be formed in the development process of a new constitution. 7. Establish and ensure effective implementation of Affirmative Action (AA) in hiring and promoting employees in all levels of any organization (both government and private/non-government), company, and institution to enhance Dalit men, women and children’s advancement and inclusion in the society. 8. In addition to AA, include the following specific compensatory provisions for Dalits in the Interim Constitution: • Ensure proportionate (at least 20% at this time) representation from Dalit men and women in all legislative, administrative, and judiciary institutions of the state. • Ensure free education to poor Dalit children up to high school (X grade). Ensure proportionate (at least 20% at this time) number of reserved quotas in college and university scholarships to qualified Dalit students. • Ensure that a proportionate number of (at least 20% this time) all public employment opportunities are provided to qualified Dalit men and women. 9. Ensure that at least 20% of all development programs/projects of GOs/NGOs/INGOs/Bilateral/Multilateral Agency or any organization working in the development sector is devoted for Dalit empowerment/development. ........ the seriousness of the ongoing Dalit oppression, and facilitate eradicating the conservative dehumanizing discriminatory practices by incorporating the above mentioned provisions into the Interim Constitution. These provisions are not only the voice of people living in North America but also complement the voice of Dalits living everywhere in Nepal. If these provisions are ignored, Dalits who make up 20% of the country’s population, will be bound to lose hope in the existing government and their leaders, and will be forced to take an alternative course of action for their human rights, justice, and freedom.
Petro dealers on nationwide strike from Tuesday Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association (NPDA) on Monday took the decision to hold a nationwide strike from Tuesday directing all its member dealers not to sell petro products from any of its outlets. ...... NPDA took the stand after the government refused to agree with the three percent commission in retail price that the dealers were reaping. .....
Govt-Maoist teams- 'possible consensus'; ICDC flays PM's remarks the seven-party alliance government and the Maoist rebels have failed to reach a common agreement on the interim legislature, constituent assembly process, arms management and other political issues ...... Laxman Prasad Aryal today expressed his "strong" dissatisfaction over Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's remarks that stated that the issue of drafting an interim constitution was of less importance than settling the arms issue at the present juncture. .... Koirala told journalists in Biratnagar on Sunday that the seven-party government had committed a mistake by taking up the interim constitution issue. ...... "All the problems are hooked on this (arms management) and added once it is taken care of, the rest of the problems would spontaneously vanish." ...... Aryal said the premier's statement was "the height of insincerity." ........
PAC wants coffers to be reimbursed from royal ministers
Locals round up five vandals
Maoists, Shiva Sena clash in Bhairahawa Meanwhile, Chairman of the Shiva Sena, Nepal, Arun Subedi, declared a "religious war" against those organizing "activities against Hinduism". At a press meet, he threatened to raise arms to defend Hinduism. "Maoists are pushing us to a war," he said.
Army ‘revolt’ probe begins "revolt" by soldiers in its Tripura Company at Pokhara ..... The soldiers had allegedly beaten up their commanders--Major Himadri Thapa and Captain Yadav Silwal--Friday afternoon on the charge of behaving "cruelly" with them. The soldiers had made their commanders flee the company. Thapa has been removed as commander of the company following the incident. ...... Thapa had punished a soldier on a minor charge last Tuesday. Soldiers were enraged with Thapa as the latter had beaten up the soldier severely. .... Around 30 soldiers have been disarmed and taken into army custody.
Arms management is major issue, not interim statute: PM Koirala the role of the international community was necessary to resolve the country’s current problems. ...... Koirala said once the UN team arrives, the peace process would accelerate ...... rest of the problems would spontaneously vanish. ..... Koirala said, everybody is getting disoriented and confused by concentrating on the interim constitution. ..... After stripping the king’s power, the 1990 Constitution itself could have served as an interim statue, he said and added that had that been done, there would have been no confusion and uncertainty of any sort today........ if the people want a republican state, his party would go for it.
ओली चीन र क्युवा जाने
प्रधानमन्त्रीलाई कडा सुरक्षा
एकीकरण गृहकार्य यसै साता
माओवादी यातनाबाट कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताको मृत्यु
सैनिकद्वारा पिटिएकी महिला गम्भीर
तेलको राजनीतिक नाटक

And Now Ethnic Separatism by Suman Pradhan IPS News A splinter Maoist faction in Nepal's southern Terai plains is calling for full sovereignty and independence in what is turning to be the first separatist movement in the country's history...... his group has recently been hounding settlers from the hills, locally known as 'Pahadiyas', in a bid to drive them out of the Terai. ...... ignorance of Terai grievances, where 48 percent the country's 26 million people live, is fanning the flames of radicalism and separatism ....... Goit's slogan that the Terai, known as Madhes, is only for the Madhesis is igniting fears of a separatist war and deepening the hills-plains divide in this country. ...... separatism is being fuelled by two distinct factors: Goit's fight with the Maoists, and the age-old discrimination felt by the Madhesi community at large. ....... "We are fighting for independence because we have been discriminated against for too long." ....... mostly in areas from Saptari to Rautahat ..... Terai grievances suddenly flared up in June when TJLF fighters kidnapped for ransom several Pahadiya government officers and forcibly closed down a few industries owned by Pahadiya settlers in Saptari district ....... issued threats against the hill ethnic groups settled in the Terai, asking them to go back to their villages ...... While Nepal remains focused on the difficulties surrounding delicate negotiations between the government and Maoist rebels, the Terai districts are on the brink of an upheaval. The issues encompass not only Maoist in-fighting but identity politics and a sense of discrimination felt by the Madhesis. ..... trend is worrying Terai intellectuals and activists who oppose the dismemberment of Nepal. ..... "There is no support in the Madhesi community for an independent Madhes. We all want to be part of Nepal," asserts Vijay Kant Karna, a Madhesi lecturer of political science and chairman of Jaghrit Nepal, a Madheshi-upliftment group. "But I cannot say what will happen in the future if Madhesis do not get due recognition in the state restructuring that is being talked about." ....... "We Madhesis are looked down upon. Our language and culture are not respected. We are not represented adequately in the civil administration and other state institutions. These must stop or the fire will only grow," says Jayaprakash Gupta, a Madhesi former government minister who is now general secretary of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF). ....... The TJLF has an estimated 150-200 fighters. ...... his replacement by Yadav in the Maoists' Terai Liberation Front, anti-Madhesi discrimination even within the Maoist hierarchy, and the Maoists' division of Madhes into two separate regions - the Madhes autonomous region which spans east to west-central Nepal, and Tharuwan autonomous region which encompasses western Terai....... "Goit was dissatisfied by the discrimination practiced by the Maoists within their own ranks. Very few Madhesis got leadership roles in the party's organizational structure in Madhes. Almost all were sent from the hills," says Karna......... "Nepal's ruling elites have forever been suspicious of Madhes because they think these people are of Indian origin, and therefore pro-Indian," says MJF leader Gupta "That is not true. We Madhesis are as much Nepali and pro-Nepal as anyone else. But I am not surprised that Goit is seeing this division of Madhes by the Maoists as an attempt by the Pahadiyas to diffuse Madhes' power. I too think that is the case." ....... Even Maoist leader Yadav struggles to accept this division. "I am in favour of a unified Madhes," he says. "But I also believe there can be separate regions within a unified Madhes.

Mainstream Jay Krishna Goit Also

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