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InsideKoirala may ask forministers’ resigna-tion

page 2

Madi victims say,Prachanda is a liar

page 3

New condition forCA polls

pagepage 3

Osho Sanyasis Swami Yog Nityananda (Anil Nepal) and Maa Osho Arpita (Smarika Rijal) tying the knot at Tapoban, Kathmandu onNov 25, in presence of fellow Sanyasis and invitees.

ä nf correspondent

Former US President Jimmy Carter was receivedwarmly and heard patiently by Nepal’s key politicalactors during his recent 3 day visit, his second insix months, but his ideas and suggestions madeno apparent mark in Nepal’s politics.

Prime Minister GP Koirala was apparently‘unhappy’ with the visiting dignitary for his havingoverruled his suggestion that he refrain fromgoing public on his prescription regarding whattype of electoral system should Nepal beadopting for the constituent assembly.

Informed sources from Baluwatar toldnewsfront that Koirala had requested Carter notto make public his suggestion for 70:30 compo-nent of the proportional and first past the postsystem. Koirala is believed to have advised Carternot to go public on this when the two met at thePM’s residence on November 24 morning. ButKoirala was overruled and ignored as Carterwent public on the issue when he met the pressbefore he left for the United States the same day.

However, the Nobel Peace laureate wasclearly rejected by the Nepali actors, not the PMalone, if their initial response to his suggestion of- mainly an enhanced dose of proportionalrepresentation system and adoption of aresolution in favour of Republican Nepal to beendorsed by the Constituent Assembly yet to beelected, is any indicator. Carter met Koirala andPrachanda twice separately, listened to others

like Madhav Nepal and some of the ministers inbetween. He also met Chief of the Army staffGen Rukmangad Katawal mainly to discussstatus of the Maoists’ demand for reintegrationof the Maoist guerrillas into the Nepal army.

In an exercise different from last time, Carteralso interacted jointly with leaders of threeparties - Nepali Congress, UML and theMaoists, but there was hardly any consensus hecould encourage on the issue of Republican andproportional electoral system being adoptedimmediately to facilitate early election asrecommended by the Maoists.

“We are flexible and may reconsider our standif Maoists prove that they are sincere in conduct-ing election to the Constituent assembly,”Minendra Rizal told Carter. Clearly, the UMLrepresentatives also doubted Maoists’ sincerityabout going to the CA. Carter also wanted toknow from Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahatwhy the combatants in the cantonments were notbeing paid as promised. Mahat’s answer wassimple, “Maoists are demanding payment even tothose who have already deserted the canton-ments or those who are disqualified to be there.”

In fact, thanks to Carter, he revealed beforeparliamentarians that around 10,000 combat-ants were found disqualified in the UN verifica-tion process. And against the total 31,000combatants who had entered the cantonments,only 24,000 are living there now as the resthave deserted the camps. ä

Carter ignored Koirala

Overruled

Tapo

ban

2 26 Nov-1 Dec, 2007 News

ä nf correspondent

As Koirala’s legitimacy has comeincreasingly under question both athome and abroad, fuelled by hisinability to maintain law and order inthe country and hold elections to theconstituent assembly on schedule,spin doctors in the party are making alast minute effort to salvage hisposition.

An effort to have the ministersresign en masse to give him a freehand to hand-pick ministers of hischoice, at least from his NepaliCongress, is on. “ The PM is seriouslyconsidering it,” a prominent memberof the Congress Central Committeetold newsfront, adding, “this mayhappen soon.”

“We are hopeful that his failureto do so in the past has thoroughlydiscredited him and he will take thesuggestion seriously now,” he said.Apart from others, party’s WorkingPresident Sushil Koirala is alsobelieved to have asked the PM togo for the much needed change in

Koirala may ask for ministers’ resignation en masse

Operation Rescue

the party.

In any case, there are many seatslying vacant in the council of ministers,since at least four ministers from theCommunist Party of Nepal-Maoists(CPN-M) who resigned nearly twomonths ago continue technically asthe ministers, as their resignationshave not been accepted and notifiedby the government yet.

Although it is a coalition govern-ment and those in the council ofministers are nominees of thecoalition partners, the PM is sup-posed to have asked UML GeneralSecretary, Madhav Nepal to spare

Khadga Oli in the ministry once again.Similarly, he is understood to havetold some Congress leaders that he isnow considering going to the pollseven without the Maoists, if theformer rebels, “create obstacles oneafter another in conduct of the polls.”

Koirala, sources claim, has nowarrived at the conclusion that theMaoists are not at all keen to face thepolls and they are changing their goalposts, by putting forth newerdemands. But Koirala faces criticismwithin his own party with at least fourdozen leaders including parliamentar-ians telling him that he must improvethe law and order situation before thecountry goes to the polls.

Party central committee members,Binay Dhoj Chand, Govinda Raj Joshiand Lakshman Ghimire told himrecently that if he was not going tomake any minister accountable forthe current mess, he must at least getall to resign and, “form a governmentwhich can go to the polls with animage of efficiency and ability todeliver.” ä

An effort to have theministers resign enmasse to give him afree hand to hand-pickministers of his choice,at least from his NepaliCongress, is on.

DemolishingjudiciaryThe very concept of the independence ofjudiciary has been demolished.

The interim constitution hasundermined the importance andprinciple of the rule of law as wellas the independence of judiciaryas the basic pre-requisites ofdemocracy, a senior judge of theSupreme Court has said.

“Democratic governance, valuesand commitments cannot bepromoted without an independentjudiciary and the interim constitu-tion - 2063 has somehow missedthis point,” Justice Min BahadurRayamajhi said.

In a paper, ‘State’s role andresponsibility in enforcing verdictsof independent judiciary’presented at a programmeorganised by the AdministrativeCourt on November 24 in thecapital, Justice Rayamajhi saidthat the interim constitution hasalmost demolished the concept ofindependent judiciary.

“The government has armeditself with the power to depute theChief Justice as well as otherjudges to any other assignments

and enhanced its representation inthe judicial council in a way thatgives more say to the executive inappointment of judges.

Moreover, introduction of the newsystem of the Supreme Courthaving to submit its annual report tothe prime minister and absence ofright to the judiciary to conduct itsaffairs autonomously all go againstthe concept of independentjudiciary….In fact the very concept ofthe independence of judiciary hasbeen demolished,” the paper said.

Justice Rayamajhi, known for hisstraightforwardness and commit-ment to independent judiciary alsodemanded an immediate amend-ment to the constitution to rectifythese lapses. “I am hopeful that theconstitution this country is going toadopt in future will not entertain anyprovision that will adversely affector demolish the concept ofindependent judiciary.” JusticeRayamjahi is in the line ofsuccession as the Chief Justicewhen the incumbent CJ, KedarPrasad Giri retires. ä

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Newsbrief

326 Nov-1 Dec, 2007News

Nepalis killed inKashmir

Kargil, once feared as a nuclear flashpoint,when India and Pakistan went in for a third warwithin a span of 52 years in 1999, has now turnedinto a grave for three Nepalis during peace time.

At least three Nepalis - Mochha Ghale, SukuGhale and Bir Bahadur Ghale of Nuwakot district,died instantly when a live shell went off in Kargilon November 22, according to the reports. Theirmutilated bodies have been recovered. Earlier,two Nepalis labourers were killed by the militantsabout a decade ago in Kashmir for which thegovernment of India paid Rs two lakhs each ascompensation to the next of the kin of thedeceased. Many other Nepalis serving in theIndian army had perished in the Kargil war.

Nepali authorities believe that the insurgencyfuelled conflict in the country for the past 12years has driven many Nepalis, especially theable bodied ones from rural Nepal to India, andtake up all kinds of risky jobs as the one theyare doing in Kargil. According to United Newsof India (UNI), a national wire service, there arearound 2,000 Nepalis living in Kashmir regionincluding Kargil. They are engaged in variousmenial jobs, and some are engaged in riskywork like scrap collecting. UNI quoted securityofficials confirm that the three Nepalis died nearthe army firing range while collecting scraps.They suspect that the live shells might havebeen lying there since the time of Kargil war.

Journalists at riskNepal continues to be on the watch list of the

International Press Institute (IPI), a media rightswatchdog, as more cases of threats and

intimidation on journalists are reported. Thedecision to have Nepal on its watch list, 18-months after the return of democracy wastaken during IPI’s executive board meeting heldin Germany recently. Other countries includedon the list include Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Russiaand Zimbabwe. IPI’s Director, Johannn P Fritzsaid Nepal is a very dangerous place forjournalists and needed to be on its watch list.

“The IPI watch list is a list of countries inwhich press freedom conditions have rapidlydeteriorated. The guiding principle behind thelist is to open up a dialogue with these countriesbefore they slide into repression,” a statementby the IPI said. “Widespread disrespect forpress freedom still strongly affects journalistsand media outlets’ ability to report freely. Thismakes Nepal a very dangerous country forjournalists.” Nepal’s inclusion on the list comesin the wake of Maoists abduction of twojournalists, Prakash Singh Thakuri and BirendraSaha, and the latter’s murder in captivity.

Purification driveIn a clear admission that the Young Commu-

nist League (YCL) has become more of aliability than an asset for the Communist party ofNepal-Maoists (CPN-M), the party has decidedto launch a purification drive to weed out ‘badelements’ from the YCL.

The decision to this effect was taken during acentral committee level meeting of the YCL in thecapital on November 24 which was attended byCPN-M chief Prachanda besides other leaders.YCL is under direct command of ChairmanPrachanda. “It is not the party’s cadres, butinfiltrators from outside who are indulging incriminal activities. They need to be identified andpunished,” a Maoist leader said. ä

ä nf corresponent

As Prachanda stood as the mostpowerful and protected leader amidsthundreds of gun wielding guerrillas inShaktikhor on November 24, a group ofunarmed - some of them crippled victimsof Maoist atrocities, barely 25-km fromthere, said they felt that Prachanda isnothing more than a ‘liar.’

Courage failed the all powerfulPrachanda this time as well since hecould not undertake the promised trip toMadi where at least 38 villagers lost theirlives and about a dozen sustainedserious injuries, some of them withpermanent disability, when a publictransport bus was ambushed by theMaoists nearly 30 months ago.

“We tried to provide a relief packagefor the victims, but conspirators foiledthat,” Prachanda said publicly in Pokharawithout identifying who the conspiratorswere. He also blamed the same

ä nf correspondent

Maoists have now put forth a newdemand - reintegration of their combatantsin the Nepal Army, as the pre-condition forgoing to the polls to the constituentassembly. Absence of a prompt ‘yes’ to thedemand from Prime Minister GP Koirala willset the political movement for his ouster,declared Prachanda, Chief of the Commu-nist Party of Nepal-Maoists.

“Koirala will be deposed as the PM if hefails to include our guerrillas in the army withfull honour and respect,” Prachandaannounced while addressing his partycontrolled People’s Liberation Army (PLA) atChitwan’s Shaktikhor area on the occasionof the 7th anniversary of its foundation onNovember 24. The declaration not onlymakes Koirala’s continuation as the PMuncertain, but it also pushes the agenda ofCA polls far beyond mid-April; sincereintegration of the guerrillas in the Nepalarmy without other political issues beingsettled looks almost impossible.

Koirala’s failure to integrate the guerrillasinto Nepal Army will only provoke theMaoists to launch a fresh revolution which,Prachanda said, will not stop until its goal ofrepublicanism is achieved. “We are ready tofight 40 years or more if needed but we willnot give up our demands,” he said.

Amidst cheers from the combatantslodged in Shaktikhor cantonment,Prachanda said the government had alreadyviolated the letter and spirit of the compre-hensive peace agreement (CPA) and otheragreements which formed the basis of theMaoists joining the peace process. The PLAhas not been granted facilities at par withthe Nepal Army although all these agree-ments have recognised PLA’s equal statuswith that of the army.

Maoist cadres had used their resourcesand strength to mobilise common peopleand ferry them to the venue. Apart from

Prachanda, Maoist leaders includingBaburam Bhattarai, Mohan Vaidya, Badal,Hishila Yami along with guerrilla command-ers and some UNMIN representativesattended the impressive function. The PLAalso offered a gun salute to Prachanda whoremains their military chief.

In a slightly conciliatory gesture with apolitical undertone, he also admitted that theMaoists were on decline in Terai due togrowing incidents of violence there and itneeds to be tackled. “To that extent, NepalArmy and the PLA should together defeatthose elements,” he said. But a senior officialof the Nepal Army told newsfront, “We acton the legitimate government’s orders andinstructions only.”

Prachanda also accused Koirala of latelytreating Maoist guerrillas as did the kingGyanendra. “Koirala had called me to stallelection saying that the king was conductingmunicipal election on February 8, 2006 atany cost”, Prachanda disclosed. He added,“Credit goes to the PLA for snatching powerfrom the king as a result of which Koiralabecame the PM.

He further declared, “They can removeyou as well,” Prachanda’s message to the PMwas loud and clear. Prachanda also declaredthat the two set of demands: immediatedeclaration of Nepal as a republic andenforcement of proportional representationsystem - that his party has advanced nowwould be achieved at any cost and said, “Weare not going to compromise on that.” ä

Combatants integration into army - new condition for CA

Deposing Koirala

elements for his Madi trip notmaterialising so far. “Prachanda is stillshedding crocodiles tear for whathappened in Madi’s Bandarmude area.He must expose those who wereinvolved in the conspiracy and itsexecution to the public,” Madi victims say.

Krishna Adhikary, one of the survivorsof the massacre asked Prachanda toreveal who was stopping him from goingto Madi or to announce the reliefpackage? She appeared before theSajha Sawal programme conducted bythe BBC Trust in Chitwan with the poserthat made Prachanda almost speechless.

There were many angry faces fromMadi grilling Prachanda. He responded tomost of them evasively, saying his goingthere may have an adverse bearing on theongoing peace process. Madi victims havebeen calling him a coward or inhumansince he has been frequently visitingdifferent parts of Chitwan but always avoidsgoing to Madi despite his promises. ä

Crippled victims of Maoist atrocities in Madi saidthey felt that Prachanda is a liar.

Conspirators who?

Editor & Publisher : Yubaraj GhimireExecutive Editor : Sushma AmatyaNews Coordinator : Manoj DahalDesign: Sunil Khadgi, Kishor Raj Panta & Ramkrishna RanaAddress : PO Box: 8830, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NepalTel : 4443888, Fax : 4421147 (Edt.), 4411912 (Mkt.)Email: newsfront@bhrikuti.com, marketing@bhrikuti.com (Mkt.)Printed by: Express Color Press, Buddhanagar, Tel.: 4781810, Distribution: Kasthamandap, Tel.: 2010821

26 Nov-1 Dec, 20074 Editorial

LettersPunish criminals

Your editorial, ‘criminal who’ wasvery bold and it represented our angerat the Maoists for abducting thejournalist, Birendra Saha and killinghim. Unfortunately, there is no visibleregret or repentance on the part of theMaoist leaders over the murder and allthey have been saying is that they willpunish the guilty. Home Minister KPSitaula has all along been acting likesomeone aiding and abetting thesecrimes. Can the fate or life of anycitizen be safe with him as the HomeMinister?

This also points fingers at thepolitical parties especially theCongress and UML who pay so muchlip service to the issue of pressfreedom, but it was there for all tosee how they ignored the issue of abduction of journalistSaha. There is every possibility that another journalist,Prakash Singh Thakuri also has met his end at the hands ofthe Maoists.

Sitaula never bothered to initiate any search for journalistThakuri who was kidnapped five months ago. Even theFederation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) chose to keep silent onjournalist Thakuri's case on the ground that he was perceivedas pro-palace. If Sitaula, FNJ and the current regime have acommon understanding that only certain elements withcertain political belief have a right to survive and that themachinery of the state should not bother about the safety ofthe rest, then that will only lead to a civil war in this country.

Only by bringing the 'murderers' to justice, can thesesituations be prevented from arising again.

BishwanathKamalpokhari, Kathmandu

Thank pressIt has been confirmed that journalist

Prakash Singh Thakuri's abduction wasdone by CPN (Maoist)'s sisterorganisation, YCL. Maoist cadres killedjournalist Birendra Kumar Saha on thedate of his abduction but that informa-tion came in after a month of suspense.After these two anguishing event, I amwondering why Maoists are anti-journalists and against press freedom.However, acts like these will onlyjeopardise the political existence of thewhole party. It would do well for theMaoists to remember that they havebeen able to climb the political ladderthanks to the huge support of the pressand the media.

Sulav DahalSurunga-5, Jhapa

More UmravatisIn reference to the article by CK Jha I would like to appeal

to the public to unite and thrash these politicians who aredefining democracy and their principles as it suits them. Thegovernment and the political parties have become merryspectators and turning a deaf ear to the problems of thecountry. If this continues, there will be more journalists andnon journalists killed and there will be more Umravatis.

Rajib Kumar Deo,Kopundol, Lalitpur

BungledIt was a year of hope for peace and democracy in Nepal which

together could have led to economic prosperity. Nepalis hopedthat the 13 year old conflict and politics of violence that caused theloss of 13,000 precious lives would be over for good, and thenthey would own their country's future destiny.

But November 21 and 22, the first anniversary of the Compre-hensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Maoist Chief andthe Prime Minister, and the day Nepalis were hoping to cast theirvotes to elect the Constituent Assembly, passed off like any otherday. That the CPA's future is in mess and so is the uncertaintyover CA elections has not only injected enormous dose offrustration among the people, but has once again proved thatNepali politicians have not changed a bit, and that this country'sfuture is not safe in their hands.

Except that the Maoists joined entered the interim parliamentand the interim government, no other provisions of the CPA wasimplemented. Through circumstantial evidence or conjecture, onecan easily say that the top leaders who signed the CPA behavedmore like dealers to secure their immediate narrow gains at thecost of the nation's interest. Maoists were granted immunity forevery crime its cadres committed.

They did not push for formation of the high-powered commis-sion for state's restructuring seriously; and never was a seriousdebate held in the country regarding the kind of devolutionincluding federalism; to ensure that the people long suppressed -belonging to certain class, caste, ethnicity, gender, religion andregion have a larger stake in the emerging power structure.

The government that included Maoists in it after April 2007never formed the monitoring committee to ensure that the code ofconduct as agreed by the two sides would be implemented inletter and spirit. Maoists never actually returned the property andassets they had illegally confiscated despite their commitment todo that. Yet, they kept imposing and dictating new conditions thathad the effect of discrediting the CPA as well as other agreementsof the past. With their demand for 100 per cent proportionalsystem of representation and republican Nepal immediately, theprospect of people being able to exercise their right to elect theCA has become totally uncertain.

The international missions and their commitment to assist in thepeace process and development and the new slogan of newNepal, that once raised some hope, are fast collapsing. The yearthat we bungled, warrants an honest review of the role of politicalactors with full accountability. The key provisions of the CPA shouldbe implemented at least, so that the entire process does notbecome a casualty. ä

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments ofcomfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challengeand controversy.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Point to Ponder

Pure freedomSri H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji

(1910 – 1997) was born in Punjab. Herealised the truth when he was 8 years oldand it blossomed in his early 30's when he methis Guru, Sri Ramana Maharishi, the sage ofArunachala. He left his body in September1997.

Excerpts from his teachings:

The knowledge is supreme, and if youcannot assimilate it, you cannot get it, then youhave to take up austerities for a long time, notfor one age but many incarnations; to purifyyour mind and get ready to receive knowl-edge. As all rivers enter the ocean, so all theausterities, practices, will lead you to knowl-

edge. So whatever time we are spendinghere, it will not go a waste. Surely you will berewarded.

****No need of leaving the kingdoms and going

to the forest now. Only get rid of yourimpediments, and simply stay quiet. With aburning desire, like somebody who is burning,and will run to a well, or a river, or a streamonly for water. Someone who is burning mustgo to the water; he will not go anywhere else.Like this, if you have the burning desire to befree, in this life, before the end of this life, thenyou will be successful.

You will have won the game and you will bevery happy always because freedom,happiness and bliss go together. All kinds of

Spiritual Cornerness. Otherwise in the world there issometimes happiness, sometimes unhappi-ness. They go on alternating and this is calledthe world, and this is the experience of theignorant ones. When there is unhappiness,they don’t like it; when there is happiness theylike it.

So in the case of wisdom, there will be onlyserenity. There will be total peace. Peace issomething else. It has got nothing to do withpleasures and displeasures that belong to thecontact of the senses. Bliss has got nothing todo with the senses or the mind or the intellector even the personality, the Jiva or individualsoul. This is a transcendental, fourth state.Not waking, dreaming or sleeping. That fourthstate is called Turiya in yoga terminology. Thisstate is always available to everyone. ä

other pleasuresthat we seekfade awayimmediately withtheir contactitself. As soon asyou contact anytouch, anypleasure, it willbite like aserpent. Anypleasure, anyrose that youpick will have athorn underneath. Like this, when you enjoyany sense pleasure it will bite you.

Therefore we have to search for verypure freedom, where there is no unhappi-

Readers, your reactions, criticisms, com-ments, suggestions are most welcome.Please address it to:

newsfront@bhrikuti.com

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 20075Debating Development

äääää Binod P Binod P Binod P Binod P Binod P. Bista. Bista. Bista. Bista. Bista

If the current remarks made byJimmy Carter were to provide anyindications, a massive campaignseems to be underway to sideline theonly democratic party of Nepal, theNepali Congress, and thus the peopleof Nepal who believe in multipartydemocratic system.

The role of Carter center in thepast several months in Nepal,especially after Jana Andolan II, intrying to provide support to theongoing peace process is wellacknowledged. Yet the latest remarkson proportional representation as wellas republic, despite a defeat of theseissues in the parliament voting, castsa serious doubt on Nepal’s demo-cratic exercise in-the-making.

It is quite baffling to understandCarter’s remarks after he expresseddoubts on Maoists participation inconstituent assembly election. As if tosupport Carter’s doubt, Maoist leaderPrachanda, appears to have statedthat he does not believe in parliamen-tary system of democratic gover-nance.

Carter is right on his statementabout the comprehensiveness ofthe peace process in the sense thatthe CA elections and the peaceprocess are inseparable and mustbe carried out together. It is virtuallyunthinkable to achieve one withoutthe other. Deferral of CA electionstwice in a row, gives testimony tothe fact that without an excellentunderstanding among all parties,including the Maoists, there canneither be elections nor peace inNepal.

However, recent statementscoming from Nepali political parties(Maoists) regarding India’s agree-ment/disagreement on a republic inNepal, prior to the necessary

democratic exercise, is adding insultto injury suffered by the honest,peace loving people of Nepal. If thepresent political parties in power feel

it necessary to receive India’s andother countries’ blessings before evenstarting the democratic process, thenNepal is better left with anything but

the self-styled democracy of today.

The international community,represented in the World body - the

Sidelining Nepal’sparty and people

United Nations, does not appear tobe different from the regional andglobal powers represented in Nepalin one form or the other. UNMIN’s

chief in Nepal, Ian Martin, has beenaggressively pushing for anexpanded role of that mission inNepal. Present Secretary General ofthe UN has already spoken on theissue. Current role given to UNMINis appropriate and as per the needof the country. In this regard, therecent decision made by the presentgovernment while considering theextension of UNMIN mandate comesas a pleasant surprise amidstconfusions galore.

It may do well to both the chief ofUNMIN and his boss to rememberthe significant event that took placeduring the 1990s when the thenSecretary General of the UN, Mr.Boutros Boutros Ghali, wanted tocreate and maintain a standby forceof the UN. If the UN chiefs were tosupport Nepal government’s desire toreform the Nepal Army thoughappropriate trainings, the same caneasily be achieved by the existingmechanisms of the UN under itsdepartment of Peace KeepingOperations.

Present under-achievement of itsmandate by UNMIN is an outcome ofthe lack of understanding andcommitment of the Nepali politicalparties in power. Therefore UNMINdoes not need to justify its role andperformance, or its lack thereofduring past one year. Its purpose isgenuine and its mandate clear.

Mr. Martin should rather focus onthe progress of human rightscondition in Nepal if he is desirous toassume more responsibility. Politickingby any external agency is undesirableand if it comes from personsresponsible to maintain global peaceand security, it is wrong.

A time may have come for theNepali themselves to make their owndecision without leaning on foreignpowers for advice, support andstrength. Every Nepali party inpower (including the Maoists) boastsof its sacrifice in support of thepeople of Nepal. The seven partieshave coexisted, albeit with somedifferences, for almost 18 months atthe helm in trying to resolve theproblems besetting Nepal today.They have somehow managed toprevent any derailment of theongoing process.

The peace accord signedbetween the Prime Minister, ashead of the government thatrepresented seven political partiesand Prachanda, as chief of theCommunist Party of Nepal-Maoists(CPN-M) remains intact. . . . . There isno reason why they cannot find asolution on their own to steer andpush the peace process ahead, forthe benefit of all. ä

If the present political parties in power feel it necessary to receive India’sand other countries’ blessings…N epal is better left with anything but theself-styled democracy of today.

Carter is righton his state-ment about thecomprehensive-ness of thepeace processin the sense thatthe CA electionsand the peaceprocess areinseparable andmust be carriedout together.

Mr. Martin shouldrather focus onthe progress ofhuman rightscondition in Nepalif he is desirous toassume moreresponsibility.

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 20076 Opinion

äääää Manish Gautam Manish Gautam Manish Gautam Manish Gautam Manish Gautam

Kevin Watkins, director of the UN'sHuman Development Report (HDR) officeand the lead author of - Human Develop-ment Report 2007/08 Fighting ClimateChange: Human Solidarity in a divided world- has given a clear message to the worldthat governments need to get real about theconsequences of climate change. A seniorvisiting fellow with the economics gover-nance program at Oxford, he recentlyshared his experiences with Asian journalistsin New Delhi, India.

Climate change as now projected willcreate livelihoods risks and vulnerabilities inSouth Asian countries. According to Watkins,the nature of these risks and vulnerabilitieswill vary between and within countries.Exposure to droughts, floods and extremeweather events is one category of risk. Snowretreating in Himalayas is another. Asdeveloped countries have invested hugepolitical, institutional and financial backups in

adaptation, other developing and poor countrieslacks technology, knowledge and skill to cope.

He said, "The rich world has the capabilitiesto protect citizens from the impact of climatechange while the poor and the vulnerablepopulation of developing countries have verylimited coping mechanism….We should talk

about the aspects of social justice and the equitydimension of climate change that being thegreatest polluters, the rich world need tocompensate these vulnerable population of thedeveloping countries."

He suggests that the governments ofdeveloping countries need to be united to pullthe resources to respective countries foradaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

"The early warning signs are already visible.Today, we are witnessing at first hand whatcould be the onset of major human developmentreversal," Watkins added.

Climate change has resulted in glacier meltingand has triggered outbursts of glacier lakes inSouth Asia. Decreasing number of rainy days,overall increase on rainfall intensity hasincreased the risk of dry spell and more intensetropical cyclones in the region. This eventuallyimpacts on human health, water resources andagriculture.

While considering Nepal, the greatest impact

of climate change will be on agricultural sectoron which the majority of the populations'livelihoods depend. According to Watkins theHDR has projected very deep reductions inlarge areas of rain-fed agricultural activity inSouth Asia. The end result of climate changein Nepal will bring severe problems due toglaciers melting in Himalayas which is not adistant future threat. Similarly it is affectingagricultural practices as the emergence ofextreme weather patterns.

There are no sufficient researches andstudies to show how the rural populations arealready exposed to the effects and if at allthey recognise this issue. It is urgently neededto bridge this knowledge gap regardingclimate change at grassroots level.

Let us hope that the HDR releasing on 27November will prove an opportunity to viewand review climate science and understandwhat it means to the poor of this globe wholack technology, knowledge and skills to copewith the impacts caused by climate change.

äääää T T T T Tejshree Thapaejshree Thapaejshree Thapaejshree Thapaejshree Thapa

"History, despite its wrenching paincannot be unlived, but if faced withcourage need not be lived again." -Maya Angelou

We all are aware where the twistsand turns of our nation's history havetaken us and being a part of it; weknow how we have managed to live,and how long we can act as if we areliving, bearing the pain. Do we havethe courage to continue? Yesdefinitely. One isn't born with couragebut circumstances and experiencesenergise and expand it.

Political scenario has transformed alot in our life time. I still have a freshmemory as an eight year old childsharing with my younger sister thefear of my father being eaten by atiger when he used to return homelate. Since my father was a hunter,for every two months during schoolswinter vacations, I used to be with mydad in hunting camps. My childhoodfear was him getting killed by a tiger.It had such a deep impact on me.

Then at the age of 14, a shockingincident occurred which was new forall the Kathmanduites. People wererushing to the Kalopul (a black bridgethat still exists in Sifal) to look at adead body, stabbed and thrown intothe Bagmati river. It created asensation in the valley and everybodywas shocked by the killing of a humanbeing.

It clearly picturises how peacefulour country was then.

Fast forward to today and thescenario is horrifying. Last year, I hadgone to my sister's place where allthe children were playing. Theyoungest, aged eight was acting like asecurity officer and few were playingthe role of insurgents. They all hadtoy guns shooting at each other.Suddenly one of the boys threw a biggrapefruit in the middle and everyonewent hiding under the couch andchairs shouting 'bomb explosion'. Itwas disturbing to witness the negative

psychological impacts on these youngminds.

Another incident relates to a littleboy aged 13 from Ramechhap whoused to live with his mother in myhouse. One day, in his room, I foundsix empty bottles of Coke all stuffedwith strip of papers mixed withmatchsticks. He was trying to make a'socket bomb', the boy proudlyexplained in response to my curiosity.He mentioned the names of varioustypes of bombs ranging from PanParag bomb to pressure cooker

tyres in the streets, vandalism, peltingstones and other disturbing activitieswhich they have witnessed haveaffected their minds. This should be amatter of concern to all mothers.

We have before us the saga of allthose war widows from both sides.Last year on Valentine’s Day, I saw anarticle in a local paper with a happypicture of a top comrade and his wife.The comrade was quoted saying thateveryday with his wife is a Valentine’sDay. I then visualised the innocent

thousand faces in white clothesmourning for their husbands killed inthe insurgency, thinking how enviousthey would be if they had seen thispicture. Things would have beendifferent if the comrade and his lovingwife had understood the meaning of'love' a little earlier.

In our joint family, every evening allthe children used to be runningaround playing all sorts of games butI used to love to be with my father,uncles and other senior neighborswho used to gather at our garden inthe evening. They used to discussmainly politics and share their views.The main issue of the discussion oneday was the critical condition of ourcountry because of being small, weakand being manipulated by a 'bigbrother'. As a kid, I wondered whatthat meant. Last year when I listenedto an autobiography of BP Koiralaabridged and read by KhagendraNepal, I clearly picturised the vision ofa big brother and its role in mycountry.

Competition among responsiblepeople whose pitiful race towardspower without any self respect makesone feel utterly ashamed anddisillusioned. Crimes abound butcriminals are neither brought to booknor does anybody own up theresponsibility. John. F. Kennedy at thetime of Bay of Pigs, Cuba invasion,while owning up the sole responsibilityof defeat said that victory hashundred fathers but defeat is anorphan.

It is expecting too much to look forsuch a nationalist leader here but Ithink it is high time we women at leastnow unite and act to protect ourchildren and bring about positivechanges in our country. Women arepowerful forces as history has proventhrough many examples. To quote ERoosevelt, “You gain strength,courage and confidence by everyexperience in which you really stop tolook fear in the face… you must dothings which you think you cannotdo.” ä

bomb. As someone from insurgencyaffected area, he had witnessed theart and technique of bomb manufac-turing.

This goes to show that it clearlyrequires more efforts on our part togive a sound, peaceful and healthyatmosphere to safeguard the rights ofour children. Frequent strikes by thepolitical parties and others have takenaway the 'right to education' from ourchildren. Little schools boys returninghappily back home from their busstops talking about Bandhs, burning

ReflectionsStrings of thoughts all connected to what life has become today - whatused to be, what is and what can be done, still…

Climate change in Nepal will bring severe problems due to glaciers melting in the Himalayas…

Climate change- a real threat

Kevin Watkins

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 2007 7Opinion

Federalism and Multi-EthnicFederalism and Multi-EthnicFederalism and Multi-EthnicFederalism and Multi-EthnicFederalism and Multi-EthnicSocieties: Opportunities andSocieties: Opportunities andSocieties: Opportunities andSocieties: Opportunities andSocieties: Opportunities andL im i t a t i onsL im i t a t i onsL im i t a t i onsL im i t a t i onsL im i t a t i ons

Stella SeibertStella SeibertStella SeibertStella SeibertStella SeibertColombo: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2005

Stella Seibert articulatesvarious aspects of the abstractand dynamic concept offederalism. She also provides theunderlying critical strictures andoffers insights of various federalcountries to follow ideal type offederalism that can yield desiredresult.

Federal political system is ashared sovereignty, power andresources between central andregional governments at variousdegrees depending on the natureof the societies and histories.Central governments haveauthority in deciding principleissues that affect the wholecountry, such as banking,defense, foreign policy and thesigning of vital treaties andagreements with other states

though two levels of authorities -central and federal, control the sameterritory.

Federalism is a form of govern-ment that expresses multiple identityand diversity in specific commonpolitical system by sharing legislative,executive and judiciary powers tosub-units and arranges unity indiversity. It presumes several levels ofinstitutional actors for the realisationof shared rule. Some federal statesshare only executive and judiciarywhile others divide also legislativepowers.

The book introduces the concept,meaning and role of federalism tomitigate ethnic ridden turmoil of SriLanka and issues of federalism inpeace negotiation process. It offersexperiences of various countries tothe reader by explaining a variety offederalism and contextual successand failure of different modelsadopted in a number of countriessuch as Australia, Brazil, Germany,India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, and

Switzerland.

It elaborates the important termswith brief comparison, such ascentralised unitary state,decentralised unitary state, thefederal state and con-federal statewith core attributes. She says thatself-rule and shared-rule is missing incentralised unitary state. In adecentralised unitary state self-ruleexists without right to self-organisation.

It broadly analyses the advantagesand disadvantages of federalism,identity, resource and justice sharingarrangements at the state, political

parties, public institutions and civilsociety realms as well as in multi-levelgovernance. It highlights the possiblesuccess of federalism and itscontribution to development.

The advantages of federalism are:power sharing, power dispersion andpolitical control, empowerment ofregional voices, opportunities forparticipation, creation of regionalpolitical elites, opportunities forspecific policy promotion, flexiblesolution of problems, efficientmanagement, etc.

But, there are also disadvantagesof federalism such as tyranny ofminority, fragmentation of politicalpower, political immobility, democraticdeficit due to unaccountability andnon-transparency in decisions,downgrading of other groups andissues, etc. These attributes suggestthat leadership has to be verycautious in adopting the model ofgovernance.

Many countries have provided

Rarely does a moment come inhistory when the political leadership isprovided with an unchallengedauthority to govern in the name of itspeople. Similarly GP Koirala and theseven parties had been vested withgargantuan responsibilities to steerthe country towards stability andpeace. However, GP and the sevenparties have failed to seize this goldenopportunity. It is comical to observethe lackluster performance of thiscoalition government even when ithad such enormous powers, noopposition to fear and lastly anunchallengeable internationalmandate to steer the country out ofthe quagmire.

Today, yet again our leaders haveunfortunately succumbed to themurky politics that has plagued theprogression of Nepali politics for thelast five decades. Therefore, it wouldbe accurate to conclude that it is onlythrough our active participation in thepolitical concourse can Nepalprogress towards stability and peace.Hence, it would prove detrimental ifwe Nepalis are to sit quietly and allowour leaders to steer our countrytowards further disintegration byfalsely interpreting our concerns andvoices.

Without any further delay, we

Nepalis should ask ourselves somefundamental questions regarding thefuture of our country. What has beenmost hurtful is the fact that ourgovernment sat silently when thestatue of Prithivi Narayan Shah wasmutated by the Maoists. All across theglobe, in all countries the foundersregardless of their background areheld in high esteem. We might loatheat King Gyanendra, but we cannotescape from the reality that withoutPrithivi Narayan Shah there would beno Nepal – this is a fact and ourhistory.

It has become equally importantfor all of us Nepalis to ponder overthe founding principles of ournation. This is important becausewithout identifying the principlesthat founded Nepal, we cannotdefend the principles that foundedNepal. A country like Nepal that isso diverse had functioned harmoni-ously despite some deficiencies.Unfortunately, we are at the brink ofdisintegration and chaos. There-fore, it is important for us tounderstand the logic behind PrithviNarayan Shah’s call for socialharmony and unity. It is socialharmony, unity, moderation andtoleration that are the foundingprinciples of our nation. And thediversity component has only added

to the uniqueness of the nation.

But for Nepali politics to evolveprogressively it is important that theyounger generation now takes overthe mantle. Consequently, a politicalconsensus must be developed and ahome grown solution must befounded where the people are invitedto take ownership of the constitutionalprocess through elections.

The present leaders are respon-sible for the present state of affairsand they are incompetent. It is wishfulthinking for us to expect them todeliver when they have failedrepeatedly. Nepal is on the brink ofdisintegration and even when aforceful radical communist party like

the Maoists has posed challenges tothe existence of democracy and intandem disrupted social harmony inthe country; even then our leadersremain divided.

There will be no democraticalliance, there never has been oneand there will never be one as longas the leaders of the older generationremain in politics. It is only whenyouthful leaders belonging to thedemocratic parties and ethnic groupsprevail will there be an alliance. I saythis because; we non political Nepalishave a common enemy: Maoists andradical ethnic groups.

Politics in Nepal is a catalystthrough which politicians and their

Our leaders fail to comprehend that foreignbrokered alliance will never yield positive divi-dends.

Time forCHANGE

beneficiaries have consumedenormous amount of wealth. Nomatter who becomes prime minister,the situation will remain just as grimsince the players who aide the primeministers are the same people whohave failed again and again. Anddeep down the Maoists know for afact that these leaders can be bought,so, until and unless, there is nochange in the leadership, the Maoistswill continue to throw generous baitsat our leaders and prepare for aneventual takeover.

Our leaders fail to comprehend thatforeign brokered alliance will neveryield positive dividends. Examples areplentiful - Sri Lanka, Afghanistan,Israel-Palestine to name a few.Therefore, a solution must beindigenous and an alliance mustformalise after parties agree on acommon threat based on the groundreality. For that matter, the 12 pointagreement is anti-national and hence,it now makes sense as to why thepeace process and the prospects ofholding elections have failed somiserably.

We know for a fact that our leaderswill never rise to the occasion to saveour country from further disintegra-tion. They are too consumed withwheeling and dealing. An alternativecan be found when the youngergeneration of politicians, business-men, entrepreneurs, journos, civilservants, the youth, and youngerarmy officers unite identifying acommon threat. It is only then willNepal move towards permanentpeace, stability and economicprosperity. ä

äääää Siddhartha Thapa Siddhartha Thapa Siddhartha Thapa Siddhartha Thapa Siddhartha Thapa

BOOK REVIEW Pros and cons of federalismhuge lessons to show thatkeeping the less powerful ethniccommunities and social groupsout of the centre of economic,social and political opportunitiescan lead to poverty, instabilityand unrest situation which cancontribute to the developmentdeficit, weaken democraticinstitutions and generate conflictsof various sorts.

The central problem of anyregime is, therefore, to makepower accountable. In this,sense, it misses one critical point:what kind of federalism issuitable to confront the singleglobal market and growinginternationalisation of socialforces? The book is very usefulto the Nepali society wherefederalism is emerging as aburning issue and provides foodfor thought to reasonably discussthe suitability of the model ofstate system - unitary,decentralised or a federal one.

(Reviewed by Tara Dahal)

Stella Seibert ar-ticulates variousaspects of theabstract and dy-namic concept offederalism.

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 200726 Nov-1 Dec, 20078 Perspective

In 1966, Akira Kasamatsu andTomio Hirai made a study of Zenmeditation in Japan in terms of thewavelengths etc. produced by thebrain during Zenmeditation. Theyasked the Zenmaster tocategorise thelevel the 48students hadreached.

Thesesubjects wereclassified intothree groups.Group one had20 disciples whohad meditatedfrom one to fiveyears. Grouptwo consisted of12 disciples whohad meditatedfrom five to 20years and groupthree had 16monks who hadover 20 years of experience.Besides these, 18 others from age23 to 33, and men aged between54 to 60 years who had noexperience in meditation werechosen as control subjects.

It was found that in the Zenmaster, before he started meditationthere was normal beta waves of thewaking state. Within 50 seconds of

starting meditation,the well-organisedalpha waves beganin all the regions ofthe brain. Thenafter 20 minutes orso, the brain wavesbegan functioningbetween low alphawaves, going attimes into thetawaves. At the endof the meditation,alpha waves wereseen continuouslyand two minuteslater, alpha wavesstill persisted. Thiskind of similarpattern was foundin another Zenmaster also. Theresult of the EEG

study on the Zen masterwas divided into four stages:

Stage I: a slight change which ischaracterised by the appearance ofalpha waves in spite of open eyes. (InZen as in most of Mahayana meditation

methods, eyes are kept open unlike inHindu and Theravadin methods whereeyes are closed); stage II: the increasein amplitude of persistent alpha waves;stage III: the decrease of alphafrequency; and stage IV: the appear-ance of the rhythmical theta trainwhich is the final change of the EEGduring Zen meditation, but does notalways occur.

It is interesting to note that anotherstudy made of two Raja yogis - B.KAnanda, G.S. Chhina and BaldevSingh showed that the final stage ofKundalini yoga meditation was deltawave which is akin to deep sleep statewhere too delta waves predominate.This definitely shows that the ZenSamadhi and the Raja yoga Samadhiare not exactly the same.

Then when other Zen discipleswere tested and graded, it was foundthat there was a very close relation-ship between the master's evaluationof their stage and the degree of EEGchanges in them. From these findingsit was found that the degree of EEGchanges during the Zen meditation ofthe Zen disciples were parallel to thedisciple level in proficiency ascategorised by the Zen master.

(To be continued)(Sridhar Rinpoche is a Vajrayana

Master)

Examining Zen meditationThis definitely shows that the Zen Samadhi and the Raja yoga Samadhi are not exactly the same.

äääää Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche

Marshland Flowers

It is interesting tonote that anotherstudy made of twoRaja yogis - B.KAnanda, G.S.Chhina and BaldevSingh showed thatthe final stage ofKundalini yogameditation wasdelta wave which isakin to deep sleepstate where too

26 Nov-1 Dec, 20079From the region

Newsbrief

Former Pakistani prime ministerNawaz Sharif arrived in the Pakistanicity of Lahore on Sunday after sevenyears of exile, Dawn Television said.

Ousted by army chief GeneralPervez Musharraf in a bloodlessmilitary coup in 1999 and exiled toSaudi Arabia a year later, Sharif triedto return home in September, butwas sent back to Saudi Arabia withinhours.

But this time Musharraf, whoimposed emergency rule onNovember 3, reluctantly agreed toallow Sharif back from exile in SaudiArabia to lead his party in a January 8general election.

Police detained supporters offormer Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifand sealed off the airport ahead ofhis planned return Sunday from exile,stark reminders that the emergencyruled imposed by his nemesisPresident Gen. Pervez Musharrafremains in effect.Sharif was due inthe eastern Pakistani city of Lahoreon Sunday afternoon. He took offfrom Saudi Arabia during the day withfamily members, according to asecurity official at the Saudi airportwho spoke on condition of anonymitybecause he was not authorized to talkwith the press.

Saudi Arabia is where Sharif hasspent most of the past eight yearssince Musharraf overthrew him in1999.

Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman forSharif's party, said some 1,800activists were detained in a crack-down since late Saturday in Punjabprovince, of which Lahore is thecapital.

However, federal InformationMinister Nisar Memon said he wasexaggerating.

"There are no arrests as such,"Memon said. "About 100 people havebeen confined so that they do notcreate any issues. We don't want thesame mess as there was in Karachi."

He was referring to the huge rallythat greeted another former premier,Benazir Bhutto, when she wasallowed to return to Pakistan last

month. Bhutto's homecomingprocession was torn by a suicidebombing which killed about 150people.

Both Bhutto and Sharif are seekingto return to power after Jan. 8parliamentary elections. But theballot, which the West hopes willproduce a moderate governmentable to stand up to Islamic extremism,has been thrown into confusion byMusharraf's Nov. 3 seizure ofemergency powers.

Memon said leaders of Sharif'sparty would be allowed to greet himat Lahore's Allama Iqbal InternationalAirport and drive with him into the city.

But Sharif's entourage wassuspicious.

"The police action and massivedeployment shows that somethingfishy is going on. they've blockedevery single vehicle carryingsupporters of (Sharif's party)," saidSayed Hafeezuddin, a lawyer for theexiled leader.

Thousands of police were deployedat the airport, some of them manningmetal and barbed-wire barriers onapproach roads and sidewalks.Passengers with tickets were allowedthrough.

On the streets of the city, severalwelcome posters and banners of

Sharif were on display, but there wasno sign of supporters gathering togreet him.

Authorities have issued nowarnings that Islamic militants bitterlyopposed to Musharraf and Bhutto fortheir pro-U.S. police might target themore conservative Sharif.

However, his arrival comes one dayafter suicide bombers killed up to 35people in nearly simultaneous blastsat the heart of Pakistan's securityestablishment in Rawalpindi, agarrison city adjacent to the capital,Islamabad.

It was not clear who was behindthe explosions _ which targeted a buscarrying intelligence agency workersand a checkpoint near armyheadquarters _ but authorities saidsuspicion rested on Islamist militantswho are fighting an increasinglybloody insurgency against govern-ment troops in the northwest of thecountry.

The army said Sunday that 30 pro-Taliban fighters and one Pakistanisoldier died in an operation to capturemilitant positions in the Swat valley, aformer tourist destination just 100miles from Islamabad.

Musharraf cited rising religiousextremism as a reason for hisdeclaration of a state of emergency.However, many of those targetedunder the crackdown have beenpolitical opponents, lawyers andmembers of the media.

More than 5,500 people havebeen detained since the crackdownbegan, but authorities insist virtuallyall have been freed since lastweekend, when visiting U.S. DeputySecretary of State John Negroponteurged Musharraf to restore theconstitution.

Sharif's return could provechallenging for Musharraf, particularlyif the former prime minister makes analliance with Bhutto and the twoboycott the Jan. 8 elections. But it isalso a potential boon for the general,allowing him to claim that he favors agenuine return to democracy.

(The Times and Democrat)

Sharif returns home

A day after a series of blastsrocked three cities in UP, India, theSpecial Task Force (STF)of the state Police havemanaged to unearthcrucial leads to theterrorists behind the plot.

Police departmentsources told DNA that oneof those behind the blastshad been identified asShamim, a close associateof Waliullah, the mainprime accused in theMarch 2006 SankatMochan temple blast in Varanasi. TheUP police have asked the CID Branchof the West Bengal police for help.

Police have also released sketchesof three of the suspected terrorists,two related to the Faizabad blastsand one suspected of involvement inthe Varanasi civil court blasts.

Meanwhile, agencies reported thatthe state’s principal secretary, home,

JN Chamber in a press conferencesaid the blast were targeted atlawyers. He referred to the lawyers’assault on three JeM militants,arrested from the state capital recently,while being produced in the court, aspossible reason for the blasts.

Lawyers had refused to representthe accused in the Sankatmochan

temple blast in Varanasi and the mainaccused was assaulted in the

Varanasi court while beingproduced there in April 2006,he said.

Also the lawyers ofFaizabad had refused torepresent the accused in theRam Janambhoomi complexblast in July 2005 followingwhich the case had to beshifted to Allahabad,Chamber said. Police havealso confirmed that RDX hadbeen found in the live bomb

recovered in Lucknow.The owner of a shop, from whom

the cycle that was mounted withexplosives was bought, has has beendetained for interrogation.

In Faizabad also, police said theyhave tracked down the shop fromwhere the cycles used in the blast,were bought.

(DNA)

UP cops get crucial leadsIndia court blasts

Hindus, police clash in MalaysiaMore than 5,000 Hindu protesters met water cannons and tear gas in

Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday while demanding equal rightsand consideration from the government. Ethnic Indian protesters are sprayedwith water by Malaysian riot police in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Despite clashes with police, there were no reports of injuries during theplanned protest. Some protesters threw rocks at the water cannon trucks, butothers were urging peaceful demonstrations. Public transportation into the citywas stopped, hindering protesters from coming in.

Police stopped protesters as they tried to take a petition to the British HighCommission. Talks were under way for authorities to allow six protesters todeliver the petition, should the crowd disperse.

6.2 quake strikes SumatraA strong earthquake struck the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island

Sunday morning, but there were no immediate reports of damage and struc-tural damage, seismologists said. The quake measured 6.2 on the RichterScale with an epicentre in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of Bengkuluprovince, struck at 9:05 am Thailand time (which is the same as Indonesiatime), said Indonesia’s National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. It waslocated about 28 kilometres south-west of Mukomuko district city, at a depth of55 kilometres.

There were no tsunami warnings issued nor immediate reports of injuries orstructural damage following the quake, the latest of a series shocks to rattlethe western coast of Sumatra in recent weeks. On September 12, a powerful8.4-magnitude quake hit western Sumatra, killing at least 24 people and injur-ing scores of others. It was followed by a series of strong aftershocks andprompted several tsunami warnings.

Army in control, says PMPrime Minister Fuad Saniora sought to calm the Lebanese on the country’s

first day without a president, assuring them that the military, which has vowedto stay out of politics, is on the streets to prevent violence while deadlockedfactions work to resolve the crisis.

In his first comments since President Emile Lahoud stepped down without asuccessor, Mr Saniora defended his Western-backed government, saying itwill continue to function according to the constitution.

“Our main goal in the coming stage, which we hope will not take longer thana few days, will be to exert all possible efforts... to end this situation as soon aspossible,” he said.

His comments came after a meeting with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, head ofthe influential Maronite Catholic Church. Under Lebanon’s division of power,the presidency is held by a Maronite.

Mr Saniora dismissed a declaration by Mr Lahoud, who before departingthe presidential palace said he handed over security powers to the army,saying the country is in a “state of emergency”.

“There is no state of emergency, and there is no need for that,” Mr Saniorasaid. “There is absolutely no need for any Lebanese to be concerned aboutthe security situation. The army is doing its work and is in full control of thesituation on the ground.”

So far, the 56,000-member military has successfully kept this tiny, fractiouscountry together, surviving one crisis after another since the February 2005assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Death toll 31 in China landslideThe death toll rose to 31 Sunday from a landslide in central China that

buried a bus full of passengers and a team of construction workers, statemedia reported.

Most of the bodies were found on a bus that was passing through mountain-ous Badong county, Hubei province, when the landslide occurred on Tuesday,Xinhua news agency reported, citing rescue workers.

Half a mountainside appeared to have collapsed onto the highway, photosof the scene suggest.

The weight of the landslide reduced the bus to a wreckage only 50 centimetresthick, and the bodies recovered from the interior were so badly crushed thatthey could be identified only by DNA, Xinhua added.

Earlier Sunday the body of a 32-year-old man, one of a team of fourconstruction workers working on the road when the accident happened, waspulled from under tonnes of mud and rock, bringing the number of dead to 31,the news agency said. He was the second of four construction workers to befound dead. One was injured but survived while another is still missing. Theroad connects the eastern city of Shanghai with Tibet. The bus was en routefrom Shanghai to Lichuan, a small city in Hubei province.

Iran produces nuclear fuelIran has produced nuclear fuel pellets for its 40-megawatt heavy water

nuclear reactor, Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said.This was a technological advancement in the cycle of nuclear fuel, according

to the state news agency.“Fuel pellets to be used in the 40-megawatt Arak research reactor have

been produced,” IRNA quoted Aghazadeh as saying.Iran has gone a long way in building a 40-megawatt heavy water nuclear

reactor in Arak, central Iran, which the US fears could be used to produceplutonium and build nuclear weapons.

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200710 Interview

Neena Rana, the educator of the MontessoriMethod is a seeker, somebody who practiceswhat she says and a unique personality that hassurvived many storms in her life. She shared herstory with Sushma Amatya recently.

Tell us about your early life. Convent of Jesus and Mary a school in New

Delhi and a boarding stint in a convent inMoussorie in Uttar Pradesh had a majorinfluence on the conscious awareness of mylife’s values. My thoughts on morality, ethics,justice and an intrigue around the lives of thosethat were the outcasts of normal lives led me toquestion everything in life, very early. I knewearly that being a girl would mean a greaterstruggle and I spoke in the masculine gender forthe first few years of my life.

I was boyish, mostly angry, tough kind of girlwho took things into her own hands. Maybe thedetermination and invincible strength grew withme over the years and I now am a greatbeliever in self-construction.

An Indian by birth I married a Nepali‘aristocratic’ intelligent and suave eldest son of ageneral and realised there was a world outthere that ‘ruled’ but differently from what I hadlearnt; the power of social status and heritage,the life of aristocratic style in all practical mattersof attire, food and living.

My ‘missionary’ style perspective surprisingly

took to it all like a duck to the water and I learntthe language straight from the most authenticteacher, my mother-in-law – complete with art ofwearing chiffon saris with diamonds, social skillswith all the intricacies.

I was a graduate from Lady Shri RamCollege, spoke a little French and had workedwith AFP, and had already been a disc jockeyfor several years through college. I had spenthours doing oil paintings on canvasses that arestill on the walls of my mother's home. I did notdate like other young folks and was often thealibi for friends who did. It was a uniquemélange that led to the emergence ofintrospection on what then would be the bestvalues of practical life on the birth of my firstson.

I realised that I wanted him to be able tostand out as an individual with his own mind andrealised early that the only way to do that was tolet him exercise choices and face consequencesfor his decisions. For all practical purposes I wasdetermined to allow him simple nutritious food,home stitched sturdy clothes and hours ofthinking skills and communication.

The challenges you faced as a non nativeand a woman in this society and the lessonslearned.

In India or at least in my part of the world in

New Delhi a sort of invincible attitude canemerge that drives one through many diversesituations and challenges. That also adds to theflexibility that is required to be in touch withchallenges of culture and related social issues.However it took me little time to adapt to the lifein a Rana household with a protective andpeace loving husband and traditional familymembers, while learning to string Potays orcooking Alu-tama.

The sacrifices at Dasain almost took me awayfrom all non-vegetarian food. Reading bookswhile the family had fun with great food andfanfare and integration became the norm forme. I was a mother of two boys in the first fouryears and took to that role with a zest I nowunderstand as a natural journey to my evolution.I realised children come as gifts to take parentsto a level they never deemed possible. Theywere instrumental in my growth and providedsupport and love I yearned for.

I did and still have a great relationship ofmutual love and affection with the members ofthe family. Yet as the odd man out I had tomellow down and convince relatives of the solidcommitment and genuine interest in the welfareof the countrymen I lived with. Sometimes I washeld in awe for the very simple things thatactually later became the pillars of strength inthe school, Montessori House that I created togive direction to the children of these privilegedfamily lifestyles.

It gave me great peace that the basicinfrastructure I lived for the healthy growth ofmy own two boys in the midst of the impressiveand somewhat ‘fraudulent’ cultural style couldbe shared with other children who took to theschool. The awestruck attitude of otherscreated a sense of alienation that I fought withvigour while establishing and maintaining mychildren’s and other children’s individualgrowth.

When the husband fell prey to alcohol and yetmaintained his gentle peace loving personality Icommitted myself further to the 'destiny' of life.After his acknowledgement a drive to pass themessage of individual growth through one's ownsense of responsibility came to the fore with avigor that took me through Montessori trainingand the establishment of the Montessori Housein Kathmandu. I knew this was the message Iwas sent here for, since most other placeswhere I could start such a school already hadsuch an establishment.

I knew that it was here the message to takeresponsibility for your own life with consciouschoices was most needed. It was here that thefaith in a higher power to guide you in eachmoment of life needed to be nurtured fromchildhood as opposed to the following of ritualsand rote-prayers. I do not believe in coinci-dences and realised that even more stronglywhen I spent two years in Calcutta learningMontessori way of education and the intricaciesof business management and educationalleadership.

A two bedroom flat and two cases of originalMontessori equipment along with the twochildren and certificates formed MontessoriHouse in 1987. We had every nationalityenrolled in the first few years but the local Nepalienrollment took on only much later. Now weserve a majority of our diverse Nepali commu-nity in the school.

The second most important lesson learntwas that adults fall prey to addictions whentime lies heavy on their hands in daily life. Alldaily life practical skills were managed byhousehold staff while a sophisticated style oflife bars the family member from doing anyhousehold chores or from taking responsibilityfor their own life’ direction, choices anddecisions. Individualism is scorned rather thanencouraged; and often roles family members’plays are dictated by the position of theindividual in the family or by the expectations of‘unresolved’ dreams of an elder.

Exercising control over an educated and selfdriven woman in the family was unsuccessfulfrom the beginning and definitely created envy;while the faith in the power stood me strong inthe face of any challenge. Determination toreach the potential innate in me helped meestablish a school that became a success story.And it often created a rough social terrain in mylife with some isolation. The staff of the schoolonce trained in similar values of life also felt theywere in an oasis in the desert of rituals andstatus led life.

How is Montessori Method better than

other methods of education? Montessori encourages individualism and

freedom of choice within a structuredprepared environment where individual paceand space and endeavors pave the path ofself - construction of the child. The childprogresses from one activity to a higher planethrough his own effort and concentrationand coordination in a non-competitive andmulti-age setting.

The child feels psychologically andphysically safe to explore and discover conceptsand forms solid foundations to build furtherdevelopment. There is a conscious self-driven

Children reflect their parents. They

Journey

The sacrifices atDasain almosttook me awayfrom all non-

vegetarian food.Reading books

while the familyhad fun with

great food andfanfare and

integration be-came the norm

for me.

Pix

by N

iraj S

apko

ta

26 Nov-1 Dec, 2007 11Interview

attempt to take responsibility and a self-evaluation in all progress. Social cohesionreflects fairness to the group rather than toprofitability of one member.

How would other schools in Nepal

benefit by adapting Montessori Method? Education happens within the mind and the

soul of a person. No teaching or learning everhappens without a conscious participation. Allschools need to recognise that rote learnedconcepts are not internalised and are limited intheir application in life's complex experiences.They limit the progress of a child and the futureof mankind to physical survival.

If schools in Kathmandu were to becomemagnet schools that will imbibe the Montessoriphilosophy and allow the child his right tolearning through meaningful experiences withquality resources (right of the child) and adultswho care about them and not for them (not asservants to the child’s body), allow and respectindividual pace and self-evaluation rather thanexternal tests we will create a whole newprogressive culture of progress, peace andrespect for each other.

Much more meaningful learning will takeplace as compared to fear filled memorisationof facts. Teachers and administrators will findmore meaning and passion for the teachingprofession. Parents could then find their ownrole of nurturer less challenging and moreenjoyable and purposeful and a spiritual gift tobe enjoyed. More happiness and peace willensue rather than a burdensome responsibility.The birth of a child will then be rejoiced for itsmeaningful contribution for the evolution ofmankind rather than an event to ‘party’ or aburden to bear.

How important is primary education

for a child’s development? The first six years of a child's life form the

foundation and the solid personality he/she isintended to be. A carefully structured environ-ment, trained adults and a range of originalMontessori materials and or resource materialswith a ‘Montessori’ spiritual philosophy to createa nurturing environment for the child isimperative for the foundation and growth of thechild who we must remember is the father to theman. Nature and its resources are the funda-mental needs for a child’s growth.

In your observation, in which areas

do most parents lag behind when itcomes to contributing to their child'seducation?

Most parents are not aware although theirintentions are meaningful. They do not seem tohave enough opportunities to socially addresstheir interests and concerns about the develop-ment of their children. Social stigmas preventopen and frank interactions about life styles.Although religious there is a lack of introspectionaround the meaning and understanding of thevalues and terms and practical ways to befollowed by the parents.

A parent walks in with a servant carrying theirown little one to school and expects the littleprince to be independent and confident. Thelittle ‘servant’ carries for the child, puts shoes onfor the child and follows all the bossy instructions

that the ‘prince’ dictates (considered cute). Thechild has low language skills, poor movementskills and retarded social cohesion with thegroup.

The child does not want to come, does notwant to eat vegetables, and does not want tosleep on time. It is almost as if the parent hasnever heard the difference between wants andneeds. Many such parents need to realise theirown wants vs. their needs before they actuallycan parent. Children reflect their parents. Theydo not comply to the “don’t do as I do – but doas I say” dictates.

Parents actually feel proud to have their childdrive the car by sitting on their laps when theydrive while all international law dictates that theonly safe place for a child is at the back in a carseat with the seat belt on.

You place a lot of emphasis ontraining of teachers at regular intervals.What difference has it made to yourschool?

There is no school that can conform to anideal state of teaching and learning withoutconsistent and progressive training of teachers.Teachers need to interact, learn and orientthemselves to effective teaching methods and tointernalise that which has been effective. Theyneed to grow with this learning by practicing withresources and people that is to be implementedin school.

They have to grow with the support of theschool community and all this requires time andresources. Orientation is a regular process in alleducational institutions abroad and we need tounderstand and respect this need for oureducational infrastructure. Training in physical,psychological and spiritual curricula is thenutrition of the teachers who then extend theirhealthy strong selves in the service of the child.

We see many Montessori schools

around in the city today. It must bequite confusing for parents to decidewhich one is the best. Your advice toparents on what to look for whilechoosing a school?

There are three main points to consider in theselection of a Montessori School – It must havethree years vertical age enrollments in eachlevel which means the 0-3 year olds aregrouped together as are the 3-6 year olds(nursery, lower KG and upper KG) and the 6-9year olds (class one, two, three); the 9-12 yearolds (class 4,5,6) and the 12 to 15 year olds(class 7,8,9) - and in this group they need tohave academics with life-skills such as thecombination of learning all subjects with learninghow to launder, basic cooking, socialisation,spiritual discussions etc., and then the15 to 18year olds or the grades of 10,11,and twelve.

This prevents competitiveness and eliminatesexternal testing as opposed to internal selfevaluation. Individual progress with selfconstruction and self evaluation becomes thenorm. Besides social cohesion develops andolder teaching younger and being role modelswhile the younger experience the levels aheadand build a self-motivation for more challenges.

Most importantly, the teachers must beMontessori trained with a full certification and

show validation for the same not just havingattended any courses. There must be a full setof Montessori equipment from a licensedmanufacturing unit only (it is scientific) not anyequipment sometimes locally made at cheapercosts.

How satisfying is educating as acareer?

People develop 90 % when they teachsomeone else; because they communicate inword and implement in action, 80 % when theyimplement what they know, 70% when theycommunicate.

If the search is for happiness for mankindthen what better a way than to search andshare with a developing community of children.

Children are natural learners and haveinternal drives to reach a potential dictated by aninner direction. And as a teacher if you canrecognise that the child will show the way to self-development and as an adult you can follow hispath and provide the prepared environment tonurture that spirit there is a journey of selfdiscovery for the teacher beyond their own. It islike an actor that has the opportunity to witnessdiverse roles.

How can the issue of increasing

commercialisation of education today bedealt with?

This country needs genuine thinkers andintrospective educationists who will fulfill theemerging roles of the role models of this country– educationists being one of them. Training,support for teachers, resources, and schoolsspiritually dedicated to the development of thechild may be the only way to light up this veryaesthetically and spiritually rich country.

The leaders need to follow the path in acohesive setting (non-religious) and then followthe training that teachers have a right to knowfor effective teaching and provide the entireinfrastructure the educationists need. They needto start thinking of the benefit of the wholerather than of a segment.

The education sector is growing at analarmingly random manner. It needs to have adirection. Rabindra Nath Tagore’s saying, “Theriver would never reach the sea without itsboundaries” applies here. The leaders need tointrospect and frame a structure for thisextraordinary country to follow.

Final word?

The Montessori Method is a spiritualmessage. Give it your support, let your childgrow in it. It is the divine light that respects theindividual and provides the way for selfconstruction and helps realise that we are richwhen we realise how little we need for our-selves. We can take responsibility for our lives,our thoughts and actions, and shine with thelight that we are born in the image of a divinepower inside us.

A true Montessori school provides theenvironment for such intrinsic spiritual,intellectual and physical growth. Maybe theleaders of the country could join a few sessionsat a Montessori Method to realise theirimpressive inner potentials.

(neena_rana@hotmail.com)

do not comply to the “don’t do as I do – but do as I say” dictates.

with a purpose

The educationsector is growing atan alarmingly ran-dom manner. Itneeds to have adirection. RabindraNath Tagore’s say-ing, “The riverwould never reachthe sea without itsboundaries” applieshere. The leadersneed to introspectand frame a struc-ture for this ex-traordinary countryto follow.

26 Nov-1 Dec, 200712 Makers

ä Binita Adhikari

A large number of Nepali players believein what others would call superstition andprefer to go by astrological advice when theyset out for important matches at home andabroad. Some avoidtravelling on a particular day,and others skip shaving andgetting haircuts as it maybring bad luck.

Hari Khadka, a nationallevel player of the Nepalfootball team said, "I will notcut my hair or beard on theday I have to play.” He alsodistributes sweets amonghis friends to solicit good-luck before going to theground." Khadka is the onlyNepali player who hasparticipated in the interna-tional game for ten yearswithout any break andscored 12 goals for Nepal.

Others players visittemples and go throughrituals or worship the godsthey have faith in. UpendraMann Singh, another footballplayer said he worships his jersey beforegoing to the field. Singh is a former nationalcaptain and considered as one of the bestgoal keepers. Players like Binod Das, TashiGhale and Neri Thapa also go through their

own kinds of rituals. Binod said, "I do not eatnon-vegetarian food once I set out for agame. Besides I always wear a locketbelieving that it brings me good luck."

Golf player, Tashi Ghale said, "I avoidtraveling on Saturdays.” He said something

or the other has alwaysobstructed him fromplaying whenever he lefthome on Saturdays in thepast. He recently securedsecond position in the 9thSAF golf championship.

Neri Thapa, captain ofthe national ladies' cricketteam has a habit ofwearing her sports dressand watching sports ontelevision before shedescends on the field. Neriis a national badmintonplayer and has played inthe 10th South AsianFederation (SAF) held inSri Lanka.

But there are manyothers who do not believein all that. SanginaBaidhya, the only Nepaliparticipant in the Olympic

so far, is one of them. Jhanta Katuwalnational recorder of weight lifting said, "If wehave ability, confidence and passion in thegame, fortune will favour us and we can winany game." ä

"I will not cut my hair or beard on the day I have to play.”

Sporty quirksOn Dec. 7 New Line Cinema will release "TheGolden Compass," starring Nicole Kidman andDaniel Craig, the first movie in a trilogy with themassive budget and family blockbuster potentialof "The Lord of the Rings."

Yet, even before it opens, "The GoldenCompass" finds itself at the center of acontroversy. The Catholic League, a conserva-tive religious organization, launched a campaign

on Oct. 9 calling on all Catholics to boycott thefilm. The group also published a lengthypamphlet attacking the story and distributed thepamphlet to Catholic schools across the country.Other groups have joined the fray, including theevangelical nonprofit Focus on the Family,whose magazine Plugged In urged parents tokeep kids out of theaters showing the film. Andthe Christian blogosphere is alive with warningsnot only about the movie trilogy, but also aboutthe series of books it is based on.

Bill Donohue, president of the CatholicLeague, charges that the books, known as the"His Dark Materials" trilogy, are deeply anti-Christian. Donohue says he fears that the filmwill inspire parents to purchase "His DarkMaterials" for their fantasy-hungry kids onChristmas, unaware that the third book of the

series, "The Amber Spyglass," climaxes in anepic battle to destroy God. Some of the book'svillains are referred to as the Magisterium - aterm used to refer to the Catholic hierarchy. TheBritish author, Philip Pullman, has said openlythat he is an atheist, and Donohue charges thathis books are designed to eradicate faith amongchildren.

But this is a sad misreading of the trilogy.

These books are deeply theological, and deeplyChristian in their theology. The universe of "HisDark Materials" is permeated by a God in lovewith creation, who watches out for the meekestof all beings - the poor, the marginalized, andthe lost. It is a God who yearns to be lovedthrough our respect for the body, the earth, andthrough our lives in the here and now. This is arejection of the more classical notion of adetached, transcendent God, but I am aCatholic theologian, and reading this fantasytrilogy enhanced my sense of the divine, ofvirtue, of the soul, of my faith in God.

The book's concept of God, in fact, is whatmakes Pullman's work so threatening. His trilogyis not filled with attacks on Christianity, but withattacks on authorities who claim access to onetrue interpretation of a religion. ä

God in the dust