Taking Back Our Voice
Madhesi's show what they've learned about government in Nepal
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It's beginning to get a little chaotic, isn't it? Today Prachanda mustered thousands of Maoist thugs for a run on Nepal's parliament. They are demanding the formation of a Republic immediately. One has to wonder just what kind of "Republic" Prachanda has in mind
when he fails to use actual republican channels and representation to plead his case. No matter, it's obvious to all that he's on a one-way bender towards total communist domination of Nepal. Has he ever given a hint of doing anything else?
And, once again, the Madhesi's held up a session of parliament. One can't be bothered with normal protocols when the only model of successful governmental action one knows is the street protest and mob violence, now, can one?
It's Girija's fault. His blind obsession with removing an inert King is turning Nepal into a failed state. Also, Koirala taught everyone in the country--the Madhesi's are a prime example-- that the only way to get your voice heard is to cause a big disruption. Plus, Babu, you've allowed a lot of Maoist hot-heads into the government who are not going to be satisfied with your policy of constant delay and postponement. You've got a day of reckoning coming, old man. Blogdai hopes you live to see it.
What does this all boil down to? There is now no rule of law or respect for any governmental procedure or practice in Nepal.
NEPAL IS FALLING.
So, here we go. Thousands of readers feel something must be done and done quickly. We in the blogosphere do not normally carry guns and such, but we do carry the weight of public opinion, world scrutiny and the potential for raising mass consciousness through a coordinated media effort. Our very public opinions have influenced thinking and policy in the past, so here we go again, with one big whopper of a program, designed to raise the bar and change Nepal's fate.
THE LETTER
By now, many of you have heard of our letter campaign. Rumors of its existence and content have made the rounds on the Nepal blogs and perhaps gotten ol' blogdai banned in Nepal. (Who said this stuff doesn't work?)
We are attempting to get as many signatures of support for our letter as possible. blogdai has already compiled an extensive list of media houses and governmental entities in and out of Nepal for distribution. Now, we only need your support. Below, in blue, lies the Letter. If you agree with the basic presumptions contained therein, post an e-mail address here in the comments section. If you do not want your address published in such a way, e-mail me directly at blogdai@nepalimail.com
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Aside from giving your e-mail address as a sign of support, send a copy of the letter to all those on your e-mail contacts list. Have them reply with a "yes" for agreement and have them send the letter out to everyone on their contact list and so on. Compile all the names from this personal "network" and send them to blogdai@nepalimail.com or have your contacts do this themselves.
There is power in volume. Innundate the Nepal media houses and governmental websites with your support for the Letter. blogdai will finish compiling their e-mail addresses and post them in the comments section for your use.
Send the letter to someone in Nepal, just in case we are banned. Tell whomever is compelled there to reproduce the letter in Nepali, print out as many as possible, and distribute or post wherever they can. Send me an e-mail and a photo of the process. If our independent spotters can verify the letter's posting,
we'll pay for the printing and your efforts! Remember, blocked or not, blogdai can always get a message in or out of Nepal.
We seek to make the contents of this Letter unavoidable to those in a position of power and influence in Nepal. It is a mass effort that will require a little time and attention from each of you. We will distribute the letter immediately. We will follow up with a re-distribution and supporters list as the numbers grow.
Jaya Nepal
-=blogdai
COPY, REPRODUCE AND DISTRIBUTE THE FOLLOWING LETTER:
------------------------------------
To the Seven-Party Alliance and Maoist leadership:
We, the concerned citizens and supporters of Nepal placed our trust in the Seven Party Alliance just over a year ago. It was our hope that the leadership entrusted with bringing Nepal into a new era of democracy and freedom through the Jana Andolan movement would continue in the spirit of last year’s demonstrations and re-introduce effective and competent governance to Nepal. Since that time we have been saddened to observe a return to the same style of ineptitude, corruption and political bickering that marked the previous 15 years under this same leadership. Under your tenure of the past year, Nepal has begun to spiral downwards towards anarchy and the complete disregard for the rule of law; threatening not only Nepal’s sovereignty, but the very safety of its citizens. It is because of this current untenable situation that we now must withdraw our support for your leadership and express our opinion of “no confidence” towards this Prime Minister and Parliament.
We also hereby refuse to cooperate or give legitimacy to any force that uses brutality and coercion as a mean of furthering their agenda under the guise of restructuring Nepal, be it Maoism or any other movement. We strongly object to welcoming such groups into government with their violent adherence to their own sense of ideological supremacy undeterred and unchanged by our constitutionally established rules of governance.
Your failed leadership has contributed greatly to the present dire security situation in Nepal. It is to this fact that we must demand that the Prime Minister and Parliament suspend its operation and immediately refrain from further deliberations or acts of governance.
We demand that the National Army (NA), or any legitimate security force requested, begin operations that will directly lead to the restoration of law and order and peace in Nepal. These operations include establishing the active presence of NA forces wherever possible, a committment to fair adjudication of disputes and the active suppression and confiscation of all firearms displayed publicly by those not directly employed in Nepal's army or police or authorized security services.
Concerned Citizens and Supporters of Nepal
posted by blogdai @ 5/14/2007 03:45:00 PM
137 comments
137 Comments:
earlawson@yahoo.com.au
Bout friggin' time. Will get on my mates for support.
cheers
rajkumarthapa@indiamail.com
people2nation@yahoo.com
The tendency to hide incompentancies, inaptitude and fortitude by destroying or disparaging one institution that gave birth to this nation is cut above the rest stupidity. Sad thing, these people know it and trying their best to put wool over us and foreigners by beating their chest with false cry of Democracy, not even that, Loktrantra.
The fissue along the lines of Terai, Pahad and communities coupled wih zealots christian missionaries are practically tearing this nation apart but no remedy to corrct this is on its way. We are turning into mute spectator with no water to stop the burn.
Chickenshit- just got it off a newsportal.
UN planning evacuation to India [Excerpts]
Monday, 14 May 2007
By Sushma Amatya in newsfront
Kathmandu, 14 May: Signaling that Nepal’s security situation might take a nosedive, the UN seems to be preparing unprecedented measures for the safety of its expatriate employees posted in Nepal. All such employees and their dependents might soon be asked to obtain Indian Visa, a UN source said.
This is an indication that if the situation deteriorates further and an emergency situation arises, the UN employees may have to evacuate to India, the nearest safe country.But the UN move appears odd since its officers are involved in the peace process with the Secretary General and the office of thee UN Human Rights Commissioner in their separate offices in Nepal. However, of late the UN has been critical of the activities of the Maoists especially for their not returning the confiscated property of private individuals, obstructing the verification of combatants in the cantonments, and violent activities that the Young Communist League cadres have been carrying out in many parts of the country.
This coupled with the violence, agitation, abduction and execution by armed groups in terai has contributed to the international bodies reviewing their assessment of safety situation in Nepal."We have no idea if UN is going to ask its expatriate employees to seek Indian Visas," a senior official in the foreign ministry said." We however understand that for the UN, the safety of its employees is an important issue for which they will always be alert to."In the event of such an evacuation taking place, Nepal will be considered an unsafe place like Afghanistan in South Asia region, the UN source said. It added that Nepal’s situation is being assessed in New York and any incidence of violence taking place here will have a bearing in the move.
bhuwan2day@aol.com
anybody who is in support of monarchy and wants to see the glory of royalty preserved in nepal then write to:
nail_opmer@yahoo.co.uk
Idiot Ian martin and his little half-assed schemes. he and Moriarty came to nepal so woefully unprepared it is tragic. Just a little, a sliver of research would have told these idiots that the Maoists were NEVER to be trusted.
Now we see the usual pointless, irrelevant UN and there arms registration circus shuffling off in defeat once again. Pathetic.
Ian, crawl back into your hole and fade away. Take moriarty with you
-=BD
Horatio, thanks for the nice e-mail comments.
As you imply, this thing is far from perfect, but at least it's rolling.
-=BD
Blogdai,
Give a few days and i will get the letter on my mailing list as well. I am just a little too busy at the moment with my work. But great work. And i feel really proud that this thing has at least started rolling. Great work everyone and sorry i have not been able to put in as much as i possible could have or even should have.
Ian Martin and UNMIN are in Nepal at the request of the Government. The government needs to be pro-active and demand what is required of the UN. Instead the government is a house divided within itself. Between the Maoists and the madhises, even the Parliament cannot hold a meeting. So blame on Martin/UN must be filtered through the follies of the Interim Government. By its very mandate, the UN cannot do anything without the request of the government.
Was it a government mandate when Ian legitimized all street protest by claiming that the quelling of riots and violence in the streets of Kathmandu was a violation of human rights? He basically said that the UN was behing such protests. Every hoodlum in Kathmandu felt vindicated, I'm sure.
Was it a government mandate to be grossly unprepared and uninformed about cantonments and weapons registry? Sir Ian was puffing with pride as he ticked-off his 3000th maoist weapon,no doubt. The rest of us were laughing in shame and how Prachanda made fools of the UN and the whole process. In his rush to look relevant, Ian completely overlooked the fact that, without an accurate registry of Maoists, you'll never know how many arms they have. Making registry voluntary means anyone in any number can come in and register anything they want to call "arms." Sloppy, foolish and begging for manipulation; that's what Ian set up with his scheme.
Was it a government mandate for the UN to officially recognize ragged and poorly organized Maoists cadres as a legitimate international fighting force worthy of UN attention and scrutiny? Unifying what was an unruly and dis-jointed pack of roving gangs is precisely what Ian accomplished by his little weapons registry fiasco. Prachanda himself couldn't have asked for a bigger boost in stature and prestige.
Can't blame girija for this one. We know our government, at least, would have dithered around and done nothing. Much safer than the foolishly pro-active actions of the UN.
-=blogdai
Good initiative Blogdai,
However, I just would like to know who you are before I sign it. I would also like to encourage others to understand who is behind this letter before they sign it.
As discussed earlier, I agree that the content is more important than the writer. However, I will never know what your intentions are without knowing who you are. You are asking Nepalese to hand over the power to Nepalese Army. I am OK with it as long as you are not someone who is going to unfairly benefit from it.
How do I know that you are not some one high up within Nepal army, or someone related to Nepal army, or someone who benefits from Nepal army being in power eg. military consultant, contractor, arms dealer, and so on. Without you revealing your identity, we will never know. As a result, your letter will not carry much weight.
I do not think you understand media yet. Newspapers do not print news just because someone e-mailed them a letter with a few hundred e-mails. How do you know those e-mails are genuine when you do not even have a visible face.
It will be difficult for you to get attention of Nepali media unless if you have some heavy weights with a visible face pushing the letter. Also, without your identity revealed, it is likely that they will call you just a royalist exploiter and denounce you instead.
What is the problem with being a Royalist? I think all Patriotic Nepalis are Royalists.
I think the rest of the people are terrorists to say the least.
Monarchy and Democracy goes hand in hand in Nepal. SPAM should and must go out of Nepal.
King G is on the comeback trail!!
I think the Army will come in, but not as an independent force. The King is still calling the shots in the Very Royan Nepal Army.
He and his General are just letting the maoist and poltical parties have enuff rope to hang themselfs. After they string themselfs up the king will be there to pull the chair out from under them.
LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!
Just like you do not have to support iraq war to be a patriot, you do not need to be royalist to be patriot.
I think you got too much dose of "Mahendra Mala" to have such idea.
Monarch is on the way out. You just do not have the numbers. We should just throw away all the M&M trash i.e. Monarchy and Maoist out of Nepal.
Anon 2:47, back up your statements with facts. What "numbers" are you talking about? An analysis comparing the monarchy to the maoists would also be enlightening.
This isn't completely relevant to this posting from blog dai, but I read it and it made a whole lot of sense... just wanted to share this with others...
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/05/nepals-struggle-with-feudalism-and.html
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/
Thanks to all for the comments.
This initiative is not a pro-monarchy initiative. We've seen how G. can muck up a government, and god forbid if he were to abdicate in favor of Paras. Then we'd see some carnage. No, G. would be useful, as said before, in a limited ceremonial and symbolic role.
this program is about restoring accountability to government and about returning some law and order to nepal. It is designed as a template, a primer, if you will, to stimulate citizen participation in government--the kind that is so lacking in Nepal politics today, and the kind that is sorely needed if we are to maintain any type of democracy, or form whatever we define as a "Republic."
Yes, blogdai stands to benefit immensely from this program. I hope to someday be able to walk through the villages of my childhood without fear, violence or intimidation. I hope to be able to lend my voice to shaping government and affect Nepal through electoral change--the way REAL democracies do it. And, above all, blogdai hopes to be able to look at this turning point in Nepal's history with pride; let this be the instrument that finally gives each citizen a sense of national unity and possibility through self-determination.
If the content of the Letter has no meaning to you without some sense of blogdai's resume or political intention or triangulation, then don't sign it. blogdai is merely the messenger. It is sad when something attempted with good intentions is immediately scrutinized for its corruption potential. Such is our political conditioning in Nepal.
-=blogdai
Blogdai,
No one doubts that all of us will benefit if we are able to kick these Maoists out. Any inititatives in this regard are much appreciated.
Having grown up in Nepal, I know how Nepali media works and how they will poke holes in your initiative. It is important to step on the shoes of the other side to see how they will react.
It is upto you if you want to reveal or not. Again, your letter will not carry much weight without a real face.
And it is not a bad idea to be a little skeptical, something Nepalese utterly lack and run after every clever leader or foreigner only to be robbed every single time.
Anon 11:39 AM
Agreed and blogdai stands corrected; it was probably our utter lack of skepticism that got us into this mess in the first place.
Let the media poke holes in our letter. In fact we WANT them to poke holes. Let them analyze, criticize, scrutinize or any other ize they want. The point will still remain that we are gathering an internet army, if you will, of thousands of supporters who feel like-minded. Let Koirala-pur news say and do what they will, in the end, we will make our position impossible to ignore by its sheer weight of distribution and support. Any initiative will be criticized. That may be the only certainty in nepali politics; but no will doubt the effect our position will have on the discussion in general. Before this letter, no such initiatives were available. Nepal was stale, ineffective and slowly spiraling out of control. let the average citizen out there know that there are large groups of people who are not afraid of the maoists; who demand accountability from Koirala, and are actively seeking change for the betterment of all.
Do you think that would carry some weight in the villages?
-=blogdai
blogdai.. I agere with msot you have written on the letter but I don't with the role of Nepal Army. Change brought about by armies around the world have themselves become problematic when the higher ups in the army start to feel like demi-gods and start acting like the terrorist and corrupt thugs that are in display at the moment. I think the effort should be educating the people about the failures of this government, parliament and the SPAM coalition. efforts should also be mobilized to apprise people about the gross atrocities of the YCL and other group. Examples need to be shown to people about how Pushpa Kamal and gang are all making this a self-serving exercise depriving people of opportunities to grow and progress. Time is now to expose all of these thugs and galvanize support for people to come out in the streets demanding that these thugs who continue to misuse and overseel the term "janata" start becoming more accountable to the same people or be prepared to be dethroned. They can't continue to mock around like they have and kill our precious time giving excuses like "these things happen in transition". The only problem is that we are moving from being in transition to being a fragile state. The idea of the April Revolution was NEVER that.
This report in News Front by Ms Amatya is being overplayed too much. UN has been on alert ever since the terrorists terrorized this country-- and prior to last year's April movement, the UN had already directed its agencies to use India as an evacuation point. It was already then that the agencies had started to seek Indian visas for its international staff and their dependants. SO, this is nothing new and is definotely not related to the US Government's new advice about not to travel to Nepal. Its one thing to report but while doing that being sensible and responsible so that we don't press our alarm bells prematurely is something that our local media have sorely failed in. But in this country of failed governments and failed political and terrorist parties, what do you expect?
atulnd@gmail.com
GREAT JOB!!!!
Blogdai have you started emailing the letter to the newspapers and other pubications like Nepali Times?
Bhudai Pundit
Nice effort blogdai. Hopefully everyone will join hands in this effort to get the govt. to hear our plea. At the rate at which things are going way out of hand, it is really frustrating and annoying. Anyway...lets hope for better Nepal.
dementedaphrodite@gmail.com
kundale@hotmail.com
i just can only laugh at this jp idea. (jp means jharpat, not your initials! dont worry, i wont disclose your identity).
where on earth do you live, huh? amrica. ok.
a few hundred spam mails to spams (as you want to call them) and the media houses (which again is flooded with the people of same category!) would do a trick, you fool?
what do you want to prove?
do you know how many signatures the emale akhil collected for taking action against paras when he rode over pravin gurung? five lakhs (well, that is half a million, if you've forgotten counting in lakhs)
only last week the mao chaps submitted some 15 lakh signatures to the speaker to abolish monarchy from nepal. and that is 1.5 million.
what happened? rabindra adhikari last time and barshaman pun got himself clicked by some photographers, and made himself front page material for a day.
NO MORE THAN THAT.
जब बीस लाख हस्ताक्षर ले रूखको एउटा पात हल्लाउन सक्दैन भने यस्ता स्पाम मेल ले के गर्ला ?
do it. just do it. 'naike'
shlokSJBR@gmail.com
v_ed_ant@gmail.com
yanked_yanka@hotmail.com
repulsive_rohana@hotmail.com
inquisitive_thinker@hotmail.com
zindagi_roxs@yahoo.com
I like ur idea but it won't work.....sorry to say that but it won't..naike is right (altho i do not agree with his use of words)....the maoists just came up with a million plus signatures for the country to be turned republic...if such signature campaigns were to have any meaning in nepal we'd already be living in a republic....u think this internet campaign cld beat that?? in a country where internet is still limited to Ktm valley and some other cities?? a good effort ...and well done...
BTW...i think what nepal lover wrote above is more true.. we need to educate the ppl of nepal abt where they are heading with the present set of leaders...be it thru newspapers (existing) or a guerilla media campaign and reaching not just ktm but also other parts of nepal....that is one of the way forward...
and yeah...have been a proponent of the army kinda take over in order to bring stability back to nepal but the present army is just not up to it...before u say it...i have family in the army...always have....but they just don't cut it....too many bhude generals
btw am signing too...six66lucifer@hotmail.com
BTw that picture u used is not the madhesis protesting........its pashupati SJBR's party....u can see him in the pic with him on the left.....his belt gives him away......altho it probably was related to the madhesi thingy...am not too sure...
Lucifer, you have made a very important point - the people must be educated, or their awareness raised to the extent that they can make rational decisions in the (maybe) upcoming CA elections. Not a single party, except maybe (unfortunately) the Maoists, have come up with a platform of issues. The age of following demagogues must be put to an end. When, for example, a villager from Doti votes, he/she needs to know what the person who he is voting for stands for. This is the 'education' needed. Question: who's to do the education???
Agreed, but where does that put us right now? We always fall into that trap of polishing the fenders of our car even though it has no engine.
Education--and thorough access to trasparent government actions--would be blogdai's first choice, ONCE WE RE-ESTABLISH LAW AND ORDER. What good does such training do now without a solid, unified focus for such training and education?
We've got to do the dirty work first, blogdai fears. I can't wait to get past it and onto the education part.
-=blogdai
Although I agree with what Blogdai is trying to do but like Lucifer I am in the same page- we need to do more than sending letters. My take is- to setup a underground printshop and start printing in simple Nepali our voice along with atrocities committed by SPAM, questioning their existence, legality, and rationality. What we need to do is distribute handouts after handouts - in continuous fashion, nonstop, to at least show defiance to SPAM as well as state our cause as just and for the people.
It can be done. Just as signature campaign we should open an account in a bank and ask all to contribute and then spend it on purely on Pamphlets. I say, lets give this a try right now. I know this might look kind a simple but once we can give a voice to people who are hiding in shell due to SPAM's threats, there might open a possibility to call all those who support us to one platform and start an agitation.
DOA
SPA and Kantipur and the Himalayan Times are big chors. In India the TOI is the biggest chor. Did you read TOI? It has written that Nepal is trying to throw away Bhutanese in Nepal and is handling them roughly. I mean damn it TOI and Indians. It was your bloody country that aided the Bhutanese government to persecute the Nepalis in Bhutan.
TOI writes all sorts of dirt against HM and everyone in order to spread it's and India's dirty propaganda.
TOI is a completely anti-Nepal newspaper and it (just like Indians) thinks that it can play and sling all sorts of mud on Nepalis. Kantipur (in nepal) is the servant of TOI. Trivedi is the editor of Kantipur. He is a bloody Indian. And then there are 4 other Trivedi members who actively work at Kantipur and spread the Indian propaganda through it!!!!! Beware of Kantipur. Dinesh wagle is just their slave (he needs to feed his belly). We should first prosecute Kantipur and throw it out.
Anonymous, who is Trivedi? Narayan Wagle is the editor at large, as far as I know, of Kantipur. If you are talking about TOI, then you must mean The Himalayan Times, which is the sister publication of TOI.
The underground printshop sounds like a great idea. Of course, I have my doubts that it would accomplish much, just like blogdai's idea. Simply put, there needs to be a public front.
I am talking about Dinesh Wagle...the owner of UWB. He gets his money from SPA and Kantipur to spread his propaganda.
Akhilesh Trivedi...the Editor (or one of the editor) at Kantipur. He is an Indian agent spreading propaganda. And then there are 4 other members of his family actively working at Kantipur. You can read their names on various reports and photos at Kantipur online.
I am telling you all. If Nepal has to liberate itself we must get rid of propaganda journalists and media houses! No country allows this and Nepal should be no exception!
Oh Akhilesh Trivedi, I believe he's one of the Kantipur Online editors. Not one with much influence I'd guess.
Biased mediahouses will always exist. The idea is not to remove everything we deem corrupt, but rather have a system of checks that lead to the eradication of such--to minimize it.
Of course, it won't always work 100%. Looking at America, one can easily conclude that right-wing biased mediahouses still exist. During the Iraq war, even prestigious papers such as The New York Times and Washington Post didn't dare question the decision, which was as good as being the Bush Administration's puppet.
I don't want to get Orwellian, but corruption is inevitable. The idea is to minimize it.
Idealism doesn't do much. Once you remove it, something else will take its place in the void. Find long term answers, not quick jerk-offs.
blogdai, I'm a fan, by the way.
While I do not agree with many of your ideas, I deeply appreciate the discourse you've created here.
The problem is that there isn't an honest debate going on in the media.
I hope you'd one day go public.
Love the media comments people.
blogdai thinks the best way to minimize the effects of biased journalism is with an informed and critical populace. We in Nepal must come to realize that not all news is holy writ. Media criticism--in fact criticism of any king--is sorely lacking in Nepal.
We must, however, leave such media houses in tact. They show us the boundaries of free speech and give us a chance to exercise our tolerance of views with which we do not agree. How democratic!
LETTER UPDATE
Keep the e-mail signatures coming in. We should reach 1000 in the next week or so. It's a long way from our 10,000 but I'll submit our letter when we have the thousand. It is a good initial starting point.
As promised, blogdai will publish a preliminary submission list of those places where the letter has been sent so that each of you can send a follow up email if you like.
Thanks for the responses so far and keep em' coming!
-=blogdai
come on man, you cant even write a name properly and give an expert opinion on who is whose slave, etc.
at least learn to write name properly first: it is akhilesh tripathi and not trivedi???
and he is just a fuchche reporter at ekantipur. who reads him btw?
kantipur definitely makes some impact, but tkp and other english newspapers? they are only meant for expats. nobody cares about what is printed in these english papers, till today. maybe after a decade they'd have some impact.
1000 signatures? just? come on make it at least five figures.
put me in the list anepali[at]gmail.com
I agree I mis represented Akhilesh Tripathi's name. You can see how much of importance do I give either to Kantipur or the Tripathi's.
But you must go through my entire comments on Media houses of Nepal.
Kantipur's news is bought by AFP and AP and many others. It's the english edition which they buy from. And English edition (just like Nepali edition) is pure blasphemy and propaganda.
I think blogdai has lost the plot and forgotten to distinguish between News Media newspapers/channels and blasphemy magazines and phuchey papers.
Kantipur carries a heavy weight in Nepal because of the huge funding it gets from India and SPA (specially Girija). It sells its news to foreigners and the foreign people get the wrong news out of Nepal.
In no other country is a big media house allowed to write propaganda articles and against the Head of State or country. Kantipur presents a view point of India for SPA (Girija). It's news are many a times cooked up stories. It is specially concerning for Nepal because no other parallel powerful media house exist. And hence it becomes all the more important for us to safeguard the national interests by getting rid of Kantipur.
"YCL cadres intensify violent activities nationwide" reads one of the headline from today's NepalNews.com; and the story beneath it is simply shocking. It appears that the law and order situation is becoming almost hopeless and the Maoists have thrown away any regard that they might have had for the EPA. I recently overheard a conversation among well-placed Nepalis where they concluded that a Maoist take over, albeit for a short time, is inevitable. They discarded the NA as a corrupt ineffective white elephant. They have given up! Let's get that letter out fast and follow it up with whatever action needed!! horatio542horatio542@yahoo.com
An amendment to my last comment: I know the letter is already out. I meant let's get it circulated to the widest possible audience. I have sent it to 70 of my e-mail contacts in Nepal, US and Europe.
this failed goernment and tikay parliament headed by the biggest failure of all SPAM can talk as much as they like.. what the people want is not talks and then indescriminate speeches that these senseless highly irresponsible terrorists and corrupts thugs continue to give… what they want is performance on the ground and these thugs have failed miserably… they are too self-serving.. terrorist teacher Pushpa Kamal was again talking about strikes and andolan yesterday.. you can’t continue your sabre rattling against the same givernment that your party is also represented in.. Nepal can’t be held hostage by these thugs anymore… what it needs is a mass movement by the people showing their discontentment with the current non-performance of the lazy bums — we need a young and new breed of politicians that can take this countr forward.. not these selfish thugs who are ruining our lives and our future… they have lost every right to rule us due to sheer lack of capacity, lack of focus and self-serving attitude… an example is terrorist Mahara who was justifying YCL activities the other day saying that in transitional period, these things happen.. well the next time someone meets this thug, they can slap this a** ho** and justify it by saying the same words… these thugs are really moving this country to total anarchy..
For those interested,here's some more insight into the inner workings of the Maoist leaderhip...
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/05/bitter-truth-about-melamchi-maoist.html
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/05/bitter-truth-about-melamchi-show-hisila.html
To take up the train of thought from what Nepal Lover has rightly said above, one of the pre-requisites of democracy is accountability. The Government has to be accountable to the people. Unfortunately the present Interim Government has not been elected by the people; 8-year old elections do not count! It has no constituency to answer to, except its respective party cadres. If February 2005 to April 2006 is termed an autocracy, what is it now? Surely, not democracy! The so-called Jana Andolan II was to bring about peace and democracy. More people have died violently since the andolan than during the andolan itself. What kind of peace is that? It is so very unfortunate that, in general, we Nepalis are by nature docile and respectful towards any kind of authority. It is time for the people of Nepal to rise and expose SPAM for what it is - "tinned meat product made mainly from ham" (Oxford dictionary).
Blogdai,
How much attention will your letter with 1,000 signature (e-mail address) grab? Maoists colleced 1.5 million signatures for declaring Nepal as a republic.
Yes, another anon looking to define our campaign in terms of its potiential for failure. blogdai has never seen such a sad collection of defeatist thinking.
It makes our campaign all the more relevant. Pitch in and help. You will SEE what this will do.
But, alas, to your concerns:
Are each and every one of the Maoist signatures independently verifiable as authentic? 1.5 million you say? Are there that many people in Nepal who actually know a Maoist? Must be easy to write down 10 or 20 names in a village with the full knowledge that no one will check your work, don't you think?
funny, i'd sign anything anyone asks of me at the point of a gun.
And where are those signatures now? You can get a hint of the way Prachanda would run an election--stuffing the ballot box in his favor--by the seeming ease of collecting his signatures. blogdai figures he would need 1000 cadres collecting over 100 signatures per day for a couple of weeks or so to make these totals stand up. Not possible due to nepal's remoteness and the big fact that the Maoists just aren't that organized.
got news for you: those are phony, made-up or coerced signatures and not worth a serious look.
UPDATE:
Almost there? Keep the signatures coming in. Where are all of you who angrily plead that we must DO SOMETHING? Where are your lists?
Thanks to all who have given so far. Thanks also to those who have posted lists privately at blogdai@nepalimail.com
Keep em' coming!
-=blogdai
well, it looks like the 'Letter' drive is taking a momentum.
i am not trying to be a party pooper, but i have a question though.
i see people posting a bunch of emails, and a good chunck of them seem to belong to white pepole, at least non nepali (my premise, i presume nepalis don't fancy having their emails with anglo-saxon names)
have all these individuals read your letters and gave consent to the guy whoever posted these emails on your web-site to do so?
if they haven't, then the endorsement is not authentic, is it? moreover, the whole idea of endorsing the letter loses its meaning and oomph.
for an analogy to put my argument in perspective, what if you find your email address blogdai@something.com flying around in internet, endorsing the movements: stopping killing whales in the artic ocean, or protecting indigenious rights of bushmen in Kalahari desert not to concede their land to goverment.
well, both of them are noble causes to fight for, but you wouldn't appreciate, your name having appeared in their endorsement list without your knowledge.
well, i might be awfully wrong here to presume that all those white people haven't read the letter, but you would be awfully equally wrong to presume they have just because their emails appear here.
and, i hope your movement is not disingenious.
thanks
Muneer Yadav aka SPAM terrorist. You are not a party pooper. You are a poop.
You don't want someone to go against you in real life...if someone does he is silenced. And now that there is a movement on the internet, you are peeing in your pants.
Not only Nepalis, even the foreigners don't accept your killer activities.
When the letter and the lists are submitted, our plan is to invite those who receive the letter to independently contact those on the list for authentication.
We trust those of you who post lists to maintain integrity. As our instructions have said, only those responding positively to an email with our letter should be on the list.
Much more democratic than the point of a gun, wouldn't you agree?
-=blogdai
-=blogdai
Muneer Yadav, your query appears honest enough; though you cannot assume automatically that non-Nepalis have not read the Letter. Often, those who look at an aquarium from the outside can see the fish and their movements more clearly.
On a different note, since the thrust of the letter is to bring back law and order, the continued efforts and success of the madhesi parliamentarians in disrupting the sitting of the Interim Parliament is getting blase'. They need to recognize the democratic process of airing grievances in parliament, and not give up just because their demands are not met at first. Keep on demanding for Sitaula's resignation or reassignment; do it in parliament; the demand will then need to be heard and acted upon - within the democratic process. That is a functioning democracy.
I agree with Muneer. Why are there significantly more non-Nepalese signing the petition than Nepalese? Are Nepalese not concerned about Nepal or they do not understand the gravity of the situation? Or are non-Nepalese just signing without understanding the petition?
Many of the Western emails you see here are because of the lack of the immediate threat of retalliation from any cadres in Nepal.
As I'm sure YOU HAVE THOROUGHLY READ HERE, we offer a confidential list posting at blogdai@nepalimail.com. I can assure you--and so can those readers who have posted to the e-mail--that we have many many names with nepal.mos.com and other extensions, along with tibetan, gurung, tamang and other titles.
Understand the situation before you assume some problem exists. We purposely posted a discreet e-mail address---blogdai@nepalimail.co--in order to facilitate those posters in Nepal who might be wary or intimidated by posting their address here on blogdai's controversial and very public forum.
Our aim is to generate participation, not fear.
-=blogdai
This spaM crooks are destroying our country. We are running of time to unite ourself otherwise this country is going to apart for sure. The law and order situation is in the hand of the people of certain groups and where government is just like bird watchers in the jungle. We should snuff out these spaM crooks before it is too late.
lambad223@hotmail.com
Now that the YCL has finally managed to stone the US Ambassador's car, perhaps we will see the US take a harder line against the law and order situation in Nepal. After all, the Maoists are still on the US's terrorist list.
Agreed. For the longest time the Yanks couldn't care less about an active Nepal policy; preferring to follow India's lead.
Now, the U.S. has cut roughly 35% of its aid to our greedy brothers to the south. Something happened to chill the u.s./india relationship, blogdai hopes it leads to more independent thinking by the Yanks on all things Nepal.
-=blogdai
Fuck the yanks! What else have they done for the global South besides mess up perfectly fine states. And in places where they have campaigned for 'regime change', has been out of their own dire need to preserve their status quo. Everybody knows that. You fools keep looking at wrong places for your problem.
Idiots! Stop sucking up to foreigners and looking up to every damn white man ( or a naturally tanned Southern one) to solve your internal problem.
The paleass Moriarty is leaving. This slime - of all the powers afforded by his witch-hunt community of US government - could not even persish the Maoists in Nepal. Who else do you fucks think - besides plain home Nepalis, can take on the Maoists and their testosterone driven YCL?
Moriarty may be leaving, but that won't change the US policy towards Nepal, i.e. following India's lead. No matter how many "F" words are used, there is no getting around the fact that international players have to be considered in Nepali politics. After all the 12-point agreement which formed SPAM was signed not in Nepal, but in Delhi.
Hello from Nepal,
I spent most of the morning walking through Kathnmandu because the teachers had called for a strike in the valley. The protestors thronging the streets and stopping traffic from entering the city were not teachers though. They were Maoists.
Outside the Department for Local development i saw a group of workers protesting against temporary contracts -fasting until death.
I later saw a group of students running around like school children chasing after people to protest 'against inequality in education'.
This country is fucked. We have infrequent to no water in the village, regular blackouts, no petrol because the NOC is 6 billion in the red......
I am only 6km from Kathmandu. I am not in the middle of nowhere.
Blogdai is right -all Nepali know is to protest and call strikes. Every one is too selfish to see what effect this having on their country or they are too uninterested to be active.
I was here last year in June when there was some opptimisim. Now there is just quiet despair as the country falls into anarchy.
I've even heard Nepali people suggesting that it would be a good idea for India to invade!
There is a growing consensus (from the villagers i know) here that although the king made some serious erorrs -he did not let the nation slip this far into the mud.
yours, Ian
ps. in a dark, smelly cybercafe so in a hurry to leave...
Ok 'Hornblower', consider the international dimension for your satisfaction. Play with self-gratifying ideas of how important Nepal is in international politics.
If there is anything that needs to be learned from all this is how insignificant we are in the eyes of international community. Hence no value in having seperate 'Nepal policy' for these gringos. Nepal is best seen through the prism of India or China. All Nepal is for them is a pit to test their over inflated egos by scaling mountains and running INGOS.
The salvation of Nepal rests on the hands of down home Nepalis and no one else - not yous intellectuals, not yous foreigners. And not until those people are damn sick and tired of the going ons, not until they say enough is enough and start making their point - through VIOLENCE, possibly by assinating Prachanda, Situala, Yadav or even YCL leaders, will this SPAM slime heed to people's condition.
>>I've even heard Nepali people suggesting that it would be a good idea for India to invade!
No shit! This is how fucking docile and irrational Nepali public is.
But before handing Nepal to India on a silver platter, I say, let's give it one last shot - a REAL shot and bring Royal Nepal Army into the game. Reintroduce His Majesty as the supreme commander of Army and let him take the Maoists head-on. In the meanwhile, 'people' or local militias can make sure the SPAs are grounded from any further participation in Nepali politics.
If there is a concerted effort by the Army and local militias, roach-infested Nepal can be cleaned up in short time. But the people have to be in on it. They have to support the army, participate, fight and possibly die for what they believe in - a roach-free Nepal where law and order prevails so that ordinary people can go about their daily businesses and uplift themselves from chains of misery.
I couldn't agree more with Anonymous (At 8:54 AM, May 27, 2007). I have been saying this again and again.
Here's something brash even for a bad mainstream paper. I think it is Iconoclastic Times, despite the weird internet page. This guy seems to hate everything, including Kantipur. He makes fun of it a lot.
YCL have promised to stop recruitment of Gurkha soldiers into the British Armed Forces at the earliest after its central committee meeting that went on for three days in Kathmandu, with YCL chairman Ganeshman Pun adding: "It is necessary to make our youth more independent, and generate employment in our own country." To date, every economy in the world, one way or another, still depends on sending countrymen overseas, but I'm sure a bunch of belligerent halfwits with no real experience of the global economy knows better.
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=110919
Food for thought:
How come IANS (a government of India slave media house) suddenly wrote something good about the King of Nepal? Suddenly after all the bulls and craps from electricity to gambling to what not? I mean how come it didn't write that the King killed some Indian? After all it's news in conjugtion with Kantipur 'the Indian whore' enterprise are much about malign and propaganda and hatred and support for violence in Nepal.
Nepal king fulfills 117-year-old Indian's wish
Kathmandu, May 28(IANS) After almost a century, a 117-year-old Indian woman in Nepal finally had her two biggest dreams fulfilled - becoming a bona fide Nepali citizen and getting an audience with King Gyanendra.
Though she was born in Sunsari district in southern Nepal and lived there all her life, Kamaladevi Pathak, whose parents were of Indian origin, did not have a Nepali citizenship.
This year, when a growing movement in the Terai made the government of Nepal issue citizenship certificates to hundreds of citizenship-less people in the plains, Kamaladevi finally became a bona fide citizenship with a state-issued certificate testifying it - at the ripe age of 117.
Brimming with happiness at the better late than never state recognition of her rights, the 117-year-old, now looked after by her grandson Surendra, told the media - who came flocking to meet the centenarian - that she had one last wish left.
Though there is a growing demand for the abolition of monarchy in Nepal, in the plains, a large percentage of the people still favour monarchy and the older generations still believe the kings are descended from a Hindu deity.
Kamaladevi was widely reported by the media as saying that she wanted to meet King Gyanendra once, to thank him for her citizenship.
The reports caught the eye of the Narayanhity royal palace in Kathmandu and the king, now stripped of his official duties and privileges by the new coalition government, issued an invitation to Kamaladevi.
Last week, for the first time in her life, Kamaladevi boarded a plane with her grandson that flew her from the Biratnagar airport to Kathmandu.
In Kathmandu, the grandmother and son were put up in a guesthouse and on Tuesday, the king granted them an audience.
"The king was wonderful," the ecstatic elder citizen told the media after the meeting. "He was very gracious and smiling during the audience."
Wearing a simple white sari with a red border, Kamaladevi went to meet the king with a local shawl wrapped round and her head covered.
She carried a garland of yellow flowers and was allowed to put it on the king, also dressed in white. She also held the king's arms, a privilege allowed to few.
"You are a great man," she told him. "Do great things so that everyone sings your praise."
When the smiling king asked her if she wanted anything, she said at her age there was nothing she wanted for herself but she would like jobs for her grandchildren.
The entire cost of the trip, including the airfare and accommodation, was borne by the palace, the local media said Sunday.
The palace also thoughtfully arranged a visit for her to Kathmandu's famed Pashupatinath temple, reports said.
Look how the illegal government of Nepal is killing it’s own citizens by violence and bombs and every heinous means possible
Nine feared dead in Palpa bomb blast
Nine persons were feared dead when a blast blew up a house in Gothadi VDC-2 in the western district of Palpa Tuesday morning.
Reports say nine persons were buried under the rubbles when the blast razed the house in Bhutuke village. Five members of a family and four others were inside the house when the bomb went off. The area is five hours walk form the district headquarters Tansen.
It is believed that the bomb was left behind during the Maoist insurgency. A police team, human rights activists and media persons have left for Bhutuke from Tansen.
Details of the incident are yet to come. nepalnews.com mk May 29 07
As a humble yet dignified citizen of this country I call home, I feel utter sense of loss in all fronts. I see institution that gave birth to this nation disparaged, I see our way of life ,Culture and heritage falling victim to "revisionist" forces, and I feel my freedom, liberty and right undermined in the name of Loktrantra. When will people start the cry of "I can't take it anymore." That is my question.
The inescapable fear, slow but certain slide to authototrianism by SPAM, and near collapse of economy is too much to bear now. This no one can deny unless someone is directly profiting from all this mayhem.
India is a culprit for sure- this time they have over-reached themselves but fault lies with us not them. You'd be damned if you ever thought India always had good intentions for Nepal. So lets get rational
SPA for all its international goodwill- is the main culprit. They have never broken out of their shell of nepotism,self-serving interest, and visionless leadership. The have been shaped by mafia like hierarchy. Dons are the so-called -top leader, henchmen being student wings, and runners being their activitist. The only difference between them and Mafia is, to amusement of all, their act is deem legal as they front themselves as a democratic party whereas Mafia as an illegal because they do what they speak.
Nepal is now a rudderless ship- there is two options one is complete burn or self destruct and other one is shore that has Red flag on it and fucking Girja can't do nothing about it even if he tries.
Sad to say but I have reached a conclusion as of now. Future by Nepal, Future from Nepal and Future to Nepal is ZILCH.
DOA
The United States, the world's strongest military power, can barely contain the Iraqi insurgency.
What makes anyone think the poorly trained, badly equipped Nepal Army is going to make things any better? Heck, all they could do in their many years of fighting the Maoists was to hold on to the district HQs.
Sending the NA to fight the Maoists is a last ditch effort--it means that we tried everything and we failed because once again we're trying something that clearly didn't work before.
Remember how easily the Maoists captured NA arms in Dang? And then used those to butcher the NA? Any military force that allows itself to be massacred by its own arms should be considered an embarrassment. Thats beyond incompetency. Expecting the same NA that could not even defend itself to defend the nation is laughable.
The only thing the NA can to is provide some sort of deterrent. As an offensive force, it's useless.
don't generalize based on Dang. Dang was a remote outpost and the RNA stationed there were poorly motivated and corrupt.
Can we off set this story with Phaphlu where over 200 Maoists were slaughtered in a head to head fight with the RNA? blogdai knows better than to jump to some silly conclusion and say that Phaphlu represents the overwhelming might of the RNA; it simply isn't true. But channeled and directed properly, the RNA is more than adequate to take on the Maoists.
Any other negative examples, or do you just want to give up and quit now and just turn over the country to Prachanda?
Absurd, logical or not, when you cite one skewed example of failure as a reason to not even try, you don't deserve your own country. What revolution or people's movement EVER started with the odds in their favor?
-=blogdai
"do you just want to give up and quit now and just turn over the country to Prachanda?"
Too late Blogdai, the country is already pretty much in Maoists hands. The political agenda is being shaped from the inside and outside by Maoists groups such as NERF who started their protest at the behest of the Maoists.
In two weeks we may see another political crisis because the interim government's mandate set a deadline to hold elections by the middle of June. They are no closer to holding elections now than they were 12 months ago.
We may also see protests on the streets before that as the NOC wish to increase petrol prices by 15 rupees a litre despite paying back 1 billion in debts.
The way things are going we could very well see Prachanda declaed President of the Republic of Nepal in less than 12 months.
The Maoists are intensifying the pressure on the government and showing them up for what they are ineffective, self serving and uneducated.
At a time when the country is falling apart -Prime Minister Koirala is planning a state visit to China. He would do well to stay in Kathmandu and address the issues that threaten to plunge Nepal into further anarchy.
Regards from Nepal,
Ian
PS. I am not sure whether the following was intended for me but its funny nevertheless:
"How come IANS (a government of India slave media house)"
Lets setup a fund for Nepal Defence Army- the outfit who blew up a bomb in Maoist HQ. If anyone knows the ways and means to fund them, let me know. We should all assist them.
Its about time.
DOA
I completely agree with DOA(1:04 AM, May 30, 2007)
I am ready to put in some funds for NDA.
Anyone who kills the SPAM warlords has full unflinching support from me...be it RNA, US Army or NDA.
"The Maoists are intensifying pressure on the government...". Ian, the Maoists are a part of the Government. Key ministries are headed by Maoist ministers. So are they "intensifying pressure" on themselves? They cannot have it both ways - be a part of the government and threaten it, pretending otherwise. Who are they fooling?
"The Maoists are intensifying pressure on the government...".
Horatio -that is precisely what they are doing.
Only they are not pressurising themselves.
Perhaps it is difficult for you to appreciate that the teachers union calling the strikes are Maoist affiliated. Indeed the recent end to the strike was orchastrated by 5 different organisations with only 1 not affliated or funded by the Maoists.
The Maoists have won the war and now they are winning the hearts and minds of the people.
There is a perception here that the King and now the SPA have had their chance to govern -why not let the Maoists have their chance?
Perhaps you should come to Nepal and find out for yourself?
Ian, Living in Nepal
Oh and i am not a Maoist sympathiser. How can i sympathise with an organisation that is responsible for brutally raping children and drilling holes into the heads of women?
Ian
I do wonder if that is perception or resignation.
I also wonder if self-determination means so little to our populace that they would let murderers run their lives instead of standing up.
Any sliver of organized resistance would gain momentum, I'm sure. What's keeping us?
-=blogdai
What about them dickheads of SPAM going on a jamboree to India. Nation is in crisis but they make time to visit and pay their dues to their master.
Now, these SOBs claim them to be mother of Nepali the way the chant people power and galore but in reality they are nothing but traitors.
Stand them up the wall and shoot them down- its never late to do the right thing.
DOA
Ian in Nepal, you give in too easily. How exactly are the Maoists winning "the hearts and minds of the people"? By continuing to create instability and lack of law and order? By having its YCL (the equivalent of Mao's Red Guards) go berserk on the people? By trying to rip day in day out any shred of remaining democratic process? Please don't tell me to come to Nepal and see for myself. You presume that I am not in Nepal. From your name, I presume that you are not a Nepali. Well, I am; and I am not ready to give in yet.
Just being a Nepali doesn't mean anything in and of itself either Hora.
It's all very well to speculate and write all sorts of things sitting at a starbucks sipping on your $3 latte but the ground reality is alot different in Nepal. The Maoists might not be winning the hearts and minds of people but they OWN the streets. They have enough manpower to cause major street disruptions, uprisings etc. The way Nepal is right now that's all that matters -the streets!!
Bhudai Pundit
And the streets are won through intimidation, not a hearts and minds campaign.
people seem to believe that there is no stopping the Maoists so there is resignation.
I hate this quote but it fits: from some goon basketball coach in the U.s.: "If rape is inevitable, why not enjoy it?" Nothing symbolizes the weak-mindedness of our populace better.
LETTER UPDATE
Got em! over 1000 emails logged in. This is enough for a first submission. BUT,
WE NEED MORE E-MAIL ADDRESSES. 1000 is a weak effort if left alone. We must prove with our little 1000 that we are building momentum. go back and read the posting and lets get to work.
a little blogdai insight: got us a connection to those pesky wire services that have been mucking up reports on Nepal all along. this could be interesting.
That reminds me, where are your connections? we need contacts. Send them up here or directly to blogdai@nepalimail.com
And, KEEP THOSE EMAIL ADDRESSES COMING.
-=blogdai
Bhud, stop with the snide comments. You agree with me that the Maoists are not winning the hearts and minds of the people, then that unnecessary remark about Starbucks latte. Maoists may own the streets, but like Blogdai asserts, it is through intimidation not by winning hearts and minds. Incidentally, I don't like Starbucks and don't you know coffee is bad for health! So keep your comments civil please.
Actually, I think Bhudai was making an observation that it is perfect in its logic.
I think we can all agree that the Western media machine is generally ill informed when it comes to Nepali affairs whilst, in my view, the international Nepali media outlets are little better in shedding light on what is actually happening in Nepal.
You do have to be on the ground to get a reasonable understanding of what is going on in Nepal at a grass roots level. Let us not idle over semantics or get caught up over his choice of words. Indeed it seems patently obvious that you need to be in Nepal to see what is happening.
I think there is a misunderstanding with regards to the meaning “winning hearts and minds.” The term refers to changing public perception of an idea. It does not mean that people are falling in love with the Maoists! Yet it is patently obvious from my viewpoint that the Maoists have grown in popularity over the last 12 months. This is largely because through proxy of Maoist affiliated unions they are tapping into and exploiting growing discontent at the SPA’s inability to carry through on their promises and the unprecedented increase in crime, social inequality and shocking instability in the Nepali economy. The last 12 months have seen an increase in load shedding, water shortage, gas shortages, price rises in basic items, and fuel shortages which have not been offset with any tangible solution. Gas prices are set to rise by 30% in the coming weeks and so too are fuel prices (by 18NRS a litre). The Melamchi Project has collapsed because of the government’s about turn on the SWT and the ADB’s subsequent withdrawal of financial support. Demand for water, fuel and gas are increasing and yet Nepal has no way of meeting the basics demands of today. This is causing social unrest as the cost of living is rising and pushing more people below the poverty line and increasing poverty among families who are living on less than $1 a day. Petty theft was an irregular occurrence in the village I am staying in but now it is a nightly occurrence. Social unrest is increasing and the idea of ‘New Nepal’ and the glimmer of hope 12 months ago have receded into disappointment. Unsurprisingly, there is a belief here that the only way to be listened to and to get your demands implemented is to strike, protest and call bandh. Less than a week after the teachers strike we have another 1 day strike which closed the valley.
Prachanda has a Maoist umbrella (union groups, YCL, etc..) that is able to tap into this resentment and growing instability but at the same time allows him to hold international legitimacy by showing that he is able to work with the SPA and govern. With one hand the Maoists can show that they are able to participate in government and with another they are able to show their cadres that they have not given up the fight. Through the YCL, the Maoists are able to continue their violence and thuggery. Through the unions, the Maoists are able to show that they are listening to the interests of the people and win their support. Through government they are able to show the watching world that they are able to participate in government. They are currently in a win-win situation. If the interim government fails it will be because of the failure of the SPA to act. If it succeeds then the Maoists are likely to win the majority of the seats in the Constituent Assembly through both force and support for their party. If it fails then the Maoists will have the popular ground as the King has little popular support and the SPA will have run out of chances. The interim government gives the Maoists the legitimacy that they seek to finalize their plans to govern Nepal.
I believe that Nepal is closer to capitulating to the Maoist insurgency than it has ever been. I do not believe it is satisfactory for a terrorist organization to be in this position but credit should be given to them for the strategy that they seem to be pursuing. It may not happen (I hope) but the conditions are now present in the Valley for it to happen.
It matters very little whether it is popular perception or just popular resignation to the idea that the Maoists should be given their chance –they are closer to it now than they have ever been.
I am not being defeatist in my observations but just writing what I see. In my view, the solution requires leadership but it is sadly lacking. Politics is a dirty word in Nepal and there is very little interest from people who have the ability to make change. There is a sense here that the political culture is impossible to change. My friend’s assertion that if you can not be a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher or a businessman you can always be a politician seems an apt way to describe the type of people attracted to politics in Nepal. Using this logic, the Maoists represent a breath of fresh air and their idealistic (but impractical) demands romanticize the image of them as an organization for change. Indeed many of their so called politicians are lacking in education and are just brought from villages in the countryside. Certainly students groups protesting on the streets as if it were school game shows how enchanting their ideas can be. They are not new ideas but newly rehearsed. Education should be free and equal they say. It’s not fair that government schools should be poorly funded and private schools like Little Angels should cost so much. It’s just not fair. Then the teachers to are provoked. It’s not fair that that they do not get equal pay and that they have temporary contracts. It’s just not fair. Now, I sympathize with their sentiments but the method of protest and shutting down Kathmandu to their benefit is irresponsible. The Maoists have cast their shadow long. They promise to revolutionize Nepal with a newly formed Republic and they promise make the country stronger. First in their plan is to bring the country to its knees and then fire magic bullets to solve the problem!
A piece of paper we call a constitution serves little purpose when it is the very leaders and politicians charged with carrying out government are to blame for the failure of the nation. I am seriously concerned that Nepali people in Nepal have lost patience with the whole process (quite rightly so in my opinion) and are so alienated that that protest is all that is left for them. The Maoists know this as well as any one.
Change is painfully slow but no change is painfully quick.
Ian, Living in Nepal
P.S Apologies for my horribly long diatribe.
Ian: good observations. What it really boils down to the lack of leadership from the SPA. What's even more worrisome is that there doesn't seem to be any promising leaders in the horizon. There was some hope in Gagan Thapa but from what I hear he is unpopular with the Congess leadership. It remains to be seen if he will even win the student elections.
Haro:
Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. But I do disagree with your statement that coffee is unhealthy. Moderate amount of caffine has been medically proven to be very beneficial to health.
Please read some medical journals before making grandoise statements like that.
Love,
Bhudai Pundit
Hey pundit, this is not the forum to discuss the benefits or lack thereof of coffee. Why don't you take your bahunist arrogance and shove it! Of course, I don't mean to insult you.
knock it off, children. Geez, you guys in parliament or what?
-=BD
Ian, I appreciate your comments based on the fact that, as you say, your perspective is from a village in Nepal. Definitely, the Maoists are ironically thriving on the present chaos and suffering faced by the Nepali people. I say ironic because we cannot overlook the fact that the Maoists are a part of the Interim Government. The Government is not just SPA, but SPA-M. So when people are discontent with the Government, this affects not only SPA but the Maoists as well, no matter how hard they try to seclude themselves from the other parties. I do not believe that the Maoists' ability "to work with SPA and govern" provides them with any additional international legitimacy - the SPAM government has not been able to govern and this reflects on the Maoists as well. If the Interim Government fails, it will not be because "of failure of SPA to act" but because of the Maoists sabotaging the government from within and without. Yes, the Melanchi Project did collapse due to the government's about turn; but it was a Maoist minister who was the perpetrator of that about turn.
I beg to differ from your assertion that the "Maoists have grown in popularity over the last 12 months". Intimidating people does not equal gaining their popular support. Let us also not forget the whole Madhesi factor; they have taught the Maoists a lesson or two.
Im off the topic but folks lets poll if Vahsek should quit. Go to
http://nepaliakash.blogspot.com/
and vote on the polling on top of the page.
On the Unholy Alliance with Maoism
(Courtesy: Bhisma R. Karki)
First of all, I still call the Maoists terrorists and continue to do so in spite of the bonhomie between them and the government of Nepal. In this I am not alone; millions of Nepali people feel the revulsion for the inhuman crimes of the Maoists. The wound of terrorism is ever fresh.
A war torn country is forced to make space for the Maoist terrorism. Nobody denies that peace is better than war. But the absence of towering figure to lead Nepal with a foresight to nip the Maoist terrorism in the bud is a very sad reality.
Now the tide of the Maoist terrorism appears strong and unstoppable, thanks to the unscrupulous politicians switching sides and the bungling monarch making a mess of everything. The voice against the Maoist terrorism is disorganized, demoralized and mute.
Yet it is no exaggeration to claim that this vast mass is the true majority. The democratic leadership has let them down most shamefully. The anti-Maoist majority lacks the fervor and hysteria which makes the Maoist terrorism so deadly a force. The Nepali chutzpah has yet to find its savior.
One is awed by the power of the ugly Maoist ideology in enthralling a sizable section of the poor Nepali mass, which is embracing the Maoism in the great ecstasy of liberation. These people are gladly willing to make the supreme sacrifice of life and death in the name of the Maoism. The poverty of consciousness of this population makes them the blind instruments at the criminal service of the Maoist network.
The charismatic leader of the Fascism, Benito Mussolini, said the supreme trial is the trial of life, to be ready to give up life. Although the fascist tactics are repugnant, the Maoists share its worst features.
The Maoist mass shows the fanatical devotion to the Maoist party and is ready to die and kill. This mass idolizes the vicious terrorist leaders BabuRam and Prachanda who are also courted and feted by the government of Nepal.
Some media are also seen fawning at the feet of Maoist terrorism, not to mention the servile intelligentsia. Even a columnist of fine caliber like Khagendra Sangraulla sees in Maoism a great promise. At the same time Mr. Sangraulla is ever happy to discharge the venom against the monarchy.
The seeds of the Maoist terrorism were sown in the reign of democratic parties because the elected representatives failed completely to stand up to the ideal of public life. The deterioration of the image of the democratic government (in the public eye) made Maoism not only attractive but also made it possible for Maoism to expand into the popular democratic base.
The decay of the political forces of post 1990 Nepal is so deep that the communism and its most brutal version Maoism, emerged as a credible alternative in Nepal. The Nepali people have to put up with the atrocities of the Maoist terrorism.
The unholy alliance between the democratic parties and the Maoits is an opportunism of the worst kind directed against the king. Of course king Gyanendra himself bears some blame for his current plight.
While the SPA-Maoist alliance has temporarily stopped the never ending violence and war, it is an action rewarding Maoist terrorism. In vain, so many people died. So many people are suffering. It was an unnecessary and tragic war. Nepal is not Peru. Otherwise Prachanda & Baburam would spend the rest of their life in a cage to pay for their crimes.
The direct rule of the King of Nepal, Gyanendra, was a wasted opportunity with tragic consequences which are yet to unfold. The King, instead of building up the popular front against the Maoist terrorists, has sadly become the victim of popular backlash. The King turned out to be no better than just a fool who squandered the enormous goodwill. But Prachanda is a bloody criminal who dreams of usurping the throne.
The political parties, ostracized by an inept and ambitious king, have stooped to the sinister force of Maoism whose rise to power has been paved by terrorism. In this age of the universal triumph of democracy, our country finds itself paralyzed by Maoist terrorism. The political parties like the Nepali Congress and UML who today rejoice in humiliating and insulting the king, will be the next to fall prey to the beast of the Maoist terrorism.
After the tumultuous uprising of the year 2006, the king appears helpless. The choicest terms of abuse are hurled routinely against the Monarchy, while the horrendous crimes of the Maoists are barely uttered.
On the scale of evil, the Maoists' record remains incomparable. The Maoists are infinitely more cruel and evil than all the kings combined. It was and is easy to dislodge the king from power. The Maoist terrorists, once they come to power, can be overthrown only by violent means.
All the governments, including the one headed by the King himself, never had faith in the strength of the cause against the Maoist insurgency. All the time there was wavering and confusion. Maoists were wholly focused and ruthless.
Even with all the terrorism and violence perpetrated by Maoists over the past 10 years (and now), Nepali people have yet to understand the intensity of the ruthless Maoist machine. The rise and success of Maoist terrorism could not have been possible without the succession of the weak and incompetent governments offering half-hearted fights and confused retreats. Only in Nepal can a ragtag group of terrorist militia grow unopposed in some sense into such a powerful organization.
Very soon the political parties will lose their dwindling mass-base. Maybe in the confusion, the populace will have to put up willingly with the curse of a Maoist takeover. The antagonism between the monarchy and democratic forces including the UML need not escalate into the permanent hostility, no matter how badly king Gyanendra was disrespectful towards the parliamentary parties. The king has already been punished for his misadventure. In the long run, the honeymoon between the democratic parties and the Maoist will be suicidal blunder for Nepal.
In the current sordid political drama of Nepal, it is fashionable to trumpet the bugle of republicanism and accuse the monarchy of all the ills facing Nepal. Even the ex-panchas are deserting the king’s camp.
But in the days and years to come, Nepal as a kingdom will surely look more benign in comparison with the terror and crimes committed by the Maoists. If the Monarchy is toppled now, the main beneficiary will be the Maoist terrorist. There will be no stopping the hordes of Maoists from taking over the country.
The constitutional monarchy is a far more dignified system than the Maoist takeover. The fall of monarchy will hasten Nepal’s plunge into an abyss of anarchy. Where are the followers of the 1990 constitution? The constitutional arrangement of the 1990 is worth fighting for. Let Nepal not burn in the inferno run by the Maoist thugs. To the followers of the Constitutional Monarchy, I urge, rise up. We can save Nepal from the fiendish hands of the Maoist terrorists. If the people of Nepal see through the dark and ugly face of the Maoism, they will never side with the Maoism against the constitutional monarchy.
Let us unite against the Maoist terrorism. To this end the silent contempt for Maoism alone is not enough. Only at the total destruction of the Maoist terrorist network will the sweet flower of democracy bloom in Nepal.
The republic & the constitutional assembly are Maoist agendas. I am against the constituent assembly and the the formation of a republic. Both agendas may appear innocent demands on the surface. But they are only stepping stones for the totalitarian takeover of the Maoist terrorism.
How can we let the murderer and criminal Maoists frame the constitution? The people drafting the constitution should come from the noble and ideal stock of the nation. When the cycle of hatred and violence completes, the mad force of the Maoist terrorism will meet an agonizing death. With the demise of Maoism will emerge a truly democratic Nepal.
Like I said back at 6:40, the Madhesi movement shows that ANY organized resistance on virtually ANY scale will have an impact on Maoism. Again, what's keeping us?
And do not sell short our effort here. We WILL be heard with our little letter. By the Way,
WE NEED MORE LISTS OF NAMES.
-=blogdhesi
Horatio,
You can believe that the Maoists have not grown in popularity over the last 12 months if you want but it would be a shame for you to overlook reality in favour of belief. Of course the Maoists have used force and brutal tactics to gain power but they have also done much to gain popular support -partly as a result of the ineptitude of others and partly through an intelligent PR campaign.
Wake up and smell your latte.
Ian.
Ian, wake me up then. Give me specific examples of what the Maoists have done to gain popular support, instead of resorting to using "latte" as a snide condescending tactic like others have done in this blog site. What do you have against latte anyway? Perhaps you have become addicted to the village-type milky tea served in glasses, but give poor latte a break. Please do note that I have refrained from using your non-Nepali status as a counter-point here.
IT'S WORKING
Have received word that spammers are taking the e-mail names off our website and postings. Anyone wishing to take you name off of this public display, contact us here.
Also, we are being monitored and checked by some Indian people as well. last heard was from a guy in Delhi named Kapil Rana.
so, in the interest of email safety, post all further lists to blogdai@nepalimail.com. Also, blogdai feels it better to remove the big lists that were posted here lest we fall prey to more spammers.
Saturation is our goal, however. The word is getting out. Send in your lists. CHECK each name since we've gotten a few emails saying there was no consent.
-=blogdai
India really ghettoes the internet and every activity of Indians is monitored...much like China and Iran...you can check BBC for details. At least the Chinese can make comments, etc. against their country but Indians can't do anything. If you say anything against India anywhere publically than the site would be brought down.
Dirty Indians after all. They can't take rightful criticism and that's why are hated. Check this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6724531.stm
blogdai,
reading your posts sometime, you come off as a rational person, but sometimes I am aghast by your pretension to be naïve, at times you almost pull it of as cute. Your drive to collect the petition was going fine, so it seemed for the outsiders, but when someone challenges you on tough issues, then you start chasing your own tail in perpetual circle.
Have received word that spammers are taking the e-mail names off our website and postings. Anyone wishing to take you name off of this public display, contact us here.
What is it? Some kind of publicity stunt, If not corroborate your claim, present some substantial proof. Otherwise, we will consider, you are trying to create some shock value, but nothing more. Even if spamers are posting, they are doing you a service. In fact, you should have checked with the recipients of the emails which appear here for the consent before posting it on your blog. Now, don’t blame someone else for your laziness.
Also, we are being monitored and checked by some Indian people as well. last heard was from a guy in Delhi named Kapil Rana.
Who is this Kapil Rana, and how do you know he is an Indian? How do we know, he is not some fictitious character that you have created?
so, in the interest of email safety, post all further lists to blogdai@nepalimail.com. Also, blogdai feels it better to remove the big lists that were posted here lest we fall prey to more spammers.
God! Talk about transparency. If it’s not open, you might claim that you have collected gazillion emails, including Pope’s and George Bush’s. How are the Pope and Bush to know they have endorsed your letter, if you don’t put them out? If your mails were collected with due processes, you have nothing to worry about. In that case, spammers would be working in your favor.
Saturation is our goal, however. The word is getting out. Send in your lists. CHECK each name since we've gotten a few emails saying there was no consent.
Better late than never, I’m happy you got some ‘aakal’ at the end to CHECK the validity of emails. Wasn’t I the only guy, somewhere/sometime in the past to raise this concern? Indeed, Nepalis are stupid, especially ones who follow BlogDai like puppy.
Don’t think I am against the ‘Letter’ movement, just because I am critical of your method of collecting emails. In fact out of those hundreds of emails, one is mine.
Good luck.
Phir wohi pyara Muneer Yadav
"Phir wohi pyara" - what the heck is that? Not Nepali for sure!!
So now the Government, in all its wisdom and chicken-heartedness, has given Rs. 92.5 million to the so-called PLA, at the rate of Rs. 3,000 per combatant. It is almost amusing to note that Nepal now has to pay those that have caused 14,000 deaths over 10 years of terror and havoc. Peace at what price? Is Neville Chamberlain alive and well and heading the Nepali Government?
Mr/Mrs. Muneer Yadav (sorry but i dont know whether you are a male or a female).
If you do not want to trust this blogsite, just get lost (migrate to India or something). If you want news go to BBC and Nepalnews.com. Anyhow, the days of having to present evidences for your claims are long, long gone in Nepal.
"Phir wohi pyara" - what the heck is that? Not Nepali for sure!!
i wouldn't want to get into diatribe with irrational people, and i am not contentious by nature, but at times, it gets on your nerve, when idiocy dictates the debate than the reason.
for example:
idiots, just because, i take up some Tarai sounding name here in the blog, that i need to go back to india.
since when has thinking analytically become unpatriotic? and, what makes hindi, maithali, vojpuri speaking people of Madhes less Nepali than Pahadi people, or extremely xenophobic kathmandu centric people?
blogdai, you might have a very huge readership at your blog, but i shudder at the sensibility/intelligence of the visitors here. a good example of cross section of nepali demographic, i.e stupid.
Mr/Ms/Mrs/Transsexual B
Mr/Mrs. Muneer Yadav (sorry but i dont know whether you are a male or a female).
Leave your etiquette behind, and just present your argument. What my gender got to do with the ongoing debate. I vivid remeber you, since some time back in this same forum, you wanted to know, if I was married? What's with you? Do you run matrimonial agency?
when you are not asking some stupid/irrelevent question, the best you can do is this:
If you do not want to trust this blogsite, just get lost (migrate to India or something). If you want news go to BBC and Nepalnews.com. Anyhow, the days of having to present evidences for your claims are long, long gone in Nepal.
to begin with, why should i trust anyone? this might be blogdai's personal blog, but the materials he puts here are very public that demands public discussion. you talk as if blogdai went to mountains top to get all these irrefutable commandments from the burning bush, were we to take everything in this blog for canonical truth?
all that there is to your argument is that i go back to India...
anyhow, the days of having to present evidences for your claims are long, long gone in Nepal.
now, what can i say more on this...
god bless you, my dear friend--mr/mrs/ms/ B
Muneer Yadav
sorry muneer and anon, this is just insipid crap and not productive to the thread.
Move forward.
-=blogdelete
Muneer the SPAMmer terrorist pops out his shit everyone now and then and tries to derail the motion of the conversation. These are the characterstics of SPAM. The only way to deal with SPAM is to ignore them and hit them where it hurts the most. Iggy and delete his messages first. Critics are good and welcome but terrorists are bad for health.
It's so nostalgic to look back at the good old days of peace. Nepal was like a paradise. No guns, no violence and bright smiling faces always greeting you. Those days of genteel hippies. Nepal dearly misses King Birendra on his death anniversary...but I hope it can get back the glory days under the present King.
Long live the King! Long live Nepal and Nepalis! May Lord Pashupatinath give the Nepalis the strength to get out of this hole of SPAM.
Took out the last 4 snipes, you little grandmothers.
blogdai can only stomach this petty shit so much.
Again, move forward.
-=boredai
Rumor has it that GP himself will instigate an army coup within the next ten days. Brace yourselves, my friends!
Army coup of what? His own government? He's stupid, but not stupid enough to overthrow himself.
The army absolutely will not move on Koirala's orders so I don't know where you get your information.
-=blogdai
Army will support Koirala. Nepali Army always shows it's loyalty to the power. In the present context, Koirala is more powerful than the King.
Support, fine. But you didn't answer the question.What is this coup supposed to take over? What is a "coup" other than a forceful takeover of government? Is Koirala going to direct the RNA to take over his government?
Can anyone maintain a little focus in their arguements here?
Koirala has no real power, don't fool yourself. Just because an old politician sets himself up as god-king on his own shaky parliamentary throne, doesn't mean a thing. Koirala needed the Maoists to be relevant and put himself back into power. If he has such a loyal following in the RNA, why didn't he call on them to restore the "will of the People?" Hmmm?
Now, Prachanda is preparing to brush the old man aside and Girija will be powerless to stop him.
"In the present context" being more powerful than the King is laughable. It is a parade of mindless fools jockying for power. The ONLY power in Nepal lies with those who control guns. Maoists and RNA, period.
-=blogdai
I agree with blog dai but with peace process reaching a dead end, somethings gotta give. Will china still be on king's side, if she had to choose between the royals and the maoists? Will king then be backed by India? Times are changing.
china couldn't care less about nepal beyond 2 issues: Buffering Indian intentions and harrassing Tibetans.
So quick math: King hates India, Paras works against Tibetans. India loves Tibetans, Indian control over Girija makes Nepal a de-facto Indian state up against the Chinese border.
blogdai theory: If we follow the players and see where they stand with regard to the two issues, it seems likely that China will stay with the King or throw its alliance against a strong RNA coup.
-=blogdai
Blogdai,
Did you read the new Chinese Ambassador's interview in the "Nepal" Magazine? I'm sorry it is in Nepali. You may be surprised but it seems that China feels it was wrong to support the King.
Also, China likes Koirala as well. Koirala's brother, BP is the first Nepali leader to develop relationships with China in Modern Nepal.
There are also reports of China developing relationships with the Maoists as evidenced by Maoists ministers being invited as chief guests in Chinese embassy events.
Anyways the wind blows- is a word of diplomacy. I gotta get this off my chest and here it is:
Talk is cheap. When Moriarty had the opportunity, he got sold down the river by the Indians and this “born again” does not stick at all. By the Kantipur for all its abandon and clueless propaganda is finally kow towing to Maoist- they have to- Maoist Union got them their balls. So much for much hyped cry for Loktrantra- all you gonna get is sour pussy in the name of free press. Do not tell me - you did not see it coming, suckers.
We tend to rely on other to solve our problems- this dependence is quite self defeating. may be Carter visit will be fruit full but the point is, will it solve the problem. As we are weaking internally, the first sign is communal strife, we are going headlong on path that has no return. Nepal may not exist as we speak if bickering, putting trust on foreigners (NGOs, Past President and Ambassdors), and blaming others is the only topic we dwell in. Time to be proactive and to be for, by and from Nepali.
DOA
Blogdai,
I doubt China is going to risk it's relationship with India and get on the opposing side. Frankly, today China has such a strong grip on Tibet it hardly represents a credible threat to them. What's more important is the major economic and political relationship China and India are developing. Particularly economic. Trade between these two contries are estimated to reach astronomical numbers in the near future. Even China realized that India as much higher controling stake in Nepal. I somehow doubt they will jepordize all this and support the King explicitly. It's one thing to privately condone the King's actions, but if the King and the RNA take over, will China step up irk India and provide fuel, ammunition and other aid.
I think not.
Bhudai Pundit
Good points all, but lets not lose sight of China's big goal: buffering. Any creeping super power that exerts influence near China's borders is frowned upon in Beijing. Remember, China sees events in 100 plus year cycles. i.e. they are always planning for the very long term.
Perhaps an affinity for girija is a sign of detente. Perhaps it is a sign that China wants to keep nepal's waters muddy by maintaining the chaos (how very India-like!) A confused state is as good as a buffer state. blogdai does not believe China will follow Koirala's pro-India policies however. Should the old man plunge Nepal further into India dependency, watch China's support go elsewhere.
The fact that Tibetans pose no threat to the Chinese makes their obsession with Tibetan life and movement through Nepal more puzzling. Shooting a nun in the back on the Nangpa-la illustrates this. Forcing Nepal to cower and issue statements aimed directly at the Tibetan community and promising that nepal would not allow "anti-chinese" activity on it's soil is another illustration. Zhu Rongzhi showing up in Kathmandu during the Tibetan new year of Losar to talk anti-tibetan tough is yet another. It's a long, long-term feud between Tibet and China; any perceived calming is just a smoke-screen.
some blogdai trivia: back in 2000, blogdai made the initial contact with the Carter Institute requesting they look into the (then) political impass and Maoist insurgency. Every thing we do, people has an impact.
-=blogdai
After 117 comments (this being the 118th one), isn't it time for Blogdai to place a new post? Seems to me "Taking Back Our Voice" has served its purpose, and the letter has been circulated fully. How about a post focusing on the immediate need to construct a "democratic coalition" to challenge the comrades?
The Interim Parliament’s Second Amendment to the Constitution:
Today’s news hearkens that the draft of the second amendment to the constitution providing “for removing the monarchy by 2/3 majority of the parliament, if the proposal is tabled by the cabinet” has been approved by the Interim Parliament. Is this a joke? What right does a parliament which essentially has been appointed, not least with the support of communist guns, have to take a decision of this magnitude? Over two centuries of the monarchy cannot be washed away like left-over food. King Prihivi Narayan Shah, the promulgator of the present Shah dynasty, created Nepal through blood and guts and the nimble mind of a superb military strategist. Yet this Interim Government had the gall not to celebrate Prithivi Jayanti this year, signifying its total disregard for national unity and sovereignty. Agreed there were many weak monarchs who succeeded Prithivi Narayan, but national integrity and sovereignty were maintained throughout the period of the British Raj in South Asia. King Tribhuvan led the ending of 104 years of Rana oligarchy and brought in the dawn of Democracy, with B.P. Koirala as the first elected Prime minister of Nepal. That democracy was further re-confirmed by King Birendra in 1990. It is not an exaggeration or royalist propaganda to affirm that the monarchy in Nepal has served as a pivot to the political evolution of this country.
The present interim Parliament is composed of individuals who last ran for elections almost a decade ago. They are not accountable to their constituencies, i.e. the People. To make matters worse, the Maoist rebels, who precipitated over 13,000 Nepali deaths over the past decade, have been made partners in the government. Without firing a single bullet against state security forces in Kathmandu, they have achieved participation in government – not elected by a single Nepali. The Seven Party coalition has appeased the Maoists to gain a momentary fleeting peace; the ghost of Neville Chamberlain arises now in Nepal.
Were the parliament to proceed with a vote on the monarchy, firstly, it is almost certain that a two-thirds majority to abolish the monarchy would not be achieved. Secondly, were it to be achieved, the Nepali people will not be taken for granted by a bunch of opportunist power-hungry politicians with hues from red to pink. They will arise and demand to have a say in the future of the monarchy. They will demand for a referendum. These are demands that cannot be ignored by the government. Should the demand be ignored, who is to say that appropriate action to protect our time-honoured institution – which still serves the needs of Nepal – is not justified? The YCL and the Madhesis have shown us what “appropriate action” means to them. The people of Nepal will therefore show all and sundry what appropriate action they will take to stop a handful of unelected politicians from making fools out of them. The common Nepali is seen as a docile individual bending readily to authority. From the common Nepali milieu, there have also been historical figures like Balbhadra Kunwar and Amar Singh Thapa who have not shrunk from fighting to preserve the sovereignty and national unity of their beloved country. Let us also not forget the legendary bravery of the Gurkha regiments who have fought for the British and the Indians. Nepalis are not loathe to fight for what is right. They will not be cowered by anachronistic philosophies or power-drunk politicians. Let there be no doubt about that.
Instead of playing political games with the constitution, it behooves the Interim Government to proceed swiftly and efficiently towards ensuring fair and secure elections for the Constituent Assembly in Mangsir (by end November 2007). Democracy in Nepal cannot be safeguarded without these elections. There are two important aspects here: the political awareness of the voters and their security at the polling booth. Voters must know what they are voting for, not just who they are voting for. The parties’ platforms must be made clear to the voting public. Hand in hand, the government security apparatus including especially the Nepal Army must ensure that every voter who wishes to vote can do so freely and without intimidation.
The brevity of this article is a reflection on the need to stop beating around the bush and tackle the priority issues. Time is running out. Empty words will never replace timely action. The time for action is here. It is now.
It doesn't matter what right the parliament has or doesn't have. Looks like anything done in the guise of democracy is the "right" thing.
Carter hails Girija as "my hero." Such is the magic of the term democracy. To me Girija as much, if not more responsible as the King for Nepal's current state of affairs. But oh well, what do I know about democracy.
And no matter how hard the horn of democracy is touted, the truth many be that no one really wants elections to take place in Nepal except one group. Read more at:
http://lovesnepal.blogspot.com
As if on cue...
gotta love Jiang Xialing's comment to the Nepali times when a reporter asked this question:
"Does that mean the Chinese government will treat the problems of Nepali citizens just like it does those of the Chinese?"
Answer: "It means exactly that. Whenever the Nepali people face any problem or difficulty, China shall treat them as our own, especially when the problems pertain to sovereignty or territorial integrity. China will not tolerate any foreign intervention in Nepal."
Also, ambassador Xialing took a hard line on tibetan issues saying he would not tolerate "splittist" activities.
So,children, never doubt blogdai on this issue again please. We see very directly that China will come to Nepal's defence in the event of sovereignty and border compromise; i.e. losing a buffer state. This comment was aimed directly at India and a shot over the bow towards the Yanks.
-=blogdai
Blogdai:
Quiet frankly that comment by the Chinese ambassador is just a useless, empty rhetoric. Nepal is dependent on India for everything – from oil to basic commodities. Every new prime minister’s first order of business is to visit New Delhi not Beijing. We need a new foreign policy approach. The previous “panchyati” mind set of playing India against China isn’t going to work given the current geo-political circumstances. The name of the game today is economics and trade. Like I mentioned before India and China have too much too loose to fight over an insignificant country like Nepal. The Chinese are out for themselves. It would be really foolish on our part to irk India and try to play the China card. It’s be tried before by Mehendra, Tnaka Acharya and others. It never works.
I am not sure about this buffer state thing either. India and China already have large bordering areas, they already have such a huge grip on Tibet (have you heard how much Tibet has changed?), the Dalai Lama is getting really old etc etc. How much of a threat is Tibet really?
“China will not tolerate any foreign intervention in Nepal”
And what do you think is happening now in Nepal? In fact where has China been all along – India has always interfered in Nepal’s business.
China does not need Nepal as a buffer state. Tibet and Himalyas are huge buffers between mainland China and India.
Yep, China of course want all it's neighbors on it's favor. But what are they willing to pay for this? China has 14 neighbors including some with hostile relationships at times such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and India.
China has already checked on India by helping Pakistan procure Nuclear weapons. In addition, China and India relationships are improving a lot.
Even if India interferes with Nepal's sovereignity like it always does, what can China do? They cannot wage a war, which will be costly. If Nepal and India were to cut off ties, and India cuts off oil and supplies, China will not be an alternative because of the transportation costs.
I do not know if you were in Nepal in around 1990. The relationships between Nepal and India was so bad that India stopped trade with Nepal. We had to bring oil in planes. We had quota for everything from oil, salt, sugar, rice, etc. At that time, China basically said that Nepal needs to
depend on India for supplies because the transportation costs from China is so huge.
Dependence and control are two different things.
Indian warplanes patroling the Chinese border in Nepal vs. compliant and bribery-acceptant RNA units are an easy choice for China.
Dependence on India is obvious. Does that keep Nepal from signing and entering into independent agreements with China? Would an Indian controlled Nepal sign any such agreement that was not in India's interest? Would India, if it controlled Nepal sign anything agreeing to stifle Tibetan activism on its own soil the way Nepal has?
Think people, and understand the strategic vs. the purely economic.
-=blogdai
Am I missing something or has there been no new post since Blogdai's dated June 16? Do I hear the Sounds of Silence?
Now that the PM has come out clearly advocating abdication for the King and the Crown Prince, do we support Hirendra as the saviour of the institution of monarchy? Do we keep supporting Gyanendra as the rightfully anointed king? Or is Gribani the rightful monarch who will further preserve King Birendra's lineage? Comments anyone?
I don't think that's a bad idea for Gyanendra if he is interested in saving the institution of Monarchy. It would take Prachanda and the rest of the ball-less SPA by suprise.
However, all this is irrelevant given what's happening in Nepal. It seems to be that the leaders are content with keeping this in the status quo. The longer they can keep Nepal in this interm state the better for them - because then is there no accountability.
Bhudai Pundit
King Gyanendra and RNA need to strike at the right time and right place to get rid of SPAM warlords and then try to usher in a democratic era.
I say get rid of Nepal. Who needs it? Why? When will the people get anything out of this? Simply election is not democracy and we had elections during the panchayat era as well. Now with this complete and absolute democracy, things are not that different from panchayat era. The eight parties decide everything, even who can or can not run in the upcoming elections. They say the supressors of the april uprising will not be allowed to contest but they have not made the rayamajhi report public yet. The people have the right to vote, but not to choose. People have the right to vote but not to speak (in support of monarchy). This is a sham conspired by India. The king is still popular and not because he is a great man but because the SPAM are worthless pieces of shit and are incapable of any sincerity towards their country. Why do we need nepal if everything is decided by India and America? Now the ambassadors have even started distributing awards and certificates to general nepalis in various opening ceremonies as chief of guests.
looks like blog dai is in trouble
Blogdai is never done. 'Blogdai' is perpetual revolution. More precisely, blogdai is evolution over revolution. Blogdai is resistance against repression. Blogdai is sanity over mass hallucination. Blodai is reason over ryhme. Blogdai is ...
Let the great debate begin...
-yours freely
Now- lets step back see it like this. Monarchy was the stumbling block for Indians, it got in the way for securing invisible control of Nepal and they pursued UML in 1990s and once they saw it falter they propped up Maoist to derail the democratic setup which was taking a foothold by making political parties fall on each other and pull government down under any pretext, they achieved it and now as Maoist are on the verge of total control, may be more than Indian's liking they have raised Madhesi revolt to counter balance. So in the end- we, forgetting our sovereignty & nationhood, have been a playground of our special neighbors whose sole aim is to make Nepal bleed in order to safeguard its vital national interest to exploit natural resources. UML, Congress(D), Congress, Maoist & all the loose ends political parties have played their part to make this nation what it is today by being rat with India as a Pied piper except Monarchy and it was made to pay heavy price for it while trying to stand up for Nepal and Nepali.
This is a nation now which cannot make its own decisions, decide its own course of future and cannot afford resemblance of civilized nation and a society. For much for the talk about aping India from Movies to politics.
DOA
Completely agreed with DOA. Nice observation.
Nepal is nation getting LOST in Transition. SPAM, a misfits among themselves, are trying hard to prove their unworthiness by making decrees & amendments that has no legal validity or nor the mandate of the people and hawkers sitting by the wayside are busy giving their two cents worth of advise goaded with their "interest" rather than of a nation losing itself in transition. India believes in its moral duty without conviction, acts Ravan with misplaced and disjointed heads that can never sing in unison and never will. So there you have it- we need multiparty system with constitutional Monarchy.
Unless we learn to kill of SPAM- this high drama of smugglers and misfits will remain protracted at the cost of our future generation who have at least passed SLC and are in era of MTVs and CNN not Banarashi, cultural revolution and Gulags or for that matter Nehruian socialism. Let them have freedom of mind not only of action.
DOA
Cameron Diaz apologizes for Maoist bag
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_en_mo/people_cameron_diaz
IMA, Peru - Cameron Diaz apologized Sunday for carrying a bag with a political slogan that evoked painful memories in Peru.
The voice of Princess Fiona in the animated "Shrek" films visited the Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru's Andes on Friday carrying an olive green bag emblazoned with a red star and the words "Serve the People" printed in Chinese, perhaps Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong's most famous political slogan.
The bags are marketed as fashion accessories in some world capitals, but in Peru the slogan evokes memories of the Maoist Shining Path insurgency that fought the government in the 1980s and early 1990s in a bloody conflict that left nearly 70,000 people dead.
"I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it," Diaz said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.
On Friday, one prominent Peruvian human rights activist said Diaz should have been a little more aware of local sensitivities when picking her accessories.
In Sunday's statement, the star of "There's Something About Mary" said the purpose of her visit was to participate in a television show that celebrates Peru's culture. The actress has been in Peru as part of "4 REAL," a Canadian TV production that focuses on young community leaders around the world.
"I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history," she said.
Diaz also spoke of Peruvians' beauty and warmth and said she wished "for their continued healing."
EVERYONE KNOWS HOW THE BLOODY MAO TERRORISTS IN PERU AND CAMBODIA KILLED PEOPLE JUST LIKE IN NEPAL. PERUVIANS HATE MAOISTS (just like we hate SPAM warlords) AND DONT EVEN WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE MAO TERRORISTS WHO TORCHERED THEM IN THE PAST.
BEWARE OF THESE SPAM WARLORDS...IN THE FUTURE WE WILL HAVE PAINFUL MEMORIES OF THESE WARLORDS LIKE GIRIJA, PUSHPA AND OTHERS JUST LIKE PERUVIANS HAVE OF THEIR MAO TERRORISTS
Where does the letter campaign stand?
What can we expect from you Blogdai? You started the letter campagin to challenge Maoists. It has been months since you claimed that you collected 1,000 signatures. What happened?
Patience, child.
Preparation and momentum are everything.
If your attention span is wavering, relax and go and get some ice cream; think of something else for a while so when the distribution campaign kicks off, you will be able to giggle with joy anew.
-=blogdada
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