Girija Prashad Koirala (File Photo)

One of the senior most leaders of the seven party opposition alliance, Girija Prasad Koirala, has said that the King has not initiated efforts for the reconciliation to resolve current political stalemate of the country.

In an exclusive interview to BBC Nepali Service on Wednesday, Nepali Congress President Koirala said that there is still possibility of consensus with the King, adding, “The King should initiate effort for it as the ball is in the King’s Court.”

In a query from Rabindra Mishra of BBC, Koirala said that they are in favour of reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives, activation of the present constitution and going for the elections of the constituent assembly on the basis of broader national consensus.

Stating that all should realize their background, NC chief Koirala warned that the King should also not forget his background to save monarchy.

Protesting the government’s decision to impose prohibitory orders in the capital to foil the mass meeting of the seven opposition political parties, Koirala said those orders are issued to curtail civil liberties so the political parties will not follow it and hold the mass meeting through peaceful movement.

On Monday, the government imposed curfew in Kathmandu and Lalitpur and prohibited rallies and mass movement inside the Ring Road.

When asked if there is possibility of consensus with the King if the King rolls back the municipal polls, NC president Koirala said, “It will definitely create good situation to resolve problems dogging the country and the country will be safe from an accident.”

Koirala, who had played active role in reaching on the 12-point agreement between seven opposition alliance and the Maoists, ruled out the possibility of co-work with the Maoists until they laid down arms, but said the agreement was done to bring the Maoists to the boundary of the constitution.

Koirala urged all international communities particularly, the neighbouring countries China and India not to provide any assistance to the unconstitutional government.

India, US and UK has been stalling military assistance to Nepal following the February 1 royal takeover of last year, however China has described the King’s move as an internal affairs of the country.

Koirala also appealed to the people to protest against the municipal polls saying the army is holding the elections and it is not as per the aspiration of the people.

The alliance of seven opposition political parties is protesting against the February 1 royal takeover demanding restoration of full fledged democracy in the country.

The alliance has decided to actively boycott the municipal polls saying it is a ploy to legitimize royal rule.

Nabil Three Star Club (NTSC) and Manang Marsyangdi Club (MMC) were both held to a draw while Jawalakhel Youth Club (JYC) thrashed Boudha Football Club (BFC) 6-1 and Boys Union Club (BUC) defeated Friends Club (FC) 3-1 in the Martyrs Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football matches played on Wednesday.

In the match played at Dashrath stadium, Sankata Club held NTSC to a 1-1 draw. Nilendra Dewan scored on a rebound off Three Star goalie Upendra Man Singh in the 54th minute to put Sankata ahead. NTSC’s relentless attack paid off in the 74th when Bijay Gurung found the equaliser. Three Star almost walked away with three points, but Anil Gurung fired a shot straight into the hands of Sankata goalie Sangeet Rajak.

In the second match at Dashrath stadium, Nurudeen Olawale Salau gave MMC the lead in the 39th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the area. New Road Team (NRT) came back with Jeevan Sinkeman’s shot in an open net when he found a half cleared ball off Bikash Malla. Sunil Subedi’s shot was punched back by MMC goalkeeper Bikash Malla which was easily tapped in by Sinkeman.

At Halchowk, 10 men JYC took sweet revenge on BFC with a 6-1 win. Abdul Gani Olawale netted five goals while fellow Nigerian Jude gave JYC an early lead in the 4th minute. Abdul scored in the 6th, 9th, 23rd, 42nd and 74th minute in the match completely dominated by JYC. Milan Tamang scored the consolation goal for Boudha FC.

Jawalakhel was reduced to 10 men in the 32nd minute when Sunil Raut collected the second yellow card of the match.

In the other match at Halchowk stadium, Boys Union Club defeated Friends Club 3-1. Utsav KC put BUC ahead in the 32nd minute, while Mark D Afam doubled the tally six minutes later and added another in the 71st minute. Ramesh Maharjan netted the consolation goal for Friends Club in the 89th minute.

— TARANATH RANABHAT

Speaker of House of Representatives TARANATH RANABHAT is the only remaining elected representative of the parliament. When almost all members of his Nepali Congress (NC) party colleagues have given up century-old stand for national reconciliation, speaker Ranabhat have shown strong commitments towards the policy pursued by B.P. Koirala. Ranabhat spoke with KESHAB POUDEL and SANJAYA DHAKAL at his office in the House of Representatives regarding his political stand. Excerpts:

How do you see the political situation at present?

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Well, the political situation is in a very crucial stage. Nepal had not faced such a dangerous situation ever before. All the political forces are prisoners of indecision and the gap of mistrust among them has widened. There is a crisis of confidence among them. I have never experienced the situation like now in my political career. Instead of solving the political problems, they are becoming more and more complex.

When your party colleagues seem to have forgotten the importance of national reconciliation, you have been consistently defending it. Is it something you have faith in or is it only a political stunt?

What I have been speaking in the public is based on my inner commitments towards national reconciliation propounded by our great leader B.P. Koirala. I am a self-made politician. Three generations in my family have sacrificed for the cause of democracy. Even if I am alone, I will not abandon my conviction on national reconciliation.

Why do you see national reconciliation as so important?

In the context of Nepal , there are no other alternatives other than reconciliation. If we want to see independent Nepal , we must accept the presence of constitutional monarchy. Only our debate can be – whether the King should be autocrat or not and whether to compromise with the active monarch or not. There is a section of people who want to see active monarchy. Such people have clear agenda of extracting benefits in the name of active monarchy. There is another section of people that wants to teach a lesson to the King by pressing him to bow down before them. These both sections of people have similar intentions, as they want to weaken the monarchy for their own benefit. Both ideas are absolutely wrong. Whatever the circumstances, I cannot imagine the country without constitutional monarchy.

How do you view the stand of Nepali Congress now?

I think Nepali Congress has lost its identity by giving up its century-old stand on constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy. Even in past situations when then King had taken all kinds of actions to demoralize it, Nepali Congress did not give up its stand on constitutional monarchy. We firmly stood behind monarchy when King Tribhuwan took refuge in India . The continuity of institution of monarchy as well as the prestige and glory of the institution is important for us. In true sense, institution of monarchy is emotional unifying factor of Nepal and it is an institution of national unity. Whatever the situation we face, our party firmly held this view. After amending the party statute, we seem to have forgotten these vital aspects of monarchy.

After the amendment of the statute, what does your party stand for now?

Following the amendment, our position now looks like that of other communist parties. What makes us different than other political parties including Maoists? It looks no different than other irresponsible political parties. I have different values and commitments towards the institution of monarchy. I firmly believe that Nepal does not have any alternative other than to follow constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy. I wish Nepali Congress would correct its mistake and deviation. I don’t want the active King. We have to be vigilant whether King is moving towards the direction of active monarchy or not.

In your recent public meeting, you said don’t want to do politics by climbing over the shoulder of the King but rather do it by carrying King on your shoulder. What do you mean by it?

Present cabinet ministers are doing politics by climbing the King’s shoulder as they don’t have to take any responsibility for the actions of the King. Instead of that, I want to do politics carrying King on shoulder taking all responsibilities of the actions taken in the name of the King. The King is safe and secure on our shoulders rather than in company of the politicians who do politics climbing on his shoulder. There are many democratic forces in Nepal but Nepali Congress has its own identity and stand. Ours is the only party with time-tested faith and commitments towards constitutional monarchy. Other parties and individuals do not have such firm commitments. Many of the persons in present cabinet put all the blames on the King when they are summoned to take responsibility for the actions committed by them. Frankly speaking, the communists do not have any faith in constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy since they are in their grand strategy of ‘using the system.’ This is not my accusation against them. What I am honestly saying is their own philosophy. Even regarding this constitution, the communists have said they only support it along with ‘criticisms.’ For Nepali Congress, the present constitution is the ultimate objective. As long as there was good understanding among our senior leaders, our party was successful. Unfortunately, Ganeshmanji was later isolated as is Kishunji now. Girijababu is also facing similar situation. His own men are trying to isolate him.

How do you see the present situation when two forces are taking opposite stand on the elections?

The government and political parties are on the extreme sides. Of course, everyone likes elections and the election is a way to activate the present constitution. The political leaders in my party with whom I have a long association do not have any negative attitude towards the elections. Their demands only seem to be in the process of holding it. The ruling side announced the elections hoping that parties will be compelled to take part in it. This was their wrong assumption. Had the government announced elections by creating conducive environment by consulting them, the parties would not have boycotted it. Technically and legally, the present government can hold the elections mobilizing all the forces but it will not have political legitimacy. This is the government’s mistake. At a time when there is widespread protests throughout the country, there is no political sense in holding the municipal elections.

Don’t you think political parties can expose fairness and impartiality of the government by participating in the elections?

The thinking of the government side to sideline major political parties is non-political and irresponsible strategy. At a time when the government is already in war with Maoists, widening political gap with major political parties will be unbearable. The opposition parties, too, failed to accept it as a political challenge. Of course, this is a good opportunity to show international community and people and to test their own strength. If all seven agitating political parties had taken part in the election by naming collective candidates, they could have swept the elections. In case the government rigged the elections, parties would have gotten good opportunity to expose the government.

But the seven agitating parties have already announced that they will boycott the elections. How do you look at it?

It is a democratic right of the people to boycott the elections. If one has right to vote, other has right to boycott it. In a peaceful manner, individually and collectively, one can boycott the elections. However, it would be grossly wrong to talk about disrupting the elections. It will be counter productive for the leaders of major political parties to announce the disruption of elections. If they do so, people will see them as anti-democratic. I know that major political parties will not disrupt the elections but their mere announcement would create a situation where certain elements could enter the scene and disrupt the polls making the parties unpopular.

How do you see the overwhelming gathering of people in the rallies of the political parties as well as the King?

I see crowd in all political fronts. We can see large crowd in the rallies organized by seven parties. We can see the same people in the King’s meeting. Except some diehard supporters and workers, almost all the people who come to attend the rallies and royal visit are from the same stock. You cannot judge popularity on the basis of head count in the program. Our people are traditional. There is no single meanings of this gathering. Nobody can claim they are the force behind them. In fact, they are the silent majority. They have strong commitments towards democracy.

It was widely reported about two years ago that the King had offered you the post of prime minister. Was it true?

It is true that the King offered me the position of prime minister. I declined to be a prime minister by vacating the position of Speaker of House of Representatives. In fact, the King had agreed to appoint me as a prime minister keeping the position of Speaker intact. However, when palace officials demanded my resignation to become prime minister, I had to decline the offer. Since then, I started saying that the King and palace are two different things.

How do you see the possibility of revival of the House of Representatives?

The King was very positive towards the demand to revive the House of Representatives when Lokendra Bahadur Chand was prime minister. At that time, the King had even asked me to arrange a meeting with our leader Girija Prasad Koirala to discuss the issue. The King also asked me to fix the venue and date for the meeting with Koirala through prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand. When I enthusiastically took this message to Girijababu, he did not make any comment. When Lokendra Bahadur Chand made similar effort, again Girijababu did not respond. The possibility of revival ended when seven party alliances endorsed 18-points agenda with a demand to scrap the royal prerogative.

As the Speaker of House of Representatives, you frequently meet with the King. How do you see his commitments to democracy?

My impression about King Gyanendra is extremely positive. He sincerely expresses his commitments to constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy and the Constitution of Kingdom of Nepal 1990. I had a conversation with the King along with several senior leaders; King firmly said that he does not have any interest to scrap the constitution and be an active king.

Some of your party leaders and workers openly say that you are defending the institution of monarchy to continue as Speaker of House of Representatives?

(Laughs) This is just a false allegation against me. There are certain vested interest people in our party who even misguide our party leader Girija Prasad Koirala. I have sacrificed whole of my career for the cause of democracy and I am here as a worker of Nepali Congress. If you ask me personally, I am not interested to continue as a Speaker. As long as I am here as a speaker, the demand of my party to revive the House of Representatives will have some meaning. I continue as a speaker because of my leader Girija Prasad Koirala’s suggestion.

How do you see the demand of your party leaders about the election of constituent assembly?

If this constitution is scrapped, a liberal party like Nepali Congress will be the first victim. As I have mentioned earlier, followers of active monarchists and republican communists will be the happiest ones to see the back of this constitution. I don’t think constituent assembly will bring a better constitution than the present one.

In Nepal the saying ‘politics is a dirty game’ has special significance, our political masters have habitually defied logic to serve myopic designs even though these designs are strategically worthless.
Nearly a year after the February First royal takeover, a familiar pattern of senseless behaviour has been revealed which speaks poorly of the collective intellectual capacity of Nepal’s political elite.

Many pundits opposed the takeover because they equated this development with a power grab. Having correctly assessed part of the equation, they dismissed rational attempts at re-establishing equilibrium as ‘royalist designs’ and embarked on a journey of confrontation. Instead of employing counter-measures to desist a strategy predicated on divisions, our pundits consciously re-enforced ideological polarisation, forwarded individualistic agendas and further decimated the moderate platforms they purportedly represent.

Had the intent been to avert extremist designs, the common forum should have been a united front to negotiate with the Maoists. This approach would have guaranteed unconditional, unambiguous international support and would also have enabled the parties to keep their constituencies intact.

Moderates who claim with 20/20 hindsight that siding with the Maoists over the monarch is inherently more logical neglect the fact that carefully engineered outcomes and providence are not the same thing.

The main reason for polarisation is self-righteous pride. Such misguided arrogance renders humiliation a potent weapon that is repeatedly employed to diminish certain outcomes and augment others. Despite a repetitive (and predictable) pattern, our pundits demonstrate a suspended incapacity at placing populist interests ahead of individual ones. Case in point: after a dose of post- February First humiliation, our political gurus willingly participated in competitive radicalization. Despite having forecast a “grand design” our political visionaries did everything possible to see to the design’s unimpeded implementation.

Instead of preserving and building upon what remained of moderate politics, the seven party alliance has perilously expanded its membership to an eighth outfit: the Maoists. And the rebels have gone to great lengths to portray their 12-point agreement as a unified platform of opposition against the palace.

This agreement is reminiscent of superfluous attempts at defending democracy when what was really being defended was partisan underperformance. The 12-point agreement merely formalised what was already a shared agenda. More importantly, the agenda laid the ground work as a safety net for the Maoist leadership.

As ambiguous as the 12-point agreement may be, it serves a crucial purpose in the process of complete polarisation. For traditionally moderate parties like the NC, progression under a united leftist banner is not without peril. The champion of Nepal’s political middle ground is now a victim of its own hypocrisy: continued external opposition to an ‘undemocratic regime’ and internal, undemocratic suppression of an emerging generation.

Ultimately, we’ve arrived at the pinnacle of polarisation and the political blunder of all time: rejection of polls. No space need be wasted debating why. After all, rejecting elections did wonders for the democratic image of all actors involved. Whether the outcome was intentional (at least for the mainstream parties) is debatable.

As an evolutionary step, it is inherently more logical to first aim for a functional democracy as opposed to a full, liberal or absolute democracy. Even with the political haze that obscures our nation’s trajectory, it is evident that the foremost obstacle to democratic discourse is an arcane generation of leaders. The tradition of unflinching susceptibility to temptation and greed will persist for as long as outdated customs and their proponents enjoy positions of power.

Since Nepal’s political institutions are in the habit of following our southern neighbor’s lead, now would be a good time to take the example of individuals like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and A K Advani. It would be the perfect time to permit internal, political pluralism, to allow new faces in old positions and to transform democratic lip-service into democratic practice.

Courtesy : Nepalitimes

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected] and your comments/suggestions to [email protected])

Leaders of the seven opposition alliance have said that they will hold the mass meeting slated for January 20 despite the government’s ban on mass gatherings inside the ring road area.

The Home Ministry Monday asked the parties to call off their protest programme saying

there could be infiltration by Maoists in the mass meeting and further stated to “help resolve the problem through dialogue and understanding.”

However, the seven-party leaders flatly rejected the government’s offer for talks, saying the “government does not have any standing and authority to make such an offer”.

Reacting to the government’s offer for talks, Nepali Congress spokesperson Krishna Sitaula said the alliance would not hold talks with the ‘unconstitutional government’. He said that the government issued the statement fearing the alliance’s massive preparations for Friday’s rally, reports said.

Sitaula further said that their ‘peaceful and non-violent’ rally would go on as planned, adding that the Maoists resorted to violence as the government did not reciprocate their unilateral ceasefire.

CPN-UML spokesperson Pradip Nepal said that it’s an expression of the government’s defeated mentality.

“Its an extremism of autocracy,” Nepal said in reference to the government ban on public gatherings.

Vice-Chairman of People’s Front Nepal, Lila Mani Pokhrel, said that the government’s latest move is a ploy to diffuse the agitation of the seven political parties, reports added.

Joint general secretary of Rastriya Prajatantra, Party Khem Raj Pundit, said that the prohibition is a clear picture of autocratic rule.

The seven agitating political parties are planning to hold a massive demonstration in the capital on January 20 in a bid to actively boycott the municipal polls slated for February 8.

Home Minister Kamal Thapa

Home Minister Kamal Thapa (File Photo)
According to reports, the government announced such restrictions after Home Minister Kamal Thapa held discussions with His Majesty King Gyanendra, who is in a three week long informal visit to eastern development region in Ithari on Monday.

The report further said that Home Minister Thapa, who held discussion with chiefs of the security agencies, informed His Majesty about the security situation.

Maoists killed 12 security personnel on Saturday during raids at different police posts in the Capital.

Leaders of major political parties urged the Maoists to honour the 12-point understanding reached with the seven-party alliance in practice, and prove their commitment to it by shunning violence.

Speaking at a condolence meeting organized by Muktinath Adhikari Memorial Foundation in the capital on Monday, for Muktinath Adhikari and others who were brutally killed by rebels in Lamjung district, they said Maoists should not attack any unarmed and innocent people under the pretext of war.

They said that the 12-point pact was a preliminary step to pave the way for a peaceful resolution to the existing conflict.

The Maoists and seven agitating political parties reached to an agreement to restore complete democracy in the country and find a peaceful outlet to the Maoist insurgency.

Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary, Ram Chandra Poudel, charged that the king and the government were responsible for the resumption of violence in the country as they forced Maoists to break the unilateral ceasefire.

He urged the Maoists to comply with the 12-point agreement and shun violence.

NC leader Narahari Acharya called for the alliance to make the 12-point pact more comprehensive and effective to resolve the crisis, adding that the alliance should try to convince their leaders and cadres regarding their misunderstanding on the 12-point pact.

Leader of CPN-UML, Yuva Raj Gyawali, said that if the Maoists failed to implement the 12-point pact in practice and continued violence, it would strengthen the ‘king’s autocracy’ rather than pave the way out of the crisis.

Despite their assurance to join the political mainstream and respect civil and human rights of people, Maoists continued violent activities following the withdrawal of unilateral ceasefire on January 2.

The U-19 cricket team before departure. Photo courtesy: cricket.com.np

The U-19 cricket team before departure. Photo courtesy: cricket.com.np
The Nepali U-19 team recently departed for Colombo, Sri Lanka for a 15 day training and participation in the Under-19 Youth World Cup with the hopes of reaching the Super League stage.

The team will train in Colombo for 15 days to acclimatize. Nepal’s participation in the U-19 World Cup is fourth in a row after winning the U-19 ACC Trophy recently held in Kathmandu. Nepal is grouped with cricket powerhouses England, Zimbabwe and European qualifier Ireland in Group D of the tournament. Top two teams from each group qualifies for the Super League.

“I would like to come back on a higher note,” inspirational coach Roy Dias, a former Sri Lankan cricketer, said before departure. “If we make it to the Super League, it would be a great achievement,” he added.

Nepal played in the U-19 Youth World Cup for the first time in 2000 in Sri Lanka and surprised the world by defeating Kenya to reach the Super League ahead of South Africa. In 2002, Nepal defeated Pakistan and Bangladesh en route to Plate Final where it lost to Zimbabwe. South Africa became the victim of Nepal in 2004 where Nepal exited from the Plate League.

Nepal is playing Namibia on February 2 and Scotland on February 3 in official practice matches before taking on England on February 6. Zimbabwe will face Nepal the next day while the match against Ireland is scheduled for February 9.

The Cricket Association of Nepal recently organized a farewell program for the team. National Sports Council member-secretary Kishore Bahadur Singh, president Jai Kumar Nath Shah, vice-president Sri Niwas Rana, secretary Laxman Bastola, treasurer Pradip Karki and other CAN members were present on the program.

The Nepali squad is as follows:

Kanishka Chaugai (captain)
Paras Khadka (vice-captain)
Yashwant Subedi
Prem Chaudhary
Sharad Vesawkar
Gyanendra Malla
Mahesh Chhetri (wicket-keeper)
Basant Regmi
Ratan Rauniyar
Sashi Keshari
Raj Shrestha
Abhaya Rana
Bantu Bataju
Amrit Bhattarai
Roy Dias (coach)
Shankar Rana (assistant coach)
TB Shah (manager)
Diwakar Ghale (assistant manager)

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has participated in the ‘Vakantiebeurs 2006’, the leading Dutch travel exhibition and one of the largest holiday fairs in the world held from January 10-15 in the Netherlands.

A press statement issued by the Nepal Development Academy Netherlands said, “The fair was an ideal platform for Nepal to promote Nepal as an unique versatile holiday destination with major highlights like fascinating nature, rich culture, friendly people and tourist products like trekking, mountaineering, rafting, ballooning, bungee jumping, canoeing, paragliding, jungle safari etc.”

Thousands of Dutch people visited the Nepal stand during the fair.

The Royal Nepalese Ambassador of the Benelux Countries Narayan Shumshere Thapa and the Honorary Consul General for the Netherlands Cas de Stoppelaar were present at the opening day.

Nature Trail Trekking, Royal Mt Trekking, Moonlight Tours & Travels and Cho-Oyu Trekking had also participated in the fair along with NTB.

“They have promoted Nepal’s living culture, beautiful nature, rich tradition, religious harmony and friendly hospitable Nepali people during the fair,” the statement adds.

Human Rights Organizations have expressed dissatisfaction over the re–advertisement for the appointment of secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) neglecting the recommendation of the NHRC made one year ago.

A press statement signed by chiefs of 14 leading human rights organizations of the country has said that the present move is an attempt to make NHRC a pro-government organization.

The statement further said that the arbitrary appointment of the officials of the Justices of the Supreme Court, NHRC and formation of Royal Commission for Corruption Control are some attempts to institutionalize the autocratic regime.

“The negligence of the recommendation as per existing laws of the country in absence of parliament proves the intention of destroying the democratic norms, ” the statement further reads.

The statement also said that it seems that the NHRC is working under the shadow of the autocratic rule following the February 1 royal takeover.

The Election Commission (EC) has asked the Non Governmental Organisations wishing to play the role of observers in upcoming municipal elections to apply for the same along with necessary documents.

The application should include an attested copy of the Organisation’s Registration Certificate, Statute, report of any similar activity if carried out in the past, district and municipality intended to observe and a passport size photograph of the observer. The observer should be above 21 years of age.

The Commission will also allow interested International Organisations to become observers of the election.

Talking to Nepalnews on Tuesday, joint secretary and chief of the observation department, Pradip Kumar Khatiwada, said the commission will welcome any international organizations to monitor the polls to ensure free and fair elections.

He however said that no organizations have approached the EC for the purpose.

Khatiwada assured that the EC is ready to provide all necessary assistance to national and international organizations that wants to play the role of observers.

Meanwhile, the EC has said that it has received necessary documents from both factions of Rastriya Prajatantra Party in response to its call for submission of evidence for the official Rastriya Prajatantra Party, as claimed by both the sides.

The EC is holding municipal polls despite the call from major opposition political parties to actively boycott it. The EC is inviting national and international observers to observe the polls to assure international communities, which are raising credibility for free and fair polls.