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RIP, Axis of Nepali Politics

Nepal has lost its most criticized and most praised political personality.

Girija Prasad Koirala (1925-2010) passed away on Saturday afternoon, at 12:10 p.m. on March 20, after being the axis of Nepali politics for at least last two-decades.

He led four of 18 governments since the establishment of democracy in 1990 through a popular movement. He was one of the leading forces then but soon after emerged as the most powerful single political personality.

He was stubborn to his beliefs and thoughts, yet the power to persuade, or to enforce, them.  That one quality, along with his long contribution and commitment to democracy, put him to a height that rarely any personality could achieve.

Early in his life, he fought for the cause of laborers and began his political career which was eminent given that his father was on exile for raising voices against autocratic Rana regime and his both bothers being into politics.

He was also involved in looting the jewelry and gold from bank to fund the armed movement against Panchayat System and led the hijacking of an airplane in domestic flight in 1973.

When he became the prime minister for the first time in 1991, he continued a family legacy which saw two of his brothers led the nation. The first taint on his career emerged when he dissolved the parliament after three years. The general election that followed failed to give any party the majority.

He led the minority government in 1998 and again Nepali Congress government in 2000 forcing party’s own PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to resign. During his third tenure, the Royal Massacre happened.

Following the April Uprising in 2006, he sworn in for the fourth term which saw him sign one of the most important documents in Nepal’s political history – the peace accord with the Maoists. After abolishment of monarchy, he became the acting head of the state until the election of the first president.

Until the every eve of his life, Koirala was a very vocal ‘anti-communist’. But towards the end of his life, he was soft as he agreed to sign a 12-point agreement with Maoists and worked together with communist forces for the cause of democracy.

At the time of his demise, he was leading the political activities as the co-ordinator of the High Level Political Mechanism.

* * *

Though he always kept his private life confined within the boundary of his family members, he seemed to be an emotional family man.

His conjugal life, with a widow whom he married, lasted only 16 years, from 1952 to 1978.

And, he was also involved in a corruption scandal – that involved benefits for his daughter Sujata Koirala whom, after she returned and took a political career, he continued promoting in party ranks and government despite wide-spread criticism. It was for more love for the daughter than anything else.

* * *

I was not a particular fan of Girija Prasad Koirala despite being an admirer of his brother B P Koirala, both for his literature and political thoughts. In fact, many put me as the GPK-critic for I always thought him of being a crooked politician.

I represent a family that was led by a person who stood, and failed, against Koirala after the establishment of democracy. My distant uncle, Jaganath Acharya, resigned from his cabinet following a dispute with Koirala, who seemed to be against the much needed land reforms. Acharya led the force of 36 MPs against Koirala which forced him to dissolve the parliament.

Apart from that for me he was too stubborn to be a political leader (though I admit that this characteristic proved beneficial for the country later on) and was too focused on his personal cause than that of nation and party.

But 2006 changed my views on him. I wasn’t a big fan but an admirer; I disliked a few of things he did afterwards but never went vocal, even at teashop gossips, against him for I saw him the only person capable of keeping the democratic political forces tied for the nation.

As he used to say that ‘the peace process the last struggle of his life’ and jokingly that he would haunt if it’s not completed before his death, I believe he passed away a little early.

Without the axis, the political forces are in a danger of being divided and weak; and that in lack of the father-like figures, the political leaders are more likely to fight for wrong causes.

Let’s hope his last wishes of concluding peace process will be completed in time and that the political forces will join hands for the good cause for which he left responsibility to them.

With his demise, Koirala is no longer a Nepali Congress leader; he is no matter which political belief we follow, is the national hero!

May his soul rest in peace!

March 20, 2010 by Politics Talks Remembrances Sadly!

Shameful

The news was: Nepal Police raided at a Bunkers’ Party at the Babylon Disco in Kathmandu and arrested and detained for a day 356 college students.

The background was: Police tipped off all the media about the raid.

The result was: A television station which happened to be a walking distance of the disco live covered the raid. The news made front pages of every newspaper and prime news of televisions (as if this is of national importance).

The truth is: It was immoral, something that is not socially accepted, in part of the children to bunk classes and attend a disco.

Yet another truth is: It was immoral for police for create such a fuss of the event.

The unanswered question is: Who the hell is Nepal Police to arrest youngsters who are not involved in any illegal activities? What on the earth prompted them to tip-off media for the live coverage? Are they trying to copy, at least in part, the Moral Police that once dreaded the streets of Afghanistan?

We all believe what the students did was wrong – morally wrong not legally wrong (because this is the country where there is no legal restrictions of smoking and drinking or even bunking classes).

I believe that what Nepal Police did was morally as well as legally wrong. I am not saying they do not have the authority to raid or arrest people; but if they arrest 356 people and release every one of them without any indictment, then this only means a drama for nothing!

The senior police officials probably enjoyed the evening with a peg or two of whisky for staging such a big drama. Well done! But what about the youngsters? Most of them were crying and some of them were forced to show their faces to the television cameras (and did not the police use offensive language with them)?

I am sure throughout their lives they will never utter police without using an abusive word prefixed.

Our police should understand that morality and legality are different. People could do something which is morally wrong, but the police is legally bound, they are not the Talibans.

For the Nepal Police and for the television broadcasting it live, it’s a shame!

March 20, 2010 by Sadly!

Cricket

Disconnected thoughts reflecting cricket and events surrounding the game

Cricket has long been a sport with potential but with defeats in key matches earned Nepal a nickname of chokers. The dream of playing World Cup almost forgotten, Nepal hosted World Cricket League Division 5 – a step of the World Cup qualification and won it.

Nepal almost choked again after four comprehensive wins. It did lost to USA in the last league match and hadn’t there was crowd trouble, Nepal was more likely to be out of final.

* * *

Unruly crowd behavior! Well, many called it Kathmandu Riot. We were on the receiving side and members of the country which looked like benefitting from the situation. Whatever I told others – those not present in TU Ground – about the event, accurately, believed that I was trying to cut down badness of the events.

An American journalist who was live covering the game wrote – he felt there was police firing teargas – and everyone believed it [despite the journalist himself writing, later, that it was not true]. And, people seemed to believe 12,000 spectators invaded the ground while nobody entered the ground.

There were many who wrote as if the situation was fully intentional and calculated by spectators [the truth is even ICC was not clear on who reached the final more than half-an-hour after the completion of the match].

* * *

I am not defending what happened at TU.

I felt sorry for Singapore too who looked like suffered most from it.

But I do not agree that Nepal’s cricket should be punished. The situation was under control within 15 minutes, not even a single person was injured, even minor. If there are thousands of people at the ground, there can be minor scuffles – always.

And, ICC is reportedly in a quandary:

As for the ICC, it is in a difficult position. If it fails to act then there is a danger it sets a precedent for crowds to disrupt matches if doing so will benefit their side. Against that, it will not want to stamp down to heavily on a country where cricket has really taken hold.

* * *

And, ICC – the organizer of the event – became irrational a couple of time. First, they wanted media to sign a media accreditation contract that was suited when the event was sold to TV, radio and internet for live coverage. After informal/indirect request yielded nothing, we have to go formally via Nepal Sports Journalists Forum and threaten to boycott their press conference. Then they were ok and look, what coverage the event got, without anyone complaining.

The cricket rule-book say local conditions may apply; and looked like ICC had not understood the application outside the boundary.

Another time: ICC media manager disrupted an interview with Nepal’s coach Roy Dias more than half-an-hour after the conclusion of final and end of prize distribution ceremony telling us that we could only talk to him when they say ‘ok, here you go.’

Totally illogical!

* * *

So far, Nepal had only failed to win two of the tournaments that it has hosted – the 1998 ACC Trophy and 2007 ACC U-15 Trophy when all teams – except two – were disqualified for fielding overage players.

Is there a translation for Ghar ko bagh…?

Right now, the ACC U-16 Elite Cup is going on and hopefully Nepal continue to be tiger at home.

And, hopefully, one day, Nepal will be playing in the World Cup!

March 11, 2010 by Sports Story

Lionhearted athletes

In praise of the performance of the Nepali players in the South Asian Games (SAG) 2010

Nepal was placed fifth with eight gold medals, nine silver medals and 19 bronze medals. This was not a brilliant performance by Nepal, but nevertheless, it was a more than brilliant performance from the athletes – everybody of them, the winners of the medals and others.

I am saying this because throughout my career as sports journalist I have always felt that the athletes are into the game for just one thing: the passion. Whatever they perform is more of their individual commitment and dedication as the country, I understand why, has not done many things to help groom their talents.

And, we know well the officials. This SAG, the officials did not perform well to ensure that the Bangladeshi organizers got the right national anthem to play [they played wrong anthem repeatedly]; some of the officials played war-of-words in the arena [in kabbadi] and many of them probably learnt how the game, they were official for, is played!

Nepal’s sport is as usual – sadly not much improvement in the past decade!

But most of the athletes are different! They play for their passion and pride of the nation despite knowing that they are offered peanuts. The country is not able to provide them more facilities or life-living options; but we have also failed to provide them what we could have easily done – the morale boosting moral support.

This SAG, there were a few beyond average performances that showed the talent and passion of the players.

Debu Thapa, the judo player, had the heart to compete and win a bronze despite being in a hospital after a lift accident at hotel.

Rajendra Bhandari, the Nepal Army runner who was banned for two years after testing positive for performance boosting medicine use in 2007, returned with a bang – in different category: the marathon [earlier he was running 3000m and 5000m] and won the gold.

Deepak Bista, the taekwondo icon who is already in the history book qualifying for the Olympics and winning three SAG gold medals, had passion and zeal enough to win fourth gold with a weakened knee.

Aren’t they lionhearted athletes? Of course, they are. [And, when they were winning I was remembering how disappointed Deepak was when the government terminated his temporary appointment at National Sports Council a couple of years ago / and how harshly the officials and how emotionally Rajendra reacted to his drug test results!]

Salute to them and all other athletes of the country!

February 13, 2010 by Sports Story

I love Bhaktapur

One of my favorite activities while on holidays is roaming in and around the Bhaktapur Durbar Square – a UNESCO heritage site in my home district.

Being rich in art and artifacts, the mediaeval palace and its surroundings offer me something new every time I spent time there. Sometime, I discover an art I have never noticed, other times, I walk through a new alley and most of the time the square offers me a different kind of tranquility despite never being deserted.

I love sitting on a corner watching people’s activities: tourists taking photographs, children playing around, elders sitting together chatting and smiling and people moving. I feel almost like watching a favorite program on a muted television.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is different than Kathmandu or Patan Durbar Square, for it seems lazily peaceful; for it offers glimpses into lives of people still to be touched much by modernity. It looks more a community backyard than a touristic attraction.

Last Saturday I was there for a peaceful evening just strolling around with my beloved wife and taking a few photographs and the most interesting piece I discovered, that I had never noticed before, was a statue just beside the famous 55-windowed-palace.

It’s a woman walking with a dog and dragging a child [distinctly a boy]. Here it is:

More about Bhaktapur: Nepal Tourism Board, Wikipedia & Virtual Tour to Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

February 11, 2010 by Leisurely Activities

Troublesome gunture

Gunture n. 1. gun culture. 2. use of guns in society.

Today, Jamim Shah, a media entrepreneur, was shot dead in his car at Lazimpat, Kathmandu. Shah, the owner of Channel Nepal – the first satellite television channel of the country and also of a cable television network, once was publisher of two national dailies.

Every murder is cold blooded; but after hearing the news of Shah’s murder, I felt worse than a murder. Not only because he was a media entrepreneur but because it was an addition to a series where guns are used in a way unprecedented in our history.

A few days ago, fellow blogger KP Dhungana wrote an entry (Nepali link): Tomorrow’s headlines could be like these. He listed five hypothetical headlines:

  • Husband shot at wife for [tasteless] curry
  • Neighbors shot at each others on issue of waste, seven injured, three serious
  • Pistol found in tiffin box of 12-year-old
  • Guns used after motorcycles collide
  • Bus assistance shot at demanding passenger

It was more of a satire. But also was an indication to the future. The gunture is not new in developed countries – more so in USA. But we were not much used to such news. We called ourselves peaceful and the gunture was rare.

Thanks to the Maoists’ People’s War and the rise of armed groups in Terai along with the lack of impunity, the gunture is on the rise in Nepali society.

The murder of Shah may not be a perfect example of gunture but the murder of eight-year-old schoolboy Santosh Karki in Gothatar was. Innocent Karki became victim of gunture when gun was used in a minor conflict.

Nobody can deny the fact that the armed conflicts and impunity are chief motivating factors behind gunture that one day in future could endanger more innocent lives. Events like blind firing in crowded places could happen in future because not much concerns are shown in the psychological management of those who have fought or/and killed or/and seen killings of people during the Maoists’ armed revolt.

Impunity also should end; political parties should be concerned if their stand for political benefits is paving way for crimes in future.

Gunture is not going to be good for any of us!

February 7, 2010 by Sadly!

The future of newspapers

Will newspapers still be called newspapers if they cease to print on papers? Or will it simply be the online news site?

It’s kind of absurd in Nepali context to think that newspapers is facing big challenge from online web sites – especially at the time when the newspapers are actually growing. But unlike many other technologies, web technology impacts very quickly and it’s not completely worthless to predict that in a decade or so, newspaper would become a rarity!

Wait… the newspaper here means the newspapers printed on the pulp paper and thrown to our door early morning or bought from stalls.
The hardware that is making news these days is e-reader. Beginning from Amazon’s Kindle to Barnes & Noble’s Nook to Sony’s readers to announced-but-not-available Skiff to just announced Apple’s iPad, e-readers are hot products.

With hot products come predictions. For many technology writers, e-readers are future of newspapers. Here is a new one in the line: Can the Apple iPad save newspapers? By Mercedes Bunz in the Guardian’s The Digital Content Blog. The concluding line of the writing is: If Steve Jobs would save journalism, it might be possible that publishers would get him the Holy Grail. And, there are many such blogs, and articles in the same line.

What I am wondering at is that will newspapers be still called newspapers if they are not available on paper and only available in e-readers. And, most important question is: is online killing journalism? Or does death of newspapers mean death of newspapers?

For me, newspaper will not be newspapers if they are not on papers. They will simply be online news site – regardless of what design they have or in which devices they are available. The media industry (for now, the newspaper industry) can neither remain constraint with once-a-day update in the growing threat from pure online news portals nor they can avoid multimedia even if their products are only available in e-readers.

If that happens, the line between online news portals and used-to-be-printed-on-paper online news will be blurred and omitted.

E-readers can off course save the media industry who can simply close-down printing presses (and replace by a team of web designers and programmers) in the fight of survival with the online news portals.

And, I believe newspapers are not the yardstick of journalism. Journalism is collecting, writing and presenting of news and in doing so following some universally accepted principles such as accuracy, objectivity and fairness.
 
As a blogger – I always believed that there is nothing called absolute objectivity (for that matter nothing absolutely right or absolutely wrong). It depends on the perspective of the individuals. And, I also believe that feelings of the human being in any news are more important than facts.

Journalism should evolve; the principles we hold today for it were not the exact principles held a few decades ago and they will not remain exact in next few decades. So, even if there is no newspapers, journalism will remain with more strong principles and matured practices.

Newspapers may be something not as popular as it today, but media industry will remain [I don’t say survive because falling down of companies and rising of new companies is a constant process]. But the dominant medium will be web!

January 29, 2010 by Journalism & Media Mainstream Media Online Journalism

Someday, we will find a way

These days I am almost optimistic about Nepal’s political future. True, because I believe in what the world should call ‘the Nepali magic’: when it looks like we are going to worse, something good happens and we move towards better.

Wasn’t it true during the 1990 Revolution? Everybody believed the then King Birendra bowed down too early, but it was exactly at the time when the Jana Andolan (the Popular Movement) was looking to go bloody.

It was also true for the Maoist Conflict. It took almost 14,000 lives but then after 10 years of the beginning, the so-called People’s War came to an end exactly at the time when Nepali started getting frustrated with daily news of violence.

So with monarchy! With soft-heart Birendra, monarchy was almost okay but after the Royal Massacre that killed all the royals except a few, Gynendra did not appeal much of the people. Yet he decided to become powerful playing on people’s frustrations over political parties. And, with army censoring media; leaders house-arrested, it looked like a glum future – at least half-a-dozen years.

But when other things looked like not working, the people rose. The Jana Andolan II or April Uprising was built on two things: the hope of peace (since Maoist tied with other political parties and signed a deal) and democracy!

It too was successful without much blood!

Right now, darkness looks like descending. May 28, 2010 is the deadline for the Constituent Assembly (CA) to promulgate the new constitution or to die. The Interim Constitution is silent about CA’s extension and at least legal experts believe CA can not be extended in a constitutional way (off course, the CA can do it politically).

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is either urging the parties to complete constitution writing in time or has grown ambitious about ruling. His advisors, and he himself, is saying he would be the only man in power standing if the CA fails.

If that happens, we will have a constitutional deadlock and may be an autocratic ruler who also happens to be the supreme commander of the Nepal Army (and has a soft corner from among the army men for saving their chief from falling ‘constitutional acting’ against the Maoist government decision).

What then?

As an optimistic citizen with faith on the Nepali magic (which I believe is the result of Nepali’s peace-loving / patriotic nature), I believe the CA will meet the deadline.

I am also saying this because almost all the groundwork – the draft documentation of the constitution’s major parts that takes time – has already been completed (kudos to the CA members in the thematic committees).

The delay is due to difference in some aspect that needs the consensus / agreement among major political parties (read: top leaders) which they can garnish within a few days (and they would meet day and night, here and there, on person and on phone) to agree.

Let’s be optimistic! (However, let’s continue being concerned about it.)

[The title of the post is a line of a song that I love: Someday by Nazanin Afshin Jam who is an Iran-born Canadian Miss World runners-up and social worker. The chorus is: Someday, we will find a way, someday, someday, someday, the darkness fades away, someday. If you want to hear/watch the song, here it is; lyrics here.]

January 14, 2010 by Politics Talks

Unity

Today is Poush 27 according to Bikram Sambat calendar and it’s the National Unity Day. The government in 2007 decided to cancel the public holiday because it was the birth anniversary of King Prithivi Narayan Shah – the first king of greater Nepal.

His birth anniversary was celebrated as the public holiday for his unification of 52 states that makes the present-day Nepal more than 250 years ago.

Photo by Bikash Karki

Statue of Prithivi Narayan Shah in Kathmandu. Photo by Bikash Karki

Critics say his unification was a personal ambition and that he failed to unite the country culturally, but everything great people do is a personal ambition and nobody in the world is so perfect that they would do everything right.

For a Nepali citizen like me who grew up being proud to be a national of ever-independent nation (because Nepal was never a colony), what Prithivi Narayan Shah did was a great contribution. If we evaluate him in present day’s context or from what his grandsons or great grandsons did to the country, it would be a wrong approach.

For that, I believe, Prithivi Narayan Shah should remain a hero of the nation and that National Unity Day should be celebrated (public holiday is not only one thing to celebrate).

If a word best describes him, then its UNITY. And, unity is a pressing need in present Nepal. And, also unity is what made magical transformation here with the armed conflict coming to an end and republic democracy being established throwing out the autocratic monarchy.

But unity is still needed. Unity is needed (most importantly among leaders and political parties) for:

  • Writing constitution in time
  • Concluding peace process
  • Holding election in accordance with new constitution

Off course, the need of unity does not end there. It’s always required for the betterment and development of the nation, but then after the transition period of political transformation ends, we – our leaders and political parties will have spare time to remain in conflict (though not desirable).

Photo by Bikash Karki

United Nepal: The statue of Prithivi Narayan Shah in front of Nepal's main administrative building Singha Durbar. Photo by Bikash Karki

Let’s celebrate the Unity Day. Let’s demand unity among our representatives!

January 11, 2010 by Remembrances

High Level Political Mechanism?

On January 8, a High Level Political Mechanism was constituted by the chairs of three main political parties – the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML).

Since it was a meeting that involved Girija Prasad Koirala, 86, it took place at his residence [because he is fragile and does not like travelling much]. And, the octogenarian leader showed he is still the most important man in Nepali politics by becoming the co-ordinator of the mechanism that, for the sake of all of us, aims to conclude the peace process, write constitution and remove political deadlocks.

Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal are the members, at least for now and, don’t be surprised, they look at Koirala as the savior for their ‘intra-party political supremacy’.

Koirala is undisputed in his party (that is unless he decides to promote his daughter); the towering figure in Nepali politics who seems to run only by his own will.

Prachanda’s supremacy in Maoists is threatened: Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who seems to garnish more political ‘is-good’ impression, is favored by many for his calmness (over Prachanda’s aggression / comical image).

Prachanda’s fear for losing his supremacy was seen in his leaked audio where he accused India of trying to promote Bhattarai as the next Prime Minister and the Maoist Central Committee’s decision that Prachanda would led the government if they join in.

Khanal defeated KP Sharma Oli in the election of chairman but the two are involved in an intra-party conflict so fiercely that the UML looks like in the verge of breakdown. Apart from that, if Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal succeeds, he would be credited for everything – and that will not do much good for Khanal as Nepal, a soft man without lofty ambitions, could
prefer Oli.

In such scenario, both Prachanda and Khanal need to do something grand on which they can firmly stand – at least within the party. High Level Political Mechanism is a part of that [This also explains why both Bhattarai and Oli questioned on the mechanism].

A little bit of bait for Koirala too: the government has decided to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and his chances at becoming the first Nepali to be honored with a Nobel Prize will increase greatly if he could get credit of the peace process.

Political games apart, the High Level Political Mechanism could prove vital and good for Nepal. I am not as worried as Oli or Bhattarai, for I do not actually care on the questions they arose if the mechanism could complete its objectives – which is the pressing need of the time.

As rarity almost on political front that I am optimistic [unlike a lot other friends] that despite whatsoever is going on, a couple of months here and there, we are going to conclude the peace process and promulgate the new constitution. And, of course, if the top three leaders could sit together under a mechanism, it’s obviously a very good sign.

January 9, 2010 by Remembrances

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