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The Nepal Digest Monday 12 Dec 94: Mangshir 26 2051 BkSm Volume 34 Issue 9
To the Students: Good luck in the finals!
To everybody: Happy Holidays!
- TND Editorial Board
******************************************************************************
* TND Board of Staff *
* ------------------ *
* Editor/Co-ordinator: Rajpal J. Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
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* Editing Editor: Padam P. Sharma sharma@plains.nodak.edu *
* Discussion Moderator: Ashutosh Tiwari tiwari@husc.harvard.edu *
* Looking For Correspondent: Sudeep Acharya sa01@engr.uark.edu *
* Past Issues Correspondent: Sohan Panta k945184@atlas.kingston.ac.uk *
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* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* "If you don't stand up for something, you will fall for anything" -Dr. MLK *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" - Sirdar_RJS_Khalifa *
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******************************************************************************
**********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 17:28:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Aevendra Lohani <lohani@sun490.fdu.edu>
Subject: Censorship
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
First, thank you TND for your prompt response to my subscription request.
It has been a pleasure.
For the past few days I have been noticing a
passionate debate as to wheather or not certain offensive (?) type of
comments should be excluded. It seems that the TND board has reacted very
prematurely in siding with the vocal few. If the Nepal digest is an open
forum, and if free and frank discussions are encouraged, the question
of wheather the TND editorial board should intervene and supress
someone's genuine views, becomes counterproductive and wrong.
The frequency at which people respond to any given subject determines
the significance of that topic. If people like Mr. Nirmal Ghimire (with
all due respect) do not bother and concentrate in what he finds to be
not worthwhile, the value of the primary controversial opinion
automatically decreases.
Nepali culture may or may not be superior, depends on how anyone
describes culture. Ability to handle diverse opinion pattern is the
superiority indicator not avoidance and censorships. No one has the right
to entitle someone to have their opinion, opinion is inevitable. If we
block the media just because we do not like the message, that is a sign
of weakness. I do not think some of these readers have any reason to
panic, superiority complex will not allow that.
Namaste.
Devu Lohani
****************************************************************************
From: "Khatri, Sanjay" <khatri@msgate.columbiasc.NCR.COM>
To: 'nepal' <nepal@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: RE: Cheap Talk ?!?
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 94 13:51:00 edt
In the article "cheap talk" Nirmal Ghimire writes
>I know that many Nepalese understand the meaning of abstinence,and many
>have been following that. So, we do not have big sexual problems there.
>
>What is the point of going into someone's personal life. How people have
sex ,
>is their personal choice.it is not of something importance to bring it in
>TND. It seems rediculous to see such things.How,when they have sex,why do
we
>bother?
I had to include the message in its entirety since it is uncertain which
article(s) Mr. Ghimire was referring to. I am assuming he means the ones on
Homosexuality (Atuladhar & Prema Oza) and the research conducted by a lady
(whose name I can't recall) on the subject of sex in the Hindu society of
Nepal. It is wrong to say that we don't have sexual problems in Nepal. As
far as AIDS is concerned, there are literally thousands of Nepalese women
who have been forced into prostitution in the cities of India, where AIDS is
rampant. These unfortunate women do return home carrying the deadly virus.
This, combined with the two way traffic of people between the countries,
has greatly increased the occurrences and risk of HIV infection. It is
naive to think that ignoring a problem will make it disappear.
As far as sexual/affectional orientation is concerned, keeping an open mind
and being tolerant to the diversity in people goes a long way in building a
better society. Yes, we do have a rich culture and heritage, of which being
tolerant and hospitable are probably the greatest virtues. Granted, we are
traditional and conservative in our ways, but we must learn to deal with the
social issues of the times, because, sooner or later, they are going to
affect us all. Treating everything related to sex as a taboo does more harm
than good in the long run. Years of ignoring and skirting such issues
during the Republican era of this country has escalated problems related to
AIDS and discrimination based on sexual orientation to near insurmountable
heights.
To call discussions related to these topics "cheap talk" is unwarranted. It
is inconceivable how Mr. Ghimire can equate these discussions to the trash
journalism one often sees on TV or the checkout line of the supermarket.
The editor is right: TND is not governed by a censorship board, at least
not yet. It is an insult to the intelligence of the contributors and the
readers of this journal to have any form of censorship. The TND is a
cooperative effort of rational and well-educated people, who provide a forum
for open and intelligent discussions. There are some spoken/unspoken ground
rules to which we should adhere, barring which the flow of thoughts and
ideas should be free. We are in the information age and we should be
prepared to come across information which may not be to our liking. Get
used to it!
Sanjay Khatri
AT&T
Columbia, SC.
**********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 00:05:02 -0500 (EST)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Dilli Choudhary Gets the $25,000 Human Rights Award
Cc: Nepal Digest <nepal@cs.niu.edu>
Dilli Choudhary has made all Nepalis proud, inspired and, yes,
humble.
Proud, because Dilli, 25 years old, of Dang Valley, Nepal, was
awarded a $25,000 Reebok International Human Rights Award yesterday
(December 7) amidst a function at Northeastern University in Boston,
Massachusetts. (This is possibly the FIRST time that a Nepali has won such
a prestigious, internationally-respected, and no-ideological-politics-involved
prize.)
Inspired, because Dilli's work is a testament to what great work that
private citizens with grit, vision, and commitments can achieve in their
own communities in Nepal.
And humble, because the range and the depth of Dilli's work hits
you with such a powerful impact [wait for his LONG interview on TND!] that
you realize that other Nepalis and political leaders may talk about bikas ko
kura ad infinitum, ad nauseum, it's activists like Dilli, committed and
articulate, with their feet firmly planted in the harsher realities of Nepal,
who are and have been the true catalysts of grass-roots social change in
Nepal.
The Greater Boston Nepali Community (GBNC) joins more than 150
Nepalis and well-wishers of Nepal in the Greater Boston area to salute
Dilli Bdr.Chaudhary on his inspiring 10-year-long
fights for the rights and the education for the Tharu Kamaiyas [or bonded
laborers) through his organization called BASE.
CONGRATULATIONS to Dilli Choudhary on his winning this year's $25,000
Reebok International Human Rights Award!!!
namaste
ashu
p.s. please wait for Dilli's interview and other reports and profiles to
come to the screen nearest you soon
**************************************************************************
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 22:57:56 -0600
From: pahari@ssc.wisc.edu
To: "nepal@mp.cs.niu.edu"@ssc.wisc.edu
Subject: Sexual topics on TND
Ghimire'z barely coherent appeal to TND to censor communications sent
to it by its readers and subscribers when the contents deal with Sex
or sexuality.
As a number of readers have already indicated, TND should not
be in the business of censoring other than to hold up its stated objective
ofpromoting RESPONSIBLE journalism.
Actually I have not read the piece on the sexual behavior of Nepali
women posted on the TND. But, given that it was a report based on
someone's master thesis, I am sure that it more than met TND's criteria.
In principle, no contribution -- whether it be on sex, sanskrit, the moon
or anything -- should be censored unless the it violates the very fair
and liberal standards espoused by the TND editorial body. If Mr. Ghimire
does not want to read about sex or any other topic that TND subscribers
are liable to touch upon in the future, that is his democratic prerogative.
But please, Mr. Ghimire, do not dare to speak for ALL TND subscribers or to
assume that they all have the same world-view as yours.
Second, and despite the defense of free-speech made above, I would like
to say that GRATUITOUS references to sexually explicit language such as the
one exemplified in the recent note on the origins of the word "Putali" by
ATULADHAR are perhaps best avoided. As pointed out by one contributor,
there were so many ways to check for the origins of "putali" that there is
no justification for such wild and salacious speculation on the part of
ATULADHAR, a contributor who, on other occasions and concerning other topics,
seems to have done so much "homework" (e.g., the recent land reform issue)
with the good resources of CLARK at hand.
Unless, of course, lewdness and !@##* were pursued for their own sake . . .
Anup Pahari
UW-Madison
*******************************************************************
From: Prema Oza <ar490@freenet.carleton.ca>
Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - Dec 8
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 02:13:39 -0500 (EST)
Dudley Henderson, a health care _professional_ writes...
"Prema Oza needs to give facts not make statements"
I see so it's one or the other is it?
Henderson also states, as a precursor to his points that he has attended
many seminars on AIDS as a HCP.
Well, not to toot my horn, but, I too have attended many seminars on AIDS
in India, Nepal and outerlying areas. We could have an intellectual
sparring, on TND about who has been/seen what and how often but that is
not the point. In other words, you need not flaunt you professional
credentials in my face. Professionalizing is boring and it takes away from
the argument. 'Nough said.
Henderson, asks to see 'stats.' This disturbs me coming from a HCP, since,
he should surely know that it is just as much a social stigma to come out
in the West, no, it's more deterimental to come out in south asia, etc.
The same could be said about reproting rapes...but, i digress...
He then has the audacity to state that he doubts very much that stats
exist! How clever!
If not stats exist, then what, pray tell, are your claims of no stats
based on based on????????
*******************************************************************
Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - Dec 8
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 02:22:15 -0500 (EST)
Further to Dudley Henderson's frightening demands on stats on AIDS in
Nepal...
(sorry, I got bumped off...)
My final point was with outlandish responses like Henderson's on the lack
of stats, and to that, why should Nepal's stats be any different from
India's?, anyway, with so many Hendersons around, and not just,
unfortunately, in the first world, is itany wonder that stats ARE NOT
available; that people don't come out or that a society that shuns those
that are different would act otherwise???
***************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 12:28 EST
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - Dec 10, 1994 (24 Manghir 2051 BkSm)
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Etymology of "Puti_ali": the Nepali word for Butterfly:
========================================================
There has been some discussion of the etymology of the Nepali word for
butterfly in the soc.culture.nepal. Many people have volunteered with their
explanations but I have kept this away from the dodgy readers of TND who get
offended by any articles remotely sexual. But since, none other than
Shailendra Shukla of Florida has chosen to introduce the debate the issue in
the last Dec 10 issue of TND, I bring to you some of the contesting
explanations with no inference from me because Sanskrit and Nepali are to me
second or third languages (Newari and English are my primary language, just a
historical accident of St.X, sorry).
Different Meanings:
"Putali" = Butterfly (normal "Nepali ?" meaning)
"Putali" = Vulva, source the Vatsayana column in
Nepali weekly "Punarjagaran", possibley
an "apa-vramsa" or synthesis of two root
words "Puti" + "Ali"= "Vagina" + "Little"
as in the teasing sense of give me a little
vagina, a metaphorical allegory, a metonymy.
"Putali" =from Sanskrit word, "Puti", referred in
Amarkosh to the poutrid, foul smell of
vagina, again discursive representation of
Hindu feminity as something unclean, legitimating
suppressesion into second class citizens even
sub-humans.
"Putali" = from Sanskrit words, "Put" + "Ali" where
"put" is the "Hraswo U" or shortened inflexion
referring to something sacred, chaste, virginal, and
pure. So "put_ali" becomes transalliterated into
"a little sacredness". Those who had sons were therefore
"Sa_put", or "with good sacredness" or the heavenly
kingdom for those with sons; those who had no sons were
destined for "A_put", the purgatory of the damned
defilement and debasement.
We are all aware of the derogatory our parents may have
used on us at some time: "Ka_put" or "Bad, son who
fails to grow up to meet the expectations of
the parent.
"Putali" = "Putali" as in doll or may be effigy. Children play with
"putali" and communists regularly burn the effigy of Girija
"putali jalaunu". A reader said the word for effigy is
"putala" not "puali".
While we are on the discussion of the etymology of the word "Putali" and their
varied contextual meanins and their lexicological roots, I may mention that
one reader actually contested the claim that there was no Nepali word for
clitoris and female orgasm. This person claimed on the authority of a
dictionary by Mahanand Sapkota that the word for clitoris is "Tishi" and the
word for female orgasm is "foosi".
I have no idea how credible this claim is but I do remember that "tishi"
referred to any carbuncular swelling the size of a pea, so there is at least a
morphological analogy to the clitoris but "foosi"? hmm, is this the literary
device of metaphor: the subsitution of one sign for the other as in "passion"
for "flame" or a metanymy, the association of one sign with another as in
"wing" as part of an "aircraft"? Perhaps the word "foosi" is the combined form
of "foos_i" or one who makes the sound of "foos", surely an onomatopoeic sound
associated with the referent, a post-orgasmic blissful woman?
Surely this discussion draws from many friends who have contributed their
literary theory, Sanskrit linguistic, and Nepali use knowledge to me and being
no expert or even remotely competant in adjudicating the relative merits of
each claim, I have posted all the arguments I have heard for the worthy, wise
readership of TND to elucidate, contest, and criticise,
I thank all the readers who have shown interest in this topic.
********************************************************************
From: Sanjay Kumar <sanjay@physics.purdue.edu>
Subject: no subject (file transmission)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 94 14:01:53 EST
Why are some people 'worried' about Nepalese democracy?
Dear Editor,
People of Nepal must be congratulated for preventing the farcical
repeat of tragedy forced upon them, thirty three years ago, by the father of
present king. After the successful completion of second general elections, it
is clear that anti-democratic,right-wingers will have to eschew palace-coups
and come out openly on the elctoral plane.
Even when the election results are out, making the NCP-UML the
largest party, there are certain interest groups who are trying to warn
Nepalese, about the threat to democracy from the 'Communist' part of recent
victors.While the losers within the country may be discrete about heaping such
insult on Nepali electorate, there is a bunch of foreign 'advisors' and
reporters who are more brazen in mouthing these homilies. These people seem more
dismayed than surprised at the election results. Concerns of such people
for Nepalese democracy are nothing but a shameful double hypocrisy. For one,
UML is communsit only in name, it is actually a social democratic party. It is
not going to challenge domestic elites or prevent foreign companiies from
extracting profit out of the people of Nepal. The talk of danger
to 'democracy' is a ploy to put UML on the defensive. To discourage it from
implementing even half radical measures, like a truncated land reform, under
pressure from its popular base. For second, these votaries of democarcy
are the denizens and agents of the same imperialist countries, which sucked dry
the colonised countries for two centuries, and even now don't hesitate to
massacre thousands in Baghdad or Panama city to maintain their control of world
resources. Only till yesterday, these groups were supporters of the
Monarchy, finding it a useful bulwark against 'communist threat' ( read popular
upsurge). Their concerns now are epmty double talk. As Pramod K Mishra
remarked, people of Nepal didnot get the right to vote on a platter, from
BBC, CBS or international donor agencies, they fought for it.
Another thesis amounting to insult of Nepalese electorate is the
one which tries to explain success of UML, by its successful India bashing.
This way of 'explaining' election results has appeared in some Indian
newspapers, close to India's ruling circles, and in some Western reporting. A
dispatch by a German reporter upholding this theseis appeared in TND.
India does consider itself the 'superpower' in the region and is the
big bully. This is felt by the people of India's smaller neighbours. So
any party which has a consistent stand against India's 'big brother' behaviour
can genuinely draw upon some popular support on that account. But to explain
election results only on that basis reduces Nepalese to a virtual India
hating mob, whose passsions can be raised by anyone with enough annti-India
venom. As if, the corruption and incompetence of NC was not the sufficient
reason for Nepalese to throw it (the darling of India and Western interests)
out of power. Besides many anti-democratic
forces in India's neighbouring countries, from Zia-ul-Huq, Ershad to Panchas
have also taken anti-India postures to overcome domestic political crises.
Indian ruling circles are staunchly anti-UML. It was amply
shown by their machinations to prevent it from coming to power. Their
denigration of election results is the first shot in the coming offensive, to
draw maximum concessions from UML. For its part, UML may be more willing to
paly China card, but given the nature of its politics, its options are
seriously limited. Guaranteeing foreign companies the right to profit means
protecting such rights of Indian capitalsits too. And, over the years a rentier
section has emerged in the Nepali elite, which is profiting by a close
alliance with Indian capital. Given the policy of not harming any propertied
interests, it is unlikely that UML will go against India's wishes to the
extent of harming interests of this section.
Upholding such thesis by the Western media is a reflection of its
racist ideology, which consisders people of third world as irrational or
savages bent upon fighting with each other, and who thus need Imperialistic
intervention. It is the same media which reported the struggle between
Aparthied regime supported Inkhata party and the ANC in South Africa as
a tirbal warfare. And which cleverly covers up the 'white' sinister hand
in the tragedies in Somalia and Rwanda.
*******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 94 20:33:54 CST
From: sbshah@gumbo.bae.lsu.edu (Sanjay B. Shah)
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Re: My clarifications to Amulya's comments on land reforms in Nepal
Dear Editor,
I regret that I got myself into this land reform imbroglio right
before my finals. Besides, too long a discussion on one topic can make a
topic boring, and deprive it of its significance. However, I have a few
comments to make before I immerse myself in test preparations. I'd suggest
that readers with less time on their hands postpone reading this topic at
a later date. Please note that I have excerpted Amulya's comments, though
with no intention of distorting it. For details you might like to
get a hard copy of Dec. 9, TND. Thanks.
Amulya's comments (excerpted)
There was also an internal source of pressure the up and coming landed
aristorcracy who perceived that they did have as much access to power as the
closed combined of the Palace courtiers. In this social group included
everyone from the C class Ranas such as Subarna Shumshere and the super rich
landlords of Eastern Terai, some of whome were beheaded the precursers of UML,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subarna Shamshere joined the Congress movement primarily because his father
was removed by Judha Shamshere from the PM's Roll of Succession, which is
why he was very upset with the Rana establishment. He may not harboured
the same democratic yearnings that BP had, but should he not be given credit
for the financial support he gave to the Congress in the pre-2007 and post
-2017 years. He was offered the PMship after BP was imprisoned, but he chose
to go into exile. If he had chosen to be PM, he would have lost all
credibility but he would not have lost (nearly) millions of $ worth
property(RB, Baluwatar & Shreepur,Birganj,etc). His sons finally got it back
in 92/93. He may not have identified with the rank & file of NC but then
you cannot ignore his contributions. It would be outright blasphemy to
blame him of treason against his PM. I hope you were talking of Bharat
Shamshere, which I can understand.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amulya's comments (excerpts):
new educated humanists such as the Koirala brothers who wanted to have
something between communists and the capitalists: socialism for Nepal. But
congress did come to power, many of the richer constituency of the Nepali
congress saw threath to their economic powers and so did other land lords who
saw Congress as greater threat than the closed system of the Rana aristocracy,
and so began the birth of a new political class, the Panches, the rural elite
of Nepal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have no reason to believe that the landlords supporting BP decided to go
against him en-masse. People do blame Matrika (BP's eldest brother). Besides,
if there had been a big group within the Congress wanting to do away with
his Govt., he would have been tipped off and then he would have either
resisted or sought asulum.
I do not doubt BP's commitment to socialism (with a human face) and I can
understand his feelings because socialism was the in-thing then. However,
BP neither had the time nor the inclination to imperil his powerful support
among the landlords by seizing their lands, which was pragmatic.
GP as PM mentioned `BP to Sapna' at every available forum, but I do not
remember him making a mention of land reforms (correct me if I am wrong)
as being one of them. But that is no excuse as to why he did not do
anything on this himself, he would have got the fullbacking of the UML.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amulya's excerpts:
Sanjay: I urge you to read some political ecological and political economic
literature which is replete with examples and examples of "professional run
large agricultural company farms " destroying the landscape, the ecology, the
people, the country in latin America, Africa and some parts of Asia,
Philippines notably. The gist of these arguments is that we developed an
effeicient agricultural surplus extraction institution which reduces the
people to wage labour. these institutions maximize their profits by minimizing
the cost of wage and land, the primary inputs to this capitalist system. When
the world price of the commodities fall, the capital just moves to cheaper
place and leaves the people and the environment in ruins.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amulya's urges me to read additional ecological and economic literature and
I must admit that I have not read as many as he has read.Though I do sense a
tinge of arrogance(I shall overlook it). I came to this ivory
tower only 1 year ago before which I worked as an R&D engineer for nearly
9 years, quite a lot of it the villages of Nepal (besides, I have a semi-
rural background). It is another matter that I co-authored a socio-economic
study for ESCAP.
If you are under the delusion that the agricultural laborer will be worse
off in a commerically managed farm, you are unaware of his or her plight
on a private farm. At least on a large farm operations such as fertilizer
and pesticide (spraying and dusting) spreading would be more economical
to do mechanically. They have to do it with their bare hands on a small
farm. We use perhaps, 1/20 of the chemicals and fertilizer per acre basis
than what the American farmers use. Our use levels are simply too low
to cause the kind of ecological problems(non-point source pollution)
that you witness here in the US. Besides, our use of organic manure
reduces leaching of chemicals by degradation and soil structure improvements.
You talk of large corporations exploiting poor Nepalese labor. I'd
suggest that you visit some foreign owned companies such as Surya Tobacco
(part-Nepalese) and compare it with the Nepalese owned cottage scale beedi
factories in the Terai. I do not have to say which one provides better
ambience, pay, facilites and security to its employees. One has to
understand that an organized company (agricultural or industrial) is under
greater scrutiny than its unorganized counterpart by the Dept. of Labor
and other Govt. bodies. While, a casual farm laborer earns less than
Rs.25 in the Terai, an industrial laborer in a company earns twice as much.
You talk of landscape destruction, are you aware that many thousands of
underemployed agricultural laborers are involved in illegal tree-felling
in the jungles of Nepal to be smuggled across into India ? Would it be not
more beneficial to have plantations where they would be better employed.
I would never suggest that we do away with the intensive kind of
agriculture that we practice. What I suggest is that we allow the extensive
kind to create itself a niche, we have a room for both and more.
What is the harm if corporations maximize profits and pay the laborers
more for their sweat. Besides we stand to gain technology.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amulya's excerpts:
Surely, you are not recommending that to our country. Remember how jute prices
have fallen world wide and how people depended on cotton farming in Nepal gunj
are reduced penury due to inefficient agricultural entreprise?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You mention that cotton cutivation failed in Banke-Bardia, which is true to
an extent. Reasons for that were the poor performance of the Cotton Dev.
Board and scarcity of water in that region. For your kind information,
cotton requires more water than even rice! The only consolation is that
the long fibre Nepalese cotton is exported for a higher price to India, and
the cheaper short fibre is imported.
Regarding the jute industry, you have to consider the fact that jute has
lost its value as a natural fibre with the emergence of polyester which is
cheaper and stronger. The Nepalese jute industry is also to blame for
of the mismanagement of the jute industries. Also, make note of the fact
that farmers in the eastern region found wheat to be a better paying crop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amulya's excerpts:
Several decades of high grade Tea cultivatio in eastern hills have made some
wealthy landlords, some of whome are influential members of both congress and
UML, but the forests have been denuded and the country have not got much
return for the subsidized land, agricualtural credit and state help in
marketing and traansport, and the local people are not much richer or more
comfortable.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The plight of the tea picker is well documented. Do you think other
agricultural laborers are much better off? We cannot pin the
exploitation wreaked by private plantation owners and poor management
techniques on a particular industrial sector. All of us are probably
familiar that tea is a plantation crop that cannot be grown on 5 ropanis
of land and managed by farm-family labor. We could mechanize tea-picking
operations but that would be simply too expensive for even our largest
plantations. Besides, we would be creating unemployment among tea-pickers.
I do not say that we should allow a free run to corporations (multi-
national & domestic) to exploit our resources. We need to give certain
guarantees (repatriation of profits, tax breaks, etc) and in return seek
guarantees (tech. transfer, treatment of Nepalese personnel, misuse of
fixed assets, viz.-conversion of industrial to commercial plots, etc.).
I do not think anybody disagrees with my belief that we need foreign capital
to industrialize (since our own capital is tied up in gold and land in
Kathmandu) and to invite investment, we have to create the right climate.
In the past, we have seen multi-nationals work at cross-purposes with
the interests of the host country. That is changing not only because
the third world countries have become more alert to their interests
but because the big businesses know that certain things like environmental
pollution and mistreatment can be bad for business. I am awfully sorry for
this long piece but then I could not hold it back.
Sanjay Bikram Shah
sbshah@gumbo.bae.lsu.edu
*********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 22:26:22 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: First statement by PM
From: Ramesh Shrestha <rsb9+@andrew.cmu.edu>
So what else is new ?
Most of us recognize these terms from all previous plans and policies,
take any five such documents, distill them and you'd get similar if not
the same words.
Kam garnu parcha....herdai jaun !
***************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 22:38:06 -0500
From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: UML Cabinet
From: tiwari@husc7.harvard.edu (Ashutosh Tiwari)
rajendra@coos.dartmouth.edu (Rajendra P. Shrestha) writes:
>and usually gets just half of the harvest. In many instances, they may
>even get less than this. The point is, if the tillers don't own the
>land and don't even get to keep most of what they produce, what incentives
>do they have to produce more or to manage the land
>properly? Abolishing absentee landlordism, I think, would be an
>important and constructive land reform (even though my family itself
>has such lands and would, therefore, presumably have to give it
>up). Landlords, of course, would be paid compensation. This is not
>just a "communist" program, many Western economists also advocate it
>for Nepal.
This is all fine. But how would UML's scheme really WORK in
practice? To have an idea is one thing, to make it work is another.
I have NOT understood HOW UML proposes to bring about these changes
without alientaing, among others, powerful people with lots of land.
Politics, after all, is run by who you keep and who you dismiss.
Panchayat also tried to embark on such lofty goals, but failed.
Perhaps it's time to admit that the government should not get into
allocating properties but instead should place both LEGAL reforms and MARKET
mechanisms in place to bring about desired change -- WHILE making the
poor the eventual winners. [I have yet to think out my arguments as to how
effectively this could be done . . . so I am open to criticisms here].
> Moreover, as Sunil pointed out, there is a big discrepancy in
>land holdings, especially in Terai. And, as he points out, many of
>these super-rich landowners got their land not by "earning" it but
>through political favoritism (whether during Rana period or the
>resettlement programs during the panchayat period). What UML plans to
>do is to force them to sell these lands and redistribute it to the
>landless (of course whether they manage to do it cleanly or end up in
>the same kind of corruption as during the panchayat era is yet to be
>seen)
Nepal's [arguably the most influential scholar] Mahesh Chandra Regmi
has dealt with these issues (that is, how the state sought rents from
tenants] at great length in his books, though his analyses do not touch
upon the Panchayat era.
That the UML "plans to [use] force to sell these lands and redistribut
it to the landless" is downright stupid and politically dangerous. My
own intuition is that UML would not do such a thing, for such use of
force, I would argue, will simply NOT work. After all, to effect reforms
through laws in one thing; to force changes just because the UML thinks
they are necessary is another. People, powerful people -- no matter how
much one hates them-- are not going to sit idly and let the UML have their
way.
>> 2. I read it here that the new government plans to "halt one
>> privatization program". Why? What does it mean? Does it plan to
>> halt "privatization" process all together?
> From what I read in newsreports, UML has said it will slow the
>pace of privatization but not stop it. What it has said is that it
>will not let government companies be sold to foreigners at below
>market value (as GPK is accused of doing). Madhav Nepal himself has
>said that "centralization is evil" so I'd think he wouldn't want to
>reverse the privatization program.
Who are these "foreigners". One has to be surprised to know how
many of these foreigners (really a code word for Marwaris) hold Nepali
citizenships and passports!!
I am no fan of GPK. But I have tremendous respect for the
Privatization Cell of the Ministry of Finance. I have studied their white
paper, and have to conclude that despite much controversy (much of it raised
by the communists!), five of the six companies so far privatized have
reported HIGHER INCOMES for this year, and also that the workers in each
of the company have also had a profitable year. (They are also
shareholders, remember!) [Aside: Martin Weitzman, an economist who has
made his reputation by his ideas on profit-sharing, would be pleased to know
that!]
>> 3. The new government wants to dig up the issue of Jiv Asrit and
>> Madan Bhandari. My question: why? More to the point, caught up
>> in the web of "conspiracy theory", when even the Scotland
>> Yard-investigated evidence, was THIN, why does the new government
>> NOT plan on spending
>> more time on REDUCING the highway deaths that are happening
>> alarmingly all too frequently in Nepal? With all due respects, two
>> "great leaders" might have died on the highway, but the fact remains
>> that many anoymous citizens are dying all the more frequently in
>> highway accidents? Isn't it time someone also spoke up for the
>> citizens?
> That is a very emotional issue inside the party and if forming
>a commission will get it over, why not do it? And, if there was a
>conspiracy to kill a natinal leader, that is significant. I'm not sure
>that it was a conspiracy, but why not get to the bottom of it?
Fine, have it your way. I just think that the whole thing now
is a big waste of time, ESPECIALLY when there are more important things
that should get the focus of the ruling party. I mean no disrespect, but
those leaders are gone. But as a citizen, I don't want Nepal to be subjected
to increasingly inane obituaries and tears in the name of "great leaders"
. . . as Bhanu Neupane wrote in his TOP TEN Lists, we'll probably be
seeing Madan-Asrit smaraks all over . . . oh, well!!
>> 4. I respect Mod Nath Prasit's Sanskritic erudition. Having followed
>> his writings in DRISTI weekly, I cannot call him an intellectual in
>> the "western sense" (meaning: his writings are meanderings rather
>> than sustained evidenced arguments), but surely Nepal deserved a
>> BETTETR education minister who might not be a Marxist but who has a
>> broad understanding of how to produce a skilled workforce for a
>> changing, and more and more market-based economy? [I am not
>> denigrating Prasit's erudition, merely his being RIGHT for the
>> country).
> Let's not judge Mod Nath without seeing what he does. He is
>one of the most influential intellectuals inside the UML and though he
>may not be a "western education" expert, that shouldn't be a
>disqualification for the job.
FYI, Prasit had supported the compulsory Sanskrit education in
high schools when the issue had come up two years ago. His reasoning was:
"We should learn Sanskrit because our sanskriti is based on sanskrit and
it also helps us to write better Nepali." Who's the "we" Prasit was
talking about then? (True, Prasit later changed his position, but his
initial logic for COMPULSORY Sanskrit was absurd.) I agree witn you that
we should not pre-judge Prasit; but if the basis of his writings give me
any indication as I interpret them, frankly, he does NOT give me much hope.
I should point out that I have nothing against Prasit per se.
>someone else who has had more experience with the education system
>(there are plenty of them in the party. The largest teacher's union
>is, after all, pro-UML).
Well, that is the sad reality in Nepal. Even teachers get politically
active to the detriment of educational system as a whole. What now, then,
should Nepali children now learn the jibani of Marx, Lenin and Stalin
as part of their social studies curricula? Knowing Prasit's writings,
I would not be surprised if he "forces" such curricula....
>>>Prime Minister (Royal Palace Affairs): Man Mohan Adhikari
>>>Deputy Prime Minister (Defence + Foreign Affairs): Madhav Kumar Nepal
>> Both Defence and Foreign Affairs are important posts in their own
>>right. Couldn't one person each handle each portfolio? On the FA front, Nepal
>>needs to negotiate with Bhutan (re: the refugees) with India (re: lots of
>>things) and other countries. Can Madhav Nepal alone handle BOTH portfolios?
>>Or, are we likely to see the same bungling on FA that GPK did?
> GPK handled the PM, royal palace affairs, defense and foreign
>affairs. The fact that two people are handling them now should be
>commended, don't you think? I doubt Madhav Nepal will have much to do
>as defense minister so he should have plenty of time to
>concentrate in foreign affairs (assuming he concentrates on that. Most
>people who know the internal power structure of UML knows that Madhav
>Nepal is the de facto prime minister). I hope he will concentrate on
>foreign affairs, especially to resolving the Bhutanese refugee crisis.
Well, let's hope he does a credible job.
>>>Cabinet Ministers (7):
>>>Finance: Bharat Mohan Adhikari
>> What is his background? Granted, to be a finance minister, one doesn't
>>need a degree in economics or finance . . . still, how does Adhikari view
>>the role of foreign aid, foreign direct investment, and
>>pushing ahead with or [killing] the economic liberalization?
>>
>> What is his view on Arun III?
> Neal Cohen (as posted by Udaya) calls him "highly
>respected". I haven't read any of his views,so I can't say.
"Highly respected" by whom? Bharat Mohan was the leading OPPONENT
of the elections. In fact, it was he who, in part, had spearheaded the
Nepal Bandhs of last summer to -- surprise surprise!!-- reinstate the
then dissolved parliament. I had heard him speak at the Russian Cultural
Center in Kamalpokhari ( at a panel discussion organized by SCOPE), and I was
amazed by the absurdity of his legal arguments. Well, as events turned out,
elections did take place and now he is the finance minister.
Anyway, I hope Bharat Mohan also does a credible job.
But it's
>not what he thinks but what the UML thinks, that matters. And they
>have continually said that they want foreign investment, foreign aid
>and will continue economic liberaliazation. As for Arun III, Madhav
>Nepal, in an interview with The Independent, has said that his party
>is not against big projects like Arun III but want to make sure that
>the unit cost of Arun III is sensible. My guess is that the new
>government won't make any changes in the Arun plans.
>>>Health + : Padma Ratna Tuladhar
>> With all due respects, what does PRT know about making health policies?
>>PRT, I'm sure, is a decent man, but has he ever done anything on the
>>health sector? Just questioning.
>Can't answer this. But not all ministers have experience on what
>they'll be doing. That's true not just in Nepal but everywhere. For
>e.g. Micky Kantor, U.S. trade representative, didn't have any
>experience on international trade (he just happened to be Bill
>Clinton's election coordinator).
There was a profile in the New Yorker magazine sometime last year of
Kantor. That should give you a background on Kantor's "business"
background. You should read the profile -- it was well-written, in the
typically New Yorker style.
Kantor, a FOB, like Robert Reich (another FOB, means Friend of Bill
CLinton) was vetted by the US Senate before he was made the US
Trade Czar. Nepal does not have a similar process to vet its ministers
and ambassadors. Elections give the people a chance to choose their
REPRESENTATIVES, not ministers!! So the analogy with Kantor is
misleading.
I remeber reading one of his
>interviews in which he said that after being appointed trade
>representative (through which he has more powers than some cabinet
>members) he spent one month completing immersing himself on the
>subject. So, just because Padma Ratna isn't a doctor shouldn't mean he
>can't be the health minister! Look at Britain, their ministers get
>switched around continuously between various ministries. Nobody seems
>to mind it!
Britain, FYI, together with France and Japan, has the BEST CIVIL SERVICE
on the planet. Even India's IAS is amazingly competent. So even if the
top ministerial leadership there is not all that "great", the various
ministries can cope on well. But in Nepal, we bear DOUBLE tragedies:
hopeless civil service
(with all respects to my father, a distinguished civil servant himself!)
and hopeless ministerial leadership. It is in this context that I still
question PRT's health leadership.
But then again, let's wish him well, and let's hope he too does a
creditable work!
>>>Local Development: Chandra Prakash Mainali
>>This is one ministry that Nepal can do without. All development should be
>>local (Yes, that sounds like a stupid cliche, but it's true!). Why have a
>>whole ministry ALONE to do loc dev?
> Yes, but there should be a ministry that directs funds to
>these local institutions and makes sure that the funds are being used
>properly (village development committees can't support themselves and
>do development work solely by the meagre "dhurikar" and occassional
>sales tax). And the bureaucrats that manage the village and district
>level development committees have to be paid, so they end up being in
>the ministry's payroll. The central government thus has to fund the
>local institutions and they need some agency to manage it.
At the risk of oversimplification, I would say that such
distortions are created PRECISELY because of the govt. intervention.
Let the government get on with legal reforms and enforce them, let it also
push much of the money to the market mechanism . . . many of these
distrortions (such as corruption and so on) would go on. After all, if
you remove the incentive for corruption, what's there to be corrupt about?
(There's a wonderful article on the economic of corruption in the Quaterly
Journal of Economics Aug 1994 -- much of which is applicable to a country
like Nepal!!)
> C.P. Mainali has also been given the Supplies portfolio, which
>is quite a sensitive job, what with all the complaints of
>ever-increasing prices. Since C.P. is the leader of the so-called
>"minority faction" of the UML, this may also give others within the
>party a nice way to scapegoat him in a few months time. Just my guess,
>though.
Thanks, Rajendra for your views!!
namaste
ashu
*******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 22:42:09 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: UML Cabinet
From: tiwari@husc7.harvard.edu (Ashutosh Tiwari)
Subject: Re: UML Cabinet
abi@fraser.sfu.ca (Abi Kumar Sharma) writes:
>While I salute Ashu's intellectual appetite, I suggest him to slow down
>a bit sometimes in satisfying it. It is understandable however, living
>in an intellectually vibrant N. american city ad witnessing the slow
> Nepali social evolution can be very frustrating. As far as the
>qualification of the uml govt. is concerned, for sure non of the members
>are Ivy league graduates ( and it is unlikely that there will be one soon,
>unless of course if personalities like ashu decide to join uml :-)
>Mexico has been ruled by highly skilled technocrats, Salinas ( president
>till 3 days ago himself a Harvard graduate) presidency has catapulted
>from one billionaire in 1988 to 20 in 1994, by marginalizing half of its
>population of 90m. to poverty in such an extent that it is in the verge
>of social breakdown. Qualification from whom, where ? for what ? and
>who gets to judge it? I have heard/read intellectuals depicting the
>Zapatista Subcommandante Marcos as a modern day Nietzsche in the ski-
>mask, or an alternative development planner, or an idealist whiteman
>gone out of his mind, or a criminal subversive terrorist, or a mystic
>sexy hero of the mexican sierras, or a political activist determined
>to help bring about the social change and economic justice to the
>Campesinos. I mean the choice is ours how we qualify him depends on
>who we are and what we represent.
Yes, I fully agree with you here. "How we qualify a [person] depends on
who we are and what we represent." Brilliantly put.
>Having read Ashu's piece in the last
> Himal issue where he argues that the Nepali intellectual landscape is
>barren due to the Panchayati kaal ko education system. Most of these
>individuals not only come from that period but also have spent years in
>prisons tortured and demoralized. but the point is that they consistently
>whether inside the prison or outside aligned themselves with the rural-
>urban poor; learning, building the social mass movement bit by bit, which
>has eventually brought Nepal to the present day juncture. Their qualifica
>tions in collective term, is reflected in the emergence of the uml from
>a "localized & nearly liquidated" form in the 70s to the major player in
>the national level in the 90s.
As I have posted long time ago, I do find ALL political leaders in Nepal
sincere and well-meaning and genuinely concerned about Nepal. It's just that
their policies and the ways they choose to bring about their stated changes
are what that I have serious disagreements/and frustrations with.
By no means, I am saying that views are right, or ultimate or even
definite . . . as I myself, merely a student with his usual academic
worries, keep on learning new things everyday. And I am open to
constructive criticisms and comments like yours.
I also agree with you that the UML's workings should be viewed through
the lens of historical, political and social forces that are/have been at
work in Nepal. But I just wanted to ask some blunt, direct questions --
without, in all sincereity, being disrespectful of all the sacrifices and
hardships borne by various UML ministers -- to get some discussions going
and also to [intellectually] benefit from others' views and comments. In
this, my attitude is: If debates form the heart of democracy, then why
not, time-allowing, indulge in them now so that we can benefit from the
exposure to diverse views and opinions.
>I too have many questions and concerns regarding the new govt. and its
>future, Ashu. One could easily indulge, for example, in the format of the
>govt.(1) out of 15 in total there are two Nepals, two Adhikarys, two
>Mainalis, and it is particularly when the ethnic voices are demanding for
>their rightful recognitions. (2) uml which has a strong women organisation
>does not even have single representation in the govt.,at least not yet
>many contradictions, and prolems.
Yes. The underrepresentation of OTHER ethnic groups and women was
surprising!
But I do believe, those who are working
>in Nepal have better grasp of the situation, and know better what they are
>doing from what they have, than we know of them here.
Yes, I agree with you. No fancy education anywhere in the West can diminish
the importance of the COLLECTIVE wisdom of Nepalis working hard and living in
Nepal. That, I respect and cherish dearly.
namaste
ashu
********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 22:44:44 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Nepal: Musique de fete chez les Newar (Festival Music of the Newar)
From: sshakya@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Sunil Shakya)
The CD is produced by the Archives Internationales de Musique Populaire
(AIMP) under the VDE-Gallo logo (VDE-553). It includes recordings made
in 1952 by Marguerite Lobsiger-Dellenbach and in 1973 by Laurent Aubert.
The items in the CD are as follows:
1. Haritala
2. Mwe Dyahlhaygu
3. Dyalhaygu
4. Sorath
5. Sinhajya
6. Silu
7. Marsi-Malasri
8. Narayana
9. Narayana
10. Birahini
11. Buddha bhagavan mem
12. Basanta
13. Basanta
14. Bahali puja
a. Procession
b. Solo de khim
c. Makham bahal
15. Mamla jatra
16. Ghatu
17. Ghatu
You can order this CD by calling 1-800-ASKTOWER. Please note that in
their records, the word "festival" is misspelt and appears as "fetival".
So ask for "Fetival music of the Newar" when you call to order. The
price of the CD is $15.
Courtesy: Rakesh Karmacharya
*******************************************************************
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 1994 16:56:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Nirmal Ghimirez <NGH42799Q236@DAFFY.MILLERSV.EDU>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: sex is an art
Dear editor:
This is in response those who misunderstood me.Or i would
say in other words, I did not clarify myself properly.
I have never said that articles dealing with sex should be censored.
Sex education is fruitful and informative.Sex is an art and it all
depends on how one visualises it. I am not against discussion or
infromation regarding sex.But anything can be destructive or constructive.
I never denied that the article was informative.I read between the lines and
read the article iin detail. I found that it was mentioned how it was done and
how it was performed . I was only responding to this.I do not
think we ought to know the procedure. As time passes people become aware of it
and know about that. It was her thesis and maybe she had to write it.I
think that part which mentioned the procedure made it sound cheap. Once
again I would like to say that I am not against discussions or arguments
regarding sex. But if theytend to be degrading or lustful I will certainly
speak against it. For I do believe sex is an art but not lust.I am
not saying that article was cheap but few lines in them were cheap.
Aghain it is everyone's own interpertation and social influence as well.
As far as statistics go,I thought it is more important to know
about the statisctics of people who are suffering from sexual problems
rather than how many practice this art. I am not agains the art
but against the lust which tries to destroy the art.If still I have not
clarified myself please let me know. I have enjoyed TND and it has
been nice knowing others comment and learning from that.But the language and
the machine somtimes cannot clarify the misunderstading.And above all if
people themselves don't want to understand then there is no way out.
Thanks. Nirmal
********************************************************************
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 1994 18:47:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Nirmal Ghimirez <NGH42799Q236@DAFFY.MILLERSV.EDU>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Down,obstacle,worry,ritual,yet
I had to present a paper of social evil and ofcourse,I knew one
and that was dowry. It startd as tradition of giving gifts to the daughters
by the parents. To ensure their social security. Unfortunately,today
it seems to be in reverse direction. It seems to be a demand from the
groom.Everyone knows that in India it is a great problem and unfortunately
the influence is increasing in our country. It is there but it may be disguised
in many forms but in reality it is there. The parents of the bride give it
although they may have to put up fake smile in front of the going daughter.
But it is becoming a great problem that the groom infact demand.It is
slowly increasing and that is the proble. But however I do not know one thing
so I wrote this introduction. Is there any rule or law in our constitution
which deals with this? Is this problem being seriously taken?if there is a
constitution I would be glad to know and state it inmy paper.If not then
I do not have the answer to"Are we doing somthing to reduce this?"
Then again I have somewhere stated that it is not fair to take injustice.
That is what Gita says. But if he asks me if I am not contradicting myself?
I say it is unfair to take injustice,but still offer dowry due to
social pressure. Then I realize that this is not me only but all.Will we have
to suffer from this? What went wrong? Education removes darkness and
brings light, my teachersread to me. But, today I see this dowry
problem in the educated society? Should dowry be totally abolished? This
sounds a good proposition? is that okay? I would appreciate any
facts and figures of this problem in Nepal and also if there is anything
being done to abolish this system.
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