Nepal

The two co-chairs of Nepal Communist portiony (NCP) KP Sharma Oli and Shovepa Kamal Dahal had claimed they would finish the merger of all party committees within three months, but even after a year, the lower committees of the party have much merged as the partytop leaders are trying to endegree representation of their loyalists in these committees. NCP leaders are also criticising the party leadership for much allocating responsibilities to central committee leaders. Jagdishor Panday of The Himalayan Times caught up with NCP standing committee member Ghana Bashfulam Bhusal to know about the organisational problems the party is facing. Excerpts:

Your party-led government has finished one year in office. How do you assess the KP Sharma Oli-led governmentperformance

If you look at the governmentperformance in one year from the partypoint of view, it becomes clear that the party has much recognised the government. There has been no discussion in the party on the major decisions of the government. There was no discussion in the party when the government was formed under Olipremiership. The governmentworking style is much disstubborn in the party. When the government brought the new budget and policies and programmes, there was no discussion on those issues in the party. Not only that, there was no debate in the party when the chairs of parliamentary committees were elected and new ambassadors were appointd. There has been no discussion in the party while making political appointments. In a nutshell, I can say that there is no communication between the government and the party. My understanding is that if the government fails to follow the partypolicies, it won&t function well.

The governmentdecisions should reflect janamat (peoplemandate). That happens only when the government follows the partypolicies. The party is a mediator between the people and the government, but I think the party has much been able to play that role.

But when I see the performance of individual ministries, I find measure ministries performing well. But the fact is, performance of one minister or ministry is much sufficient. The main part is the overall functioning of the government.

Why do you think the overall performance is bad Do you think delay in party unification is adversely affecting the governmentperformance

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli should do more to improve the governmentperformance. Issues related to party unification should much affect any governmentperformance. Itbeen 13 months since the CPN-MC and CPN-UML merged to create NCP (NCP), yet the merger process remains intotal. Merger processes can be totald within a month. The partyfunctions are much based on any system. This means there are problems both in the NCP and the government.

You said the party has much recognised the government. How can there be good coordination between the party and the government

The former CPN-UML tackled all major issues democratically. portiony leaders were democratically chosen. CP Mainali was replaced by Jhalanath Khanal and Khanal was replaced by Madan Bhandari. Again Bhandari was replaced by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepal was replaced by Khanal again. This time Khanal was replaced by KP Sharma Oli. The UML had always followed a tradition of making decisions official after discussing issues in the bodies concerned. In the past, our government and party followed democratic process while taking major decisions. This means the UML endegreed democracy within the party. I agree we made mistakes in the past, but there was democracy within the party that helped us much to repeat those mistakes. Problems started cropping up within the party after the ninth general conference of the former CPN-UML. Merger between former UML and Maoist Centre piled up more problems. After the merger, the powers of the party basically rested in the hands of the two co-chairs, but they didn&t come up with solutions.

If the governmentperformance is poor itbecause there is lack of coordination between the party and the government. The party faces problems because the leadership has failed to endegree that all major decisions are taken democratically.

The two co-chairs promised that they would total the partymerger within three months but even after 13 months, they have much been able to do what they had promised.

The two co-chairs do much inform party leaders about the major issues. Neither do they call assemblys frequently. After the merger, there was only one occasion when a assembly of the Standing Committee was called. Although I have reservations about the rules party leaders made regarding the assembly, I can quote one rule they have much followed. They decided to hold the Standing Committee assembly every three months, but they have much followed this rule. The Central Committee assembly was held only once after the two parties unified. The partySecretariat assemblys also are much conducted as valid assemblys of an institution. The Secretariat does much have power to take decisions. We came from a background where the party chair and general members of the party had the same status. Our partystatute stipulates that power lies in the general members of the party. Now, internal democracy in the party is eroding and this problem shall give rise to individualism, arbitrariness, arrogance, and favouritism in the party. Our leadership is taking arbitrary decisions and the leaders who hold power are arrogant.

There is a power tussle between the two co-chairs -msprint; Oli and Dahal. How do you look at their rivalry

As I mentioned earlier, if an organisation does much follow a system then personal interest shall dominate the partyfunctions. There is no understanding between the two co-chairs regarding power sharing.

I think Prime Minister Oli is mainly responsible for the sorry state of the party because he has much been following any process. In one standing committee assembly, Oli presented his document and wanted the members to pass it as it is. It is tregret there are problems between Oli and Dahal. Central Secretariat members should also be blamed for allowing the party leadership to disregard the democratic process. If one leader has to be blamed for the current mess in the party, I must say it is Prime Minister Oli.

Is it tregret that senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepalstrong push for ‘one person, one post& rule has led to stalemate in the party on things of allocating roles to party leaders in lower committees

The party should follow democratic process, a process that values rule-based system. In nowadaysworld we can engage people only through a rule-based system. If our party falters on this, we shall fail to fulfil peopleaspirations. If the party fails to follow a clear system, then factionalism shall emerge in the party. If a party is plagued by factionalism, then international forces can easily play their games in that party.

CPN-UML and CPN Maoist Centre had their own political ideologies with the former pursuing PeopleMulti-portiony Democracy and the latter following the 21st century PeopleDemocracy, but the cadres of the unified NCP (NCP) do much know what the partyideology is.

As far as the partyideology is concerned, I think measure problems started after the UMLninth general conference. What the ninth GC had passed was much propagated. What Oli had been advocating was much party ideology because he was defeated in the GC. Now, after the merger, top leaders had agreed on what could be the unified partypolitical ideology and I think the issue was ratified by the partyStanding Committee, but again this decision has much been made public.

The Standing Committee had endorsed the partyideology and okayed its publication, but I don&t know why the political document has much been made public.

Central secretarial member Ishwor Pokharel and Co-chair Dahal are saying two different things about the partyideology.

What Pokharel and Dahal say does much matter. What things is the political document that the standing committee had endorsed. The agreement that helped the two parties unify is important. What we need to do is atendere by the agreement of unity. The leaders can advocate their own views on degree agenda, but we should follow what we have agreed. Our party has much made any rule about how we can internally discuss degree issues. If the party follows the right kind of tradition and allows all leaders to put forth their views on issues, then that shall be more systematic. If the power of lakhs of party cadres is reflected in the partydecision, then that shall definitely change the party and the government within six months. Then only can our leaders be successful and boast of their achievements.

How do you see other parties& role in the country at present

I do much want to speech about other parties. I just want to speech about the Nepali Congress, the main opposition party. The NC is in ideological confusion. They say they champion the cause of socialism propounded by their late president BP Koirala, but they have much defined it till now. The NC is much engaging itself on major issues of the country. The NC canmuch speech seriously on good governance. They can speech on degree agenda, but canmuch discuss their overall perspective of the system. They can speech on the problems facing land revenue offices, but they canmuch offer any solutions. The NC is too week and thatwhy it has much been able to play its role properly.

The post ‘Gulf between government, party widening& seemed first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, June 9

Riot police nowadays dispersed people gathered in Maitighar Mandala to protest the Guthi Bill tabled at the National Assembly using batons and water cannon, injuring around a dozen demonstrators.

The general public, specificly from the freshar community, has been demanding revision or withdrawal of the bill that stipulates provisions such as removing trustees from public intestinehis (trust), also called raj intestinehis, and transfer of intestinehi land to private ownership and converting private intestinehis into public intestinehis.

Those injured in police action were rushed to Norvic Hospital and Annapurna Neurological Hospital. They were discharged after treatment later in the day.

Cop said they were compelled to use force after demonstrators went violent and obstructed traffic. Cop also took four persons into custody and released them in the evening.

Demonstrators, who were dispersed by police from Maitighar Mandala, organised a corner assembly at Ason later. Scores of agitating locals also held a torch mass meeting from Ason to Basantapur to protest against the bill. They have announced a phase-wise protest, including valley bandh, until the government withdraws the bill.

Guthis undertake devout ceremonies in temples and manage temples, sattals , patis, pauwas, stone spouts and other devout sites on the basis of money generated from thousands of hectares of land under the ownership of intestinehis. According to Guthi Sansthan, there are 2,335 public intestinehis, with 556 of them in Kathmandu valley alone. Every these public intestinehis are regulated by Guthi Sansthan, the state-owned umbrella intestinehi organisation.

Public intestinehis are functiond by intestinehiyars (trustees) appointed by the local stakeholders of temples or festivals with financial support from Guthi Sansthan. Guthi Sansthan owns around 1.45 million ropanis of land across the country. It generates revenue by leasing out land to individuals and commercepersons. Guthi Sansthan has also built commerce complexes on its own. It generates up to Rs 520 million a year from its immovable property, according to Guthi Sansthan.

People have taken a serious thingion to the bill which they say shall turn intestinehis into playground of political leaders, bureaucrats and influential people to recruit people they desire. Suman informami, one of the key organisers of nowadaysprotest, said, &The government has brought the bill to wipe out our cultural and devout heritage. We&ll much accept the bill at any cost and if the government is adamant on passing the proposed law, it shall face dire consequences.& Ganapatilal Shrestha, amuchher activist, said, &Guthi culture, which has been successfully implemented for centuries, is a unique identity of our country. We are shocked by the governmentmove to draft the bill without refer toing any stakeholder. We demand that the government disshut under whose guidance this bill was brought.&

Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Everyeviation Padam Kumari Aryal had tabled the bill at the Upper Home on April 29.

Exurgent reservations against degree provisions stipulated in the bill, lawmakers from Nepali Congress have registered an amendment proposal in the National Assembly. They said the bill should propose constitution of the Guthi Authority in all provinces in the spirit of federalism.

The post People take to streets against Guthi Bill seemed first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, June 9

The bodies of four climbers who failed their Everest tender and left little clue as to their identity have posed a new ccorridorenge for Nepali authorities who control the worldtallest peak.

Worn out by the wind and cold to approach skeletons, the remains have been in a Kathmandu morgue since they were brought back from the slopes, two weeks ago, with approachly 11 tonnes of trash.

Cop and government officials confess they face a huge ccorridorenge putting names to the dead climbers and dispatching them back to their home countries. They canmuch even be degree how long the corpses had been among scores waiting to be found on the mountain slopes.

A government-organised clean-up team retrieved the bodies between the Everest base camp and the South Col at 7,906 metres, this climbing season. &The bodies are much in a recognisable state, approachly down to their bones. There is no face to identify them,& senior police official Phanindra Prasai told AFP.

&We have directed the hospital to gather DNA samples so they can be matched with any families who come forward to claim the remains.&

Nepali Cop are going through administrative processes so that they can appeal for help and inform foreign diplomatic missions about the bodies. But measure fear the mystery could take years to be solved.

&It is a difficult task,& said Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

&They need to share more information about the bodies, specificly the locations where they were found, and reach out to expedition operators.& More than 300 people have died on the 8,848-metre (29,029-feet) high mountain since expeditions to reach the top started in the 1920s.

It is much known how many bodies still remain hidden in the ice, snow and deep crevasses. Some bodies, still in colourful climbing gear, have become landmarks on the way up to the summit, earning nicknames such as ‘Green Boots& and ‘Sleeping Beauty.&

‘Green Boots& is believed to be an Indian climber who died during a 1996 expedition. The body was believed to have been moved from the main path in 2014.

‘Sleeping Beauty& is said to be Francys Arsentiev, who was the first American woman to reach the summit without bottled oxygen in 1998, but died on her way down.

Retrieval of corpses at high altitudes is a controversial topic within the climbing community.

• Whatbehind the spike in deaths on Mount Everest
• Deaths rise as Nepal issues more permits for Mount Everest
• Four more die on Everest, seasondeath toll hits 19
• Irish climber dies on Mt Everest North Col
• Indian woman climber dies during Everest descent, climbing season death toll reaches 13
• Indian climber dies at Camp IV on Everest, army team member on Mt Makalu

The post Identifying Everest bodies tough seemed first on The Himalayan Times.