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Happenings In Nepal
Happenings In Nepal
KTM Metro Reporter
Kathmandu, June 5, 2016:
Is Prime Minister KP Oli is a liar?
That is what his party colleagues such as former Prime Ministers Madhav Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal and the Maoists are trying to prove. At the central committee meeting of the CPN-UML, Madhav Nepal, and Jhalanath Khanal have been insisting on the need for following the gentlemanly agreement CPN-UML had with the CPN-Maoist-Center on transferring the power to the Maoists after the budget session.
However, Mr. Oli has been repeatedly telling the public that he has no agreement with the Maoists on transferring the power for forming a consensus government. Both Madhav Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal have been saying that a consensus government is the must for implementing the constitution. Again, Mr. Oli has said that his government has been doing everything possible to implement the constitution including the holding of the local elections in five months and the general elections for the provinces and the federation, too in 2018. Other political leaders have been saying that the elections could not be held without a consensus government.
Speaking to the anchor of the ‘antar-sambad’ morning program of the Radio Nepal on June 5, 2016, leader of CPN-Maoist-Center Dinanath Sharma said that while doing the nine-point agreement, they were for writing down the three-point agreement, too but it had been already late night and everybody was tired; so they agreed not to put it in black and white, everybody including Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal agreed and Oli just said okay by his body language.
Mr. Sharma also said that nobody could anticipate a gentlemanly agreement implemented in the ungentlemanly politics. He said that former Prime Minster Sushil Koirala had a written agreement on transferring the power to the CPN-UML after the promulgation of a constitution but he did not honor even the written agreement.
His party would not go for a majority government but for only a consensus government that is needed for enforcing the constitution. Nobody could enforce the constitution without having the NC and the Madheshi political parties in implementing the constitution; he has said that the Oli government has done nothing to implement the constitution.
Prime Minster Oli has been running the government single handedly as he has been running the party. Even transferring a secretary from one ministry to another, none of the cabinet minister has any say except for the prime minister, Mr. Sharma has said.
“When Modi and Obama meet in the Oval Office, the glue that will bind them together is their mutual concern about a newly assertive China in Asia. Both face the same dilemma. They have no choice but to engage China on trade, global economic stability and climate change given Beijing’s vast international weight and influence. At the same time, Washington and New Delhi understand the necessity of standing up to China’s bullying of Vietnam, the Philippines and other claimants to the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea.” Nicholas Burns, a professor at Harvard University, was U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs from 2005 to 2008 wrote this statement in his article posted on washingtonpost.com on June 3, 2016.
Clearly, Burns has left out the activities of China in Nepal and other South Asian countries but the fact is both India and US have been doing everything possible to counter the Chinese influence in Nepal as they have been clearly doing in Vietnam and the Philippines. The change of the Oli government might be one of the US-India strategies. Nepalese politicians should not be the pawns of those super powers. However if Oli were not for implementing the constitution he needed to go.
Presence of Chinese in Nepal has been seen elsewhere in Nepal. Recently, Chinese experts in petroleum exploration have been in Biratnagar to see what has been done in the past. Then, they went to the Mustang district to see the possibility of petroleum. Biratnagar is bordering town with India, while the Mustang district is bordering with Tibet. A number of Chinese experts have already been working in Pokhara to build a regional international airport. China had sent 300-member delegation to Nepal to attend the 2560th birth anniversary of Buddha whereas India sent just nine.
Parliament Passed Bill On Education
The parliament has passed the Bill on Education on Saturday, June 4, 2016. It will be the law once the president put the seal of assent. It has dismissed the School Leaving Certificate (SLC), and made the school education up to 12th grade. The primary education is up to the eighth grade, and thereafter the secondary education.
Private companies registered under the Company Act cannot run schools following the Bill. Only the trusts will be able to run the schools. The Bill allows two kinds of trusts: one is public trust, another private trust. Schools registered under the Company Act could transfer to the private trusts if they would like.
Whether the quality of school education will stay on at the same level that the private schools have been providing if not then a lot of Nepalese children will go to Indian schools for better quality education. This had happened in the past and it might repeat again.
However, the Bill has been for implementing the provision made in the constitution for providing all the children with the compulsory primary education. The main concern of parents will be the quality of education provided by the public or private trust.
“Education is the equalizer.” If the education provided by all the schools will not be of the same standard and school children receive the same level of education then such education cannot be equalizer. Providing free and compulsory education will again not be able to reduce the gap between the better off and not.
Following the Bill, the temporary teachers have to either accept the ‘golden handshake’ means to receive a lump-sum amount for quitting the job or sit for a competitive examination to be permanent teachers. If they are not successful in the examination then they won’t get anything.
This Bill also has barred the schoolteachers from sitting on the working committees of any political party; however, the fundamental rights to be the members of the political parties is not taken away from them.
NGOs and INGOs Building Houses and School Buildings
Nepal Rehabilitation Authority has approved the proposals submitted by NGOs and INGOs for reconstructing the quake-destroyed houses and school buildings at the cost of NPR 12.28 billions, according to the news in ‘gorkhapatra’ of June 5, 2016.
Nepal Red Cross will build 6,000 private houses in 14 districts; Habitat for Humanity 350 private houses, Fin Church Foundation 13 school buildings, Action Aid 18 school buildings, Plan Nepal 22 school buildings, World Vision 32 school buildings.
At least paper work has been done to rebuild private houses and schools but when they will be able to build remains to be seen. The parliament has to pass the budget before any budget could be released. The monsoon has already set in. Field work will be almost impossible for about three months.
June 5, 2016
