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Major events in Nepal
BY KTM Reporter in Kathmandu
On May 31, 2008, speaking at the mass rally held at the Kula Manch, Maoists’ chairman Prachanda warned the media house particularly the Kantipur publication that publishes ‘Kantipur’ in Nepali and ‘The Kathmandu Post’ in English of severe consequences if they continued to criticize the Maoists.
Chairman Prachanda has not either known the consequences of targeting media or just wanted to ignore them. For his information, anybody attacking media means digging his or her own grave. Nepalis would fight to the finish for the freedom of press.
On June 01, 2008, addressing a mass rally held by his party in Gorkha on the occasion of posting the signboard with Federal Democratic Republic on the wall of the palace there, Maoists’ Chairman Prachanda said that he would take the issue of the political deadlock to the people if the current political impasse was not resolved soon. This is not the first time the Maoists’ Chairman has spoken in this manner. However, at the end of the day, the political leaders reached a common understanding but it was in the past when the former king Gyanendra was a common foe. Now, they have no such a common enemy; so the ongoing squabble might turn into a full-fledged political fight.
June 01, 2008: The two committees: one for security another for auditing the palace assets and property visited the palace. Secretary to the Ministry of General Administration Dr Govinda Kusum led the audit team while Joint-Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs Mod Raj Dotel led the security team. After the visit to the palace, the Secretary to the Ministry of General Administration told the reporters gathered outside the palace that the team has ten days to work, and the palace officials are cooperative; so, by Sunday, June 08, the team would be able to complete the taking down the palace assets and property, then report the government with recommendations for management of those assets and property. The Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs Umesh Mainali told the reporters that the security in the palace was less than what was expected; rather it was a bare minimum.
On June 02, 2008, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula led a team of senior government officials such as Chief Secretary Bhoj Raj Ghemire, Secretary to Ministry of Home Affairs Umesh Mainali, Secretary to Ministry of Defense Baman Prasad Mainali, Secretary to Ministry of General Administration Dr Govinda Kusum to learn the actual status of security and assets in the palace. The team met with former king Gyanendra Shah for 15 minutes and then Home Minister alone with Mr. Shah for about 45 minutes said the Home Minister to the reporters gathered at the entrance to the palace after the visit. According to the Home Minister, Mr. Shah and he had pleasant talks and they used a commoner’s language. Mr. Shah accepted the declaration of Nepal a federal democratic republic done by the Constituent Assembly on May 28, 2008, and was willing to leave the palace within the deadline set by the Constituent Assembly. He would leave the palace as soon as he would have an alternative residence.
Mr. Shah was sad to learn the media report about the burning of documents in the palace and taking the artifacts out of the palace; nothing of that sorts have happened in the palace Mr. Shah told the Home Minister. However, the place source confirmed that the media report about the burning of documents and taking out the artifacts. On June 05, 2008, the team headed by Secretary to Ministry of General administration complained that its members have not found the artifacts and the document.
The Home Minister informed the Prime Minister, Chairman of the CPN-Maoist Prachanda and General Secretary of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal about the talks he had with Mr. Shah. He informed the government that Mr. Shah preferred to live in the Nagarjuna palace. The government in consultation with the leaders of the three major parties such as CPN-Maoist, NC, CPN-UML agreed to let Mr. Shah live in the palace for his lifetime only.
On June 06, 2008, speaking in the morning Radio Nepal program, Civil Society leader Shyam Shrestha said, “Gyanendra Shah was a billionaire king, the government does not need to provide him with a new resident; if the government provides it then it goes against the Nepalese people’s aspirations.” Some reporters believe that it is shame on Mr. Gyanendra Shah to go on begging the Home Minster for a new residence.
Some people say that the government needs not let Gyanendra Shah enjoy the Nagarjuna Palace free of charge, needs to set certain rent for it and let the billionaire Shah pay the rent for using the state-owned palace and use the money for the benefits of the people; the minimum rent to be set should be at least Rs 1.0 million per month based on the current commercial rent prevailing in the Kathmandu Valley.
June 03, 2008, for common Nepalis, republic means the quick delivery of services and goods from the government. Nepalis need to receive services at the every government office promptly, and the petroleum products, electricity and water adequately. However, the political leaders have been engaged in discussing the sharing of power disregarding the people’s mandate and aspirations. Time has been running out for them to discuss the problems of the people but they have been fighting for sharing the power putting forward various conditions and counter conditions.
The current Government headed by Girija Prasad Koirala has let continue the shortage of petroleum products causing tremendous inconvenience to the people and huge loss to the national economy already for more than two years since he became the Prime Minister. The irony is that Finance Ministry headed by Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat shamelessly told the public that the Ministry would neither increase the prices of petroleum products nor provide the amount required by the Nepal Oil Corporation for importing adequate oil to Nepal in other words Dr. Mahat wants to see Nepalis suffer from the acute shortage of petroleum products. What a Finance Minister Nepal has.
The second session of the Constituent Assembly (CA) was scheduled for June 5, 2008. All major three political parties were supposed to reach a consensus; however, all leaders of these three parties were at loggerheads. The CPN-Maoists claimed for leading the government to be formed with major ministerial portfolios whereas the NC had forwarded seven-point preconditions to come to an agreement with the CPN-Maoist, the CPN-UML leaders simply stick to amending the provision for two-third majority to simple majority for forming and dissolving a government. The CA held a brief session on June 05, 2008, and then postponed it for June 11, 2008.
If all these leaders wanted to know the Nepalese voters’ aspirations, they are for all political cooperating with each other to build a new constitution not for amending the constitution to meet their own interest and not for putting preconditions for cooperation and not for running government by a single party. The CPN-UML, and NC with their preconditions wanted to push the country back to regression while the CPN-Maoist sticking to its demand for the positions of president and prime minister was showing nothing but arrogance disregarding the voters’ aspirations.
On June 05, 2008, the CPN-Maoist decided to give up the claim for the presidential position in favor of any non-political civil society leader or of any leader of other political parties in case the leaders of the political parties could not reach a consensus on such a non-political person according to the Nepalese media.
On June 05, 2008, the Security Team recommended the Government of Nepal to post 50 Armed Police Force and 25 army persons at the Nagarjuna Palace for the security of Gyanendra Shah, and post Nepal police to safeguard the Narayanhity palace and the then-crown prince Paras and his step grandmother Ratna.
