I just visited The Nepal Digest ( www.thenepaldigest.org) site after a very long time, and found out -- much to my dismay -- that it has ceased publication as of last March.

The parting editorial implies that the editorial team quit over its supposed inability to implement free and fair editorial decisions, and hurls veild blame at other people (whoever they might be!)

My question: What happened, guys? Were the differences of opinion so great that
the publication had to, well, die out like this?

************

Likewise, sometime late last January, The NATION newsweekly in Kathmandu died out after the editors and the publishers had a falling out after only a few months together.

My question: Again, were the differences of opinion so great that the patrika had to be killed?

*********

My observation: While working in Nepal as a business advisor, one thing I noticed
again and again was this. That most business partnerships (among Nepalis), started
with great hopes among friends, eventually soured to bitterness . . . so much so
that people who were earlier friends had become sworn enemies by the time the
ashes cooled off from the corpses of their business.

********

My question: Are most of us Nepalis fundamentally incapable of working on a team that has people who hold different ideas from us?

Alternatively, when the going gets tough, is it easier for us to fight with one another than address the problems at hand so that at least minially amicable solution can be found?

******

My comment: Isn't it ironic that while we do everything nice and polite with one another to avoid conflicts and confrontations, our lives in Nepal and Nepali societies might well
be mired in unaddressed and simmering conflicts . . . ranging from that of the Maoists
to businesses gone sour?

oohi
ashu

thefactnepal bro/sis, you appear to be naive while suggesting me to read that article. Couldn't you imagine that I might have already read that one?

And again you are naive while persuading me to believe on what you believe.

You see, when a maoists supporter/sympathiser goes to Nepal from abroad, he sees things in the Maoists perspectives, he talks with maoists and conveys the messages that are favourable for the rebels. Similarly, a party supporter finds all good things of the party and all bad things about maoists and the King. Likewise, it's not a surprise when a royalist sympathiser/supporter sees everything going well for the monarchy and a bad situation for others. The source of information for a monarchist are monarchists themselves, no wonder they see शान्ति सुव्यवस्था in the country with the auspices of HM King Gyanendra. साउनमा आँखा फुटेको गोरुले वर्षैभरि हरियो देख्छ भन्छन नि त्यस्तै।

सवै आफ्नै भजन कीर्तनमा व्यस्त छन्, पत्याउने नपत्याउने कुरा नितान्त व्यक्तिगत हो। तपाई पत्याउनुस राम्रो। म पत्याउन सक्दिन, गाह्रो नमान्नुस। फेरी मेरो लागि सत्तामा को छ मतलवको विषय होइन। मान्छेले सवै खाले संचार माध्यामबाट सवै खाले सूचना निर्वाध थाह पाओस, मनमा लागेको कुरा नडराई भन्न सकोस/लेख्न पाओस, चोरलाई चोर र अपराधीलाई अपराधी भन्दा मानहानी नलागोस, निशस्त्र नागरिकलाई कहिं जान लाग्दो सुरक्षाकर्मीले नरोकोस, जवर्जस्ती मन नपाराइ नपराइ कसैको गुणगान गाउन नपरोस र कसैको श्रीपेच र कसैको सत्तालिप्सा बचाइदिन नेपाली/ नेपाली लडेर रगत नबगाउन । त्यति भए पुग्यो ।

I don't have to believe on what others have to say about the situation in Nepal. My family lives in there and I am always in contact with them, 3/4 days every week. No one can give me the true account of the situation than my own parents and brother.

BTW म पनि जाँदैछु नेपाल चाँडैनै। फर्केपछि म पनि लेखौंला के के देखिनेछ त्यहाँ। पढेपछि प्रतिकृया दिन मन लागे यहि sajha.com मा दिनुहोला। अहिलेलाई बिट मारें ल, जदौ ।

Nepe,

You call yourself a scientist, but continuously display an utterly unscientific
temperament.

In any case, your calling yourself a scientist to comment on Nepal-related matters
is simply some sort of intimidation tactics (the way some columnists in Nepal drop references to great Greek/Roman philosophers when they have, at least
with this reader, absolutely no insights to share).

Let me explain what I mean by pointing out the specifics to you.

******

You write:

"Kul Chandra Gautam, who has professional obligation for being as unbiased as possible, invaraibly writes in all of his article the following (not exact words) : "The republican sentiments, particularly in Nepali youths, are GROWING everyday"


My comment: With all due respect to Gautam-ji, it's scientifically correct to say that when it comes to commenting on Nepal-related matters, Gautam-ji's is just ANOTHER opinion like yours and mine and anyone else's.

That Gautam-ji works for the United Nations in New York does NOT willy-nilly lend his Nepal-related comments an ADDITIONAL dose of credibility.

Nepe's ABUSING Gautam-ji's UN credentials to argue for the validity of that appealing-to-Nepe statement is a crass display of Nepe's own desperate attempt to latch on to anything that moves for republicanism (careful scientific caution be damned!)

If anything, I'd argue that, all things being equal, I would tend to agree with Akhilesh's views in that Akhilesh, a practising journalist, is MORE LIKELY to have talked with a greater variety of people in the course of his work in Nepal to get closer to the
ground realities than Mr. Gautam in New York.

But, you see, for purely political reasons, Nepe dismisses Akhilesh's observations while bolsters Gautam-ji's observation. Yet he has the gall to call himself a scientist!

Else, the same logic he applied to dismiss Akhilesh's observations would have been suitable to ignore Gautam-ji's observations too.

***********************

Nepe is RIGHT to say that Q 26 is a badly phrased question.

Still, looking at the available answers for people to pick from, it's hard to see -- in scientific terms -- how SIGNIFICANTLY the results would have changed had the
phrasing been more neutral.

I went and checked the evidence.
On his Sajha posting above though, I find that Nepe was typically less than
forthcoming (no surprise there!).

The PRECISE question was:
"What type of monarchy should there be in Nepal? [Read options loudly]"

OPTIONS available were: (and these were missing from Nepe's posting above):

a) Absolute monarchy (5.5 per cent)
b) Monarchy more active than at present (17.2 per cent)
c) Fully constitutional monrachy (53.4 per cent)
d) Monarchy less active than present (4.5 per cent)
e) Monarchy is not necessary (4.9 per cent)
f) Don't want to disclose (0.4 per cent)
g) Don't know/Can'tsay (14.1 per cent)

In other words, scientifically speaking, it's NOT that clear-cut (as Nepe implies) that
the answers would have changed much had the question been phrased more neutrally.

So?
The idea that most Nepalis appear to be for monarchy seems to be a reasonable conclusion to draw from the poll.

But since Nepe dislikes that conclusion, he focusses SELECTIVELY on the supposed khattam-ness of the question, and paints the whole thing with a black brush.

***********

Nepe writes:

"First, approach. When you are studying something that is rapidly changing, what is more informative and helpful, the TREND or some one point data ?"


This is a ridiculous comment.
This shows that despite being a so-called scientist, Nepe slept through his stat classes, and knows nothing about polls.

A poll, by definition, is a SNAP SHOT of public opinion at one point in time.

No thoughtful person would ever mistake a poll for a movie or for a running commentary.

That's why in the US, during the months leading up to presidential elections, there are so many latest polls one after another (or latest snap shots of the voters' thoughts!).

This particular poll, taken during Nov-Dec 2004 and published in March 2005, MERELY provides a SNAP SHOT of the national mood of that time.

That's all.

Maybe the mood has indeed changed by much now.
Maybe it hasn't.

A scientifically honest thing to say would be: Whatever the change is in whichever direction by however much, we just don't know. Sure, we can extrapolate a bit from
the polls, but that would be just that: an extrapolation.

That is why, it's stupid of Nepe to:

(a) demand that the poll do more than what it was set up to do; and
(b) mix what he perceives to be true with what he thinks the poll failed to do a la comparing apples to oranges.

*****************

To his credit, Pramod Aryal seems to be making some SPECULATIONS (he calls them opinions) about the middling 80 percent.

Is Pramod right?
I don't know.
Maybe he's right; maybe he isn't.

Scientifically speaking, unless there's another poll that fleshes out the thought process of that middling 80 per cent in greater detail, ALL we have is a bunch of speculations.

And that's fine.

But look at Nepe, because the speculations FIT IN with his preconceived political notions, he jumps up and down and tries to pass them off as the truth.

Yet this guy calls himself a scientist when it comes to commenting on Nepal-related matters?

BOTTOM LINE?
Nepe may be a scientist in terms of his earned degree. But a science degree in and of otself is NOT a guarantee for the maintenance of cautious and intellectually honest scientific temperament. Nepe is a prime example of this.

That is why, when it comes to abusing evidence to tilt the politics-related kura-kani in his favour, Nepe is NO diiferent from any other politician. And that's not surprising.

But that said, should he STILL be a republican?
Yes, he should, while giving space to other VARIOUS views out there.

oohi
ashu

I guess people need to attend a class on
Elementary Statistics, "Use and Abuse of Statistics".

In statistics, we have two words that come so frequently
side by side: population mean and sample mean.
The sampling in USA, whoever does tells the sample
standard deviation or error or accuracy level.

In Nepal, the education and literacy level in KTM and
elsewhere is so randomly varying that I wonder whether
the sample really represent the population? I wonder
whether the statisticians in KTM have included this fact.

I don't want to comment on this result, because my
statistics knowledge don't let me comment on this
data conducted in highly variable sample.

For
eNepali Janata Party

Ashu,

I have seen AcNielsen survey cited in various places by various people including you, and, Nepe happens to be the first and only person to show and explain where it fails in scientific rigor. And every word I said about the survey passes the scientific rigor too.

I have been very careful and specific about it. I said two things

1. Q. 26 is a "leading" question. That makes it's data questionable. Nothing more, nothing less.
2. You can't claim an answer to the question you did not ask. Therefore, Sharma and Sen's concluding statement " The people overwhelmingly REJECT republicanism" is a prejudiced one. Nothing more, nothing less.

So where the #&%#$# is my "utterly unscientific temperament" here ?

My note that TREND is more informative than SNAPSHOT had nothing to do with Sudhindra Sharma and Pawan Kumar Sen, although I can make a point that, yes, you can get information about the TREND from a single survey if your objective is so. If Ashutosh Tiwari does not know it and wants to learns how, I can give a tutorial right here free of cost. Want it ?

I was making that point not to Sharma and Sen, but to 18 intellectuals of North American diaspora, namely Dharma Acharya, Ph.D.; Ambika Adhikari, Ph.D.; Roger Adhikari; Gaury Adhikary, MD; Pramod Aryal, Ph.D.; Alok K. Bohara, Ph.D.; Girija Gautam; Shiva Gautam, Ph.D.; Madhu Ghimire, MD; Naresh Koirala; Shambhu Lama; Anup Pahari, Ph.D.; Mallika Shakya; Arun Sharma; Vijaya Sharma, Ph.D.; Puru Subedi; Sharda Jung Thapa; and Suman Timsina, for their static view on republicanism in a document titled "A CALL FOR A DEMOCRATIC MIDDLE GROUND: A Perspective from the North American Diaspora"


- http://www.liberaldemocracynepal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=0

- http://www.freenepal.org:8080/FreeNepal/action/discussion.do;jsessionid=F01D7ACE1E93BFD2E6FC87929BF7EBF7?currentContentId=56
- http://www.blog.com.np/index.php?p=473

I got very positive response, actually applaud for my scientific temperament, from the writers active in the discussion group.

Here is Ashu swearing the opposite. Keep up the good work buddy.

*** *** ***

Ashu has alleged, to my great pleasure, I must say, that I abused Kul Chandra Gautam's UN credential and used it as intimidating tactics to promote republicanism. May be I did. But my conversation with Kul Chandra Gautam-jee did not give me impression that he feels it that way.

*** *** ***

Now, there is one thing Ashu suddenly stopped talking about. Let us have some fun at Ashu's expense. Regular Sajhaites know that Ashu has been making a fool out of himself in Sajha by denying that "student Referendum on Monarchy" ever happened in Nepal. He has been claiming that the data I posted in Sajha was a false news manufactured by Drishti Weekly.

In my posting above, I gave a link to another false news agency which did the same thing, manufactured a false news about the Student Referendum and, more importantly, reported that the overwhelming majority of the students voted for Republicanism.

And the news agency ? The Kathmandu Post.

Wink wink !

Nepe
Rejoicing yellow journalism of The Kathmandu Post and Drishti . .

Here is the link to TKP again:

Student "referendum" favors republic
The Kathmandu Post
May 11, 2004
- http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=11526

And here the damn ballot paper (courtesy: Himal Khabar Patrika)

Wow! What a drag! I thought this thread was about TND... instead again its all about a couple of people battling it out about the same old shit again.

Nepe...can you please stop cutting and pasting crap from other threads, forums, personal emails, and other sites. Can't you just put a link if you HAVE to? And can't you ever keep to the topic and show some respect to the topic at hand. If you want to start your own thread, go ahead, but it would be kind of nice for a change if you could keep your meglomania in check enough to refrain from harping on the same shit in every frigging thread!
YES, we know you are a "republilcan!" and you abhor anyone who does not agree with you, especially if they are not die hard "republican." Yes, we know you have no qualms about outing people. Yes, we know, we know. We even know that once you acted on some third rate Nepali production and yes, we know you are a supposed poet who writes mediocre verse. This cult of personality has to stop somewhere!! You ARE a flame thrower!

Going back to the original post and the questions you posed, Ashu: I think this thread evidences what seems to be a fundemantal flaw in the Nepali character, or maybe I should avoid hyperbole and say simply - a common Nepali characteristics - is the inability/unwillingness to deal with conflict. Dor Bahadur Bista's seminal book lays out about our Jagir culture, our culture of patronage. I think this is an extension of that phenomenon. People just want to kiss ass to their own, any differnce in opinion usually disintegrates to accusations, libels, and name calling. People are at one hand groveling to play nice and if there is a fall out, its the total pariah treatment. :)

Anyway, interesting enough thread and questions, but boy, someone put a muzzle ont that boy!

"आसु" को नाममा:

बालुवा बरु तेल खुब बलले पेले कतै आउला,
चर्को घाम चुसि-चुसि बरु कतै पियास मेटिएला।
मुसाको सिङ मिलला बरु कतै सँसार घुम्ने गरे,
सक्ने छैन परन्तु मूर्खमनलाई सम्झाउन कस्तै गरे।
(साभार: गुणरत्नमाला)

केहि मनन योग्य अर्तिहरु:

१. मेरो हजुरआमाले भन्नु हुन्थ्यो कहिले काँहि म सानो हुँदा "कुकुरले धेरै मासु खान पायो भने मानिसलाई नै टोक्न खोज्छ रे!"
२. मेरो बुबाले मूर्ख र बिद्बानको बिचमा यसरी फरक छुट्याउनु हुन्थ्यो " १००० जना अशिक्षित मुर्ख भन्दा १ जना शिक्षित मुर्ख समाजको लागि १०० गुणा बढि हानिकारक छ"।
३. मेरो आमाले म सानो हुँदा अर्ति दिनु हुन्थो "बोकाको मुखमा कुभिन्डो अडिन्न छोरा !"

यति नै आजलाई, बाँकि पछि ।

Nepe,

Your PERSONAL conversation with Gautam-ji passes off as some sort of a pro-republican FACT with which you rejoice in public.

YET, YET and YET

you would dismiss Akhilesh's views just because they ran counter to your expectation.

Your odd self-selection of views (based on what's appealing to your own political sympathies) is what I found unscientific about your arguments despite your
claiming yourself to be a scientist.

Look, any scientist -- or for that matter, any economist -- worth his salt knows that interpreting statistics is a matter of BOTH science AND art.

I AGREE with you that the Q 26 could have been more neutrally phrased.

But I AM NOT SURE that given the options available (and given the results collected) -- and read this carefully -- the ultimate ANSWER would have moved SIGNIFICANTLY in your political direction.

That is why, I find your pouncing on the question to be simply a calculated ploy to exploit its narrow weakness WHILE ignoring the big picture. This is where I find your scientific "let me take a step back and look at the big picture" stance MISSING altogether, no doubt driven, as I suspect, by your POLITICAL considerations.

********

I did not say anything bout the student elections earlier because I did not have time to look at it carefully. I am not someone who throws his credentials around to make my point. Give me time, let me study the data, and then I will make my CAUTIOUS comments (based on evidence and NOT based on where my political sympathies lie!).

oohi
ashu

Ashu,

The original reference to Kul Chandra Gautam was to make a point about DYNAMIC approach versus STATIC approach to understand the political developments in Nepal. It had less to do with republicanism. However, I do appreciate the fact that Kul Chandra jee, unlike some of his peers and people like Ashu, is not in denial about growing voice for republicanism in Nepal. Kura tetti ho.

*** *** ***

I have not said anything about Akhilesh Upadhyay's personal "survey" he talks about in his article. Because there was really nothing to talk about. Firstly he is not presenting his findings in numbers and figures. Secondly, all he said was that certain classes of people are giving more benefit of doubt to the king than certain other class. That was not a spectacularly surprising finding for me to talk about.

And why are you talking about Akhilesh' survey anyway ? His is not backing, at least not explicitly, your recent claim (okay observation) that the majority of (okay more, whatever that means) Nepalis are following the King. Why Akhilesh, Akhilesh, Akhilesh, then ?

*** *** ***

Regarding AcNielsen survey, everything -the questionnaire, the interpretation of data and the conclusion- about REPUBLICANISM is questionable and, more interestingly, inconsistent with the findings of other polls.

The 5% republican group it reports, as Pramod Aryal speculated, most likely represented a fraction (fearless interviewees ) of the Maoists. It certainly do not represent "Democratic republicans" ? the group that boasts representing 90% of college going youth (Student Referendum 2004)

*** *** ***

And why are you pretending like you saw the result of the Student Referendum for the first time ? You have trashed it in Sajha countless of times, remember ?

*** *** ***

I am ready to talk more about AcNielsen survey. However, other stuffs are getiing boring. Write only if you have something new. Otherwise, I am probably not going to respond to them.

I had a chance to talk about AcNielsen survey with Deepak Thapa at the get-together at Anil's place. Deepak -who knows Sharma and Sen personally too- was suggesting a group discussion about it. I am all for it. The Google group "Nepal Democracy" (a non-anonymous discussion forum) might be the best place.

Nepe

विषय या प्रसगंले अर्को अर्थ नलागेमा, भविष्यको नेपालजीले आशु बुरोलाई पुग्दो उत्तर दिनुभेऽछ।
आशुजीले पनि सिक्नुपर्ने कुरा धेरै छन् के, मैले जस्तै।

Dada_giri bhai,

K ho Pramod ko kura ayepachhi ta thyakka Nepe jo ko samarthan
garya ho ki sachhikai Nepe ji ko kura man parya ho. Dada_giri bhai
lai pani Nepe ji ko Republican Idea sanga ta awasya pani mel khadain
hola ni.... Yadi ho bhane ma pani tyahi khema ma lagne bhaye,
loujja thokuwa lagayera bhanchhu. I am just kidding.

Puranai
GP-dai

हो नि दादा गिरी जि, मैले लेखेको तेतिकै हैन नि यार। राजाबादी हुनकि गणगन्त्रबादी, कमसकेकम अर्काको कुरा ता सुन्न सक्नु पर्छ। राम्रोलाई राम्रो र नराम्रोलाई नराम्रो भन्न त सक्नु पर्छ त्यस्तो बुद्दिजीबि हुँ भनेर गफ हाँक्नेले। एकोहोरो लागेको छ लागेको छ, एउटै कुरा १०० चोटी दोहो-याएको छ, नयाँ कुरा गर्न केहि जानेको छैन, बुद्दिजिवि हुँ भनेर गफ दिएको छ, हाडबार्डको प्रोफेसरलाई साथि भनेको छ, नेपालका प्रख्यात लेखकहरु उस्का अगाडि केहि हैनन् रे। कुन दिन ज्ञानेन्द्रसँग सँधैँ म डिनर गर्छु भनेर भन्न बेर छैन। अति हुन्छ नि यार। जन्मदै अर्काको खुट्टो तान्न जन्मे जस्तो। हामी राजनितिको संसर्गबाट छुट्टै बस्न खोज्ने मानिसलाई पनि रिस उठ्ने गरी लेख्छ भनेको।

उदाहरण यहि साझाबाट सुरु गरौँ। जहिले पनि १ जनाको पछाडि लम्पट कसेर लाग्छ। किन धेरै पछिको कुरा गर्ने, गत चैत्र/बैषाख तिर एउटा धागोमा M..P. जिसँग झगडा गरो। उस्को अंग्रेजी नबुझ्ने जति सबै ३ कक्षाका बच्चा रे। तेहि धागोमा Newuser ले राम्रो सल्लाह दिएको थियो, तेहि निउँ खोजेर झगडा गरो। खगेन्द्र सँग्रौला संबन्धी एउटा धागोमा Ok लाई नाना भाँति भन्यो। एउटा कुन धागोमा हो Ok ले राम्रै सँग ताजन दिएको थियो, तेहि निउँ झिकेर Ok लाई तँ यस्तो ईञ्जिनियर, उस्तो ईञ्जीनियर भनेर २० चोटी दोहो-यायो, जबकि Ok ले म ईञ्जिनियर हुँ भनेर कहिले पनि केहि धाक धक्कु लगाएको मैले कहिले पनि देखिन, यो साझामा। Poonte यानकि Anil दाईले आफ्नो नाम बताउँदा अनिल दाईलाई खुप ब्यांग्य गरेर सांसद हुने रे, के को अध्यक्ष हुने रे भनेर खुप खेदो खनो। अहिले Nepe को पछाडि टुप्पी कसेर लागेको छ। १००० चोटि भो होला "नेपेले आफूलाई बैज्ञानिक भन्छ" भनेर दोहो-याएको, जबकि नेपेले म वैज्ञानिक हुँ भनेर कहिले पनि धक्कु लाको मैले सुनेको छैन। बरु उ आफैँ चाहिँ अर्थतन्त्र र ब्यबस्थापनका खुब हावा गफ छाट्छ। सबै ठीक हैन, उ मात्र ठीक हो भनेर लेख्छ यार। हैन यो संसारमा "आसु" बाहेक कोही ठीक छैनन् त? हामी त अब कम पढेका, थोरै जानेका भयौँ रे, राम्रा मान्छे पनि छन् नि यार यो सन्सारमा। कस्तो देखि नसकेको होला? यस्तै मान्छेले हो देश बिगार्ने।

लेख्न त अरुले पनि लेख्छन्, नेपेले पनि लेख्छ, न्युयुजरले पनि लेख्छ तर यो हदैको नराम्रो कुरा मात्र लेख्ने मान्छे त मैले पहिलो पटक देखेँ यार। ल राजाबादी र गणतन्त्रबादीको बिचको कुरा हो भन्दा पनि Isolated freak र DC girl ले कस्तो राम्रो बिश्लेषण सहित कुरा राख्छन् । त्यो पो हो त तरिका सार्बजानीक ठाँउमा कुरा राख्ने। कुनै कुरामा पनि " यो ठीक हो है" कहिले पनि भन्दैन, उस्को आफ्नो बाहेक।

दु:खका साथ भन्नु परेको छ साथिहरु "यस्ता बुद्दिजिबिलाई त धिक्कार छ। नेपाल आमा गरीब भकि यस्तै सन्तानहरुले हो"

*अस्तु*

Nepe,

Let me put my cards on the table.

1) I have NO problem with your holding republican views, though I do think that so seduced are you by its abstract intellectual appeal that you seriously underestimate
its lack of emotional appeal to most Nepalis (given Nepal's particular history, ethnic diversity, long entrenched institutional mechanisms, geography and so on).

2) I think it is ridiculous that for someone like you so wedded to the idea of republicanism, you appear least inclined to put yourself in the line of fire by returning to Nepal and fighting it out to the finish. My question: Why be passionate about
something when your passion is so obviously goddamn impotent?

[After all, ten more years, Nepe, and you'll probably be over the average life-expectancy-limit of male Nepalis. And we have all seen how old fogies tend to make a mess of things in Nepal. :-)]

2) I do have a serious problem, just as I have problems with Khagendra Sangraula's attitude to his critics, when you start labeling others, ridiculing others and calling them names simply because they do NOT share your views or have other ideas.

Why can't you accept the fact there are hard-core republicans AND there are others who are not as wedded to republican views as you are, and there can be a forum for all live and talk?

On this forum, you have changed the rules of engagement . . . you have called me --Ashu --countless names; speculated about my career aspirations; suggested that my career is dependent on royalist sympathies, even turned my name into a FALSE adjective and have gone on and on.

My question: What gives you, Deepak Khadka, this goddamn moral superiority to judge other posters with such FALSE characterisations and FALSE evidence?

3) You have a habit of SELECTING and posting ONLY certain appealing-to-your-own-ideology information on Sajha. I have NO problem with that habit. My only concern is that you be intellectually honest and STOP calling yourself a scientist and just call yourself a political propagandist, which you are (given your communist background).

I say that because I have a much higher regard for science and scientific temperament than you seem to have. And so my request: Don't slur the name of science to lend credibility to your ideologically charged political views. It's not gonna work here.

4) Re: the AC Nielsen survey. Are the results of the survey the absolute truth? No. Could they be discussed? Yes. But again, what I found interesting was that while you would mercilessly pounce on one flawed question, you would STOP short of looking at the available options to that question to see how the answers played out anyway. If you read the answers, even if the question had been changed to something neutral, it's UNLIKELY that more than 50 per cent would THEN be sudden republicans.

5) Dristi is a leftish rag -- of any appeal only to those who already subscribe ot its views.
You know it. I know it. Let's not pretend otherwise and fool Sajha readers.

I do NOT have any faith in Dristi's reporting (and this is also based in my own personal experience when they once accused a Martin Chautari member -- Pratyoush Onta -- of embezzling funds when that had NOT been the case at all. Pratyoush, being Pratyoush, confronted the editor there and then, but the lying editor would neither produce the evidence nor apologize. Such were and are your Dristi's standards!!

I do have a higher faith in the AC Nielsen report, WHILE knowing that the poll, like all polls, give us ONLY A SNAPSHOT of people's thought at one point in time, and in the absence of further polls, that's the latest opinion polls we have to move the discussion forward.

As any statistician knows, it's better to have an opinion poll (even if it contains some flawed questions) than to strive for a FLAWLESS poll or have no polls at all.

And Nepe, unless you are in a position to commission a fresh new poll, attacking the methodology on minor technical points while IGNORING the bigger picture that the poll paints overall shows that like a true propagandist you'd do anything to have your say.

And Futurenepal, it was NOT me who made that comment about three-year-old not understanding my English. It was made by M.P. aka the Crown Prince (of Sajha).

oohi
ashu

आसु said:
------ STOP calling yourself a scientist ---

म गन्दै छु--- १००१

Futurenepal,

People who call themselves engineers and cannot produce evidence for the basis of their attacks against other people in PUBLIC do deserve to be told so (especially the target is me for no reason!).

And people who call themselves scientists and then engage in rabid partisanship (by selective citation of the available evidence) do deserve to be pointed out as such
in public.

And people who announce their fight for democracy in Nepal one year in advance
from the US deserve to be asked some sharp questions.

Any democrat will tell you that these are all fair and square matters in the
PUBLIC domain.

Look, I am NOT here to be Mr. Popular, and join some of you in singing "Kumbaya"
around some cyber-camp fire. I am NOT here to push for monarchy or for
republicanism. I am here to ask some questions, and hopefully challenge some
beliefs and assumptions -- in ana effort to make the firum lively.

oohi
ashu

I liked the idea analyzed by Ashu.

In Nepal,

When a journalist is killed or in risk by Maoist or RNA, the
Journalist's association launch a statement and program and
they are not worried when the victim is not a journalist.

When a LAWYER is killed or in risk by Maoist or RNA, the
LAWYER's association launch a statement and program and
they are not worried when the victim is not a LAWYER.

....
....the list goes on.

When an Ashu is killed or in risk by Maoist or RNA or Royal Move, the
ASHUs launch a statement and program denouncing the action and
they are not worried when the victim is not a Ashu.

Ashu's one posting in this thread or other one, where he said that
his position is not risked by King G's move, so he is not against the
Royal Move. I am sure Ashu will fire me very badly for writing this
posting.

Have fun.
eNepali

Ashu and Nepe,

I have enjoyed seeing you both at each other's throat all along - so CARRY ON SERGEANT MAJOR.

Reading this thread (an amateur visitor to Sajha though I am) has been a welcome panacea for my mood swings today - I have been having a BAD friggin' day today and this drab English weather adds to it! Excuse my French there.

On a parting note, I would be more than happy to jump in as a 'referee', in case you two chose to continue the 'intellecutal' battle with yet more fresh rounds. But for now, I had better get back to my cuppa - it's getting cold.

So, more confetti throwing please - whatever that means!

Sincereley,

RMAS Lahure

Sandhurts lahure,

I'm going to super busy very soon -- will be away for a month.
Meantime, let us all entertain one another, hoina ta?

Smile on, mate!

eNepali,

Unless the costs of King G's actions get unaffordable to most Nepalis in stark personal terms (a situation King G must be self-interested enough to avoid), you will see NO
mass protests against him on the streets of Kathmandu anytime soon no matter how loudly how US-based republicans shout and dance from the rooftops.

Let's get that clear.

I used my example ONLY as an illustration. My point was this: For most people in Nepal, political parties' RECENT corrupt acts and infightings are more vivid, believable and personally affecting than any alleged feudal system espoused by the monarchy in the last 250 years.

People respond NOT to abstract thoughts and lofty ideals, but to things they feel, see and hear vividly and to things that affects them personally.

Given this, the challenge ahead in the short-term for democrats like you and me is NOT to squander our energies by taking EXTREME positions (which are nothing but ideological fireworks) but to start by taking leadership, in our own smll ways, to craft credible, coherent, consistent, believeable and personally appealing stories about democracy
and then take those messages to the people -- knowing that peole ARE skeptical and then winning them over.

In other words, democracy suffers a tremendous PR crisis in Nepal, and as long as that is not addrressed, the King and the maoists are going to exploit that crisis to the last drop. That's why, taking extreme positions NOW will not help the very cause of democracy.

oohi
ashu

I see two groups of people here in sajha. First group is very open minded and questioning supported by logic and reasons, while the second group is closed minded and prejudiced.

It's interesting how the second group supports each other and tries to form a alliance, while the first group is mostly observing details and pointing out illogical, unreasonable and contradictary statements made here or in public.

When the 2nd group sees someone making a statement in conjunction with thier prejudices, they don't waste time in WAH WAH's, but as soon as they find out that someone's views are contrary to theirs, they form a multi pronged attacks. They start calling names and even make ill reference to a posters PARENTS when they feel they cannot sustain a reasonable debate. These people, since they are prejudiced to their bones think everyone else would be prejudiced to their bones as well. That is why, they catagorize anyone not of their prejudiced mentality as being oppositely prejudiced - whereas the sad fact is that they are just closed minded to recognize any open minded thinking.

The 1st group does not believe in forming alliance since they are only observing inconsistencies and mostly post things that they deem are inconsistent with logical and reasonable common understanding. They believe that it is limiting one's horizon to have a closed mind and will not be shut by the attacks of the closed minded.

The closed minded however fail to open at the urgings of the open minded.

The battle of the OPEN and CLOSED minded people continues...

The above poster seems to be the reincarnation of another poster who labels every critics of dictatorship as closed minded.
Couldn't you supply your own opinions about the subject of the ongoing debate TND/Republicanism instead of analysing the behaviours of other posters. No intentions to exchange verbal volleys with you though.