Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Nepal
in the US Congress
on December 21, 2005

Some interesting points: (mostly verbatim)

� The army continues to see itself as the defender of an anachronistic, corrupt and autocratic monarchy.

� The political parties do not have a record of putting the interests of the nation above their own self interest. They urgently need to reform. Yet they are the real representatives of the Nepali people and there is no substitute for them.

� The international appeal to the King for reconciliation have failed. The Bush Administration should apply whatever pressure it can, including denying U.S. visas to Nepali officials and their families.

� The municipal elections announced by King Gyanendra for early next year, without any consultation with the political parties, are no solution. An attempt to apply a veneer of legitimacy to an otherwise undemocratic process will only prolong and exacerbate this crisis.

� There is a growing possibility that the King�s obstinacy and unpopularity will trigger massive civil unrest, shootings and arrests of many more civilians by soldiers and police, Nepal�s further isolation, and perhaps the end of the monarchy itself.

� 12 point understanding could be the basis for a national dialogue to restore democracy and end the conflict

� The United States should do everything possible including supporting a broadly inclusive political dialogue with or WITHOUT the participation of the palace.


Full speech:
- http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200512/122105f.html
- http://www.blog.com.np/?p=1052#more-1052

As I pointed out in another thread, Senator Leahy is interested in Nepalese issue because of his interest in Tibet. I admire his support for Tibetan cause but at the same time he is plain wrong to say that the King ought to call the corrupt parties for a discussion. If the parties can come up with a well planned approach, I believe the King wont say no. Others may see it differently but the way I see is that the King took over because NC and UML could not agree on a simple task of selecting a PM. Now the King wants to hold elections and handover the power to the parliament - anything wrong with that? Yes, if the King doesnt hold true to his words to hold fair and free elections. But until then he has to be given the chance.

Robert Frost,

I, for one, applaud Senator's speaking out for Nepal.
That is NOT in dispute.

The only thing to keep in mind is that Senator's statement needs to be put in a
larger context of Senators speaking out this this and that, and the US government NOT doing anything much.

Tetti ho.

That aside, it's just that as a democratic Nepali, I am wary and indeed suspicious of some Nepalis out there of the Nepe variety who try to squeeze gallons of tomato
juice out of this sort of ROUTINE Senatorial speeches to peddle their own brand of politics.

It's possible to welcome Leahy's statement without taking it as a harbinger of any
sort.

Meantrime, reforms, if any, have to come from us in the form of pressure on our
political parties. Doing so remains the most difficult part for any of us.

oohi
ashu

"If the parties can come up with a well planned approach, I believe the King wont say no."

- Excuse me, but who's seized the initiative? with all pomp, if i might add.

"Others may see it differently but the way I see is that the King took over because NC and UML could not agree on a simple task of selecting a PM."


- hahahahahahahahhahaha

"Now the King wants to hold elections and handover the power to the parliament - anything wrong with that?"

- Uh, isn't this too eerily remisniscent of Pakistan, ahem?

"Yes, if the King doesnt hold true to his words to hold fair and free elections."

- and once this election takes place, you'll say "whatever others say, i believe the elections were free and fair", perhaps?

Funny.

The only thing Ashu and Isoltead frek seem to disagree on is one sentence:

Ashu: I applaud Leahy, but XXXX
Isoltted frek: I don't applaud, but XXXX

Why don't you two agree on this too, so that we can see who is supporting democracy and who is not. Too confusing discussion.

I think what senator Leahy said was meant to help democrats, probably use it for propaganda and make the king feel he doesn't have friends in capitol hill.

He is not advocating that royal palace is bombed rightaway, american army invade Nepal, and install a democratic system.

He meant moral support. So comparing it with Sudan Darfur case is bullshit, and we can open a new discussion thread if we want to talk in detail about Darfur.

Democrats shouldn't dismiss the speech like Ashu does, saying it is nothing, routine, and then go on cursing parties, while adding, maile ta party lai baliyo banauna bhaneko ho..

These are difficult times in our country, and we need to support every move that is intended to soften up the royal regime,so that we can demolish this regime with a small push of janaandolan, and hence, I appreciate senator Leahy's support.

Quite honestly, I don't think Nepali people really care about the kings anymore. It is true that he is still a key player in Kathmandu, but from what I observed while traveling to various parts of Nepal recently, he has very little influence elsewhere. Whatever "peace" that some people here claim that Nepal is enjoying since the Royal takeover is really a result of a military brute force, and a good deal of sacrifice on the part of the people of their fundamental civil liberties. But now that's already stretched too long and has started being counter-productive. More people than ever are sympathizing with the opposition, even the Maoists.

The assertion that the King acted in the interest of people is nothing but a facade... No Nepali king in the recent history has genuinely stood for the people, and this is understandable: "It's good to be king". -[Mel Brook's History of World I]. :-)

Perhaps the only reason why the King assumed power is because he sensed the demise of monarchy in Nepal on the horizon. If given a choice, there was no political party, nobody [not even the army] willing to fight to save monarchy. So it was imperative that he did what he did. He has since succeeded (through a handful of his associates) in regrouping some [mainly Panchayat] veterans, who either see the King as the reincarnation of Vishnu or still have a strong desire for retribution towards democracy and its proponents. The end result is that King's grip has since gotten stronger a bit.

But the supporters of Monarchy in Nepal need to realize that it's never been about the people. Also those [like Ashu], who can't imagine Nepal without a King need to think out of the box [KTM]. The truth is that the king is not really holding Nepal [not even the army!] together in any sustainable sense... And I do not think that Nepal will see anything worse even if King leaves.

Well pointed out Echoes.
I saw a dream yesterday where George Bush had invited the king to the White House and they were hugging each other. A weird dream, but I wonder if the Ambassodor to Nepal is actually playing a trick by doing one thing and speaking about another...

" I saw a dream yesterday where George Bush had invited the king to the White House and they were hugging each other."

haha. you need to take some time off and relax! too much politics in your head... :-)

"Also those [like Ashu], who can't imagine Nepal without a King need to think out of the box [KTM]." Echoes

In my opinion Ashu is an analyst or a consultant. His opinions are based upon his analysis, I think. But in my opinion he is not a person who cannot imagine Nepal without a king.

Lets analyze the situation of Nepal.

King -- > Absolute monarch

parties -- > corrupt and inept (leadership in the form of girija and makune)

Maoists --> One party based left winger ( Barbaric )

Here, in the abovee scenario who is gonna replace king?

For the republic, king needs to be forced to quit. Which party is capable in the above power equation to hold power??

Maoits will not be able to take over power as there will be lotta international and domestic pressure against them.

Parties cannot be trusted. I think if the party gives way for the new leadership and work towards to gain the public trust, they can pose a threat to king. Else they cannot pose any threat in my opinion.

King's power lies in corrupt and inept polticains. As long as these leaders are there, the king can manipultae the leaders to stay in the power.

Only possible way out I see is three way negotiation among parties, maoists and king. King back to the constitution, maos rescind violence, and parties agree to keep clean.

I think the so called HR group and intelectual class should be neutral and bring all these three in the negotiating table for the ever lasting peace in Nepal.

If the current situation continues, there will be very long and bloddy war.

My 2 cents.

peace out

May christmas bring cheers to Nepalese in form of peace.

Merry christmas and a happy new year

Pire,

Two things:

Criticisms of the party and urging them to reform themselves do NOT equal praise for the king.

As Nepe himself already and CORRECTLY pointed out, I personally have derived NOT
a single benefit ever . . . from the palace nor will I ever derive a benefit of any
sort ever from the palace.

Whether you like it or not, hey, that's my credibility and I am putting it on the line here. So spare us this nonsense about trying to slot me into some sort of preconceived categories that you guys have created. It does not work for me.

That said, I do see these mindlessly predictable criticisms of the king as a convenient cover-up for the parties to hide their own feudal undemocratic facade. The king may be there. He may be gone. But it'll ALWAYS be the parties that we have to live with, with
or without the king, if we are serious about democracy.

Better to start -- AT THIS TIME -- thinking about making the parties - filled with people like us -- accountable to us than worry about changing the palace, which is filled with people unlike us.

oohi
ashu

However evasive Ashu tried to be with his nuanced arguments, his pro-monarchy stand is bare now (and there is nothing wrong with it!). Somebody noted above that it is because of his being a political analyst; I think it is not. The analyst job is to build opinion on the basis of facts, while Ashu�fs arguments are driven more by narrow interest of Kathmandu�fs psudo-elite. The fear and risk this class perceives in the absence of monarchy is understandable. It is often the case that revolution is zero-sum game, at least in the short run. And Harvard�fs courses must have made him adequately skilled to make a sound judgment about his gain and loss as a result of further democratization of Nepali politics.

Saying so, I do enjoy reading Ashu�fs posting, and respect his nuanced arguments.

Sucharya
------------------

Bhako ke hi chanina.........yo prajatnara saata bhoki ro pyass matra ho. Sadak ma utrine uhi gau ka berojaar beluka masu bhaat sanga 300 rupee paucha bhane why not bhaneko jasto............sabai thikai cha...tyo bhahira patrika ko haala matra........gyanendra is more powerful than ever........lets have this election then we will see........aba yo election pani rokne re moabadi ra mula neta haru le....malai ta rokera dekha vote halna bata ani aru ko kura garu la.......mula bhada ko taatu leau dai ma prajatantra aaucha.........tesaile ma bhanchu............

jai desh jai naresh.................sabai bharat mukhi haru........thuka man mohan ko chamcha haru........ma jane ko chamcha....timi haru man mohan ko.......aba india ko intrest tehi jal sort haina


jai desh jai naresh...................timi jasto murkha le garda aja maade (madish haru le bazar kunai ne saama 300 precent margine ma beecheko cha)
jastai now i am providing shampoo for hotel on cost of 13 rupees but they use to charge 19 rupees where as cost price comes after landing is only 3 rupees,..........

today my company is sucessiding in against the all indian byapari.............coz i am giving a cheaper price with only 100 percent profit.........i am thinking about a bulk and volume in business........they think of riping you and run away......

ani fact a week ago i got threat call from.......dont want to mention his name.......he told me to leave the market and accept comisson that he provides............it was for the tender of hotel radisson supply...........

so .................go fu...........king indian champas.......shove it to ur big.ass

Sucharya,

With a name like that how can you indulge in some downright kucharya speculations?
Haray Shiva!

That said, I did NOT know that I represented "narrow interest of Kathmandu�fs psudo-elite."

And all this time, I thought I was valiantly representing the wider interests of
Akhil Nepal Potato Farmers' Association!!

O Tempora, O Mores!!

Then again, one does learn something new about oneself here everyday, doesn't
one?

If I, unknown to me, represent -- according to you -- the "narrow interest of Kathmandu�fs psudo-elite", would it be all right to declare that YOU, in your
infinite wisdom, represent the "broader interest of Kathmandu's REAL elite"?

More importantly, with all this name-calling and labelling, where does that leave YOU
in terms of doing something about reforming the parties, and have them throw up some fresh faces to make a NEW beginning in Nepali political sphere?

Are we doomed to live and die by Girija Prasad -- the man who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity -- from cradle to grave? Or are you saying that
in a population of 24 million of Nepalis, our netas are hard to replace?

oohi
"To twist a remix song goes: Aba Hamro Palo"
ashu

PLEASE READ:

Are we doomed to live and die by Girija Prasad -- the man who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity -- from cradle to grave? Or are you saying that
in a population of 24 million of Nepalis, our netas are hard to replace?

oohi
"To twist a remix song goes: Aba Hamro Palo"
ashu


AS


Are we doomed to live and die by Girija Prasad -- the man who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity -- from cradle to grave? Or are you saying that
in a population of 24 million Nepalis with a MEDIAN age 17, our netas are hard to
replace?

oohi
"To borrow from a Nepali remix geet: Aba Hamro Palo"
ashu

"Are we doomed to live and die by Girija Prasad -- the man who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity -- from cradle to grave? Or are you saying that in a population of 24 million Nepalis with a MEDIAN age 17, our netas are hard to replace?"

That is stupid and childish. Ashu's arguments have mostly centered around juxtaposing the king and the leaders likes of Mr. Koirala, and therefore, giving the monarch an edge.

It is very important to realize that it does not have to be between the king and Mr. Koirala. The question here is simple, and that is of choosing between two distinct and irreconcilable institutions: an active monarchy versus a democracy [as imperfect as it may be].

Pragmatically speaking, however, Girija Prasads are not going anywhere. This is a result of generations of social injustice, Kathmandu-centric policies, and negligence on the part of the kings. Majority of Nepali people are uneducated and live a harsh life [it didn't have to be this bad]. When you have a population that will happily vote for you in exchange for 50 rupees apiece, Girija Prasads are bound to thrive.

Political party reforms have been tried in Nepal in the past... In my assessment, it has always been a top-down model with a bunch of elite seminars at Yak and Yeti and such. THIS DOES NOT WORK. The problem, as I just described, lies in the grassroots. It has to be addressed there with a bottom-up strategy [consider why the Maoist campaign gained traction]. Nothing else is going to work.

But educating such a vast mass [and in effect, reforming the parties] will take time and require closely monitored programs and policies. It is a reality and there is almost nothing we can do about this [Study Indian democracy, we can learn a lot--How long has it taken? Are their parties ideal institutions now?]. Ashu uses analogies from the British democracy to support his arguments, as though Nepalis could be compared with the Britons on every other aspect. It couldn't be more foolish.

In Ashu's model, Nepalis wait [with the King?] until the parties are reformed [doesn't say how] and Girija Prasads are replaced. Ashu fails to see that party reform is almost impossible in the absence of democracy. In fact, the absence of democracy serves the opposite. Just consider this....Hasn't Mr. Koirala's influence gotten wider in the Congress party since the royal takeover? The answer is it has. The reason is because Mr. Koirala, not surprisingly, has succeeded [and so have all other mainstream party leaders] in channeling the pervasive frustration of his cadres and the people into an anti-monarchy/pro-democracy force. This is a major setback for democracy. Such a concrete political force could've been used to refine democracy, including reforming the parties. And as long as active monarchs are there, they are going make similar moves to keep the country in this vicious cycle.

Reforming political parties is a part of a democratic process, not a prerequisite.

Thanks Echoes. Wish I had said what you said.

girije ta thoda din mai mari halchha ni. Tes pachhi ke ashu madhav nepal lai dekhaunu hunchha?

girija, madhav ko bahanama samagra lok lai hit hune democracy ko nai birodh garnu, party harulai election ma bhag lidai hid bhannu, patrick leahy ko comment padhne bittikai kehi hudaina esle yo routine comment ho bhannu mero bicharma bhitra dil dekhi ko maharaja ko support garne sadichha ko parinam ho.

mukhma democracy bhanne tara democrat haruko jindagi bhari birodh garne ho bhane keshar jung ra ashu ma ke pharak rahyo ra?

mero dui shabda

oohi
pire

Pire and Echoes,

I think it's instructive for you to read some of my PUBLISHED pieces to see where I am coming from to this kura-kani.

My mindset is that of a problem-solver, someone who is painfully aware that the
\problem here is difficult and requires a bundle of different solutions for PEACE
and DEMOCRACY in Nepal.

Here's one:

- http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue272/strictly_business.htm

Here's another

- http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue241/strictly_business.htm

Here's another

- http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue255/strictly_business.htm


These pieces should give you a flavor of my thinking.
Best wishes, and Happy New Year.

oohi
ashu