Mudding through
Nepali Congress, the main opposition party, started its long-delayed Mahasamiti meeting on Dec 14. The four-day event was supposed to end on Dec 17. Yet after acrimonious exchanges among top leaders and pressure from the grassroots for a change after the party’s humiliating defeat in the 2017 elections, the jamboree of 1,600 delegates from all over Nepal concluded only on Dec 23. While top leaders tried to present a united face at the end of the gathering of the party’s second most powerful decision-making body, Congress is anything but united as rival factions constantly search for a leg-up ahead of the 2020 general convention, the most powerful body.First, some positives. From now the party will elect 13 of its 14 office-bearers, with the party president getting to pick only a treasurer. Until now the all-powerful president could pick more than half the number of office-bearers at his discretion. This alone would go a long way towards establishing internal democracy in the Grand Old Party.
In another positive, among the 14 office-bearers, seven will be elected from seven ethnic clusters as provided in the national charter, while one will be from the marginalized community. This should help the party shed its image of being an ‘exclusive bastion’ of Khas-Arya.
Yet even more meaningful are the vital things left out of the final memorandum. For instance, the debate between whether the party should have only one kind of membership, instead of the current ‘active’ and ‘general’ members, remains undecided. Interestingly, around 43 percent of the 1,600 delegates at the Mahasamiti were in favor of reinstating the country’s Hindu status. The memorandum is silent on this too. The memorandum expressed concern over the government’s ‘indifference’ to implementing federalism, its ‘authoritarian’ ways and its ‘institutionalization’ of corruption. Yet there is nothing to suggest that Congress, itself packed with leaders of dubious probity, can mount a strong challenge against the government on these fronts.
That, in any case, may not be the focus of its top leaders as they jockey for advantage ahead of the 2020 general convention. It was partly to accommodate all the competing interest groups that the number of office-bearers, as well as the size of the central working committee, had to be more than doubled. With many delegates at the Mahasamiti meeting wanting to turn the clock back to the pre-2006 dispensation, the party’s commitment to ‘socialism’ and ‘democracy’ also appears increasingly dubious. The ills that afflicted the party during the 2017 elections are far from healed.
Presenting five model civil servants. Pick your favorite
The Top 5 finalists of ‘Integrity Idol’ have been announced, as the fifth national campaign to identify and celebrate Nepal’s most honest government officials enters its final stretch.
The finalists were selected by a panel of esteemed judges from over 1,062 nominations, and the public is now invited to vote for their favorite idol, following a special TV broadcast on AP1 television detailing the finalists’ commendable works.
Lack of integrity of public officials remains a big challenge in Nepal, and citizens often feel they are helpless to do anything about it. But through Integrity Idol, citizens are able to engage in a positive discussion about these issues and vote for the person they believe has set a good example as a public servant.
The esteemed judges who picked the Top 5 are: Suryanath Upadhyaya, former Commissioner of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority; Jiwan Prabha Lama, former Secretary of Government of Nepal; Kashiraj Dahal, Chairman of the High Level Administrative Reforms Monitoring Committee; and Punya Prasad Neupane, executive director of Nepal Administrative Staff College.
And now, the real heroes of the event. Here is a low-down of the Top 5.
Dhruba Raj Acharya, Chief Administrative Officer, Tikapur Municipality, Kailali. After helping his municipality emerge from the decade-long civil war, he then worked on bringing political parties of different persuasions together on common national issues.
“I have never worked for praise or reward. The trust I have gained from service-seekers by working responsibly is my biggest reward”
Arun Kafle, Senior Horticulture Development Officer, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, who introduced ‘soil-less’ vegetable farming to Nepal. Kafle is always available to all farmers who need his expertise and he has been tirelessly working to help farmers transition from subsistence to commercial farming.
“I feel very happy when I see service-seekers in front of my office. And when they return satisfied and with a big smile, my happiness knows no bounds”
Mahendra Prasad Poudyal,Under-Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu. He is very passionate about ensuring the youth’s right to information and has supported many talented youngsters get government support to pursue their dreams.
“The hope that future generations will not inherit negative perceptions of the government is what drives me to work harder”
Sita Kumari Sharma, Senior A.N.M., Birendranagar Municipal Health Office, Surkhet. She is a healthcare worker and a true friend of women and teenage girls who need any kind of medical help. She has also been involved in providing health education and distributing medicines in rural communities.
“Women from the community often need me more than my family. Prioritizing their health and serving them is my social responsibility”
Ram Bahadur Kurumbang, Chief District Officer, Bardiya. A retired Nepal Army Officer, Kurumbang leaves the comfort of his office and goes door to door, ensuring that people, especially those in far-flung places, have a direct access to him.
“By bringing the services to citizen’s doorsteps through our mobile camp, they have felt the presence of ‘Singhadurbar’ in their village”
The winner will be announced on Dec 7 at a public ceremony at Karki Banquet, Babarmahal. To vote for your favorite contestant or to read more about the finalists as well as the campaign, visit http://www.integrityidol.org/countries/nepal/. Viewers can choose their preferred contestant online or via SMS. To vote through SMS, go to the message box in your mobile phone and type IIN <space> Voting Code and send it to 34001. The codes for the finalists are: Arun Kafle-1, Dhruba Raj Acharya-2, Mahendra Prasad Paudyal-3, Ram Bahadur Kurumbang- 4, and Sita Kumari Sharma-5.
(Follow Integrity Idol Nepal on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the campaign).
Earthquake victim families struggle as donors fail to pay up
With the post-quake funds promised by foreign donors not coming, many earthquake victims have been left in a lurch. Most of them have gotten the first installment. But then the Office of the Auditor General stopped the payment of subsequent installments. The funds have not been released even after the National Reconstruction Authority district chapter sent orders for payment to the financial comptroller office, Okhaldhunga.
“There is no money to give out,” informs Rajan Fuyal, the chief of the comptroller office.
Even though 13,000 of the 19,000 households have received all three installments, around 6,000 households have not gotten even the second installment.
The situation has become worrisome for those relying on loans to rebuild their homes. Prativa Nepali, a resident of Chisankhugadhi, complains that without the money coming from the government, she has been forced to borrow at high interests, resulting in “a huge financial burden on the family.”
No employees to approve post-quake funds
PRADIP C. RAI | Bhojpur
Rabin Tamang says he has not received money even though he applied for it in August
There has been a delay in releasing funds for earthquake victims due to lack of employees to approve final disbursement.
Even though the data of around 600 earthquake victim families has already been collected and sent to the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) in Dhankuta, there is no one to release the funds at the department.
Rabin Tamang of Bhojpur municipality complains that he has not received any money even though he filed an application for the third installment of post-quake funds back in August.
“I have been forced to rebuild by taking out loans and the interests continue to mount with every passing day. I have lost hope that I will ever get the third installment.”
The government body responsible for collecting information about earthquake victims sent the details of the 600 families to the DUDBC office in Dhankuta back in September. “We can only wait until the Dhankuta office approves the funds,” says the body’s chief Rajan Raj Reddy.
Says Rajendra Khatiwoda, a DUDBC employee, “The old employees handing reconstruction have been transferred but their replacements have not arrived yet.”
THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER: A promising debut
We believe first novels hold a lot of promise. They are the result of dreams and aspirations, of hard work and perseverance, and of the author’s acute day-to-day observance of every thing around her. ‘The Wayward Daughter’, Shradha Ghale’s debut novel, despite some glaringly obvious mistakes and chapters with abrupt endings, reaffirmed this belief because the writing is extremely nuanced, and you get to relive the lifestyle of Kathmandu in the 90s. The blurb is a little misleading though. The Wayward Daughter isn’t just a story about Sumnima Tamule and her discovery of self through love and loss and all the mistakes teenagers inevitably make, though she is the titular wayward daughter. Through a myriad of characters from different generations, each with its own distinctive voice, Ghale narrates a complex interwoven story that you will be able to relate to depending on which role you find yourself in at the moment.
There’s Gajendra Tamule (aka Gajey or Tamule ji as he is often referred to in the book) and his wife, Premkala Limbu, who try their best to be as accommodating as they can, even under unfavorable circumstances, and Premkala’s mother, or Boju, who is a permanent guest in the Tamule household, as grandmothers usually seem to be in the city. Boju whines and complains, hides food, and scours through garbage and hoards the retrieved items in her room. The familiarities of her ways, especially for those who lived in joint families in Nepal, will remind you of your childhood.
Ganga and Manlahari, Tamule ji’s two nieces, who are sent to live with him as people in villages with family living in Kathmandu often did back in the day (and perhaps still do), also feel very raw and real. Add to this eclectic mix, the extended relatives who seem to land up at the Tamule household every now and then and you have a typical Nepali family that could very well be your own family or that of someone you know.
The novel also addresses (or at least tries to) the class division that’s still prevalent today (albeit less unabashedly). The installation of a telephone line (with an extension soon after), double door refrigerator, and new cabinets in the kitchen as the ‘head’ of the family rises up the ranks in the NGO world signify a working class family’s aspirations to bridge the divide.
One would think so many stories would make for a confusing narrative. You do wish some characters were better developed. You would have liked to get to know Numa, Sumnima’s well-adjusted younger sister, but her story, though it mimics Sumnima’s, never makes it to forefront. And Manlahari, in her entitled and pot-banging ways, seems to have been written as an afterthought. But the stories come together beautifully because Ghale’s writing is sharp and focused.
The only time she falters is when she tries to weave in seemingly important socio-political events and happenings in the narrative. There are also a few incidents, like (spoiler alert) when the principal of the college Sumnima attends tries to fondle her in his office when she goes to meet him to ask him for grace marks, that seem forced and thus unnecessary.
The Maoist insurgency, a crucial period in Nepal’s recent history, also feels out of place, though Sumnima’s reaction to it (she’s just heard of the People’s War and thinks nothing much of it) has you pondering that perhaps that was how youth living in cities reacted to the bloodshed.
Despite a few such jarring and awkward moments, The Wayward Daughter will warm your heart because, at its core, it’s about human relationships, of the connections we forge in order to make humdrum life more bearable, and of moments and decisions that have the power to change your life.
The book is being officially launched on Dec 1, 2018, Saturday and is now available at major bookstores.
THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER
Author: Shradha Ghale
Genere: Fiction
Published: 2018 Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Language: English
Pages: 268, paperback
Price: NRs 560
ABB hosts Technology Day in Nepal
ABB, the 130-year-old global technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation, and robotics and motion, on Nov 21 hosted the ABB Technology Day for 250 Nepali companies. At the event companies from different sectors such as utilities, transport and infrastructure engaged in a series of workshops with ABB experts, accompanied by an exhibit of latest technology in various sectors. In addition, discussions were held with key companies from the utilities and the industry segments.
Nepal is looking to increase its installed power capacity to 15,000 MW by 2027, with more than 10 percent expected to come from renewable energy. It also hopes to bring down power transmission and distribution losses to 15 percent. ABB technologies, deployed for communication in 80 percent of the electricity authority’s power substations, are expected to help with these goals.
Nepal is also planning to add 10,000 MW of hydro-electricity over the next decade. ABB has already provided a host of technology solutions and systems for various hydro projects in the country, from unified automation systems, digital governors, synchronizers and various other power management solutions in projects like Lower Modi, Panauti, Sunkoshi and Puwa Khola.
“We are hosting our first Technology Day for Nepal at a time when this great mountain country is taking a big leap for the next level of growth to improve the lives of its citizens,” said Karthik Krishnamurthi, Country Head of Sales and Marketing & Account Management, ABB India. “Be it in clean solar energy, making power transmission more efficient, improving energy access and quality, or reducing carbon emissions and facilitating energy savings in industries, transportation or homes, ABB technologies can be instrumental to partner sustainable growth in this country blessed with multiple natural splendors.”
Mahesh Mahato, Managing Director, Cosmic Electrical Engineering Associates Private Limited added, “Nepal is planning a massive expansion in its hydro power generation in this decade and providing licenses for new solar plants to be set-up for clean power in the country. At such a time, such interactive workshops and discussions provide a great exposure to the next level technologies of digitalization and analytics, which can be deployed to make a strong, reliable and sustainable grid in Nepal.”
With a robust internet and smart phone penetration—1 in 2 Nepalis has internet access—Nepal is poised to make a leapfrog in digital technology. ABB has provided technology solutions to optimize space, safety, cost and energy savings for the power requirements of datacenters, which will be the mainstay of data, telecom and start-up companies in the valley.
The interminable wait of conflict victims
If there was ever a case of travesty of justice in Nepal, it has to apply to the victims of the decade-long Maoist insurgency. Fully 12 years after the signing of the landmark Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on Nov 21, 2006, they continue on what increasingly appears like a futile quest for justice. On Nov 21 this year they came together to demand radical reforms in the two transitional justice bodies so that the actual victims, and not political leaders, are at the center of the transitional justice process. They were against extending the mandates of the two bodies: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), both of whose extended tenures expire after three months. Again, their argument is that the laws governing these commissions were formed without their consent. If the government still refuses to heed their call, they have threatned to pursue an ‘alternative course of justice’. Having exhausted their legal options at home, they could seek justice at international forums. That will undoubtedly besmirch Nepal’s image abroad. It will also greatly complicate foreign travels of those linked to conflict-era rights abuses, including of some top political leaders.
Transitional justice is by no means easy, but nor were the two earlier legs
The conflict victims have a point. And some of their demands are reasonable and very implementable too. For instance they want formal apology for conflict-time rights violations from the side of the state, the Maoist leadership at the time of war as well as the leaders of major parties. Another demand is that the state take care of the children orphaned due to the war. It is clear that after years of fighting an uphill battle, the conflict victims are tiring, and they are desperately in search of some kind of closure, even if they have to make some unpalatable concessions in the process.
It is a tragedy that after showing the world how to successfully end a bloody conflict, and after promulgating the new constitution that institutionalizes the gains of the 2006 political movement, the political actors are dragging their feet on the third vital leg of the peace process: transitional justice. It is by no means easy, but nor were the two earlier legs. Tired they may be, but the hope of the political class that the conflict victims will in due course forget the injustice done to them is misplaced. So long as their voices are ignored another such conflict cannot be ruled out.
Murky business in Nepal Airlines
Who wouldn’t love to see the country’s flag carrier fly to every conceivable destination in the world, proudly bearing the national standard? There was thus a lot of excitement when, in 2017, Nepal Airlines bought two Airbus A330-200s. The addition of the ultra-modern 247-seater, long-range aircraft, the NA management promised, would herald a new era in Nepali aviation. But there was just a wee problem. Till date, in the absence of proper paperwork, it is not even clear that the NA actually bought the two aircraft.
It has been a murky affair all along. First, instead of buying the aircraft directly from Airbus, the NA management decided to purchase them through the US-based AAR Corporation, at $209.6 million apiece. Interestingly, the AAR didn’t have the aircraft. The NA then decided to get the two planes from the Portugal-based ‘Hi-Fly Airlines’. In another bizarre twist, when the NA got the delivery, it was from the Ireland-based ‘Hi-Fly X’ (no relation to the Portugal-based company). Again, if the NA management had nothing to hide, why didn’t it get the planes directly from Airbus? And where are the papers that prove the NA’s ownership?
Unable to come clean on the series of exposés that our sister publication Annapurna Post has been running on the issue, Nepal Airlines CEO Sugat Ratna Kansakar has taken to Twitter to accuse “a prominent media” of “unnecessarily…dragging into controversy a third party, an esteemed internationally reputed company Airbus”. He also suggested that the Nepali media act with “a sense of responsibility” and not destroy the country’s fledgling aviation sector.
He seems to have gotten it backward. The reason this media organization has been running this series on the NA is that it wants, first and foremost, a robust aviation sector, which is vital if Nepal is to realize its tourism potential. For this it is important that our national flag carrier be in rude health, and able to compete against the best in business, at least in South Asia.
The prime minister is reportedly keen on getting to the bottom of the issue but other cabinet ministers and top bureaucracy are apparently unwilling, perhaps because some of them personally profited from the gargantuan deal. This is not inconceivable. In the past, no less than a sitting prime minister has been charged with profiting from NA’s aircraft lease. The current government’s goal of bringing two million tourists by 2020 is laudable. But that will be a tall order if has to rely on a corruption-ridden and ailing national flag carrier.
Shalom Himalaya & sekwa
Spize—the authentic Nepali style food joint—is doing everything right to attract hungry Nepali and foreign foodies to its small and cozy premises in Bhagwati Marga, Thamel. Spize is dedicated to providing cheap, delicious and hygienic food to its guests. It serves traditional Nepali as well as travelers’ food using Himalayan spices as flavor. The restaurant offers unique breakfast options. You can for instance choose to have Shalom Himalaya, iTraveller, Trekkers’ Delight, Lost in Thamel or Full Everest (all set-breakfast options) to start your day. All served with fresh brewed coffee.
Momo, chowmein, sekuwa and other Newari snacks are an all-day affair and Spize also offers the very famous Thakali Set, a favorite among its customers.
THE MENU
Chef’s Special:
- Silver Dollar Pancakes
- Thakali food Set
- Grilled Chicken Satay
