| Biswo |
Posted
on 08-Sep-01 11:33 AM
"there is only one time that is important -- Now! It is the most important time
because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is
he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with
any one else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for that
purpose alone was man sent into this life!"
("Three questions", by Leo Tolstoy)
Listen, both Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prachanda !
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Rudyard Kipling, in his celebrated story "The man who would be king" ,talks about
two loafers. The loafers roam all over India, and defraud kings of small kingdoms.
But , as they realize they couldn't keep on doing that, they embark on a much
larger project: to become king. They choose a country "which is mountainous,
people are tribals and always fight with each other", and lead them. One of those
in deed becomes king of that area.They dream of something bigger, but the
tribals ,miffed over the demand of a girl by the king, realize that the king wasn't
divine power(as claimed), but just a mere human. The king was later beheaded,
and his associate loafer was spared to tell the story.
Listen, both Babu Ram Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal!
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Here is a story of a development worker who went to Maoist heartland in Karnali::
I have a MS degree from a Asia-Pacific country, and as soon as I came back to
Nepal, I first worked for UNDP and later , a forestry related INGO. Before coming
to US, my salary was more than 42,000.00 per month. I had to pay only Rs 1500
as tax, as my organization managed to put my salary under 'hardship allowance'
etc. My job was to board on plane and go to Jumla /Humla type region.
The first time I went to Jomsom, I took permission from a local Maoist activist to get
into the region allegedly controlled by them. There was no paper/stamp, but only
verbal nod from them. They gave me a mouthful about why I shouldn't be working
for emperialists and capitalists of west, and why I should work for our own people,
and allow me to work there. It was kind of really tough place, because there were
no foods in the shops, and the only shops there were so dirty, and that I never
really ate anything there.How can you eat in a place where ten people gather
and stare with tempation when you are eating a plate rice in a dirty plate?
One of my projects was to provide loan ('micro-finance'?). Our organization loaned Rs 5,000.00 per person, and asked them to raise sustainance from that.
I pitied on my organization. Why it thinks I need Rs 42,000.00 per month to live
the same life, while a person there can sustain with Rs 5,000.00 for more than a
year. In KTM, Dr Saiju asks US$100.00 for an hour of speech, Mrs Deuba needs
US$300.00 for an hours of speech. What a shameful disparity? So, it was the
development we were supposed to do there.
People used to collect Yarchaagumba in winter. Small students had keen eyes,
and were adept at collecting the aphrodosiac, made up of larva when it hibernates
in the winter. Its market value in Tibet is Rs 20 per piece. If one doesn't collect
Yarchaagumba, it can't be recovered. Even if one collects them, every year they
will be automatically produced. I don't know who banned that in Panchayat era.
Now in democracy, the government allowed the sale, but asked Rs 500/piece as
tax. Until now they have raised Rs 0.Who will pay Rs 500 per piece to sell it later
in Rs 20, the market value?
We also encouraged villagers to produce Jataamasi, a raw material used in making
perfumes. Banaspati Bibhag used to have experts for testing Jataamasi. We had
a healthy order of more than 20kgs/month from US regularly. It was one of the
most successful projects we were running. Then , someone in forestry ministry
realized that this thing is being exported ,and is a profitable thing, so 'Ban
Paidawar Bhibhag(?)' made a rule that Jataamasi export should be first allowed by
this BPB before being exported. Now, this BPB doesn't even have any experts
to test the Jataamasi. All they have is the beaurocrats, who won't work until
money is given to them.Our export has been effected, and delayed.I think sb
just recently changed the rule and sent it back to banaspati bibhag, thanks god.
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Then , I once laughed off at the idea of giving amnesty to the Maoists rebels if
peace talk ever comes to conclusion. These were murderers, as I understood them.
As I travelled to the Rolpa and Rukum, different scenes came in front of me. I saw
villages of widows. I saw the villages once totally set to fire by police. When police
was mighty here, they raped mothers and daughters together, they killed every
young boy who refused to help them, they staged 'kiloshera-1,2'. Everything was
unconstitutional. If we want to prosecute these rebels, we should also prosecute
the police chief, the prime ministers and ministers who ordered such actions that
were not allowed by law.Rule is rule.
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I talked to this comrade and his associate. The men I disliked very much.But his
story is interesting: The comrade was fired from his job after he participated in the
'karmachaari andolan' in 2048. The associate was not given the job in Govinda
Raj Joshi's ministiry of education when he applied for the post of teacher in his
village's primary school. In stead,the congressi with Indian certificate was sent to
be teacher. Disgusted, as he said,he joined the rebels. May be true, may be false.
But it is true that Govinda Raj Joshi didn't give job to any communist dude. It is
also true that Girija fired all those karmachaari who were using their constitutional
right.
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Now, I sometimes think who is the good administrator? Do we need hawks in
Nepal? Girija: who always quarrels with opposition, kings etc. The UMLs and
Maoists who hate India,King and NC. We don't need them. We need people like
Sher Bdr who can glue together everybody. Because we can't survive in rhetorics.
We need development. Development is possible only with peace.
When I was coming to US, Nepal was in peace.Looks like King Gyanendra and Sher
Bdr are the best choice available for now. Just imagine what after Gyanendra:
either Paras or Prachanda? Who will our people choose?What a shame!
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