| ashu |
Posted
on 05-Oct-01 05:55 AM
Hi Milan-ji,
I just visited your HURPEC ko Web site.
A pretty impressive job, and congratulations!!
You have rightly asked all of us to the think about solutions to some of Nepal's pressing problems such as "violations of human rights, Maoist wars," and so
on and so forth. Big issues, these.
So that we can learn more from you, and in a spirit of friendly kura-kani (and as someone who has had done some thinking on human rights activities in Nepal), may I ask these five questions (some open, some loaded) to you here in public?
I'd appreciate your reply here.
1) Do you believe, as many Nepali human rights actvists seem to believe, that human rights education should be introduced as a compulsory course in Nepal's secondary schools?
If yes, what then is your reasoning?
2) We all know that BOTH the Maoists and the Police have killed hundreds of innocent civilians in Rolpa, Rukum, Jajarkot and other places in the last six years.
While all have been rightly quick to criticize the atrocities of the police, somehow we don't hear and haven't heard Nepal's human rights activists denouncing/condemning the Maoists for killing innocent people.
Why is that?
3) The government has set up a National Human Rights Commision at taxpayers' expense. To me, the idea that any government is ever willing to look into its own human rights violations is unconvincing (for that's a job, I would think, best left to independent activists and NOT to activists-turned-bureaucrats!)
OK, granted that the issue is already settled, but is there -- on a conceptual level, ANY justification of having an NHRC when there ARE already many independent human rights organization already operating out of the ambit of the government?
(I ask this question because with NHRC now struggling with issues of salaries and budgets and its job responsibilities, it's obvious that the whole idea was NEVER
thought through clearly by those pushing to set up NHRC.)
4) Human rights in Nepal is a donor-subsidized field. What this means is that
donor agendas and donor interests determine how you spend your time and resources.
For example, hundreds of Nepalis die every year from needless, and preventable vehicle accidents on our highways. There is enormous, if sad, publicity about these accidents, yet there is NOT a single human rights activist or an organization, to my knowledge, dedicated to preventing these needless deaths and make our highways safer. [In a morbid irony, one of the prominent human rights activists Sudip Pathak lost his brother recently to a highway vehicular accident!]
In light of this, my question is this: Could pro-human rights activities in Nepal be sustained even if all the donors left Nepal?
If yes, how?
If not, why
5) Critics say that Nepali human rights activists -- instead of being issue-focussed --try to cover everything under the sun in the name of doing good and consequently fail to achieve anything substantial.
How do you and your colleagues respond to this criticism?
Hope to hear from you. Please feel free to bring in your other colleagues
here this. As I shall be away this week-end, I look forward to reading your thoughts next week.
oohi
ashu
ktm, nepal
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| Milan Karki |
Posted
on 09-Oct-01 09:39 AM
Dear Ashu
Thanks for your questions to me. Below are the answers of your questions:
Ans of Q.1) Human Rights Education is necessary as compulsary course not only in secondary education but also on primary education. The knowledge of child rights must be provided the childs of primary classes. Without the knowledge of human rights, the education may not be completed. With this knowledge, person will be aware on every matter of violations of rights. My priority is not only the human rights education but also the Development Education. The human development is also necessary including human rights. The human development is the development of Nation. But, in our country Nepal, the Government does not want it because it doesn't want the people be aware of human rights and development.
Ans of Q.2) Yes. I support your thought partially. Some human rights organizations of Nepal are mobilized indirectly by some ruling parties, opposition parties and Maoists too which is not good. The politicalization is everywhere in our country. So the situation of our Nation is ruining. But, if you ask about our stand, we have always opposed any kind of human rights violations either done by Government or by Maoists. We are peacelover and we want our Nation be recognized as the Zone of Peace around the World.
Ans of Q.3) The Role of National Human Rights Commission might be like the Court. It's role may not be like the activities of indipendent human rights organizations. Another matter, the Act of Nationsl Human Rights Commission has made it sovereign. I request you to read it if you are serious in this matter.
Ans of Q.4) I support that many human rights organizations in Nepal are funded by the Donor Agencies of western countries. It is also right that if all the Donor Agencies left to provide Donations, these HR Organizations will be completely orphans and may not work. But, let you know that the Donor Agencies will not leave to fund our HR Organizations in Nepal. Because they have their own selfishness on this matter. To fund the organizations of the poor countries is their business in which they will make a lots of money. In the name of human rights and peace, these western can deep their roots in our counry, and later can rule our Nation indirectly. I think, you know all about it. It is truth.
My vision is we have to fight for our rights with our own efforts and resources. We will get our rights if we struggle. We the Nepalese have not to be like a begger. We have our own resources and I say, we are one of the richest country of the world. Not economically, but Natural resources and cultural heritages.
Ans of Q.5) It is right that many human rights organizations of Nepal are working in propoganda basis to be recognized themselves. Spending lots of money on seminars, conferences, workshops, etc. on the five star hotel; taking large sum of money as the allowances and using money for the travel, may not achieve the goal. Another truth, the coruption is everywhere in our Nation. I don't want to write any more in this matter.
At last, speaking any matter doesn't work. To work, we have to move in action field. Let you know that we have to fight for all and equal human rights with our own resources. Thanks for all once again.
Your's
Milan Karki
President
Human Rights and Peace Campaign (HURPEC) Nepal
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| oohi_ashu |
Posted
on 09-Oct-01 07:09 PM
Dear Milan,
Many thanks for your responses.
I have learnt much from your answers, especially
the kind of thinking/reasoning that governs human
rights matters in Nepal.
Please continue to visit this site and tell your
colleagues about this site too.
Again, many thanks.
Others, please feel free to ask questions or
make comments.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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