Deuba, Dahal excel at playing hooky

PHANINDRA DAHAL

KATHMANDU, SEP 29

Political leaders across the party lines never tire of emphasising the need to bring out the new constitution on time. Their poor attendance in the Constituent Assembly (CA), however, belies their commitment.

Consider this. More than one-third of the CA members were always absent in the meetings held by the assembly in its two-year tenure. The attendance of the top political leaders was the worst, according to a policy paper released last week by the Kathmandu-based Martin Chautari, a think tank.

The paper, “Attendance and Participation in the Constituent Assembly,” asks the political leadership to make a firm commitment against the insidious practice of absenteeism, which has badly hurt the CA process. Examining the attendance register maintained by the CA during its 101 meetings held in the past two years, the study has revealed that the average attendance rate of the CA members in the period was 63 percent.

Senior Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has the worst record. He has attended only two meetings. Chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) Dahal, who never tires of waxing eloquent on the need for a new progressive constitution, is the second worst offender. He has attended only seven meetings. The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, who has participated in only 10 meetings, is the third worst offender.

Party-wise, Maoists again look to be the worst offender among the major parties. The record shows 66 percent average attendance for UML, 63.51 for NC and 62.17 for Maoists. The policy paper states that more than half of the CA members of the MJF (Loktantrik) and MJF were absent in the CA sittings at any given time while Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) and Sadbhawna Party had their attendance records at 60.71 percent and 40.59 percent, respectively. Nepal Rastriya Party, which has a single representative in the CA via the proportional representative system, has the highest average attendance of all the political parties (88.12 percent).

At the individual level, Agni Kharel, of the CPN-UML, has outstanding attendance. He tops the participation list with 97 percent attendance in the CA meetings. Man Bahadur Mahato and Laxman Prasad Ghimire of the Nepali Congress were a close second-with 96 percent attendance. Next come Rajendra Kumar Khetan (ML) and Nilambar Acharya (NC) with 94 percent. Maoist leaders Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, CPN-UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum leaders Upendra Yadav and Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta all fare badly — with their attendance rate below 30 percent.

Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel rests on relatively firmer ground, with an attendance rate of 49.5 percent.

Some prominent leaders (the top-level leaders were mentioned above) are hovering round a passable 50-percent mark: They include Ram Sharan Mahat, Bhim Rawal, Pampha Bhusal, Hisila Yami, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Amik Sherchan, Mahantha Thakur, Shankar Pokharel, Shekhar Koirala, Arzoo Deuba, Shalikram Jamakattel.

“Reasons behind the low attendance of the top leadership are clear - intra and inter-party power struggles are given priority over the writing of the constitution. The cause of low attendance at lower levels is more complicated,” says Seira Tamang, Chairperson of the Martin Chuatari, who carried out the research. “The reasons at the lower level are the issues of lack of experience, language issues, certain levels of knowledge, etc.”

A directly elected CA member, who is not named but quoted in the report, has said that he was in his constituency for 244 days in the two-year term of the CA “not counting the 55 days or so spent in the travel.” 

Chairman of the Constitutional Committee (CC) Nilambar Acharya said the negligence on attendance reflects the attitude of the political parties towards the new constitution. “Apart from the full house, the attendance of leaders is not encouraging at the CA committees,” he says.

Acharya attributes this lackadaisical attitude of the political leadership especially that of major parties, towards the CA process to the assembly’s failure to meet its two-year deadline for drafting the new constitution. “Other CA members have done their bit. Now we have lingering issues that should be decided by the leadership of the major parties. Until that happens, the differences will persist.”

Maoist serious about resolving PLA issues

Integration of Maoist Army personnel KATHMANDU, SEP 22 - In what appears to be a sign of serious engagement on integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) has decided to mobilise all five members of the party’s Integration Bureau. This is the first such occasion when the Maoist party has demonstrated its willingness to engage with the government to resolve the four-year stalemate on the future of its 19,000-plus combatants.

“We want to support the Special Committee to speed up the process of integration and rehabilitation,” PLA Chief Nanda Kishore Pun told the Post. "The involvement of all the members of the bureau will provide energy to the inter-party discussion on the issue.”

The bureau was formed last year to draw an outline on the party’s position on cross-party negotiations and address concerns of combatants living under the UN monitoring.

On Monday, the party had suggested that the chief of the People’s Liberation of Army Nanda Kishore Pun should be in the Special Committee Secretariat, the proposed mechanism that will oversee the combatants and cantonments once they are out of the purview of the Maoist party.

Pun has been officially recommended to the secretariat by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, confirmed Maoist Standing Committee member and former PLA deputy commander Barsha Man Pun.Of the remaining four members in the Integration Bureau, Barsha Man Pun and Janardan Sharma are the members of the Special Committee. Chandra Prakash Khanal and Kul Prasad KC are already in the Technical Committee.

A non-Maoist member of the Technical Committee agreed that the involvement of all “major players” of the Maoist party in the government mechanism would contribute positively to the process.

 “The mobilization of the whole internal bureau formed by the Maoist party to take decisions on integration and rehabilitation shows that they are serious this time to resolve the vexed issues,” said Deepak Prakash Bhatta, the Technical Committee member from CPN-UML. “This engagement will certainly expedite decision-making.” The political parleys leading up to the four-point agreement and extension of UNMIN’s term for the last time have created strong international pressure on both sides to provide impetus to the integration and rehabilitation.

UNMIN’s extension last week came with a clear message to Nepali actors that it is ultimately them - and not the international players - who are responsible to take the peace process forward. Subsequently, the Maoists have again lent  their presence at the Special Committee, defunct for the last four months. On Friday, the Committee endorsed a directive related to the new chain of command and code of conduct that brought the combatants under the government in principle.

The Maoists also agreed to constitute a 12-member secretariat to bring the combatants under the Special Committee. The secretariat will include eight members of the Technical Committee and one representative each from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force. The Nepal Army, the APF and the Nepal Police have already recommended Brig. Gen. Mahesh Bikram Karki, Deputy Inspector General Kesh Bahadur Shahi and DIG Simha Bahadur Shrestha respectively for the mechanism.

“Within the next few weeks the combatants will come under the government purview. We will strive to the utmost to reach an agreement on the modality of integration and rehabilitation before the termination of UNMIN,” said a Maoist leader involved in cross-party negotiations. He said senior Maoist leaders will visit the seven main cantonments within a week to brief the combatants on the new arrangements.
Still, serious differences persist between the Maoist and non-Maoist parties on the leadership of the new mechanism for the supervision, control and monitoring of the cantonments.

The Maoists want PLA Chief Pun to head to the mechanism while the Nepali Congress and UML are pushing for retired Gen. Balananda Sharma, also a member of the Technical Committee.  “We should get the leadership because we are trying to decide the future of our army personnel,” said Pun. “That is non-negotiable.”

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Tuesday discussed with Maoist Chairman Dahal how to forge consensus on who should lead the proposed mechanism but there has not been any agreement so far. 
A source close to PM said he has hinted that Nanda Kishore Pun could be given the position of the deputy-coordinator of the secretariat if the Maoists accept Balananda Sharma’s leadership.

Differing letters from Nepal befuddle UN

• Government and Maoist continue negotiation, common request to UN likely 
• US says UNMIN can't operate without consensus
   
• f there is neither a workable, consensual request, nor a technical rollover UNMIN ceases after Sept. 15 
  
  

The Kathmandu Post on Saturday reported:  

Two separate letters from the Nepali side, amid the controversy on the extension of the United Nations Missionin Nepal (UNMIN), have pushed the United Nations Security Council into a state of ‘confusion’. The member states of the world body entrusted with the responsibility to decide on the future of UNMIN have expressed their concern during meetings with Nepali officials in Kathmandu and have asked for a clearly-worded official position.

On Tuesday, the government sent a letter requesting the United Nations to extend UNMIN’s mandate by four months but remained silent on whether the Nepali Army should continue to remain under the UNMIN purview. The UCPN (Maoist) on Thursday sent a separate letter, saying that the UNMIN purview over the national army should continue. Given the differences between the government and the Maoists, it is not possible for the Security Council to take a decision, which would irk one of the two parties, UN sources said.
If the two sides don’t agree on the common language before Sept. 15, when UNMIN’s tenure ends, the Security Council will have two options before it. First, to give a “technical rollover” offer of some weeks for the two sides to find a common ground while giving UNMIN an extension within a current mandate, as Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has recently mentioned. But such a rollover should have the consent of the government. If the government refuses to accept the technical rollover, the Security Council has no option but to wrap up the mission, a source in New York said.


 “If there is neither a workable, consensual request, nor a technical rollover, the mandate expires on Sept. 15 and UNMIN ceases its substantive activities,” an informed source said. Already, the Nepal government has objected to the very concept of technical rollover which has been conveyed to officials, including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, by the Kathmandu-based envoys of the member-countries of the Security Council.


Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN Gyanchandra Acharya put forth the government position against the technical rollover during meetings with the deputy permanent representatives from the three permanent members of the Security Council—China, the United Kingdom and France—on Thursday. Acharya will meet the deputy permanent representatives of the United States and Russia on Friday. (Reporting by Mahesh Acharya in New York and Phanindra Dahal in Kathmandu)


Meanwhile, the government on Friday proposed a six-point proposal before the UCPN (Maoist) as its precondition for sending a new request regarding the term extension of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) in its current mandate. 


Home Minister Bhim Rawal and Constituent Assembly Minister Minendra Rijal handed over the proposal to Maoist Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Maoist Standing Committee member Barsha Man Pun. Negotiators of both sides have said discussions on the proposal were “positive” and a joint letter requesting the renewal of UNMIN’s current mandate was soon likely to be dispatched at the UN. 

The government’s condition includes that the Maoist combatants should be immediately brought under the command of the Special Committee and the secretariat body to take over the command should be constituted within 15 days. The next clause includes that the Special Committee would immediately enforce the code of conduct and directives related to the new chain of command to be imposed on the Maoist combatants

The government has proposed formulation of a four-month action plan (Sept 15- Jan. 14, 2011) to complete the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. 

The draft maintains that the government would request for a four-month extension of UNMIN’s current mandate, if the Maoists agree not to make any “obstruction” regarding the mobility, recruitment and training of the Nepal Army. “We have not reached a concrete conclusion over the mandate of UNMIN, but we are close to consensus,” said Minister Rijal. “Both of us have agreed to consult with senior leaders including the prime minister to finalise the agreement.”

Responding to the government’s proposal, the Maoists have stressed that they are ready to consider allowing the recruitment of technical manpower in the Army, support in bringing logistics related to training and participation in the UN peacekeeping. They have clarified that they will not agree on allowing recruitment in “non-technical positions of the NA.”

The Maoists have urged the government to give a six-month extension to UNMIN so that a six-month action plan to complete the integration and rehabilitation of the combatants can be formulated. 

Maoist leader Pun said both sides have agreed “in principle” to forward a common request to the UN Secretary General before UNMIN’s Sept. 15 deadline. “We are still discussing to preparing common clauses. If we reach an understanding, a new letter requesting an extension of UNMIN with its current mandate will be sent to New York on Saturday,” he said.

 

Government’s proposal 

1.    Immediate reactivation of the Special Committee to take charge of Maoist combatants 
2.    Formation of Special Committee Secretariat within 15 days 

3.    Formulation of a four-month action plan on integration and rehabilitation
4.    Fresh headcount of combatants
5.    Extension of UNMIN’s current mandate for four months
6.     End of obstruction on the mobility, recruitment and training of Nepal Army

Maoist position
1.    No requirement of time bound commitment to constitute Special Committee Secretariat
2.    Need of six-month action plan on integration and rehabilitation
3.    Six-month extension of UNMIN term
4.    Ready to cooperate in recruitment of technical manpower and address problems faced by the Army

On Friday, issuing a press statement tUS Ambassador Scott H DeLisi has said it will be impossible for UNMIN to continue to operate effectively without a full consensus on its role among the parties. “We also noted that although the question of UNMIN’s monitoring role needs to be discussed and agreed upon by the parties, the more compelling need is to address the core issues constraining completion of the peace process," he said.

UNSC will give a rollover to UNMIN

Following the fresh controversy between the government and Maoist on UNMIN, the three powerful members of the UN Security Council have mounted pressure for the two sides to resolve the new crisis. S

The press statement issued by the US Ambassador Scott H Delisi a day after the meeting states: 

"I, along with the UK Ambassador and the French Charge d’Affaires, met with the Prime Minister as well as the Chairman of the UCPN-M yesterday. Our goal was to seek clarification from the Government and UCPN-M on their views of the future of UNMIN’s mandate. Our concern is that without full consensus on that role it will be impossible for UNMIN to continue to operate effectively here. We also noted that although the question of UNMIN’s monitoring role needs to be discussed and agreed upon by the parties, the more compelling need is to address the core issues constraining completion of the peace process. We hope that the parties will keep their focus on those critical questions and not allow debate over monitoring or UNMIN’s role to keep them from making the hard political choices necessary to fully and finally implement the peace agreement. "

Below is the report carried by The Kathmandu Post  about the meetings:

Ambassadors representing the three permanent member countries of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have told the government and the Maoists that the UNSC would give a technical rollover to the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) if no political agreement is had before Sept. 15, the day UNMIN’s current term expires.

US Ambassador Scott H. DeLisi, British Ambassador John Anthony Tucknott and acting ambassador of the French Embassy Jean Romicianu conveyed a “common concern” during separate meetings with caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday, a source said.

The diplomatic parleys follow two separate letters dispatched by the government and the Maoists on UNMIN. “If there is no consensus among the two sides, the Security Council will give a month’s rollover of UNMIN’s current mandate with no changes to allow discussions to take place between parties to resolve this row,” a source told the Post, quoting the ambassadors.

The source said the envoys said that the international community does not want to take “any abrupt decision” on UNMIN’s termination. Meanwhile, the prime minister’s Foreign Relations Advisor Rajan Bhattarai said the UNSC cannot take a decision on the technical rollover of UNMIN’s mandate without the consent of the government.

“The envoys said it would be difficult for the Security Council to take a decision on two different requests forwarded from Nepal,” Bhattarai said. The envoys are said to have told the prime minister that the Security Council could write a letter to the government asking it to “further clarify” its request for mandate renewal.

The letter sent by the government on Tuesday says the government would like to see UNMIN focus on the monitoring of Maoist combatants and their weapons. The Maoists have “objected” to the request saying that it remained silent on UNMIN’s monitoring of Nepal Army. After the meeting with Dahal, DeLisi told reporters that the international community is now concentrating on providing better assistance to the peace process.

Nepal Army attends JMCC meeting

Recruitment row reffered to political leadership

KATHMANDU, SEP 06 -
The Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC) has asked the political leadership to look into the recruitment row in the Nepal Army (NA) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The tripartite mechanism comprising representatives of UNMIN, the NA and the PLA made an understanding to this effect on Sunday afternoon. The NA had earlier boycotted the JMCC meet on Aug. 27 after its decision to enlist of 3,464 personnel was kept on the agenda of the meeting.

“The Nepal Army attended the JMCC yesterday after the recruitment row was not kept as a formal agenda of the meeting,” said a government source. However, Maoist representatives raised the issue in the “open meeting” saying that the decision violates the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Agreement on the Monitoring of Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA).

The NA representatives, however, said the JMCC was not the proper mechanism to discuss the decision on recruitment taken by the government. “Both sides have agreed that the row should be addressed by the political leadership,” added the official requesting anonymity. UNMIN Spokesperson Kosmos Bishwokarma said issues of mutual concerns were discussed in Sunday’s meeting.

Following the decision, Chief of the Nepal Army Chhatra Man Singh Gurung met Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Defence Minister Bidhya Bhandari and requested them to resolve the row at the political level.

PLA Chief Nanda Kishore Pun “Pasang” said they demanded the national army scrap its recruitment but no decision was reached in Sunday’s meeting. “We also clarified that the PLA will open fresh recruitment if the row is not settled by the political leadership,” he said.

Pun added that the PLA would take a call on its new recruitment, if the controversy isn’t resolved before the next week’s JMCC meeting.

Nepal Army recruitment getting more inclusive

PHANINDRA DAHAL
KATHMANDU, SEP 01
Of the 40 doctors recruited by the Nepal Army last month, six were from indigenous groups and five from Madhesi community. Three women, a Dalit and resident from geographically backward region also got enrolled as “technical lieutenant,” thanks to reservation.

Fifth Amendment to the Interim Constitution in October 2008 legally guaranteed the representation of marginalised groups in the national army. Since then, the Army has stepped up its effort to make the recruitment of its personnel inclusive and give the institution a national character.

Critics welcome the start but maintain that the Nepal Army has still a long way to transform itself into an inclusive institution.

“The evolution for inclusiveness in the Nepal Army has just begun and it should be carried out systematically based on a political decision,” said Retired Brig. Gen. Ranadhoj Limbu. “It should reflect the aspirations of the changed political context.”
Nepal Army maintains that it has strictly followed the principles of inclusiveness stipulated by the Interim Constitution and allocated 45 percent seats for minorities and backward groups in its hiring.

Of the total reserved seats, 32 percent are set aside for indigenous groups, 28 percent for Madhesis, 20 percent is allocated to women, 15 percent to Dalits and 5 percent to those from backward regions. The government has enlisted the Far-and Mid-Western districts of Achham, Kalikot, Jajarkot, Jumla, Dolpa, Bajhang, Bajura, Mugu and Humla as the backward region.

“Recruitment is an entirely voluntary and competitive process. We can’t force citizens to sign up in proportion of the demographic breakup of the nation,” said Army Spokesman Ramindra Chhetri.

Geja Sharma Wagle of the Kathmandu-based think tank Nepal Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) said Nepal Army is still negatively portrayed as the “Army of the King” as the institution is controlled by higher class elites-the Chhetris and Thakuris. “The increase in participation of females, Madhesis and Dalits is a most to make it the army of the people,” he said.
Statistics provided by the Nepal Army shows that out of 19 decision-making posts including two technical major generals, nine are Chhetris, four are Gurungs, two are Brahmins and two are Chhetris. The decision making rank also includes a Rana and Newar. Females, whose recruitment started in 1962 comprise only 1.2 percent of the total strength of the institution.

The NA plans to take the number of females to five percent of its institutional strength. “We are considering increasing female participation in the Nepal Army and have asked the government to provide budgets so that we can construct female-friendly infrastructure,” he said.

“If we go by the past, the Army leadership was totally controlled by Ranas and Shahs. Now we have got the Army chief from a Gurung community,” said retired Gen. Limbu. “Inclusiveness is slow and gradual process.”

UNMIN tenure: Govt to figure out UNSC response first

KATHMANDU, AUG 29 - Despite its hard-line stance against extending the term of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) under the existing mandate, the government has decided to gauge the plausible reaction of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) before sending any formal request to it.

This decision was prompted by speculations that the UNSC may not entertain the government's request to limit UNMIN's mandate without Maoist consent. The government plans to remove Nepal Army from UNMIN's monitoring.

According to a source at the Prime Minister's Office, Nepal's Permanent Representative to the UN, Gyan Chandra Acharya, will make an attempt to take officials of the UN headquarters and the representatives of the the five permanent members of the UNSC into confidence on the revision of UNMIN's mandate before forwarding a formal letter.

Acharya is going to New York this week after holding consultations with the government.

"The permanent representative has been asked to explain the government's position and see how the Security Council could react if the government fails to forge consensus with the Maoist party and unilaterally request a mandate revision," the source said. "The government will take a call only after ascertaining the pulse of officials in New York."

On Friday, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal met ambassadors of the US, the UK, China, Russia and France and conveyed them his government's intentions. The same evening, Maoist Chairman Dahal met those diplomats and requested them to support a six-month extension of UNMIN with the current mandate. The Maoists have warned that a decision to revise UNMIN's mandate would jeopardize the peace process.

Supporting the position of the representative of the UN Secretary General in Nepal, Karin Landgren, the diplomats of the five permanent memebers of the UNSC are reported to have suggested both the government and the Maoists to strike "a common understanding on UNMIN before the UNSC meeting".

Landgren is leaving for New York on Thursday to attend discussions on Nepal's peace process in the UNSC scheduled for Sept. 7.

It is "unpredictable" as to how the Security Council would react if the government and the Maoists fail to reach an understanding, said an UNMIN official on Sunday.

"In such a scenario, the response is entirely contingent upon the decision of the Secretary General and the Security Council," he said.

While extending UNMIN's term last time, the Security Council had instructed the UN mission to immediately make arrangements for its withdrawal, including handing over any residual monitoring responsibilities by Sept. 15, 2010.

"One option given the current political impasse is to retain the status quo with a short extension of UNMIN," said the source. "Other options include not renewing UNMIN's tenure."

The UNSC is also likely to emphasise on the urgency of an exit strategy should the mandate be renewed, added the source.

Retired Lt. Gen. of Nepal Army, Balananda Sharma, who has also served as the Former Force Commander in the UN Mission in Sudan, said the UN would give greater recognition to the government's position if no consensus could be forged.

"The position of the government enjoys legal and political privilege than the position of a political party," he said. "But if the Security Council considers that the conflict among parties would be a threat to global peace, it may not consider the request of the member state but would rather impose its decision."

He said that in Nepal's case, it is highly unlikely that the UN body would intervene.

Meanwhile, the prime minister continued holding consultations with political parties to seek their suggestions on UNMIN's future. On Sunday, he held discussions with leaders of 16 political parties.