Tuesday 16 October 2007

The Wind Catches Prayers


At Swayambhunath temple, on a hill overlooking the Kathmandu valley, prayer flags wave in the wind above Buddhist stupas. Each flag is block-printed with prayers, which are caught by the wind and taken to the heavens. Meanwhile, the nine day festival of Durga Puja is under way, celebrating, and praying to, Durga, the warrior goddess, she who fashions, nurtures and destroys all forms. An incarnation of Kali, the terrible cosmic mother, Durga is the embodiment of shakti: power, energy, and action. Our prayers, from the many corners of this world, go out to our dear friend Debbie, a flame haired embodiment of shakti herself.

Thursday 4 October 2007

Election Bandh


A gagged women questions the degree to which freedom of speech is a reality in Nepal.
A day-long meeting (on 4th October) of the seven political parties informally agreed to “suspend all the election processes” till the special session of the interim parliament called by the CPN-Maoist. It is likely that the seven parties will request that the Election Commission (EC) suspend all the election programmes till the special session of the parliament, which may defer the election by a few more months. On September 30, the EC delayed the date of filing nomination of candidates for the proportional representation system by five days, and the date of filing the nomination of candidates for the first-past-the-post system by three days on the parties’ request. The Maoist and the Nepali Congress leaders proposed to suspend the entire election process, as both the parties remained in disagreement on the issues of a republic and the precise character of the election process (see earlier blogs). As a result, the legitimacy of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the government and the parliament remain precarious.

As the democratic process initiated by the Jana Andolan 11 unwinds, (and as a potential precursor of things to come), 13 people were injured in clashes between activists and locals in Jhapa district (Eastern Nepal), while life in several districts of the country was disrupted due to the week-long bandh (strike) called by the Ganatantrik Rastriya Mukti Morcha (National Republican Liberation Front, GRMM), an umbrella organisation of over a dozen groups. In addition, the Goit faction of the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Democratic Terai Liberation Front, JTMM), an armed group which splintered from the Maoists, has also announced a three-day bandh from today, while the Visfot Singh faction of the JTMM (also splintered from the Maoists), announced a 15-day bandh starting yesterday, and the Tharu Rastriya Morcha announced an indefinite bandh starting yesterday, affecting nine districts.

Monday 1 October 2007

Politics of Dissent


Women wait on the temple steps for the living goddess Kumari to appear at Indra Jatra.
Meanwhile, on the final day of the festival, the King, who had been prevented from attending on the first day, appeared in the crowd to visit Kumari, and receive a tika (blessing mark on the forehead) and prasad (blessed food) from the deity. Kumari is believed to possess a divine power to protect the nation which she transfers to the head of state during Indra Jatra. In the past this has always been represented by the King, but as noted in an earlier blog, this year the Prime Minister received the divine empowerment. Hence the King's sudden, and unforeseen appearance before Kumari could be viewed as an attempt to undermine this changing of the guard, and has led to immediate objections from Nepal's Prime Minister.
In addition to palace intrigue, the country continues to be beset with political drama. Police have arrested members of the Terai Army (a group demanding rights for the marginalised Madeshis in the Terai region), who were responsible for the September 2nd bombings in Sundhara, Tripureshwor and Balaju in Kathmandu. The Nepali Congress factions led by present and past P.M.s Koirala and Deuba, which had split in 2002, have reunited to fight the elections in November. The CPN-UML and the Maoists consider a united front also. The Tharu Rastriya Mukti Morcha (Tharu National Liberation Front), a breakaway indigenous front from the Maoists, have threatened an armed struggle unless their demands for an autonomous Tharu federation is met.
The Maoists continue with their disruptions of the lead-up to the elections as they persist in their demand for proportional representation in all of the seats to be contested in the elections (rather than the current 50 percent of the seats to be contested). The have recently gheraoed (surrounded) the administrative offices of all districts in Nepal, obstructing the work of the offices. They have also obstructed poll awareness programmes in the countryside, and yesterday members of the Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) vanadalised the Kantipur printing press which prints the Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post. Meanwhile, Maoist- organised bandhs (strikes) continue across Nepal.