GNSC

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Scholarship for Nepali Students


Nepali students have become able to pursue international education at a Nepali price. In a Joint press release on Monday Aug 7, The Global Nepali Student Council (GNSC) coordinated by Mr. Khagendra Dhakal and Dr. Warren A. Shipton president of Mission College, a nonprofit college in Thailand, presented the result of successful negotiations. According to the statement released to the press, as a result of the GNSC/Mission College negotiations Nepali students will be elevated to “favored student” status as of Aug 27, 2007 in coordination with the new academic year 2007-2008.

“Not only does this new status open the door for average Nepali students to seek international education but also gives direct benefit to the around a dozen Nepali students currently studying at Mission College,” said GNSC coordinator Mr. Dhakal. He further added “instead of paying a western standard 15 lakh Rs for one year of an international degree program we have negotiated a quality transferable bachelors degree for approximately 1.5 lakh Rs per year with Mission College, Thailand.” “The beauty of this negotiated plan is that it includes accommodation, food and tuition fees” said Mr. Seth Leamon a Mission College lecturer speaking on behalf of Dr. Shipton while answering parent questions following the press release. Later he said “Mission College is a Gateway Institution, providing quality international education that is easily accessible to the Nepali people”

This decision enables the middle and lower classes to have access to international education at a Nepali cost by reducing the previous standard fees up to 70%. This 70% is comprised of a new financial plan specially designed for Nepali students that takes in to consideration the socioeconomic realities of Nepal as well as an optional work/study scholarship program. The press release took place at the hotel Vaishali Conference hall. In attendance were media personnel, lecturers, parents and students.

Speaking at the press conference Trivuwan University Lecturer and the Principal of Capitol Hill Academy Mr. Bikash Sharma said he believed Mission College was a “good chance to have an international educational experience closer to home and culture”. At the same time he recognized the work that the GNSC has done the behalf of Nepali students. Speaking at the same program, Mr. Thakin Gurung Cofounder of Kathmandu Model College urged Nepali students to take advantage of the fruits of the GNSC’s hard work. To close Mondays conference Ashmita and Kirtika, two top Nepali students from Mission College, shared their experiences of studying abroad while encouraging their fellow students to consider Mission College as a viable option for quality affordable international education.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Disappointment at the Postponement of Nepal's CA Elections

(Courtesy: Satyajeet Nepali)

The news of suspension of the CA polls has to be taken with deep gravity. While EPA-supporters must be busy scraping together another typical apologist explanations and regular warnings of regressive conspiracies, the EPA-bashers are reveling at having been proven correct about the SPA-M alliance's inability to deliver.

Amidst all this, one is eerily reminded of Russia's October Revolution and our very own Lenin, Prachanda, threatening a similar one in Nepal last year. There was no October Revolution last year, only threats. But could those threats be played out this year? The CPN-M has reportedly called for a 'jana-dabab karyakram' on the day of the special session of the parliament. What do we make of this?

At this critical juncture, Nepalis need to remind themselves that, in 1917, Russia too had a Provisional Government set with the mandate of forming a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution for Russia. However, before this could be done, Lenin and his Bolshevik Party organized disgruntled soldiers, workers, and peasants to stage a coup and take over the government. Of course, this could only be successful because the Provisional Government had already lost much of its credibility.

Could the suspension of polls, and reports of a Maoist initiative to seek a vote-of-no-confidence against PM Girija be the casting to further erode the government's credibility and unleash further disturbances later in the month? Given the Maoists' past activities and the recent fiasco they created at Kantipur using their trade union, Nepalis need to be wary of such sinister plans.

Fortunately, incredible as it may seem, our state is still not as weak as Russia's in 1917. The Nepali monarch, though detested and weakened, is not in bad enough a position to be forced to abdicate like Tsar Nicolas II of Russia. The Nepali Army, despite numerous attempts to humiliate it, remains a disciplined and intact force. These two pillars should make the Maoists balk at the prospect of enacting a Russian-style October Revolution in Nepal. Nevertheless, the Nepali Army needs to be ready for any eventuality now.

The SPA, if it wishes to retain even a modicum of respect and credibility from the people, has to resist attempts by the Maoists to create any kind of power-vacuum, including a pre-election abolition of the monarchy. The Maoists cannot be given any opportunity to further undermine the state.

The State Of The Nation

Vikram Singh Basnyat
National depression and apathy is dangerous. It breeds nonchalance in a nation which acts like a beacon in and to neighbouring states necessitating strategic initiatives to pre-empt similar action by others. Sadly, Nepal is such a country where any tectonic shift towards either of her neighbours results in retaliatory action from the other as a geopolitical necessity.

Kissinger has written in his book Diplomacy “The irony was that, after a certain point, expansionism no longer enhanced Russia’s power but brought about its decline. In 1849, Russia was widely considered the strongest nation in Europe. Seventy years later, its dynasty collapsed and it temporary disappeared from the ranks of the Great Powers. Hegemony in Asia is not in America’s interest. But the overwhelming concentration in hindering the emergence of another superpower in the post Cold War years might have led to the overlooking of the rise of the hydra headed menace of terrorism and another Vietnam style debacle in Iraq.”

Robert D. Kaplan writes in his book The Coming Anarchy “In moderate doses, apathy is not necessarily harmful. I have lived and travelled in countries with both high voter turnouts and unstable politics; the low voter turnouts in the United States do not by themselves worry me. The philosopher James Harrington observed that the very indifference of most people allows for a calm and healthy political climate. Apathy, after all, often means that the political situation is healthy enough to be ignored. The last thing America needs is a more voter – particularly badly educated and alienated ones – with a passion for politics.”

When a nation no longer has the choice of different state policy options and decisions are made or unmade and countered in foreign capitals, national leaders become objects of ridicule, shame and helplessness is perceived as a national malaise which leads to national depression.

How often is it required for foreign envoys to keep on meeting the Prime Minister? The effect in reverse order could have a sad outcome on the morale of the nation, let alone the retaliatory affirmation by the other neighbour. This could be even more dangerous if it is not tolerated. After all, if they cannot respect us because of the corruptibility of our leaders, let them at least contest over us.

The Nepalese are suffering anyway. Armed struggle is a way of life. Agreements are made only to be broken. The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has little to do, yet enjoy the hospitality of the Nepalese allowing them to lunch in Dhulikhel, supper in Nagarkot and enjoy late night dancing in Thamel. And yet, what hurt the thinking public are the pictures of Maoist cadres carrying modern weapons with UNMIN stickers on them. Does Nepal have a foreign policy at all?

Suffice is to state that the rise of terrorism has become a source of great concern to all related nations and none of the earlier major players are totally happy with their own past policies. Driving stumps in marshy lands would make Nepal an international playground and somewhat like Austria during the Cold War. A nation and her people have to be proud of it. But the situation is like “the Gaul is at the gate”- (Soon her pride shall kiss the ground, Hark! The Gaul is at the gate). The fast deterioration of mental verve has to be arrested and pride restored as soon as possible. This does not seem to be happening and worse still is that the promises for a brighter future is nowhere in sight. Who decides whether or when the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections would be held or not?

Thus internationally, we have become insignificant and simply a playing field. Politically, where do we stand? CA elections have been postponed three times. Any disinterested spectator or political novice can observe that none of the major political players were really interested in this exercise. The Prime Minister keeps on repeating his assurances that the CA elections would be held on the decided date, but simultaneously the Maoists keep on adding preconditions which make it virtually impossible for the elections to take place. But the bottom line is: people do not believe the CA elections would be held at the appointed time. People have also observed that with few days left, the political cadres of any party have not been able to go to the villages, like earlier on, and are yet hanging around Kathmandu.

Politics must be participatory and certainly comprehensible. In the present arrangement of the Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists (SPAM) elaborate ruling without any Parliamentary opposition, the domination of the Maoists is starkly delineated. Indeed, there are questions in people’s minds whether the Maoists ever intended to play by multi-party rules, or whether their real objective is to capture state power by force, a tool with which they have been successfully utilising in the form of the Young Communist League (YCL) in the context of all their atrocities continuing unabated.

Two other seemingly obdurate issues on the political scenario are the Terai and indigenous groups. While there can be no two opinions about the need for inclusiveness, there must also be an urgent feeling for all Nepalese with a sense of belonging. But then the Terai sentiments tend to be reflected on the desire of other ethnic groups to have their own distinctive homeland, that too in the context of a federated structure. Moreover, 59 indigenous groups want one representative each in the new legislature. With the last census figures as: Kshetris 15.18%, Brahmins 12.47%, Magars 7.14%, Tharus 6.75%, Tamangs 5.64%, Newars 5.48%, Muslims 4.27%, Kamis 3.94%, Yadavs 3.94%, Rais 2.79% and Gurungs 2.39% - would not there be a possibility of a reverse discrimination scenario in future?

But sadly, the most worrisome factor still remains, and has been the fact that a new form of expressing dissent which encompasses violence of a different nature from lethal to disruption of normal life. The Maoists success of using arms to achieve political ends has resulted in many smaller armed groups emulating this route to power. This route is a sure path towards anarchy, leaving the state in paralysis with the end result being an ungovernable one. At the same time, the Maoists intransigence in returning earlier seized property is tempting others to follow a similar pattern. Thus the law and order situation has become the greatest worry of the common man.

No doubt, this has also affected the industrial sector as well. Many industries have closed down, extortion and shootings of industrialists continue and now cross border gangs are effectively active. Tourism is affected and capital flight is rampant. On top of this, the government budget has to have an outlay for the costly CA elections. We cannot also forget the additional cost of 23,000 Civil Service promotions and 7,000 new schools that the government has announced which it will fund and run. One cannot set aside the fact that the parameters and conditions of the World Bank have not changed. Far too many political groups including the Maoists, are still surviving on government largesse, yet continue to employ mafia and terrorist tactics of intimidation and extortion. Therefore, it is quite evident that Nepal’s economy would be in the doldrums in the coming year.

Traffic disruptions alone, which have become a way of life, extract so much economic and psychological toll. For any group with a grievance, causing traffic disruption, organising Bandhs and clashing with the Police is an every day occurrence. Civil servants organise strikes for putting forth their demands within the premises of the central secretariat, the judicial sector padlocks law courts, university teachers protest for enforcing a fourteen month old agreement that envisages all earlier appointed university officials be sacked forthwith. Confusion seems to be the name of the game.

During this period, the security situation and the morale of the security forces are being eroded continuously.

The above is not meant to be a negative comment on the advent of democracy, but just a reflection of the opinions of the people. Except those who stand to gain directly from the present circumstances, all the rest are somehow or the other disappointed. This includes those who strongly believe that the practise of democracy should be given ample time.

It is not that the situation is grim now; it is that the immediate future holds no promise. The nation is becoming ungovernable, the economy is heading for uncertainty, electoral politics is taking a back seat to violence prone activism and the nation cannot hold its head high in the community of nations. What bothers the intellectuals most is whether Nepal is still a valid focus for international diplomatic attention, what bothers the man on the street is that not only his present but also his future looks bleak and insecure. Is it not time to analyse our immediate past and re-evaluate the role of time honoured institutions of stability? Above all, hopefully, the Nepalese should not end up regretting the dismal application of their democracy.

(The views expressed by the author are his own. The author can be reached at e-mail: basnyat10@hotmail.com)