"Amateurs discuss tactics. Professionals study logistics." (attributed to Tom Clancy).
The movie "Everest" has been released, not just in USA but in Nepal. My Nepali friends, who live in Terai, liked it. "I feel like I climbed the mountain now." For the record, neither of my books is about Everest, or Solu Kumbhu. The Nepali guides in the movie, I am told, got short shrift. John Krakauer dissed it - but - I feel obligated to see it I suppose....
The blockade continues. The Prithvi Highway is the main road to Kathmandu from India. Oh, there are other roads - such as the one from China, but it was closed by a landslide in the spring earthquake. A person from Kathmandu said "we'll get all our supplies from there" - which made me stop and think. It takes a long time to set up a supply chain such as the one from Dacca through India to the Nepal border towns in the Terai. Reports are that shortages of salt, cooking oil and sugar are already happening in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu used to get salt via yak caravan over the Himalaya. (and yes, they'll accept Western culture-tourist tag-alongs that want to learn yak husbandry while hiking at 15,000+ feet).
from the travel blog
https://lunchboxsma.wordpress.com/... It's unlikely that yak caravans will be bringing in enough of anything for five million people. And no earthquake reconstruction supplies will be delivered this way.
They are not going to be hauling jet fuel in via any Himalayan route.
There are three themes to the news for today.
progress of the blockade of the Nepal-India border.
progress of the negotiations, or lack thereof. This is now a multi-player game
provisions of the "democratic" constitution. We learn that in this democracy, no new elections will be held for four years.
I write these diaries because for some trivial reason (The pope. Boehner. 800 deaths at the stampede in Mecca. 100,000 refugees in Europe. Planned Parenthood. Donald Trump.), a small dispute in which "only" 40 people have been killed so far, is low on the American radar screen.
Leaders of a protest on the bridge in Birgunj, to stop trucks from entry into Nepal. Just before the riot police moved in and fired tear gas.
Progress of the blockade
Nepalganj border post reports 53 oil transports among the stranded trucks in India. The Nepal Oil Corporation reported that Kathmandu will run out of petrol in a relatively short time.
http://admin.myrepublica.com/...
It's more obvious that the Indian government is taking a role in not allowing trucks to cross into Nepal. This of course, has provoked Nepali nationalists to raise a hue-and-cry. Now, the person who suggested on Twitter that Nepal declare war on India, is probably a twelve-year-old. (If they do, is the US obligated to side with Nepal?)
Nepalganj.
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/... in the accompanying report, it says that the protesters are in "No Man's Land," which prevents the police from using tear gas that may waft into India.
In yesterday's blog, a reader sweetly inquired as to whether there was some kind of history of India throwing their weight around that made Nepalis quick to accuse. It turns out that in 1989-1990, there was a similar blockade. There are many examples of
Indian intervention in Nepal affairs.
When you ride the East-West Highway through the Terai, it's mostly flat, except about forty miles west of Narayangarh where it crosses a spur of hills. At that point you can still see the Terai to the south; I asked why it was routed the way it was and somebody told me that India had annexed that specific section of Terai in some previous war. I was unable to pinpoint when exactly that took place.
A report from eastern Nepal says 1,500 trucks are stalled in Jogbani, near Biratnagar. This adds to the list - essentially every crossing point is blocked. To read a sort of travelogue about the Terai, go to my own blog.
Progress of the negotiations
When Prime Minister Sushil Koirala went to meet Madhes’ senior-most leader Mahant Thakur last week, he suggested ‘informal, backchannel talks’. He also asked Thakur to understand his ‘compulsions’, alluding to the strong stance taken by others like UML leader KP Oli.
Thakur told him that they, too, could come up with excuses. “You first talk amongst yourselves and then come to us with a roadmap.” This roadmap, he told the PM, should give a clear framework of how the issues of federal boundaries, representation and inclusion would be addressed. Thakur also told him the state was playing with fire by engaging in oppression. “This is poison,” he said.
In an exclusive conversation, Thakur later told HT, “We want cash now, credit won’t do. There have been many agreements but these have not been implemented. Now, we want them to start the amendment process to incorporate our agenda before things can move.” read the whole thing at http://www.hindustantimes.com/...
On a side note, Baburam Bhatterai, one of the architects of the constitution, has resigned his ministry and the parliament. For me, I have stayed away from commenting on any specific person - I'm not a 100% believer in the
"great man theory" of politics. He was a leader in the Civil War, but he now sides with the people of Terai.
Provisions of the "Democratic" constitution
Spotlight Nepal
I admit that I am still discovering sources of analysis. There is a pundit named Dipak Gyawali, a former government minister, who has written extensively on the constitutional process. His recent piece is a must-read.
http://www.spotlightnepal.com/...
A serious issue of legitimacy has now emerged: backroom deals between oligarchs have already decided who is to be the next prime minister in the coming seven days, who the new speaker in twenty and who the president in thirty days – and it has been codified into the new constitution. Yes, New Nepal should have new leaders after a new constitution, but they should be decided anew by Nepalis through fresh elections, and not through opaque backroom deals. Why should the same old faces be foisted upon them in an unending game of musical chairs? If the prime minister, president and speaker of the parliament should change, why should the 601 members remain the same for the next four years? They are already what are popularly called ‘date expired’, since they were elected to make a new constitution and hold local elections within a year, which they failed to by almost a whole year. Thank you very much, now if you think you have done a good job, go back to face the people, tell them what you have done, and see if they approve and you get re-elected. Do a Greek Alexei Tsipras if you have the guts and political honesty! from: http://www.spotlightnepal.com/...
I was surprised to read that in this democratic constitution,
no elections are scheduled for four years, and there will be no accountability of the seniors to the people. The average person in Nepal was not happy ( to put it mildly) with the lack of responsiveness after the earthquake.
Gyawali ended his analysis with:
As these lines are being written, strong displeasure has been voiced by the MughlaniSahu and scared oligarchs are desperately playing the nationalism card. Unfortunately, genuine nationalists are not buying it for a very simple reason. You have already rented your wombs out to the Mughlani and Euro Sahus since the 12-point Delhi Deal of November 2005: the disagreement now is only with the Sahus insisting that – since they paid you for it – all the triplets, including anti-Hill federalism be implanted in your womb but you are pleading to have only two, republicanism so that one of your own can be king and a slated-for-miscarriage secularism of questionable anatomy. You can’t have your cake and eat it too: the nightmares of Hitchcock’s psycho crows have come home to roost and you have to pay the price. The best option for you? Admit your mistakes since 2005 and retire from public life, leaving the space to younger and untainted leaders http://www.spotlightnepal.com/...
CK Lal wrote another analysis:
http://thewire.in/...
The supreme law of the land that President Ram Baran unveiled on September 20, 2015 in a somber ceremony inside the Constituent Assembly hall is this the latest in the series( of seven in the past seventy years). Of course, it is a much awaited document, but it merely replaces the existing statute rather than fills a constitutional vacuum. And that’s the reason the current constitution is being contested so fiercely: Its critics insist that the statute seeks to turn the clock back, specially on issues related to minority rights. Proponents of the document, however, claim that it’s the best constitution in the world.
The future - a trend toward out-migration?
from the Indian Express, analysis by Shyam Saran, a former diplomat of India, titled "Constitutional Error"
.......A deeply entrenched and feudal mindset trumped egalitarian ideology. This is now sought to be hidden behind abusive anti-Indian rhetoric. It should have come as no surprise that the blatantly discriminatory features of the constitution should spark widespread opposition and protest. The often brutal and repressive measures visited upon hapless demonstrators have already resulted in over 40 deaths. A vicious cycle of confrontation and violence appears to be taking hold. Instead of dealing with this dangerous situation through an early and sincere dialogue with its own aggrieved citizens, the Nepal government and some of its political leaders are again indulging in ultra-nationalist and anti-India rhetoric, alienating the one friend and well-wisher they have, and one that only recently extended much-needed relief to the people of Nepal who were ravaged by the earthquake.http://indianexpress.com/...
He continued to write:
.....there is a generational transition in Nepal that the country’s politics continues to neglect. Nepal has a demographic profile that is even younger than India’s. More than 50 per cent of its population is below 25 years of age. There is also a high net migrant rate of 61 per 1,000 of the population, reflecting the limited job opportunities available in the country. It is estimated that six to eight million Nepali nationals live and work in cities across India alone. Unlike in the past, the new generation of Nepalis are literate, have been exposed to external influences and, like India’s own youth, are aspirational and forward-looking. This includes bright young women who continue to chafe under the feudal patriarchal attitudes that still define the political elite.
I hope to write these each day. This one turned out to be longer than I thought. Let me know if it's too much detail, or not enough. Finally, if you need to learn more about me - go to the
blog that tells about my project, or buy
one of my books.
6:13 AM PT: Update: In Kathmandu, the government has imposed the even-odd driving system as a means to promote fuel conservation. (i.e., you only get on the road when the last digit of your license plate says you can). http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/...