KATHMANDU, NOV 29 -
Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman is due to visit Nepal to participate in the Journey to world cup tournament along with Air India team.
The tournament is going to be organised by Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) in collaboration with Jora International from December 2 to 7.
Nepali team along with National team of Singapore will be playing in the tournament.
According to the organisers, Wondrous Cricket Club and Air India Cricket team will be participating in the tournament from India.
Meanwhile, Laxman may or may not play in the tournament as he is having back problem, organisers said.
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KATHMANDU, NOV 29 -
Nepal, who secured the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 berth with a thrilling five-wicket victory over Hong Kong on Wednesday, will now look to carry the momentum into the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty 20 Qualifiers against heavyweights Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Nepal will enter the pitch with much greater confidence of defeating Afghanistan, the opponent against whom they lost by nine wickets under D/L method during their group state match.
Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake believed that it was the right moment for his side to beat Afghanistan, who finished in pole position in Group B, and signal their intentions for next year’s World Cup to be held in Bangladesh. “After already achieving our target, it is important that we continue improving our game with every match we play before the World Cup,” he said.
“It is important that we beat Afghanistan, the team against whom we have always struggled, to show that we are ready to compete against big teams. Furthermore, reaching the final in the Qualifiers will also help raise confidence in players,” added Dassanayake.
Nepali team skipper Paras Khadka believed that it was significant for his team to keep playing with the same level of determination and hard work that they have been putting in lately.
“We have worked really hard to realise our dream of playing in a World Cup. But we still need to try and win every game we play and keep improving,” stated Khadka. “We will do everything we can to reach the final and maintain the run of recent good results. We do not have a great record against Afghanistan but the semi-final will be a great opportunity to change that all,” added Khadka.
Nepal’s historic achievement sparked nationwide celebrations on Thursday with fans organizing rallies around the nation. Meanwhile, hosts the United Arab Emirates will take on Group A winners Ireland in the second semi-finals at the same venue later on Friday. The final of the Qualifier is scheduled for Saturday.
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NAWALPARASI, NOV 29 -
Two people have been killed and 44 others injured in a bus accident at Tamsariya in Nawalparasi district along the East-West Highway on Friday morning.
The accident took place when a bus (Na 4 Kha 6368) heading for Manakamana from Nepalgunj overturned along the roadside after the driver lost control over the wheels.
The deceased have been identified as Sagar Pun, 14, and Mamchu Adhikari, 3, of Nepalgunj Municipality-13. They died while they were undergoing treatment at Nawalpur Hospital, Kawasoti and Madhyabindu Hospital, Danda, said the District Police Office.
Others injured have been receiving treatment at local hospitals.
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KATHMANDU, NOV 29 - While political parties may have begun discussions on the formation of a new government , the country may have to wait for at least a month before it witnesses a change of guard.
The list of legal and constitutional procedures is long--counting of votes is over, but finalising the list of new Constituent Assembly members will take at least another 10 days.
The chairman of the interim government will announce the date of the first CA meeting after the government formally makes public the final results of the November 19 election in the gazzette.
While the CA members will be given 21 days to hold the first meeting, the same could be held earlier if there is political consensus and the parliament secretariat completes the technical preparations.
In 2008, the first CA meeting was called after 20 days of the final election results.
The first CA meeting will be chaired by the oldest member of the CA. In 2008, Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Kul Bahadur Gurung chaired the first meeting, which abolished the 240-year-old monarchy and made the country a republic. This time around, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa is likely to chair the first meeting.
One likely agenda of the first meeting could be taking the ownership of progresses made by the erstwhile CA on constitution drafting.
"This could be one of the major agendas of the first meeting to make the day a significant one," Tek Prasad Dhungana, the CA's legal Advisor told Post.
The first meeting will also take a call on the formulation of the working procedures of the new CA.
As the CA will also function as a parliament, the formal process to form a new government will begin only after the first meeting, according to chairman of the former CA, Subas Nembang.
Soon after the first meeting, President Ram Baran Yadav will call on the political parties to form a unity government as per Article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution. The President will give the parties at least five days to come up with a consensus prime ministerial candidate.
If the parties fail to forge consensus, the President will ask the parliament to elect a new PM that will replace the incumbent Khil Raj Regmi government that was formed on March 13.
MUMBAI, NOV 29 -
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has become Unicef Ambassador for South Asia where he will support the UN organisation’s efforts to promote hygiene and sanitation. During his tenure, he will be travelling to different parts of South Asia, including Nepal, calling for personal cleanliness and sanitation.
“Post-cricket, the second innings of my life (as Unicef goodwill ambassador ) will be equally important and means a lot to me,” Tendulkar said here on Thursday, at a signing ceremony. “In the end we want to make our world a happier and healthier planet.” Karin Hulshof, Unicef regional director for South Asia, was present at the induction ceremony. Tendulkar retired from international cricket early this month after playing his final Test match in hometown Mumbai. He is the only batsman to score 100 international centuries.
“Hello to all my friends and children from Nepal. I would like to spread the message of hygiene and sanitation and why it’s important to wash hands with soap,” he told The Kathmandu Post on Thursday, on the sidelines of the ceremony. He also hailed the recent success of Nepal’s cricket team. “I congratulate the Nepal cricket team for qualifying for the T20 World Cup. Big, big congratulations to Nepal for the great achievement. I look forward to visiting Nepal and helping the children there,” he said.
Tendulkar said his two children didn’t have to worry about hygiene, as his wife Anjali is a doctor, adding that the challenge was to impart similar level of knowledge to every mother in South Asia so that their children could be safe.
“My wife being a doctor, I didn’t have to worry about the hygiene for our children. But when people don’t have access to knowledge, it is our responsibility to share our knowledge,” he said. Unicef ambassadors are celebrities with a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of children and Tendulkar, said Unicef’s Hulshof, is an excellent role model. “We believe you can be as effective in reaching every village and community to change behaviours in relation to hygiene and sanitation,” she said.
South Asia is the region with the highest number of people without toilets, with 681 million people practising open defecation. Nepal started a sanitation movement in 2009 resulting in more than 1,000 VDCs and nine districts becoming free of open defecation. Every year, more than half a million South Asian children under the age of five die of diarrhoea, caused by unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene, according to Unicef. “My mother made sure I washed my hands with soap every time I came home,” Tendulkar said, empahsising on the role of mothers in keeping their children from harm’s way.
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KATHMANDU, NOV 28 -
Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Kunio Takahashi held a meeting at the former's residence at Maharajgunj in the capital on Thursday morning.
Ambassador Takahashi congratulated Koirala on the Nepali Congress becoming the largest party after CA election.
In the meeting, they discussed matters of bilateral relations and mutual interest between Nepal and Japan, it is learnt.
Koirala informed the ambassador about the current situation in the country and the ongoing attempts towards forming a consensus government, said Laxman Dhakal, personal secretary to the NC president. RSS
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NEPALGUNJ, NOV 28 -
Police arrested most wanted criminal Sikander Khan on Thursday.
Police was searching for Khan from a long time for his involvement in murder, abduction, among other crimes, he has committed in Nepalgunj.
He has been accused of firing gunshots at one Gaurav Malla and attempted murder of Dal Bahadur Rana. Malla was injured in the shoot out, a year back.
According to police, Khan, a resident of Raniyaour-5 of Banke district is involved with Tarai Janatantrik Party in Madhes.
He was detained with two sets of pistol and some bullets.
KATHMANDU, NOV 28 -
UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal has left for India n Capital New Delhi on Thursday morning to meet his ailing daughter Gyanu KC Dahal.
Gyanu, Dahal’s elder daughter, is undergoing treatment for breast cancer in Fortis Hospital in Noida.
Speaking to media persons at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Dahal said that his visit was purely for familiar reasons.
Dahal's spouse Sita is accompanying in the visit.
KATHMANDU, NOV 28 -
Beat Hong Kong by five wickets in thrilling match to qualify for 2014 ICC T20 World Cup
Nepal beat fellow Affiliate nation Hong Kong by five wickets in a thrilling ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Nepal were made to wait until the last ball of their innings to knock off a 144-run target set by Hong Kong.
None of the other Nepali sports discipline, especially team event, has ever achieved this level of success. Nepal has qualified for the Olympics twice, but only in individual event. Taekwondo star Sangina Baidya broke the tradition of wild card entries by securing a berth through qualifications at the 2004 Athens Olympics and fellow taekwondoka Deepak Bista repeated the feat in 2008 at the Beijing Games. Making the Nepali team’s feat sweeter is the fact that it has come on the back of the players’ hard work and their desire to scale the summit. Despite the fragile domestic structure, lack of infrastructure and insecure future, the players have finally realised their dream.
“I am so happy that I cannot even put it in words,” said Nepal skipper Paras Khadka after securing one of the six berths available for the World Cup . “We have been dreaming for this moment. We have all been working hard for the last 4-5 months,” he said, adding that his team need to make huge improvement now.
Ever since finishing seventh in the 2011 World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal have made a phenomenal rise.
Team Nepal won the ICC World Cricket League Division-IV in 2012 and followed it up with the Division-III title in 2013 and the ACC Trophy Elite, which they shared with the UAE. They also finished runners-up to Afghanistan in the ACC Twenty20 Cup early this year.
“This is why we are here,” said Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake.
“Our objective was to earn qualification and we have done it. Now we look forward to playing the qualifier final by defeating Afghanistan on Friday. I would like to thank all those, especially the Cricket Association of Nepal, for supporting us all along,” said Dassanayake, who is credited with bringing a
new lease of life to Nepali cricket since taking over from fellow Sri Lankan Roy Luke Dias in 2011.
This feat has come as a huge boost for the team’s preparations for the next big challenge: ICC 50-over World Cup Qualifier slated for January 13-February 1 in New Zealand.
Top two sides from the 10-team field will qualify for the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.
Congratulations pour in
The whole of the nation has swung behind Team Nepal, with Chairman of Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi leading the way to offer his congratulations on the team’s qualification to the Twenty20 World Cup .
“I am extremely pleased with the historic success. It has not only brought about great enthusiasm among fans but also helped elevate the sporting pride around the globe,” said Regmi in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Nepali Congress central committee meeting chaired by its president Sushil Koirala also congratulated the team for the historic achievement. “This success will always motivate the Nepalis,” read the NC statement. Likewise, CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said the achievement has made all Nepalis proud. The UCPN (Maoist), Member Secretary of National Sports Council Yubaraj Lama and Tanka Aanbuhang, the president of Cricket Association of Nepal also offered their congratulations. (PR)
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KATHMANDU, NOV 26 -
Archaeologists have found a timber structure dating back to the sixth century BC, which strongly suggests that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal in that era, two centuries earlier than previously thought.
This is the first archeological material discovered so far that links Buddha’s life to as early as the sixth century BC, national and international experts have said. The life of the Buddha has so far been known only through textual sources and oral tradition. A team of experts involved in excavation since January 2013 within the Sacred Garden of Lumbini, has uncovered the remains of the previously unknown structure belonging to the ancient timber shrine containing an open space in the centre. The structure links to the nativity of the Buddha.
“For the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century,” said Robin Coningham, Professor at Durham University in the UK, in a statement jointly issued by the Nepal government, Unesco and Durham University here on Monday.
Coningham co-led an excavation team, along with senior Nepali archaeologist Kosh Prasad Acharya.
To determine the dates of the timber shrine and an unknown early brick structure above it, the team used the fragments of charcoal and grains of sand that were tested using a combination of radiocarbon (tool used to determine the approximate age of an ancient specimen) and optically stimulated luminescence techniques, the statement said.The ‘archeological investigation project’ initiated by Unesco was funded by the Japan government in partnership with the Nepal government, along with Durham and Stirling Universities and Global Exploration Fund under the National Geographic Society.
Head of the archival section at the Department of Archaeology (DoA) Prakash Darnal said that the discovery has provided concrete evidence to support the claim that the birth of the Buddha and development of Buddhism link to the Lumbini area as far as the sixth century BC.
According to him, Lumbini has so far been considered the birthplace of the Buddha on the basis of a sandstone pillar with an inscription, documenting a visit by Emperor Ashoka in the third century BC.
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NOV 25 -
With the counting of the votes cast under the first-past-the-post (FTPT) system of the second Constituent Assembly (CA) election over, the Nepali Congress (NC) has emerged as the largest party with 105 seats and the CPN-UML follows with 91 seats. The UCPN (Maoist), which had won 120 seats along with its breakaway CPN-Maoist faction, under FPTP in 2008, has been relegated to third position. It has only secured 25 seats so far. While the counting of ballots under proportional representation is underway, Darshan Karki spoke to political analyst Mumaram Khanal about the possible reasons for the UCPN (Maoist)’s resounding loss.
What accounts for the UCPN (Maoist)’s defeat in the election, compared to their sweeping victory in the 2008 CA election?
The Maoists established the agendas of federalism and republicanism. In 2008, they took these issues to the people and asked for votes. The Nepali people gave the Maoists the mandate to include all the aforementioned issues in the constitution. But they were unable to do so. Instead, they raised issues that were not part of the 2006 Janaandolan, like that of secularism and single-identity based federalism. The party also resorted to extreme casteist slogans. This affected the political equilibrium and the constitution could not be written in time. So despite being the largest party in the CA, the Maoist party was unable to do justice to its issues.
The primary reasons that led to the Maoists’ loss in the direct elections were:
Responsibilities without rights
The leadership of the Maoist party has always centred around one person. This is what communists, who believe in the dictatorship of the proletariat, do. Once the Maoist party embraced democratic processes and the peace process, it created multiple positions. However, while taking decisions within the party, the ones who had been delegated different responsibilities—the central committee and politburo members—would not be consulted. Pushpa Kamal Dahal did consult Baburam Bhattarai sometimes but not the rest. This increased the distance between the main leadership and the second-tier leaders within the party.
Class conversion
Another important reason for the loss of the Maoists was their lifestyle. The main leaders in particular became corrupt and part of the bourgeoisie they were protesting against. They began to lead a very non-transparent lifestyle, which led to the breakdown of their relationship with their cadres. As they travelled in vehicles, their relationship with those who travelled by foot broke down. The top rung leadership was in the company of a different class altogether. The cadres began to perceive the leadership as corrupt, that it no longer represented the proletariats but had been transformed into neo-elites. The district-level leaders began copying the consumerist lifestyle of top leaders too. So the class affection that had bound party cadres together ceased to exist. The leadership, through its own actions, sent a message to the cadres that they should all think of bettering their own lives first and not run after the party.
Status of former ‘People’s Liberation Army’ (PLA) soldiers
The ex-PLA soldiers—some of whom got money while others got nothing—who had gone to live back in their villages are the ones who suffered the most. They lead a miserable life. So, on the one hand, the Maoist voters saw the plight of these fighters and on the other, they saw the Maoist leaders on television, travelling in expensive vehicles and flying in helicopters. In the villages, people encountered ex-fighters and cadres who were scolding the leaders everyday, lamenting that, had they not joined the party, they would be leading better lives now. The prevalent sentiment is that the party destroyed their lives and did not look after them. There is widespread anger among ex-soldiers. But the Maoist leadership never tried to learn of the party’s situation at the village level.
Distribution of tickets
While distributing the tickets for elections, selfless cadres who had been with the party since the time of the war were not given tickets nor were their names included in the proportional list. Instead, new people and those that had quit other parties to join the UCPN (Maoist) were given tickets. This angered deserving candidates and they made sure that the party’s candidate would lose. I met many people who were willing to contest election as alternate (bagi) candidates but did not even have Rs 3,000 to register. Instead, they started a grassroots campaign to punish their own leaders.
Loss of credibility among intellectuals
The Maoists also lost credibility among middle-class intellectuals. When the Maoists were in government, their own people turned out to be the most corrupt. So the middle-class, who had great expectations from the Maoists, was disillusioned. The Maoists would react to small matters emotionally but remain indifferent to serious political issues.
Alliance with Madhesi parties
When the Maoists formed a coalition with Madhesi parties in the CA, it shattered whatever little hope people had in them. The two had no common political agenda. The elites from the Madhes, who had benefited from the political system since the Panchayat era, tried to profit from the Madhes Movement. Instead of giving rights to the Madhesi people, the Maoists and the Madhesi parties forged an alliance to form an oligarchy, which would benefit them both. Later, they brought in Janajati elites to this club too. This greatly angered the different tiers of leadership within the Maoist party, which saw that top leaders had the freedom to collaborate with any force, even those that had no relationship to Marxism at all. This made it clear to people with some degree of political understanding that the Maoist party was not a principled, intellectual force.
Intra-party disputes
There were many fights at the top leadership level regarding the delegation of roles. Dahal would handpick a junior level party member and give him a higher position. While the likes of CP Gajurel were never given ministerial posts, members of the Rajya Samiti were made Finance Minister and Minister of Physical Planning. Dahal paralysed the party hierarchy. Once people began to see through him, a never-ending tussle began within the party. This continuous squabbling and division in leadership did not allow party cadres to unite.
No participation in decision-making
In its earlier days, the structure of the Maoist party was small. When I was in the party, the Central Committee only consisted of 31-32 people. We held meetings for six to seven days. Decisions were taken with everyone’s participation. However, of late, the Central Committee consists of 300 to 400 people. The meeting of this Committee ends in three hours. Instead of being a part of the decision making process, the Committee is merely informed of the decisions taken by the party leadership. There are around 500 Rajya Samitis and 700 District Committees. Intellectual discussions that are integral to communist parties have stopped taking place. Communist parties are cadre-based parties; the cadres discuss all issues and then pass it on to the higher levels. This practice ended as though it were a mass-based party. Party members who were accountable to the people and interested in politics all quit the party. New members, who only wanted to take benefit from the party, joined in large numbers.
Party split and restructuring
After the split in the party, there was a need to restructure the UCPN (Maoist). But it did not do so. After cadres left to join the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, the UCPN (Maoist) reorganised the ones who stayed back. But it did not take into account their experience or capabilities while delegating responsibilities. Additionally, voters repeatedly heard the Baidya Maoists accuse the UCPN (Maoist) of being traitors to the ‘People’s War’ and surrendering to national and international forces. The Dahal-led Maoists did not organise any programme to denounce these accusations. In many places, Baidya-led Maoist cadres voted for the candidate of another party and encouraged others to do so.
Does the reaction of the UCPN (Maoist) to its loss say something about its political culture?
The party lacks the ability to strike a fine balance when needed and has no schooling on political accountability. The party could have easily accepted its victories and losses but accepting democratic processes when it wins and rejecting them when it loses raises questions about its political character. Dahal is taking this issue too lightly. As a former prime minister, he is part of the system. He willingly took part in the CA elections and now that the results are not favourable, he cannot simply extricate himself.
Could this loss bring the UCPN (Maoist) and the CPN-Maoist closer together?
If Dahal keeps saying that the party will stay out of the CA, he will have no option other than to unite with the Baidya-led Maoists. However, the rest of the party will not merge. Baburam Bhattarai can be expected to eventually accept the election results.
How will the Maoist loss affect the national politics?
Conflict of a different kind will arise. The nation seeks political stability but it will not achieve it so easily. However, the constitution will be written. Going by the poll outcomes, the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML can form an alliance to secure a two-thirds majority. The UCPN (Maoist) should enter the CA and exert pressure. All parties—the Maoists, NC, UML, Madhesi parties—agree on democratic republicanism and secularism. Only the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal differs but its strength will be negligible if the rest remain united. So it is very important that the UCPN (Maoist) becomes a part of the political process.
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KATHMANDU, NOV 26 -
The UCPN (Maoist) on Monday demanded ‘reinstatement of the politics of consensus ’ as a precondition to joining the new Constituent Assembly (CA) and the government. The party said such a reinstatement should be ensured through an amendment to the constitution.
Political parties had agreed to follow consensus politics in 2006 and a provision to that effect was incorporated in Article 38 of the Interim Constitution-2007. However, after the CA election in 2008, the parties amended the statute and added another provision, allowing them to form a majority government if consensus among them eludes. Consensual politics means taking every decision, including formation of a government, on the basis of consensus among all the political parties.
In a meeting at the party headquarters at Perisdanda here, members of the UCPN (Maoist) Central Committee said only a constitutional obligation for consensus can ensure a new constitution within the set time frame (one year).
With 26 seats, the UCPN (Maoist) had to settle for the third spot in the first-past-the-post election system in CA polls held on November 19.
UCPN (Maoist) leaders said other parties should have no problem accepting this condition as they are the ones who had removed the provision of consensual system in the constitution when the UCPN (Maoist) became the largest party in the 2008 election.
“If other parties are committed to a progressive constitution, they should not hesitate to adopt this system,” party spokesperson Agni Sapkota told the Post.
The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, however, rejected the Maoist demand of amending the constitution in the government formation process. “In practice, we are ready to promulgate a new constitution and form a government on consensus , but not through constitutional amendment,” said NC leader Prakash Saran Mahat.
UML spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali said that while his party is open to the idea of consensual politics, demanding the removal of Article 38 (2)—which states that the government can be formed on the basis of majority votes in the CA—is not practical.
“If we are talking about consensus , royalist forces such as the RPP-N also need to be taken into confidence, which may not be always easy,” Gyawali said.
The UCPN (Maoist) CC meeting also decided to suggest “ways to ensure the participation of parties that are outside of the CA,” which, according to insiders, was a reference to the CPN-Maoist that opposed the CA polls.
The party, however, did not elaborate. Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held talks with CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya on Sunday. Addressing the CC meeting, Dahal said that despite various attempts to hatch a conspiracy against his party, it should not deviate from the path of peace and constitution.
The meeting also demanded formation of an independent commission to investigate alleged electoral fraud on the part of the government.
The party also formed its probe panel led by leader Barsha Man Pun, which will collect evidences of the fraud.
The other members of the committee include Ram Chandra Jha, Khim Lal Devkota, Ram Narayan Bidari and Janak Raj Joshi.
The panel has been asked to prepare a report within a month and submit it to the party.
The party also decided to form an alliance with pro-federal forces. Soon after the party meeting, Dahal held talks with leaders from other political parties that are also claiming election fraud. Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav and Federal Socialist Party Nepal led by Ashok Rai have also claimed that there had been widespread election fraud.
KATHMANDU, NOV 26 -
The Nepal Congress (NC), which emerged the largest party in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) poll system with 105 seats, has also taken the lead in the proportional representation (PR) system of voting. The party has left behind the CPN-UML as counting of the votes continued on Monday. The UML had been leading the count prior to this.
As the Post went to press on Monday, the NC had 999,615 votes in its kitty, according to the official website of the Election Commission (EC). The party, which secured 43.75 percent of the FPTP seats, had got 26.23 percent of the votes under the PR system as officials had completed counting over a third of the total vote count of 3.81 million. The UML had been trailing at 25.91 percent with 987,588 votes.
The UCPN (Maoist), which managed a mere 10.83 percent seats under the direct system, had so far bagged 16.08 percent (612,936) of the PR votes.
Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPPN) remained in the fourth position, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party was in the fifth. The EC said the RPPN had so far managed to get 7.41 percent of the PR votes.