Khulla-Manch videos of the event organized by Nepal Unites that I wrote about in my earlier post.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Khullamanch--For What It's Worth!
Nepal Unites, an activist group, organized an event at the Khullamanch on May 20th, 2011, which they promoted through Facebook. I am currently in Kathmandu and decided to support the cause by showing up in a white t-shirt as called for by the organizers. As most Nepali, I share their frustrations with the current state of affairs and wanted to support their noble effort to get the youth engaged. However, when I got there it was disappointing to see only a small percentage of people with white t-shirts on. Most people just seemed to wander in to see what the fuss was all about--or, as for a group of people behind me, to listen to their favorite artists- which was OK, as it provided Nepal Unites with a golden opportunity to reach more people and spread their message. However, it also meant that the program be of high quality and effective in delivering its message.
The program started with a call for the youth to unite and partake in cleaning the Khullamanch (which was full of garbage from the Nepali Congress' event the day before). I did my part, as did many others who had gathered, by picking as much garbage as I could with my bare hands. This is when I started to notice the flaws in organizing. If the group was planning on cleaning the place, they should have either brought brooms or asked the participants to bring one--I would have gladly brought one with me. This would have expedited the process and would have increased the participation from the elite kids who seemed unwilling to touch the garbage with their bare hands. It was impressive how most people got engaged and cleaned up the area. This was definitely the most impressive and the highest point of the event for me.
The program then continued on to the stage that was built off of the main concrete stage. This, the organizers explained, was to symbolize a move away from the practices of the political parties who frequently use the existing stage to spill false promises and empty rhetoric. I commend Nepal Unites for coming up with such an inspirational idea to show a clear break from current practices.
This is where the program took a weird turn and exposed the hasty organization and lack of thoughtful planning. Any random person was invited to come up on stage and voice their concerns about the current stalemate in the constitutional process. This opened the flood gate. One after another youth took the stage and complained about the incompetence of the political leaders. This seemed like a good idea --giving an opportunity to the common citizen to express their discontents-- however, the organizers didn't seem ready for what could happen in an open forum.
After a few people took the stage and complained about the current state of political affairs, a young girl went up on stage and promised to kill each and every politician if they do not complete the constitution on time. Her exact words were "ek ek lai chapkaidinchu," which was met with loud praises and applause, even though some of us in the crowd were taken aback by her words. After all, most people including myself, were there because of the group's stance against violence and its chosen path of good citizenship which they summed up as "leadership" on the pamphlet they passed around. Now, I understand that the girl probably went into a trance and yelled out stuff she probably does not condone.
We are all aware that even great orators misspeak in the heat of the moment. But, what surprised me the most was that the MC let her comments stand. He thanked her for her words and moved on with the program. This delegitimized the event for me. If I wanted to chant along with a loud and obnoxious activist and applause calls for harm to the individuals that I disagree with, I would have joined any other political rally. I am sure that the participants in other political rallies are no less patriotic than the ones in this one; I picked this one because it seemed to promote the principles that I value the most, one being non-violence.
I agree with and support the philosophies and principles promoted by Nepal Unites. Since the movement is in its infancy, it is particularly important for the leaders of the movement to thoroughly workout the details of any programs they organize and to firmly condemn any deviations from their core principles. Failing to do so gives an impression of passive acceptance of such actions, reduces future participation, and decreases the legitimacy of the movement, which will be unfortunate!
I will post the videos of the event soon, including the performance by Mr. Yogeshowar Amatya soon.
The program started with a call for the youth to unite and partake in cleaning the Khullamanch (which was full of garbage from the Nepali Congress' event the day before). I did my part, as did many others who had gathered, by picking as much garbage as I could with my bare hands. This is when I started to notice the flaws in organizing. If the group was planning on cleaning the place, they should have either brought brooms or asked the participants to bring one--I would have gladly brought one with me. This would have expedited the process and would have increased the participation from the elite kids who seemed unwilling to touch the garbage with their bare hands. It was impressive how most people got engaged and cleaned up the area. This was definitely the most impressive and the highest point of the event for me.
The program then continued on to the stage that was built off of the main concrete stage. This, the organizers explained, was to symbolize a move away from the practices of the political parties who frequently use the existing stage to spill false promises and empty rhetoric. I commend Nepal Unites for coming up with such an inspirational idea to show a clear break from current practices.
This is where the program took a weird turn and exposed the hasty organization and lack of thoughtful planning. Any random person was invited to come up on stage and voice their concerns about the current stalemate in the constitutional process. This opened the flood gate. One after another youth took the stage and complained about the incompetence of the political leaders. This seemed like a good idea --giving an opportunity to the common citizen to express their discontents-- however, the organizers didn't seem ready for what could happen in an open forum.
After a few people took the stage and complained about the current state of political affairs, a young girl went up on stage and promised to kill each and every politician if they do not complete the constitution on time. Her exact words were "ek ek lai chapkaidinchu," which was met with loud praises and applause, even though some of us in the crowd were taken aback by her words. After all, most people including myself, were there because of the group's stance against violence and its chosen path of good citizenship which they summed up as "leadership" on the pamphlet they passed around. Now, I understand that the girl probably went into a trance and yelled out stuff she probably does not condone.
We are all aware that even great orators misspeak in the heat of the moment. But, what surprised me the most was that the MC let her comments stand. He thanked her for her words and moved on with the program. This delegitimized the event for me. If I wanted to chant along with a loud and obnoxious activist and applause calls for harm to the individuals that I disagree with, I would have joined any other political rally. I am sure that the participants in other political rallies are no less patriotic than the ones in this one; I picked this one because it seemed to promote the principles that I value the most, one being non-violence.
I agree with and support the philosophies and principles promoted by Nepal Unites. Since the movement is in its infancy, it is particularly important for the leaders of the movement to thoroughly workout the details of any programs they organize and to firmly condemn any deviations from their core principles. Failing to do so gives an impression of passive acceptance of such actions, reduces future participation, and decreases the legitimacy of the movement, which will be unfortunate!
I will post the videos of the event soon, including the performance by Mr. Yogeshowar Amatya soon.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Kudos to Nepali Youth!
Congratulations to all the organizers and participants of the recent activities-- "Letter to the Supreme Court,""Jyala Liyau, Aba Sambidhan Deu,""No Bandh." etc.
I will be in Nepal next month working on different projects and plan to participate and help in various programs organized by the Nepali youth. For those of you still on the sideline, here is a song by Dave Matthew's Band to give you that final push!
Next post will be from Nepal.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Poor Economics
Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have written a book titled "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of The Way to Fight Global Poverty." The New York Times' ECONOMIX blog contributor David Leonhardt did an interview with the duo. Here is an excerpt:
Q. You write about the strong evidence of the importance of education: the big income gains after Indonesia went on a school-building spree; the income gains and mortality reduction after Taiwan made school mandatory; the declines in teenage pregnancy among more educated girls in Malawi and Kenya, to name just a few examples. But there are definitely still education skeptics, some of whom point out that Africa has become far more educated over the past generation without become far richer. How do you respond to the point that more education doesn’t always lead to much faster economic growth?
A. It is not clear that the skeptics have always thought carefully about the alternative: what would have happened had Africa not invested in education. Would things have been even worse? I don’t know the answer, but that is the reason why these comparisons are inherently difficult to interpret. When you compare individuals, rather than countries, you find that education improves both income and the quality of life.
You can read the entire conversation with the two MIT economists at the Economix blog.
Q. You write about the strong evidence of the importance of education: the big income gains after Indonesia went on a school-building spree; the income gains and mortality reduction after Taiwan made school mandatory; the declines in teenage pregnancy among more educated girls in Malawi and Kenya, to name just a few examples. But there are definitely still education skeptics, some of whom point out that Africa has become far more educated over the past generation without become far richer. How do you respond to the point that more education doesn’t always lead to much faster economic growth?
A. It is not clear that the skeptics have always thought carefully about the alternative: what would have happened had Africa not invested in education. Would things have been even worse? I don’t know the answer, but that is the reason why these comparisons are inherently difficult to interpret. When you compare individuals, rather than countries, you find that education improves both income and the quality of life.
You can read the entire conversation with the two MIT economists at the Economix blog.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Time to Shrink Nepal Oil Corporation
Energy crisis and long lines at the pump are nothing new to the residents of Nepal, especially those living in the Kathmandu valley. It is so common that people have started to accept it as just another issue they have to deal with. It does not have to be this way-- there is a better way.
Let's think about the cause of this problem. Well, most of the problems related to transportation that the country faces--petrol shortage, pollution, congestion, traffic-- are due to the government's total control of the supply of petroleum products. This, married with the fragile political system, incompetent managers, carefree officials, all contribute to the present state of affairs. It is time to implement new ways of doing business. The perpetual debt that the Nepal Oil Corporation is in should be enough of a reason for us to start thinking about phasing out the government's monopoly in the supply of petroleum products. It is not sustainable for the government to continuously subsidize the cost of petrol. Temporarily raising the price is just "kicking the can down the road." This is not only a bad economic policy but also unfair, unjust, and absurd. Why should the "have nots" go hungry, die of cholera, and not be able to afford education, while the "haves" get government subsidized petrol? It is time to face the music and start thinking about ways to downsize Nepal Oil Corporation. The new lean NOC should only be involved in the supply of kerosene and other essential oil products for basic household activities, however, the supply of all petrol/diesel for commercial and private use should be privatized and taxed--subsidizing a product that creates negative external costs like pollution and congestion is ludicrous.
Let's think about the cause of this problem. Well, most of the problems related to transportation that the country faces--petrol shortage, pollution, congestion, traffic-- are due to the government's total control of the supply of petroleum products. This, married with the fragile political system, incompetent managers, carefree officials, all contribute to the present state of affairs. It is time to implement new ways of doing business. The perpetual debt that the Nepal Oil Corporation is in should be enough of a reason for us to start thinking about phasing out the government's monopoly in the supply of petroleum products. It is not sustainable for the government to continuously subsidize the cost of petrol. Temporarily raising the price is just "kicking the can down the road." This is not only a bad economic policy but also unfair, unjust, and absurd. Why should the "have nots" go hungry, die of cholera, and not be able to afford education, while the "haves" get government subsidized petrol? It is time to face the music and start thinking about ways to downsize Nepal Oil Corporation. The new lean NOC should only be involved in the supply of kerosene and other essential oil products for basic household activities, however, the supply of all petrol/diesel for commercial and private use should be privatized and taxed--subsidizing a product that creates negative external costs like pollution and congestion is ludicrous.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Finally!
President Obama announced this evening that the US forces killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body! This is great news for all Americans and the citizens of the world, especially if you were living in the US on 9/11.
We are all Americans today just like we were all Americans that sunny September morning!
We are all Americans today just like we were all Americans that sunny September morning!
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