Who cares Constituent Assembly?
There seems to be no end to the political gridlock in Nepal even after the formation of the Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution for the country. For many, the Constituent Assembly do…
Opinions
Articles, interviews and notes in English and Nepali.
359 entries
Issues surrounding abolition of monarchy
With less than a week left for the apparent end of monarchy, the CPN (Maoist) leaders have intensified their demand that King Gyanendra leave the palace well before May 28. This is the fateful da…
Implications of a hung CA
The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007, which pledged a Constituent Assembly (CA) to the people, has done so without enumerating its constituent powers whatsoever. All that this constitution prov…
Unlocking some constitutional issues
With the election to the Constituent Assembly accomplished, the focus of political debate in Nepal has at once shifted from the electoral issues to the issues involving formation of a new governm…
Nepali Congress under Koirala: The Great Betrayal
Betrayal , as a form of deception or dismissal of prior political commitment, is not uncommon in politics anywhere. However, the fact that Prime Minister G. P. Koirala, with 65 years of active po…
Again on citizenship issues
An amendment bill on the Citizenship Act 1964 enabling all immigrants and their offspring to claim Nepali citizenship is awaiting legislative process of the House of Representatives for its passa…
The TRC of Liberia is constituted
"Intended to heal the wounds of the past, and reconcile all political forces in new Liberia, the TRC of Liberia is mandated to conduct a thorough investigation and publish a report documenting gr…
Haggling over the price of peace
It is not clear who said it, but the claim that every ambitious man is a captive and every covetous one a pauper, has a heavy dose of truth. Whether this claim applies to Prachanda, the most succ…
Under the shadow of arms
The issue of management of small arms, which were used to ruthlessly slaughtering more than 13,000 Nepalis, is unfortunately still the most intractable part of the story of a revolution that has …
Peace in the animal farm
For a long time the people of Nepal have known deep down that the future of this country will be different from the past. The million dollor question is - "is the future that they are talking abo…
Granting citizenship en masse?
Harka Gurung, a senior scholar, once emphasized political boundary and citizenship as two bases of national identity. On both counts, he said, the situation of Nepal seemed precarious. This preca…
United Nations, sidelined
Turning conflict into peace is challenging even if those attempting to do it are highly trained and well-equipped. Several of the most violent and tragic episodes of the 1990s occurred after the …