As a Nepali citizen, I am impressed with the achievements of the new government in
the last three months.

The government's achievements are many and varied that as a mere mortal, I am having difficulty to keep track of all its activities.

As a simple solution, thought I'd start a list of all its achievements so that we
can all take pride in the government's efforts toward making Nepal a "multi-party
democracy, a pro-free market country" and so on and so forth.

The list below is UNRANKED, and contains ONLY what can be VERIFIED to be true
from PUBLISHED Nepal-based newspaper accounts (so I am not making anything up!)

Drumroll, please . . . . .

The government's achievements since Feb 1 2005

1. Shutting down mobile phone communication in Nepal.
2. Allowing Maoist-affected Nepalis to camp out in Tundikhel.

3. Shutting down FM radio news broadcasts altogether.
4. Teaching newspaper editors that they are accountable NOT to their readers but to bureaucrats and military personnel.

5. Appointing those as Zonal commissioners who respond to those in power.
6. Declaring the days on which the King files in and out of Nepal to be public holidays.

7. Stopping intellectuals/professors from attending seminars abroad.
8. Arresting politicians while renewing commitments to multi-party democracy.

9. Planning to give all Nepalis their individual computer IDs.
10. Making a promise to hold municipal elections by the end of this year 2062. [Earlier, there had been another public promise to hold general elections by the end of 2061,
but let's not talk about the past.]

11. Saying that it is about to put an apparatus in place to issue peace bonds to raise money.
12. Saying that Nepal does not need foreign aid [and this statment came from Patriot Number One K N Bista, who has worked his political and Chinese connections to make sure that his family members -- children and grand chiledren -- are well taken care of
in foreign countries.)

I could go on, but with these TRUTHFUL achievements of the present government, let me stop and sip some Starbucks coffee.

oohi
ashu

...even you think is going WRONG (not run) in Nepal... my bad.

MP-ji,

I have watched you drag my name up and down earlier for no reason in this thread. I decided to keep quiet then, thinking that YOUR bad day need not be my bad day too.

That quiet reasoning still holds for me.

Just because you are pissed off at me whatever reasons, that does NOT mean that
I have to scream back at you.

So, let me smile back at you, and shrug off your anger. :-)

Other that that, I remain comfortable posting my words on Sajha --

partly for information (hopefully),
partly for others' entertainment (again, hopefully) and
partly for my own fun to kill the boredom that emanates from time to time during travels and during lulls at work (for sure).

Tetti ho.

Moreover, hey, I have no problem admitting that , I really have NO credentials
whatsoever of any kind . . . that's because you see, long ago, somebody wiser taught me to make choices in life to do things to the best of my ability and happiness (even if those choices appear odd to others), and THEN let credentails chase me . . . . and NEVER the other way around.

Keep on smiling, MP-ji.

oohi
"the real M.P. = Misunderstood Poster"
ashu

No comments, except that you didn't answer my question (of course, you don't have to). I bring people's names not because I want to ruin their day, but because I sometimes wonder how nice it would be if they answered every question in a straight forward manner without taking a detour around their background and what not. I am not pissed of at you, just surprised!

Sabai bhancchan Pushkar shah paagal ho..... tara malai lagchha ki katai Ashu ta paagal hoina????

Amongst the latest detainees,
Subhash Nembang, who headed the public account committee, was the most prolific chairman of all the parliamentary committees. He got a harsh treatment from the UML top brass when he adhered to his responsibilties and recommended actions against his own party central committee member Bhim Rawal in a corruption scandal. He is amongst the UML thinktank specializing on law and justice. He has never been heard of involvement in corruption.

Raghuji Panta, noted leftist journalist before becoming a UML MP and minister in a couple of occassions. He is one of the leaders responsible for drafting policies for the UML. Not too much fuss has surfaced out about his involvement in irregularities.

Chakra Bastola, one of the few intellectual leaders in the NC and a fine diplomat. His tenure as foreign minister was not marred by any big scaldal or whatsoever.

Dr. Ramsharan Mahat, can't trust this man although he holds a PHD from the US. Masterminds false analysis of economic indicators. But that is the business of every economics PHDs from America, isn't it? And yeh, he did facilitate employment for hundreds of his supporters in Agricultural Development Bank amongst some other irregularities. But he doesn't rank with Khum Bahadur, Govinda Raj, Bamdev Gautam, and where is he? Mr Ramkrishna Acharya.

Gagan Thapa, I always had high hopes with this lad. But it appears like he is going to be Gagan Singh II. Poor chap, no one are half as much as courageous as this man. He might have abused some students in Trichandra for which he deserves bashing but still he is the leader of our generation. Hopefully, Gagan will be more resolute after this detention and devise a strategy to unite students against the tyrant Mr G. provided he is not physically tortured. You will get my support Gagan, ignite the torch and lead the movement for democracy.

All in all, the drive for dictatorship is in full swing now. Instead of arresting corrupts, Gyan Bahadurs are arresting the intellectuals and strong party cadres capable of restoring public faith. Hence, Narahari Acharya confined in a cell and Bijay Gachhadar left to walk free. This makes me hate the man called King Gyanendra.

Dr. Ramsharan Mahat is not PhD from INDIA, but his brother Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat is PhD from US.

* Let me crosscheck. Apologies if I am wrong.

Complex with Ashu is... this man is huanted by the fact that he returned to Nepal from US. He fears that people look down upon him because of that fact.

So in order to show off that he is not bothered about that complex, he keeps on writing here in sajha as a HERO.

No need to justify your fu*cking return to Nepal... just work well in yoru field. We don't care if you stayed in Nepal or USA. But why to take pain always trying to rationalize and justify here in sajha... Just work diligently...

WHO THE FUDGE CARE OF THESE ACHIEVEMENTS..
THEY ARE ABOUT TO LOOSE IMF AND WORLD BANKS $$$$. i DON'T TRUST EOTHER OF THEM. LOTTA CHATTER NO ACTION...

M.P.-ji,

Yes, on Sajha, I do NOT have to answer your specific questions about my general remarks and vice versa.

And just because you are surprised and/or angry for whatever (real or imaginary) reasons does NOT mean that other people too have to be either.

*****

Pushkar Samarthak,

Your sense of humor is matchless.

Then again, as Miss Alison Porchnik famously replies to Woody Allen in that movie "Annie Hall" after hearing Allen's description of her: "I love being reduced to a cultural
stereotype."

***

Folks, after these commercial breaks, let us now redirect our attention to enumerating the achievements of the new government . . .in a language that even third-graders
can understand, appreciate and jump up and down in glee.

oohi
ashu

How about listing "achievments" of Nepali US graduates who failed to succeed in their fields and are bitter about everything real and want to lead an idealistic lives. They are used to preach freedom without responsibility; free speech without accountability; and party politics with out caring about people. If these American educated Nepalis think that the "Parties" have Nepal's interests at heart ... I don't want to smoke what you are somoking man!!

How can you have democracy without peace. I am in the US, afraid to come to Nepal to visit my families ... I know you are going to tell me that's my problem... maybe it is but ... damn how can you have free society without free speech and free political choice and believe me that is what these so called political parties do not want Nepalis to have.

I mean we have Grija leading Congress ... he has been doing that since the late 50s and early sixities. Are you telling me that there aren't any younger Nepalis that can lead? We have UMLwho are opportunists that they have no idea what communistic philosophy really is. We have Maoist who don't really have any principle. What do we do?

It's easy to criticize than to be productive!! By the way when they teach in the US to use "Critical Thinking" they don't really mean be CRITICAL all the time!!!

Caio

>>even third-graders
>>can understand, appreciate and jump up and down in glee.

I sometimes wish I didn't understand sarcasms!

>>Still, the cleverer protestors get international donors to fund their "look, how bad the stituation is in Nepal" trips abroad which are great in arousing sympathy abroad but
in terms of concrete results, they achieve next to nothing.]

That's one hell of a GENERAL remark, btw. I mean, common, people are not dumb here - they get who you are pointing your fingers to! If you still think this is a general comment, perhaps you can enlighten us here with names of some "clever protestors" who have gotten "international donors to fund their 'look how bad the situation is in Nepal' trips abroad."

I don't even know why I am saying this, when I know that all I am going to get is another Mahabharat on a completely different topic! Let me guess a response to my question in the previous paragraph:

"Look, M.P.-ji, long time ago, when I was your age, I learnt this thing that I don't have to reveal identities in Sajha. If you don't believe what I am saying, that's fine. But it's competely upto me to say or not say in public the names of the people you have asked about."

And it's not hard to guess why you give such what I call Gobinda-Raj-Joshi type answers: you don't have a direct answer.

It's funny how you call for a redirection onto the topic at hand, but divert it all the way by throwing in sarcasm yourself. But I must applaud thee for your expertise in waking up even a sleeping giant -- after typing tens of pages in the last four days, I wasn't even in a mood to type here in Sajha again -- using your sarcasm.

M.P. wrote:

"I mean, common, people are not dumb here - they get who you are pointing your fingers to!"


M.P.-ji

You saying the above statment is like --

to draw an analogy ONLY (and this analogy is taken from a Mark Tully book called "No full Stops in India" --

accusing the BBC for allegedly spreading rumours and then asking BBC to retract those rumours to protect its own reputation!!

The BBC's response, as written up in that book's chapter on Kumbha Mela -- was something like: "We are not in the business of retracting the content of news
broadcasts we did NOT create in the first place."

Likewise, I made those general remarks . . . and I feel quite comfortable to use my name and knowledge to stand behind the validity of those remarks.

As a reader, it's one thing to say one of the following:

1) "No, you are wrong, Ashu, and here's why"
2) "Yes, you are right"
3) "I am not sure what your point is, Ashu"
4) "I need more information to believe you"

Any one of those remarks would have been open-ended enough to keep a kura-kani going forward positively.

BUT it does take a certain ABSURDITY and a sense of very amusing SELF-IMPORTANCE
on your part to rightously keep on insisting that my remarks -- aimed at 2000-plus various shades of human rights-wallahs in Nepal -- must have been aimed ONLY and ONLY and ONLY at your friend (?) with whom you seem to have shared -- NOT professional relationships -- but only a high school.

As a result, your whole jhagada, which I have been humouring for some time, emotionally boils down to: "Who the hell are you, Ashu, to say anything against the work of my Dai who's doing all this wonderful thing?' ESPECIALLY when I have NOTHING to remark upon your particular dai and his particular work.

As third-graders thorought history have taught us: Suspicion of wrong-doing does NOT equal provable guilt.

oohi
ashu

Ashuji/Ashu dai,
You haven't since long responded to my comments and I don't intend to jump in the fray now, neither I am seeking any reply from you.
However, as most sajhaites do, I have high regards for you and for your academic achievements. There's one verse in Sanskrit.
स्?वदेश: पुज्?ययत राजा, विद्घान सर्वत्र: पुज्?येयत
I am not sure whether I got it right or wrong. But many of us read you because we value you on a high esteem. And bother to criticize you because we want you to become our standard bearer.Now, when you say 'in a language that even third-graders
can understand, appreciate and jump up and down in glee' it only reflects your arrogance.
तपाईं जस्?तो विद्घानले यस्?तो छुद्र कुरा गर्नु शोभनिय हुन्छ र ?
First, very few Nepalese are fortunate to have their schooling at St. Xaviers. Most of us come from government schools and you know the inferiority of english teaching in there.
Second, you are one of those to be counted in finger tips who graduated from the world's top university.How can you expect parity of language between everybody? What makes you feel that people are third-graders when they cannot properly understand your grandiose sarcasm? I don't think your remarks of this sort justifies the hallmark of your academic superiority.
सवैलाई सुहाउँदो व्?यहवार गर्दा मात्र तपाईंको विद्घताले पूर्ण्?।ता प्राप्?त गर्छ ।
तपाइको घैंटोमा घाम कहिले लाग्?ने हो वा लाग्?ने हो कि होइन हेर्न वांकि नै छ ।

Newuser,

Your comments, though apparently sincere (if a bit embarrassing to me), will now unleash its own barrage of anonymous attacks against me on Sajha.

Let us brace ourselves and try to enjoy the bumpy ride ahead on Sajha.

Then again, having been attacked for no reason so many times before, I have learnt to frame these attacks as positive learning opportunities to know things about myself that
I myself do not know at all. Being optimistic, I also try to see these attacks as 'boot camp-like formative experiences' for any future political/public career in Nepal,
where -- unlike you -- few people have good things to say about anyone else.

oohi
ashu

The government's Achievement Number 16:

The Committee to Protect Journalists, the CPJ, brought out a report Thursday titled ?A Country Silenced,? describing the situation of the press in Nepal after the King?s royal takeover of Feb. 1.

The report says that the government forces shut down news reporting on the country?s 46 FM radio stations, which according to it is the main source of information in rural and remote areas. The CPJ report also said lucrative government advertising to the private media had been shut off. Up to 2,000 journalists have been left jobless by the government?s measures, and the number could climb, said the CPJ.

The report according to the CPJ, a New-York based international press watchdog, describes ?the deteriorating press conditions in the three months since the King dismissed the multiparty government and declared a state of emergency.?

Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind,
Clinging to strange promises, dying on the vine,
Never bein' able to separate the good from the bad,
Ooh, Sajha bless it, I can't stand it,
It's makin' me feel so sad.

Dead man, wise man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

Satan got you by the heel, there's a bird's nest in your hair.
Do you have any faith at all? Do you have any love to share?
The way that you hold your head, cursin' their every move,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
What are you tryin' to prove?

Dead man, wise man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

The glamour and the bright lights and the politics of sin,
The ghetto that you build for me is the one you end up in,
The race of the engine that overrules your heart,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Pretending that you're so smart.

Dead man, wise man,
When will you arise?
Cobwebs in your mind,
Dust upon your eyes.

What are you tryin' to overpower me with, the doctrine or the gun?
My back is already to the wall, where can I run?
The tuxedo that you're wearin', the flower in your lapel,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
You wanna take me down to hell.

BD(altered)

As a second-grader, unlike most Sajhaites, who are third-graders, I am indeed jumping up and down with glee at His Eminence Grise, the Master Sophist, descending from the heavens to baby-talk with us and to instruct us. I understand completely now.

If someone challenges me with questions, I accuse him or her of being highly emotional, whether or not it's true, then I air some old grudges, however irrelevant, even as I bray about myself tediously yet again (which I mistakenly think is easy to do in front of third-graders). The trick is NOT to be drawn into any meaningful, relevant discussion, but to bait and switch, and to belittle, to condescend. All of this, of course, must be disguised in "reasonable?" and "level-headed" language. Finally, to cover my ass and to frame the exhange, I launch a preemptive strike and call future responses personal attacks. QED!

Got it, M.P. and all you third-graders? That's how Master Sophists win arguments. Now kneel all you worthless underlings and worship me!

(No wonder, second-graders like me prefer the twilight zone, like the Pushkar Shah thread. Okay, got to go, need to get to the goddamn airport ....)

There is no difference between ashu and Learner_1 or Darshankaka.

Ashu is going after Govt. here bringing out facts... same thing learner and darshankaka doing agianst Pushkar shah.. all unnecessary. These guys are wasting time. I suspect if Ashu - Learner_1/Darshankaka.

But remember, this govt. has gained quite a bit of mileage.. whether you like it or not, this govt will run the country for next 3 years although it doesn't care of longevity beyond that. Similarly, Pushkar Shah will continue his yatra no matter what you guys talk against him. People will still give him money to travel. Probably people will even build a grand house for him.

If you want to prove yourelf, Ashu why don't you initiate a Fund and organize fund raisings. I know you can do it very well. You have connections. You have reputations (as you believe that you do have). So that later when pushkar finally ends the yatra and come back to Nepal, that Fund will have a grand house ready for him. C'mon man this is important task that you can lead. You are entrepenuar.