Fantastic article.... can't agree more with this article!!!!!
Valley-Bandh and the Idiocy of the Parties By Preeti Koirala
On October 28th, the seven party alliance attempted to disrupt the life of the Kathmandu valley dwellers through the much hated call of a bandh or (total closure). It had been a good nine months since Valley residents had not witnessed these ill-famed bandhs. But the government's announcement of media ordinance and the raid at the Kantipur FM office were enough excuses to provoke these parties to call for a bandh on the eve of Tihar festival, the second biggest festival for all Hindus.
Although the bandh was a partial success, there are several grave questions that have to be answered by the political parties that view themselves as the messiah of democracy in this country. Is the call for a bandh a democratic exercise or a mere nuisance to over 3 million dwellers of Kathmandu? Is it a "right" to disrupt the normal life of a citizen and then shamelessly demand for the restoration of democracy and human rights? Isn't it an idiocy to make life tough for the same people and then agitate in order to establish full-democracy?
Some questions have to be answered by the Nepali media too. Is it correct to advertise the call for a bandh by placing banner headlines on the front page like they would publicize a latest brand of toothpaste? Is it ethical to make transport, businesses, tourism, educational institutions victim to a raid conducted by the state administration against which the Supreme Court has only a day earlier directed a stay order?
Why should the schools close, industries shut down, offices and enterprises lock up and the entire people walk to their daily work just because somebody's radio station has not been able to telecast news? If freedom of press is the sole right to advertise bandhs, then why not attempt to curtail it? How correct is it to try and stop traffic of thousands of vehicles and two-wheelers and make life hell for 3 million people for any cause, any reason and any motive howsoever moral? Aren't there any other ways of protesting? Does one really have to walk to office, housewives panic over shortage of vegetables and milk and higher prices, students stay at home, businessmen suddenly cancel their orders and sick people limp to the nearest hospital just to nullify an ordinance?
The worst victim of these nonsense calls for bandhs is the entire tourism sector of the country which has only begun to feel a relief generated by the improved security situation and the ceasefire announced by the Maoists. In the month of October, Nepal saw a 150 percent rise in incoming tourists compared to the same period last year. Almost all five and four star hotels in Kathmandu are currently over booked. Flights to Kathmandu are full, some hotels are booked near capacity and Thamel is full of tourists. Even cities such as Pokhara and Chitwan are attracting tourists after a long time.
The tourist season is just beginning and thanks to the extended holiday period in India due to Deepawali and Ramzan, there is an upbeat mood in the whole industry with expectations of even more Indian and foreign tourists. But now, the seven parties found this very opportune time to disrupt the tourist inflow. Hundreds of cancellations took place on Friday as Kathmandu suddenly witnessed a bandh. After all who wants to come for a holiday in a country whose capital city is closed?
The difference from the previous bandhs called by the Maoists and the present one by the seven parties is that earlier everyone would know well in advance that a particular day would be a closure. But this time it happened suddenly with just one day notice. This was worse because the tourists that were already in Kathmandu had no option but to stay inside their hotels.
The multifarious associations of hotels, lodges, travel tour operators, tourist guides and moreover the Nepal Tourism Board also could not stop the political parties in calling for this bandh let alone impress upon them that tourism sustains the ailing economy of our country. These various associations instead of fighting amongst themselves have to form one single union to strongly warn whosoever tying to disturb the tourism industry from social boycott. Otherwise, these associations too are rendered useless. What good is it in opening dozens of associations involving virtually every segment of the industry and yet failing to stop the entire tourism activity to come to a halt?
The two dozen foreign envoys stationed in Kathmandu especially from the "friendly" countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, India and the EU who have habituated the practice of throwing a statement or a protest note on every other trivial event taking place in Nepal have remained tight-lipped over the disrupting of human life for a whole day on October 28th. These ambassadors who can travel all across the kingdom to find out the security condition of the countryside or visit the FM station office to oversee the atrocity committed by the government could not share the agony, the utter despair and a total contempt of the silent majority of Valley residents over this pointless bandh on the eve of Deepawali festival. Are they only the ambassadors for the seven political parties and their leaders or representing their respective countries in Nepal so as to promote people to people relations?
The United Nations Human Rights Commission that sees a human rights abuse taking place in every nook and corner of this kingdom doesn't see a day-light homicide being ordered, advertised, and executed by a team of seven goons and their counterparts in the local media. Isn't this the biggest abuse of human rights committed in the last five months since Mr Ian Martin has come to set-up his offices in Nepal?
For a whole day, the freedom, liberty and human rights of 3 million people and couple of thousand tourists were taken hostage by a handful of political parties and yet this is not regarded as a violation of international declaration of human rights? Isn't vandalizing private cars and government vehicles a gross abuse of human rights? What then has the UN human rights office and the entire UN set-up been established inside Nepal for? Simply to criticize the state security forces and forever censure the Royal Nepal Army? Nepalese living abroad just look with amazement the tolerance level of the Nepalese Foreign Ministry in dealing with these foreigners.
The sovereignty of a common shopkeeper or a bus driver who has to earn everyday for his two square meals has been desecrated by those that want to empower the same sovereign people of Nepal. They must realize that the dismal people participation in their rallies and protests is precisely because of these anti-people acts not once, not twice but throughout the 14 years of misrule. If they want to keep on repeating their past mistakes their hope of a "restoration" of their past privileges will only be a far-fetched dream.
(Ms Koirala is an insurance executive and can be reached at preeti72koirala@hotmail.com)
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