CHIEF SECRETARY PAUDEL SAYS POLITICAL CONFLICT AFFECTING MORALE OF CIVL SERVANTS Kathmandu, 8 Sept.: Chief Secretary Lilamani Paudel has said civil servants have not been able to carry out works with high morale due to political conflict, RSS reports.. At a programme that Media Vision had organised on the occasion of the Civil Service Day today, Chief Secretary Paudel said there was impact of political uncertainty on civil servants as well. He said partisan interest of political parties had impacted the bureaucracy negatively. Paudel stressed the need to develop a system that is accountable to the people by making the bureaucracy stronger and more transparent. He added that the government has initiated necessary homework for the same. On the occasion, chairman of the Nepal Civil Servant Employees’ Organisation, Bholanath Pokhrel, said civil service could not be accountable to the people because of Sextreme politicisation of the service. Different people, including chairman of Nepal National Employees’ Organisation Civil Service, Yamnath Pokhrel, and Subodh Kumar Devkota of the Nepal Employees’ Union, stressed the need to change the existing state mechanism to make civil servants accountable to the people. Nnnn BHAGAWATI PRASAD KAFLE HOUNOURED FOR ATTMPT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION Kathaamandu, 8 Sept. : Bhagawati Prasad Kafle, Secretary at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) was Friday awarded with the Nijamati service excellence with a cash prixe of Rs.200,000. coinciding with Nijamati Sewa Divas (Civil Service Day) He was hosen for the award ahead of retirement for attempt to control corruption a Kafle was acting as CIAA chief in the absence of commissioners nnnn .NEPALI WOMEN TAKE ON PAKISTAN IN SAFF CHAMPIONSHIP IN COLOMBO Kathmandu, 8 Sept.: Nepali takes on Pakistan Saturday in the Women´s SAFF Championship in Colombo The two South Asian countries are playing each other for the third tmie in theregional games of the eight-nation SAARC. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “He [Surya Bahadur Thapa] became prime minister not once but five, five times at the nigaha [blessings] of the king. He tell me I was cnsiring with the king.” (Keshar Bahadur Bista tells Basantapur public meting after joining RPP-Nepal leaving Rashriya Janashakti Party, News 24, 7 Sept.) “The CPN-Maoist’s argument that bulk entry of the Madhesis into the Nepali army will jeopardise nationalism is nothing but a byproduct of blind thinking. :”These (70-point) demands attempt to negate age-old relations that exist between Nepal and India. We strongly urge the CPN-Maoist to withdraw such demands.” (NMSP Chief Sharat Singh Bhandari, thE hiMALAYAN Times, 8 Sept ) Nnnn VIRAL FEVER CLAIMS 13 LIVES, 10,000: SICK Kathmandu, 7 Sept : Thirteen people have died and over 10,000 have been infected by the seasonal viral fever that has spread across the country for the past one month, Arjun Paudel writes in Republica.. Officials at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said that hundreds of patients who have developed symptoms of the viral infection are receiving treatment in health centers across the country. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Department of Health Services (DoHS), Dailekh, Okhaldhunga, Khotang and Kanchanpur are among the most effected districts, forcing the local authorities to shut down schools to control possible spread of the disease. Officials at the Health Ministry said that they are closely monitoring the situation but have not yet mobilized medial manpower from the center. "Since viral fever is a seasonal phenomenon but not a life threatening disease unless there are other health-related complications, something that seems to have happened mainly in Dailekh, we are extending support to district health centers short of sending manpower from the center," said Dr GD Thakur, director of EDCD. “We have dispatched sufficient amounts of medicine to the districts and early indications suggest that the disease is gradually coming under control,” he said. Dr Thakur, however, declined to use the term viral fever outbreak, arguing that the number of patients needs to be at least double that of last year to call it an outbreak. EDCD also claimed that no patient has yet died at a health center from viral fever. “Those who died while suffering from the malady had other medical complications,” he added. Other officials at EDCD claimed that the fever can be cured in most cases by taking simple drugs like a paracetamol tablet thrice a day, but some might develop other infectionk, for which they need to take antibiotics under prescription. In most cases the fever disappears within five days, said Dr Thakur. He further said that the health centers have urged people in the effected areas to avoid mass gatherings, which have been identified as the main factor in the spread of viral fever, and to drink sufficient amounts of liquid if one develops the symptoms. Dr Thakur also said that the division is planning to mobilize female community health volunteers to raise awareness about the disease. The office has sought help from local civil society, teachers and security agencies for the awareness campaign. Nnnn UML DISSIDENTS TAKE THEIR CAMPAIGN TO DOSTRICTS Kathmandu, 8 Sept : Unimpressed by the party´s response on their demands, the dissident group of CPN-UML is gearing up for a movement to create an alternative force in various districts, Tirtha L. Bhusal writes in Republica.. A group of leaders led by CPN-UML Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai are all set to address a gathering of the dissidents, who call themselves ´the forward-looking group in UML´ in Janakpur, Dhanusha on Saturday. While former lawmakers Rijwan Ansari and Gopal Thakur will be accompanying Rai from Kathmandu, UML politburo member Ram Chandra Jha reached Janakpur couple of days ago for preparatory works for the gathering. UML Chairman Khanal had earlier this week offered a nine-page explanation on UML´s position in regard to nomenclature and delineation of provinces in a new federal set up. Refusing to accept the dissident´s demand for a federal model based on single-ethnic identity, Khanal reiterated the party´s official position to stand for multiethnic provinces. "Tomorrow [Saturday] we are holding a massive gathering here in this historic town of Janakpur. Our Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai, among other leaders, will be addressing the crowd of hundreds of participants," Jha told Republica over phone from Janakpur. According to him, their group already formed an 11-member committees of forward-looking group in each of the seven constituencies in Dhanusha and a 77-member district chapter of the same members. After Dhanusha, they are planning to hold similar gatherings in other parts of the country including Mahottari, Siraha and Sarlahi. Jha said it was the Dhanusha district, where committees of forward-looking group were formed first, and that the district gathering is being held in the same district for the first time. According to him, similar committees have been formed in over 30 districts so far. Ansari told Republica that he had already formed a 51-member district committee in his home district Sarlahi and they were planning to hold a district-level gathering in the district within couple of days. According to him, they decided to intensify their movement nationwide as they, after studying Khanal´s response, found that the UML party was not going to address their demands. "We found no point in continuing intra-party struggle within UML in the hope that the establishment would be positive toward our demands," Ansari explained. Another dissident central committee member Bir Bahadur Lama is in his home district Makwanpur to mobilize the ´forward-looking´ group for their cause. "We have started working to establish a new force as we came to a conclusion that there is no point in staying within the UML in the name of intra-party struggle," he told Republica over phone. Meanwhile, the party establishment has taken strong exception to the disgruntled group´s activities. UML Secretary Yubaraj Gyawali, who is also the chief of the party´s organization department, said that the party leadership was closely watching their activities and has found they were working in contravention with the party policy. He said the party chairman had already offered the party´s position in writing and the leadership was for ending the situation without delay. "Now, we will hold final talks with them [dissidents] because we want to close this chapter immediately," Gyawali told Republica. Wasted 3 months because of three ethnic leaders Frustrated by some of the dissident leaders, who have lately been lobbying for intra-party struggle within the UML and not to form new force, Ajambar Kangmang said some key leaders have betrayed them. "In fact, we wasted at least three months by waiting for three leaders -- Politburo member Prithivi Subba Gurung and central committee members Kiran Gurung and Dal Bahadur Rana Magar," said Kangmang. "Otherwise, we would have started the same activities that we are launching now at least some three months ago." The three have lately been lobbying for intra-party struggle in the hope of that the UML leadership can be convinced about their demands in the long run. Nnnn ________________________________________ EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS TOLD NOT TO SEEK DIRECT MEETING WITH CEREMONIAL PRESIDENT Kathmandu, 8 Sept.: In what seems to be European Union’s local missions’ bid for hegemony, EU member states’ envoys and representatives in Kathmandu have ‘directly approached’ the Office of President, ignoring the government, to draw the attention of the Head of State to the content of Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission of Inquiry on Disappearances — an ordinance for which has been pending at the Office of the President, Lekhnath Pandey writes in The Himalaya Times.. The ambassadors and representatives of EU’s missions, including those of Norway, Switzerland and Denmark, had requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting with President Ram Baran Yadav. But sources told this daily that MoFA not only rejected the request but also warned them — through separate circulars — not to make such bid to discuss ‘political contents’ with the constitutional President. The Ordinance on TRC and CID was forwarded by the government to the Office of President on August 28. The Delegation of the EU to Nepal, on behalf of all the missions, confirmed with THT that it ‘had requested a meeting with the President on the said matter’. “We confirm that we had requested a meeting with the President to discuss developments on the adoption of new legislation in the current context of the peace process,” said Lluis Navarro, First Secretary at the Delegation of the EU to Nepal. The EU and other international community have long been pressing for the early adoption of legislation on TRC and CID, saying these were the most crucial part of the peace process and transitional justice. Navarro, however, underscored that the missions were not aware of the fact that MoFA ‘has taken a specific position in regards to the role of the President on the matter’. MoFA sources told THT that the EU and other missions had sent a letter to MoFA requesting its approval for a meeting with the President on August 31. The ministry had given a lukewarm response, but enough for the diplomatic missions to comprehend that it was not interested. Despite this, the missions ‘directly approached’ the Office of the President, which MoFA has ‘interpreted as foreign interference into Nepal’s internal affairs’, said a MoFA official. “This is against the nicety of diplomatic decorum and has been perceived as an attempt to drag the constitutional Head of State into political issues.” The Office of the President, however, has told the missions that it would take a decision on the matter on September 9. “After learning that the missions were trying to reach out to the President, we sent circulars to all concerned embassies asking them not to make such a move,” said a top official at MoFA. “The ministry has also communicated with the Office of the President, requesting not to arrange any meeting.” Confirming the development, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said he firmly ‘believes that the missions will understand the sensitivities of the host nation’. “As per international practices, all diplomatic dealings and correspondences should be done through MoFA. The international community is always welcome to discuss (this) matter with political parties and the government officials, including at my and the prime minister’s level.” Rajendra Dahal, Press Adviser to President Yadav, told THT that the Office of the President would act as per MoFA’s advice. Issuing separate statements on August 30, the EU countries and the United Nations in Nepal had drawn the attention of the government to formation of TRC and CID. Nnnn GOVT.,URGES PRESIDENT TO APPOINTMENT PERSONS TO CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES THROUGH EXISTING CONSTITTION WITHOUT BRINGING IN ORDINANCES TO EMPOWER GOVT. kathmandu, 8 Sept.: Sensing that the President is in no mood to approve any more ordinances, the government is busy doing the groundwork to urge him to invoke presidential power as per Article 158 of the Interim Constitution to fill vacancies in the Supreme Court and other constitutional bodies, Ananta Raj Luitel writes in The Himalayan Times. “A proposal to this effect has been presented to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai,” a highly placed source at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers told The Himalayan Times. “If everything goes as per the plan, the government will recommend the President to invoke Article 158 to pave the way for appointments to the vital posts.” Officials close to the matter said the government is now focused to get Article 158 invoked by the President with its efforts to get ordinances approved failing to bear fruit. Appointments to vital posts, as per Article 155 of the Interim Constitution, require parliamentary hearing, which is not possible in the absence of Parliament, hence the government is making a bid to get Article 158 invoked. Article 158 states: If any difficulty arises in connection with the implementation of this Constitution, the President may on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, issue any orders to remove such difficulty; and such orders shall have to be ratified by the Legislature Parliament within one month. The government move may push the Head of State into moral dilemma in view of urgency to appoint justices in the Supreme Court and chiefs and commissioners at constitutional bodies. According to Law Secretary Bhesh Raj Paudel, the government does not have any other option, so it is mulling over ways to resolve the crisis. He added that the proposal has suggested amending the Constitutional Council (Work, Duty and Procedure Act), 2010 to facilitate the CC to take decisions in the absence of the Speaker and leader of the opposition party — who are the ex-officio members of the top appointing body. “This may allow the government to take decision in majority basis by setting a new trend. The tradition has it that CC decisions are taken unanimously,” he added. The government at present has two options — issuing ordinance or invoking presidential power — but the top officials feel that the latter will be a better option at a time when environment for ordinances is not conducive. Rajendra Dahal, Press Adviser to the President, said the Head of State will act after analyse the situation. “Though he (President) does not want the constitutional bodies to remain vacant for long, he of course will leave it to the government to create conducive environment by forging consensus among parties,” added Dahal. nnnn