Righting Human Wrongs in Nepal

It's 7:35 am and I've seen Ez out the gate at 6:10 am, then Ms. Leah at 7:05 am. Now, I'm watching the Yankees pummel the Devil rays on the internet. So cometh another bright, lush late monsoon morning in the foothills of the Himalaya...

It's a Thursday, the final stretch in a busy week as I'm still flaying away in the world of human wrongs. Yet, I'm pleased to say that in some important ways, my working world became much more stimulating last week when, finally, after a year in my Sr. Advisor job w/o commissioners at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the govt finally appointed five individuals to lead the Commission.

One of them, Gauri Pradhan, founder of Child Workers in Nepal, is an old friend & colleague, who will be a pleasure to work with. Plus a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court, Kedarnath Upadhaya, who is the new Chairperson of the Commission, who also seems quite sincere & impressive. Then there is a Maoist-inclined Christian who may be the equivalent of a Nepali liberation theologian. Another retired Supreme Court judge from the eastern Terai. And, a senior government woman bureaucrat who may help us negotiate our way around the labyrinth that represents the government of Nepal. Quite an interesting collection, particularly as each seems to be eager to start their work!

So, at long last, after a year of muddling around, trying to influence a constitutional body without a head, learning my lessons in the world of human rights (and wrongs...), reciting the 'Paris Principles' on national rights institutes, staring out into the courtyard of Harihar Bhawan, an olde Rana palace here in Kathmandu, often feeling demotivated by the lack of leadership in the Commission, there is finally some real cause for anticipation & satisfaction -- ironically, just when my contract ends and the job may disappear.

Funny old world, isn't it...

For now, my UNDP one year contract has been extended from Sept. 3rd to Nov. 3rd, but nothing is clear after that. The whole Capacity Development NHRC project ends with December, so even a short extension ends then.

Of course, there's the likelihood of a new UNDP project from the new year, but no certainty if they want a Sr. AHuman Rights dvisor again; or, in truth, what I really want for myself...

At the moment, I'm planning on going to the US on Oct. 25th to attend Josh's first Family W/end at NMH, then probably visit Claudia while attending the American Bamboo Society (ABS) meeting outside Philly, followed by an important sidetrip to see M&D in Palm Beach Gardens before coming back to Nepal by mid-November.

If nothing changes or appears on the horizon, I could be back in Kathmandu sans work for the first time since 1983, which would be curious...

In some ways, mentally, emotionally, I'm just free-floating. I'm digging into certain aspects of work, which is stimulating, esp. given the large-scale & ugly forms of human rights abuses going on in Nepal (there was a prominent murder then a rampage in Kapilvastu, near Lumbini, last week with over 20-30 innocents murdered...), not to mention the backlog of human rights cases that remain either unresolved or without serious action by the GON. If one thinks too deeply on such events, it's not good for one's well-being, if you know what I mean. I read a Michael Onjantee (sp?) novel about such abuses in Sri Lanka a few years ago -- not pretty, to say the least, nor elevating of the human condition, that's for sure...

Politically, Nepal seems more & more befuddled or living under a dark star. Nothing really goes forward and the center hardly holds. Of course, our own personal botanical garden remains a delight, but the country around us seems to be dissolving into petty fiefdoms of venality or traffic jams (even sans petrol...) in the capital city.

There's supposed to be a national Constituent Assembly election on Thanksgiving Day, but no one really believes it's going to happen, esp. now that the Communist Party Nepal/Maoist have pulled out of the coalition government.

So many games, too many tricks, a heap of insincerity among the super-sized egos of the politicians, while the western community plays along, hoping for the best, fearing the worst, then heading off for a new assignment in another country while the UN pours in tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of 'monitors' and 'specialists' with experience in Kosovo, Timor and other examples of the UN's recent state-building experiences.

We all have our fingers crossed, but there is an equal amount of uncertainty ahead, sans doubt.

Where's a good thick Dumas novel when one needs one?