CAN THIS P. PARTY CAMPAIGN OF RELIEF BE USED FOR EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION?

CAN THIS P. PARTY CAMPAIGN OF RELIEF BE USED FOR EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION?

Tej Kumar Karki NEWS MEDIA REPORT THOUSANDS ARE MOBILIZED BY POLITICAL PARTIES FOR RELIEF IN THE VILLAGE WHICH IS GOOD AND ENCOURAGING COULD THEY ALSO INCLUDE EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION TO THE VILLAGERS HOW TO SAVE THEM IN CASE OF AN EARTHQUAKE HOW TO USE MOBILE MEDIA HOW TO PREPARE A TENT AND ARRANGE FOOD HOW TO MAKE THEIR RECONSTRUCTED HOUSE MORE RESISTANT TO EARTHQUAKE I KNOW THIS IS AN RELIEF OPERATION BUT ALSO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE SINCE MANY PARTY PEOPLE AND THEIR EXPERTS ENGINEERS ARE AT VILLAGE IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE TO DO IT NOT NOW, BUT NEXT TIME, WILL BE HARD BECAUSE RE-SENDING PEOPLE AGAIN IS DIFFICULT AND COSTLY TO MOBILIZE THE RESOURCES THAT ARE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW CAN WE INFORM THOSE IN THE VILLAGE ALSO TO EDUCATE VILLAGERS ABOUT EARTHQUAKE RISK PREPAREDNESS  IF THEY ARE ALREADY DOING THAT SO MUCH BETTER  JUST A THOUGHT  rabi raj thapa <thapa.rabiraj@gmail.com> 2:16 PM (6 hours ago) I am happy to see that so many of us are so seriously taking this issue that is very encouraging to think that finally our political cadres have got something to do that is constructive and positive other than holding street protest, mass meeting and rallies. But sending party cadres, youth volunteers without proper orientation and training to help and educate earthquake victims should not be like a blind person trying to lead another blind person. There is no spec of doubt that the volunteer cadres, who have always been taken as apple of the eyes to all ruling governments and political leaders who have so much faith and confidence in their political cadres and volunteers, they must be able to do what a marginalized Nepal fails to do.   1.       It is good that political cadres are going to the needy, hungry and miserable people who want to rebuild and recover their shattered mind body and spirit, who want to build something out of their leftovers , broken home, injured and helpless family members. If they see political RAMBOs IN MASSES, VISITING WITH FANFARE AND HIGH SPIRIT, with banners of different political parties, that must give a great boost-up to unfortunate and down-heartened poor people in the remote villages. A James Bond sent from the Capital, well briefed and fully committed to do something without knowing what is it!  Political cadres are indoctrinated folk who may know more of their political ideology than the empathy and hard work. Developing villages at this stage is not like holding a political mass rally or mass meeting. If we really look at our political cadres, how much are they good in education, building skills, to live with the poor (because many of them must have taken political short-cuts to get away from poverty, unemployment and hardship of life. If you ask them they may say that they did not join politics to work hard and study well and to serve the country; they have joined politics to come closer to the power centers, to learn and imitate political leaders that is nothing but a FAST TRACK to PERKS, POWER and POSITION. We may have heard all our leaders have only one mantra "जोगी बन्न को लागी राजनिती गरेको होईन"; तव के को लागी राजनिती गरेको त? Nobody have guts to ask this question to our political leaders. Even you ask them they will laugh at you (what a stupid fool to ask a question that everybody knows the answer). One may also well presume that it is foolish to hope to get something from the cadres and followers what one cannot expect from their leaders) गुरु गुढ तो चेला चिनी  2.       Second, if our great volunteers do not know how to build a house; do not have any construction idea or knowledge or experience or training; if they do not know anything of masonry, carpentry or if they themselves are not good in education, then what and how can they help the villagers and the needy people. Besides, such technical people are needed in quality but not in quantity. If you flock them in the villages it may also disturb and distract the victims in their own work. 3.       Why I am thinking this way is just looking at the way political parties have mobilized their youths and volunteers. Party Leaders and even our PM have given high sounding idealistic speeches(all our media people were thrilled to hear and quote in daily news, all F.M.and TVs), our leaders' who have inspired all youth volunteers (who are well accustomed to enjoy city life) to go to village and help the victims. Are these volunteers given any written instructions on what to do there and how? Do they have any policy papers, orientation, skill training, command and control and coordination procedures? How are they going to coordinate with other volunteers of other political parties? For sure, it is not going to be like a canvassing of an election or a political rally or a political campaign. Once the volunteer land on their assigned districts, they may go straight to the local political leader or the local administrator (well exhausted CDO, or Village Secretary, Security personnel) and jump into their routine work just to show that they are also there or now they have come to do the miracle. There is a great possibility that it may further hinder their momentum of work rather than make it easy in any way. A gentle and humble well manner volunteer may politely ask other to "give them some work" But, it is also possible that the high profile RAMBO TYPE political cadre may start commenting, criticizing and giving instructions if not order that they have been doing all their life and what they think mandated by their higher command living in the Capital.(without political mandate and political purpose they do not move, mind it)  4.       Finally, I am afraid, they may consume the scarce resources and food and shelter that the poor villagers have received from various generous donors and well wishers. who might have taken so much trouble to reach it there.  I am saying all these from my own experience of reaching out to various places and the haphazard way of managing and distributing relief materials. Still there may be so many of us who may think that sending political cadres with a great speech from political suprimo may work like a magic touch. Therefore, I better leave it to all who have a golden dream that political cadres are the angles of modern Nepal and they can do wonders like what the youth volunteers of Comrade Mao Ze Dong had done and achieved during their Cultural Revolution in China.   If my view does not confirm your great views and opinion, please do not bother to jump against it or make any counter comment; you please discard it or through it into Junk-mail and forget it. Thank you  Bihari Krishna Shrestha <biharishrestha@gmail.com> 3:32 PM (4 hours ago) Sri Ravi Raj Thapajee has made a very pertinent and succinct observation about the problems and prospects of sending political volunteers to the quake stricken villages. While all major parties are in mutual competitions for marshalling their own volunteer corps of a few hundred each--for which some of them are known to have unleashed donation terror on the business community--Thapaji has his own apprehensions that after all, these young politicians--who are there in the parties in quest of shortcut to power, pelf and position--just may not have the needed proficiency and motivation to be of help to the quake victims such as skills in carpentry, masonry, and so on. Instead, given their history of having acted merely as their party's "storm troopers" quite often in the past--Comrade Biplab's cadres beating up a person in the audience who had the temerity to ask a question in their New Road meeting recently is the latest proof--the most likely scenario is that they would just end up doing what they know best, showing off  with the already exhausted CDO and other local officials, thus acting as another unwelcome distraction in the midst of the misery that has overwhelmed them. But then, our parties are only trying to do what they know best, hoodwinking people, that is sure to further alienate them from the people. But they don't care, because they have never cared. After all, in our form of democracy, they are the ones from among whom we have to choose "our representatives" in the next election. If the parties really cared, they should realise that there are eight lakh houses that need to be rebuilt, and rebuilt real fast. For this, the only way would be to empower the villagers themselves with unfettered access to resources, technical support and material supply. The villages, all of them, have the tradition of parima, i.e a traditional system of labour exchange under which they put together the critical mass of labour needed for house building as they do annually for paddy planting too. Therefore, as a precondition for effective earthquake rehabilitation, the authority needs to be devolved to the local communities themselves as fast as possible. But then, these political animals are always there with their bhagbande politics that would surely ruin things all over again in the communities. Therefore, as suggested by Kedar Neupanejee from Switzerland recently, Nepal now should emulate Pakistan during the 2005 earthquake in PoK when the then President, General Pervej Musharraf took over the reign of control directly,  put the army in command, kept the politicians off-limit and made an exemplary work of the rescue, relief and rebuilding operation. So, our President, the cabinet, the army and the political parties too should put their heads together, and decide to make the earthquake rebuilding an a-political and professional work by entrusting the army with the support operation in all the quake-affected districts even as the task of rebuilding at the grassroots is devolved to the user groups of quake victims themselves. Any other approach would be less than optimal in its efficiency and effectiveness and to that extent, the betrayal of the nation once again for mundane political gains and individual profits. Bihari Krishna Shrestha On 5/25/15, rabi raj thapa <thapa.rabiraj@gmail.com> wrote: > I am happy to see that so many of us are so seriously taking this issue > that is very encouraging to think that finally our political cadres have > got something to do that is constructive and positive other than holding > street protest, mass meeting and rallies. But sending party cadres, youth > volunteers without proper orientation and training to help and educate > earthquake victims should not be like a blind person trying to lead another > blind person. There is no spec of doubt that the volunteer cadres, who have > always been taken as apple of the eyes to all ruling governments and > political leaders who have so much faith and confidence in their political > cadres and volunteers, they must be able to do what a marginalized Nepal > fails to do. > > 1.       It is good that political cadres are going to the needy, hungry > and miserable people who want to rebuild and recover their shattered mind > body and spirit, who want to build something out of their leftovers , > broken home, injured and helpless family members. If they see political > RAMBOs IN MASSES, VISITING WITH FANFARE AND HIGH SPIRIT, with banners of > different political parties, that must give a great boost-up to unfortunate > and down-heartened poor people in the remote villages. *A James Bond sent > from the Capital, well briefed and fully committed to do something without > knowing what is it!  P*olitical cadres are indoctrinated folk who may know > more of their political ideology than the empathy and hard work. Developing > villages at this stage is not like holding a political mass rally or mass > meeting. If we really look at our political cadres, how much are they good > in education, building skills, to live with the poor (because many of them > must have taken political short-cuts to get away from poverty, unemployment > and hardship of life. If you ask them they may say that they did not join > politics to work hard and study well and to serve the country; they have > joined politics to come closer to the power centers, to learn and imitate > political leaders that is nothing but a *FAST TRACK to PERKS, POWER and > POSITION. *We may have heard all our leaders have only one mantra "जोगी > cadres with a great speech from* political suprimo* may work like a magic > touch. Therefore, I better leave it to all who have a golden dream that > political cadres are the angles of modern Nepal and they can do wonders > like what the youth volunteers of Comrade Mao Ze Dong had done and achieved > during their *Cultural Revolution in China.*