NEPAL: FORTY-EIGHT NEW MPS ROUND OUT INTERIM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 07 KATHMANDU 000122 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: FORTY-EIGHT NEW MPS ROUND OUT INTERIM PARLIAMENT REF: A. KATHMANDU 88 ¶B. 2006 KATHMANDU ¶C. KATHMANDU 79 ¶D. DAO IIR SERIAL 6 867 0049 07 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary and Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) On the eve of the Interim Parliament's first session on January 15 (Ref A),the governing Seven Party-Alliance and the Maoists appointed representatives to fill the 48 additional seats the November 8 peace agreement had allocated to civil society (Ref B). The Maoists had previously announced the names of the 73 MPs (Ref C) the peace agreement had allocated directly to them. The largest block of seats in the 329-member Interim Parliament went to 208 MPs from the prior Parliament (almost all from the House of Representatives),who were elected or nominated in 1999, and retained their seats in the new interim legislative body. Out of the 48 new MPs, 14 were women. A retired Royal Nepal Army Major General was among the Maoist nominees. Below is a list of the 48 MPs by party affiliation as well as available biographic information. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) All the major political parties except the Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) included members from different ethnic groups, castes and genders among their nominees as envisioned by the November 8 peace agreement, the November 21 comprehensive peace accord and the Interim Constitution. In contrast, the NC-D used almost all its six slots to put high-caste senior leaders into the Interim Parliament. If the NC-D fails to merge with the Nepali Congress Party prior to the Constituent Assembly election, this perceived lack of inclusiveness could be disastrous for the party. The coming weeks and days will tell how these new MPs will fulfill their legislative responsibilities, but we will not be surprised if the minor leftist parties, which were, in one case, not even represented in the prior Parliament, side with the Maoists. Nepali Congress -------------- ¶3. (U) The Nepali Congress (NC) is the largest party in the Interim Parliament, with 85 seats total. The leader of the Party is Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. The NC was allotted 10 of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Kul Bahadur Gurung (from the Gurung ethnic community -- Janajati) - Ms. Sujata Koirala (Baun -- the highest caste) - Mr. Bhim Bahadur Tamang (from the Tamang ethnic community -- Janajati) - Mr. Harihar Dahal (Baun) - Ms. Sita Devi Yadav (from the Madhesi community) - Ms. Suprabha Ghimire (Baun) - Mr. Dinbandhu Shrestha (from the Newar ethnic community -- Janajati) - Mr. Yagya Raj Pathak (Baun) - Ms. Krishna Kumari Shrestha (Newar -- Janajati) - Mr. Amresh Kumar Singh (Madhesi) NC Biographic Info -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the NC MPs: - Kul Bahadur Gurung was appointed as the second General Secretary of the NC on October 18, 2005. A high school SIPDIS teacher from Ilam District, Gurung became active in politics in 1994 when he won a seat in the House of Representatives from Ilam District. In 1996, and again in September 2005, he was nominated as a Central Committee Member of the NC. Gurung was Minister of Education from December 1997 to April ¶1998. He also served as the Minister of Health from April KATHMANDU 00000122 002 OF 007 1998 to December 1998. In December 1998, Gurung was appointed Minister of Education, Women and Social Welfare and remained in the post until June 1999. - Sujata Koirala, daughter of Prime Minister G.P. Koirala, was elected as a Central Committee Member of the NC in September 2005. She was appointed as the Chief of the Foreign Department of the NC in October 2005. She is the founding President of the Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust, an NGO established in her late mother Sushma Koirala's name. Koirala was born in 1951 in Biratnagar, Morang District. She studied in Shantiniketan School in India, and took a course in textile design in New Delhi. Koirala is married to a German national, but has not given up her Nepali citizenship. She has two children: a son, Siddhartha, who is in Germany and a daughter, Melanie, who is married and lives in London. - Bhim Bahadur Tamang is a Central Committee Member of the NC. He is also the Chief of the Party's Intellectual and Professional Department. Tamang entered politics in 1958. He was self-exiled from Nepal for seven years for political reasons, and later jailed without trial in Nepal by the Panchayat Government for another seven years. Tamang was elected to the House of Representatives from Dolakha District in 1994. He was appointed as Minister of Law and Justice in September 1995 and remained in the post until March 1997. Tamang was born on December 12, 1935 in Dolakha District. He is married and his English is fair. He was a participant in an International Visitor "Legislative Exchange Program III" in the U.S. in 1995. - Harihar Dahal is a lawyer by profession. He was the Vice President of the Nepal Bar Council from 1998 to 2000. He also served as a Member of the National Development Council in 1998. He has been the legal advisor of the NC since 1995. Dahal was imprisoned from 1988 to 1990 for political reasons. He was born on May 14, 1953 in Sunsari District. - Suprabha Ghimire was elected President of Nepal University Teachers' Association in 1991 and remained in the post until ¶1993. She also served as a Member of the National Development Council in 1992. Ghimire started her career as a lecturer and taught in various colleges in Nepal. She was born on October 7, 1941 in Kathmandu. Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist -------------- --- ¶5. (U) The Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) is tied as the second- largest party in the Interim Parliament, with 83 seats total. The leader of the Party is Madhav Kumar Nepal. The CPN-UML was allotted 10 of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Amrit Kumar Bohara (Chhetri -- second highest caste) - Mr. Jhalanath Khanal (Baun) - Mr. Bamdev Gautam (Baun) - Ms. Parbati Chaudhari (from the Tharu ethnic community -- Janajati) - Ms. Rima Nepali (from the Dalit community) - Ms. Shanti Pakhrin (Tamang) - Ms. Paro Devi Yadav (Madhesi) - Ms. Jayanti Rai (from the Rai ethnic community -- Janajati) - Mr. Rijban Ansari (Muslim) - Mr. Chudamani Jangli Biswokarma (Dalit) CPN-UML Biographic Info -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the CPN-UML MPs: - Amrit Kumar Bohara is the second most powerful Central Committee Member of the CPN-UML. He was elected Central Committee Member of the party in February 2003. He was appointed Minister of Local Development in March 1997 and remained in the post until October 1997. Bohara was elected to the House of Representatives in the general election of 1994 from Sindhupalchowk District, but lost in the general election of 1999. He has a secondary-level education, and KATHMANDU 00000122 003 OF 007 speaks minimal English. Bohara was born on April 30, 1949 in Sindhupalchowk District. He is married to Asta Laxmi Shakya and has one son and one daughter. - Jhalanath Khanal is a Central Committee Member of the CPN-UML. He is the Chief of the Foreign Affairs Department. Khanal was elected to the House of Representatives in the general elections of 1991 and 1994 from Ilam District, but lost in the general election of 1999. He served as Minister of Agriculture, Land Reforms and Management, and Forest and Soil Conservation in the interim government formed in April ¶1990. He was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal from 1982 to 1989. Khanal was born in March 1950 in Ilam District, and holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University, 1969. He is married to Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, a physics professor, and has one son who is studying in the United States. His English is very good. - Bamdev Gautam is a Central Committee Member of the CPN-UML, and is known to be very close to the Maoists. He served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist from 1998 to 2002. In February 2002, the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist merged with the CPN-UML. Gautam served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister from March 1997 to October 1997. He was elected to the House of Representatives in the general election of 1991, and in the mid-term polls of 1994 from Bardiya District. Gautam was born in June 1948 in Pyuthan District, and is married to Tulsi Thapa. He has one son and two daughters. He speaks very little English. - Parbati Chaudhari is the wife of former Member of Parliament Chakra Bahadur Dangaura of Kailali District, whom the Maoists killed. - Shanti Pakhrin is the widow of CPN-UML district leader Buddhi Man Pakhrin of Dolakha District, whom the Maoists killed. - Paro Devi Yadav is the widow of former MP Hem Narayan Yadav of Siraha District, whom the then-Royal Nepal Army killed. - Jayanti Rai is the former vice president of the District Development Committee of Bhojpur District. - Rijban Ansari is a Muslim. He is a district-level worker for the CPN-UML in Janakpur Zone. - Chudamani Jangali Biswokarma is from the Dalit community. He is the leader of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions affiliated with the CPN-UML. Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist -------------- ¶7. (U) The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (Maoist) is tied as the second-largest party in the Interim Parliament, with 83 seats total. The leader of the party is Prachanda (aka Pushpa Dahal),although the leader of the party in the Interim Parliament is Krishna Bahadur Mahara. The Maoists were allotted 10 of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Malla K. Sundar (Newar -- Janajati) - Mr. Padam Lal Biswokarma (Dalit) - Ms. Shanta Shrestha (Newar -- Janajati) - Mr. Bhikchhu Anand (Buddhist) - Mr. Hari Rokka (from the Magar ethnic community -- Janajati) - Mr. Narayan Prasad Regmi (Baun) - Mr. Shrikrishna Acharya (Baun) - Mr. Iliash Rahaman (Muslim) - Ms. Krishna Devi Chaudhari (Tharu -- Janajati) - Mr. Kumar Bahadur Fudong (from the Limbu ethnic community -- Janajati) Maoist Biographic Info -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the Maoist MPs: KATHMANDU 00000122 004 OF 007 - Malla K. Sundar is a civil society leader and a journalist by profession. He is also the leader of the "Indigenous Peoples' Rights Activists" and is the President of Newa Deya Daboo, a federation of Newar ethnic organizations. He participated in an International Visitors Program "Print Journalism in the U.S." in the U.S. in 1994, when he was Editor/Publisher of "Inap", a weekly magazine printed in the Newari language. Sundar was a correspondent for the National News Agency from 1972 to 1990. He was a Lecturer at Ratna Jyoti Multiple Campus, affiliated with Tribhuvan University, in 1987. Sundar served as an Executive Member of the Nepal Journalists' Association from 1986 to 1988. He was President of the Nepal Press Center from 1987 to 1988. Sundar was born on September 26, 1950 in Kathmandu, and received a Master's degree in Journalism from Tribhuvan University. - Padam Lal Biswokarma is a Lecturer at Tribhuvan University. He is also the President of the Society for the Liberation of Oppressed Dalit Castes in Nepal. - Bhikkhu Ananda is a Buddhist monk. He is the Founder/Director of Sangharam Bhikku Training Center and a Lecturer of Buddhist Studies in Tribhuvan University. He participated in an International Visitors Program, "Religious Diversity in the U.S." in 2005. Ananda served as the Coordinator of Civic Solidarity for Peace, a local NGO, from 2002 to 2003, and remains a member. He was born on March 16, 1966 in Kathmandu, and was awarded a Royal Pandit Degree in Oriental Studies Society from the Examination Department of Sri Lanka in 1993. - Hari Rokka is a Ph.D. student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. He was with the CPN-UML, but later left the party and became viewed as an independent leftist. Rokka has written several articles on the Maoist insurgency and on current political issues. - Skrikrishna Acharya is a Nepali industrialist. He was the owner of the Rara noodle factory in Pokhara. - Ilias Rahaman is a Muslim from Kapilvastu District. He has reportedly been involved in Maoist extortion and abduction. During an interview to Nepal Television on January 15, he said that he is not with any party and that he is an independent. - Krishna Devi Chaudhari is a former bonded laborer (Kamaiya) from mid-western Nepal. ¶9. (C) Kumar Bahadur Fudong (also "Phudong") is a retired Major General of the then-Royal Nepal Army (RNA). He is from the ethnic Limbu community. Fudong retired from the RNA in ¶2002. He was born in Tehrathun District in eastern Nepal on November 15, 1947. Fudong served in the Engineer Battalion during most of his military career. He was the Deputy Force Commander for the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Fudong was known as one of the "most corrupt" RNA officers during his time in the service, making huge amounts of money while serving as Master General of Ordnance. He attended the South Asia Peace-Keeping Operations Gaming Seminar funded by the U.S. Pacific Command in September ¶2000. (For more information on Fudong, see Ref D.) Nepali Congress-Democratic -------------- ¶10. (U) The leader of the Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) is Sher Bahadur Deuba. The NC-D hold 48 seats in the Interim Parliament. The NC-D was allotted six of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Pradip Giri (Baun) - Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat (Chhetri) - Mr. Prakash Man Singh (Newar -- Janajati) - Dr. Minendra Rijal (Baun) - Mr. Bimalendra Nidhi (Madhesi) - Ms. Uma Adhikari (Baun) NC-D Biographic Info KATHMANDU 00000122 005 OF 007 -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the NC-D MPs: - Pradip Giri is a member of a think-tank within the NC-D and is a Central Committee Member of the party. He is married and his English is excellent. - Prakash Sharan Mahat is a Central Committee Member of the NC-D. He was appointed as State Minister of Foreign Affairs in July 2004 and remained in the post until January 2005. He previously served as Advisor to then-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba from July 2001 to October 2002. Mahat was arrested and imprisoned several times between 1970 and 1990 on political grounds during the struggle for democracy. He served as General Secretary of the Nepal Students' Union, a student wing of the NC, from 1984 to 1988. Mahat was born in November 1959 in Nuwakot District. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1990, and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Southern Illinois University, 1997. He is married and has two children. His English is excellent. His brother, Ram Sharan Mahat, is the current Minister of Finance from the NC Party. - Prakash Man Singh is the Vice President of the NC-D. He served as Minister of Physical Planning and Works from June 2004 to January 2005. Previously he served as Minister of Supplies from May 1999 to March 2000. He was elected to the National Assembly (Upper House) in 1995. Singh, who is Newari, was born on April 15, 1955 in Kathmandu. His father, Ganesh Man Singh, was considered one of the chief architects of Nepali democracy. Singh is married to Srijana and has two sons. His English is good. - Minendra Rijal is a Central Committee Member of the NC-D. He previously served as the Party Spokesperson. He has been the Chairperson of Apex College in Kathmandu since June 2000. He was a Member of the National Planning Commission from May to October 2002, and was a Political Advisor to then-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Rijal was born on October 16, 1957, and received a Ph.D. in Operations Research from New York University in 1995. He is married and has two children. His English is excellent. - Bimalendra Nidhi is the General Secretary of the NC-D. He served as Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and Education and Sports from June 2004 to January 2005. He was elected in the mid-term polls of 1994 from Dhanusha District, but lost the election of 1999. Nidhi started his political career in 1970 as a student, and was imprisoned for a total of seven years on political grounds. He served as the President of the Nepal Students' Union (NSU) from 1980 to ¶1983. He visited the U.S. on an International Visitor Program entitled "U.S. Political and Legislative Process". Nidhi was born in September 1955 in Dhanusha District, and holds a Master's degree in Arts from Tribhuvan University. He is married and has two sons. - Uma Adhikari is a Central Committee Member of the NC-D. She was elected to the House of Representatives from Parbat District in the general election of 1991 as an NC candidate. She was elected President of Padma Kanya Campus in 1979. Adhikari was born in July 1954 in Gorkha District. She was awarded a Master's degree in Nepali Literature from Tribhuvan University in 1985. She is married to Yagya Prasad Adhikari and has one son. Nepal Sadbhavana Party-Anandi Devi -------------- ¶12. (U) The Nepal Sadbhavana Party-Anandi Devi (NSP-A) holds six seats in the Interim Parliament. The NSP-A was allotted three of the 48 appointed seats: - Ms. Anandi Devi Singh (Madhesi) - Mr. Bharat Bimal Yadav (Madhesi) - Mr. Govinda Singh Tharu (Tharu -- Janajati) NSP-A Biographic Info KATHMANDU 00000122 006 OF 007 -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the NSP-A MPs: - Anandi Devi is the President of the NSP-A. She is the widow of the Party's founding President, Gajendra Narayan Singh. Devi is a housewife, and has not previously been active in politics. - Bharat Bimal Yadav is the Vice President of the NSP-A. He started his career as a District Forest Officer in 1982, and joined the party after the restoration of democracy in 1991. Yadav was born on September 9, 1955 in Mahottari District, and was awarded a Master's degree in Forestry from the Indian College of Forestry, Deharadun, in 1982. He is married and has two sons and two daughters. - Govinda Singh Tharu is a Central Committee Member of the NSP-A. He is from Bardiya District. People's Front Nepal -------------- ¶14. (U) The People's Front Nepal (PFN) holds nine seats in the Interim Parliament. The PFN was allotted three of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Kaman Singh Lama (Tamang -- Janajati) - Ms. Anjana Bishankhe (Newar -- Janajati) - Mr. Asharfi Sada Mushar (Dalit) PFN Biographic Info -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the PFN MPs: - Kaman Singh Lama was a Member of the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1994. He was elected to Parliament as a member of United People's Front (UPF) from Kavre District. Lama was with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Center) before joining the UPF in 1990. He was in jail for seven years on political grounds. Lama was born on March 21, 1952, in Kavre District. He was awarded a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University in 1987. He is married and has one son and four daughters. - Anjana Bishankhe is an author; her pen-name is Aahuti. She is from the Dalit community and is married to Bishwabhakta Dulal. - Asharfi Sada Mushar is a member of the PFN and comes from the Dalit community. Nepal Workers and Peasants Party -------------- ¶16. (U) The Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) holds four seats in the Interim Parliament. The NWPP was allotted three of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Sunil Prajapati (Newar -- Janajati) - Mr. Jagya Bahadur Shahi (Chhetri) - Ms. Lila Nyaichyai (Newar -- Janajati) NWPP Biographic Info -------------- ¶17. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the NWPP parliamentarians: - Sunil Prajapati is a Central Committee Member of the NWPP. - Jagya Bahadur Shahi is a Central Committee Member of the NWPP, and comes from Dailekh District in mid-western Nepal. United Left Front -------------- KATHMANDU 00000122 007 OF 007 ¶18. (U) The United Left Front (ULF) is made up of a coalition of leftist parties which hold only three appointed seats in the Interim Parliament. They were not represented in the prior Parliament. The ULF was allotted three of the 48 appointed seats: - Mr. Chandra Prakash Mainali (Baun) - Mr. Nanda Kumar Prasai (Chhetri) - Mr. Ganesh Shah (Madhesi) ULF Biographic Info -------------- ¶19. (SBU) Below is the available biographic information for the ULF parliamentarians: - Chandra Prakash Mainali (aka C.P. Mainali) is Chairman of the United People's Front. He is Secretary General of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist. He started his political career in 1970 as a student leader. He was elected to the House of Representatives in the general election of 1991 from Jhapa District as a CPN-UML candidate, and was re-elected in the mid-term polls of 1994. Mainali was born on August 23, 1953 in Taplejung District, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Arts from Tribhuvan University. He is married to Neelam and has one son and one daughter. His English is very good. - Nanda Kumar Prasai is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist Mao Thought Center. He is a leader of the United Left Front. - Ganesh Shah is a Central Committee Member of the CPN-United Marxist. He is also a leader of the United Left Front. Other Parties in the Interim Parliament -------------- ¶20. (C) The only other parties with representatives in the Interim Parliament, all carryovers from the previous Parliament, are the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) which holds seven seats and the Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) led by former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa. He is also the RJP's sole MP. The RPP and RJP were the only two parties in the prior Parliament which were not part of the Seven-Party Alliance. They are generally regarded to be "royalist," but the Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists deemed those MPs from the two parties which retained their seats in the Interim Parliament to have supported the April 2006 People's Movement against the King's direct rule. MPs from the prior Parliament from the RPP, RJP as well as other parties who were deemed to have supported the King's rule were not permitted to sit in the Interim Parliament. MORIARTY