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Liberal Democracy Nepal Forum (LDN) Endorses Towards A Democratic Nepal by Dr. Mahendra Lawoti

June 24, 2005
LDN is pleased to announce that it is cosponsoring, with the Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha Students - North America (SEBS-NA), a book reading and signing event at the annual convention of The Association of Nepalis in The Americas (ANA) to be held in Dallas (July 2-4th, 2005). The book, Towards A Democratic Nepal, authored by Dr. Mahendra Lawoti is published by Sage Publications, New Delhi 2005. The book has been released to mostly favorable reviews by media such as Asia Times, Himal Khabarpatrika, Rajdhani, and the Economic and Political Weekly. The author will be present to have a discussion on the book and he will respond to comments on and questions about the book.

The Planning and Policy Council (PPC) of LDN considers this event within the purview of its overall academic mission of conducting broad-ranging dialogues and discussions among Nepal scholars and practitioners on issues relating to the transformation of the state, politics, and social institutions in Nepal that deal with key long-term issues of authoritarianism, conflict, and societal instability. Excerpts from one review illustrate the point “…Lawoti ….. . has consistently drawn attention to the structural and ideational anamolies in the Nepalese situation, in particular the remarkable degree of exclusion of the vast majority of Nepal’s population”, “..lays out the problem of exclusion and its consequences in all its complexity - political and cultural - in different domains.” and finally “..His discussion of different systems of proportional representation, decentralisation, and vigorous affirmative action programmes, including reservation, need careful and sympathetic engagement if Nepal is to emerge out of its current crisis and institute just, equitable and legitimate representative rule.”

LDN is a non-partisan academic forum created for discussion, deliberation, and the dissemination of thoughtful ideas on democracy and development in Nepal. The emphasis is to distill academic discourse and dialogue into pragmatic courses of action, which may find possible application in Nepal. LDN is run by interested volunteers operating under councils within academic type guidelines. It is run out of the Nepal Study Center of The University of New Mexico. The Convener of LDN is Dr. Alok K. Bohara of the UNM Economics Faculty (Professor, Department of Economics, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, Bohara@unm.edu , 505-277-5903) and its Spokesperson is Dr. Ambika Adhikari (Urban Planner, City of Phoenix, Phoenix, ambika_adhikari@yahoo.com , 602-262-4074).

Mahendra Lawoti, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Political Science at Western Michigan University teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in international development and comparative politics. He has also taught at The University of Pittsburgh and Wake Forest University. He has published widely on democratization, ethnic politics, the Maoist insurgency, and conflict management. He is currently revising his dissertation into a book titled “Exclusionary Democratization in Nepal.”

Future editions of LDN will feature analyses and discussion on a full range of subjects relevant in conceptualizing and instituting a liberal democracy in the particular case of Nepal. Thinkers are encouraged to submit articles for discussion consideration.

He has a Ph.D. in Public and International Affairs and an Advanced Certificate in Asian Studies (University of Pittsburgh), a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning (University of Hawaii at Manoa) and graduated with a Bachelor in Technology in Architectural Engineering (Calicut Regional Engineering College, Calicut University, India).

The reading will be held from 8-10 am on Sunday, July 3rd in Williams. The book is being sold to help raise funds for a scholarship program run by SEBS called the Nationwide Scholarship Program (see: www.sebslonline.org). The book is being sold at $20.00 and is available at Amazon for $29.95. SEBS - NA is currently led by Sagar Onta, president.