What?

This is a campaign to initiate a movement that carries forward the message of a Livable Nepal – a condition whereby we are able to earn a living by pursuing a profession or an economic opportunity. It is a movement that aims to raise the voices of many Nepalis who despite their political beliefs or the absence of it simply want to live a peaceful life where they have an opportunity to realize their efforts into progress and prosperity for themselves.

The campaign envisions a Nepal where every citizen is freely and securely able to pursue opportunities to better their lives.

The major objectives of this campaign are:

• To take the concept of Livable Nepal to the public and garner support for the campaign at the national level
• To advocate the guarantee of elements like Economic Freedom, Rule of Law and end to impunity that will help build a Livable Nepal in the constitution.

This campaign is not about political alliance and neither is it about ethnicity, caste, creed or class discrimination. It is a movement of Nepalis who are frustrated with the current status of the nation and simply want to move on to issues that affect their everyday lives.

Why?

Does demanding the rights of a certain group require sacrifice of the right to movement of every other Nepali?
Nepal has been plagued by the phenomenon of ‘bandha’ (strikes) for over a decade now. Although when initiated bandhas were considered the ultimate form of protest, they no longer create the same impact at the place they are targeted to but only cripple daily life and hinder Nepal’s progress further.

When I or my children step outside our homes, does it mean that we are stepping into a war zone where we don’t know whether we will be murdered or kidnapped the next minute?
Over a decade of anarchist practices by various individuals and institutions (political as well as non political) has tired the general populace. From extortion of money to open looting, capture of property and such practices have only served the purpose of terrorizing Nepali populace and increased skepticism about the justice system. More and more people with access to power also have gained impunity. If there is a dissent or a disagreement be it at the community level, it is all brought out on the streets which often than not takes the form of violence.

Is calling a general strike and making the lives of common Nepali more difficult the only way to protest?
While minority groups have finally been able to air their grievances and raise their voices, discrimination and intolerance is growing. Religious intolerance, ethnic intolerance are on the rise with people perceiving the voice negatively – the issue is not so much the voices and the demands that are being raised but the way they are being raised and the medium of demonstration that is being chosen.

If I want to stay in Nepal and work or invest here then do I have to be punished through bureaucratic burden and endless feeding of corrupt officials?
Endless regulations and running around to collect signatures simply to get one’s work done has further heightened the frustration level of the common Nepali who really cannot afford to waste so much time running around government offices. The red tape of the bureaucracy and rampant corruption are issues that have been time and again been raised by the common Nepali.

Finally with the rise in Ethnicity based politics and Maoists leaving the power a deadlock situation has been created at the political level. This environment of uncertainty is creating problems for everyone.

Therefore, this campaign is the movement of the common Nepali to raise and settle this issue once and for all. It is a call to concerned authorities to realize that Nepalese should be able to independently and freely pursue opportunities that better their lives. While the constitution is being made, this may be the best opportunity to ensure this right of ours through the constitution.

What are we asking?

We are simply asking that the State and Political and Non political actors associated with it take our voices for a 'Livable Nepal' seriously and implement following measures:

• Put a ban on involuntary strikes and treat people who call on involuntary strikes as criminal offense. Enforce this with the help of security forces. Voluntary call on strikes is an expression of protest and we respect that but we are against anyone who forces us to close down by using violence or moral pressures to close down even when we don’t support the cause. Call an end to the use of violence in politics. The use of violence for political ends also need to be treated as criminal offence and duly punished. The security forces should be mobilized to meet this end with adequate authority delegation.
  
  
• Improve the Law and Order situation and enact ‘Rule of Law’. No one is above the law and everyone should be treated equally before the law whether the motives are political or not. In the name of conflict and instability, we cannot tolerate a culture of violence and impunity where people with access to power are treated as above the law and not punished for the crimes that they commit. This requires improvement in the security and judicial mechanism such that there is immediate response to the cases. Lessen the burden of the judiciary by delegation of power and introducing newer concepts like arbitration and mediation councils at the local level also to settle disputes at the local level. Ensure that protests are immediately responded to.
  
  
• Protect our Property Rights. Every Nepali has the right to own what s/he has legally earned through hard work and investment of time, financial and knowledge resource. No one should be able to take away with the use of force and violence what rightfully belongs to us. Ensure that Nepalis are allowed to pursue opportunities to better their lives without having to go through unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and regulations.
  

Ensuring these will allow every Nepali to realize his dream of prosperity and well being.

How can you help?

The biggest help is your support to our campaign. Here are simple things that you can do to help this campaign move forward:

• Join hands and sign the petition by logging on www.livablenepal.org and entering your information. Be a part of the Coalition leading this movement.
• Share your stories of how the culture of impunity and violence has affected you in the I Share section of our website.
• Use the ‘Tool Kit’ section and print out downloadables of the campaign and use them frequently.
• Spread the message and encourage people around you to sign the petition.
• Use the slogans of the campaign in your publications and publicity materials.
• Help spread out the campaign flyers and posters such that we can reach people from all over Nepal.
• Buy campaign T-shirts and bumper stickers.
• If you can assist us financially then contact us.

Above all OWN the campaign. This is not for any individual but for all Nepalis. Time has come for us to express our solidarity one more time and get the message across that we will not tolerate this uncertainty any more. We want a Livable Nepal and we want it NOW!