Following the government\'s announcement declaring the end of the Kamaiya system (of which bonded labour was a part), the power elite of Kathmandu have made two sets of commentaries. The first, coming from politicians (and certain big NGOs) consists of attempts at self-praise. The party in power, the Nepali Congress (NC), and the main opposition the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), are both engaged in fabricating histories of their \'active\' involvement in liberating\' the Kamaiyas.

The NC claim is that, through this declaration, its long history of effecting \'revolutionary\' changes in Nepali society has been further consolidated. For its part, the UML claims that it forced the NC government to make the announcement by registering a motion of stricture in the parliament.

Nowhere in these arrogant claims is acknowledgement of the fact that the government announcement came on the fifth day of a sit-in at Bhadrakali in downtown Kathmandu by more than 120 kamaiyas. Nor are we told that national and local level leaders of both parties continued to keep kamaiyas even as the latter started their freedom movement by registering petitions in the offices of the village development committees (VDC) or chief district officers in far- and mid-western Nepal since 1 May. The efforts of the kamaiyas themselves to realise their freedom and their historic journey from Geta VDC in Kailali district to Bhadrakali are all but ignored in these claims of credit-seekers.

The second set of commentaries, offered by politicians and NGOs alike, draws our attention to the rehabilitation of ex-kamaiyas. The government has already stated that providing land to ex-kamaiyas is high in its priority. It has also promised to implement skill development and income-generating programmes and provide employment to free kamaiyas. Government sources have said that such work will be carried through the respective district development committees (DDC) and the funds necessary to execute it will be provided through a Kamaiya Welfare Trust.

Whether these long-term measures are the most appropriate ones or what kinds of institutions are needed to execute them cannot be discussed in detail until the text of the concerned Act proposed by the government is made public. One can only hope that before parliamentary debate on the subject begins, the draft Act will be made available to ex-kamaiyas and their views sought through the Kamaiya Mukti Sangarsha Samiti. In addition, individuals and institutions that have played critical supporting roles in this movement must also be consulted. In particular the parliament has to seek the advice of the Kamaiya Andolan Parichalan Samiti led by Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary before formulating the law on kamaiya rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, all this is going to take some time and that is why we need to focus on emergency relief for former Kamaiyas. Ever since 1 May, kamaiyas have been forced to leave their homes. The number of such displaced kamaiyas has increased at a greater pace since the 17 July announcement. As of Sunday of this week, this number had reached about 800 and sources in Dhangadi in Kailali district told the writer that they were expecting the arrival of larger numbers of displaced kamaiyas from Kanchanpur and other districts. Providing temporary housing and basic food and health care to them is going to be increasingly more difficult as the numbers swell up after the end of the planting season in the next few days.

That is why emergency relief measures must be executed right away. State agencies, the Red Cross, l/NGOs. and coalitions of free kamaiyas must get their act together if a colossal disaster is to be avoided. The government\'s local offices must designate public lands where temporary shelters for displaced ex-Kamaiyas can be built. Government, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and l/NGOs must come up with emergency funds to cover their food expenses for the next two to three months. The public at large must also pitch in through voluntary work, or provide funds. The scale of such emergency relief operations must match our response to big natural disasters in recent years. Otherwise, free kamaiyas will fall prey to hunger and disease.

(Pmtyoush Onta is a social activist who was involved in the movement to free kamaiyas.)