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It is, indeed, a historic agreement. But who is really behind it? The SPA? The Maoists? Ian Martin? Or, any other force? As the proverb goes – suffice in eating the fruit not bothering from which tree it comes. Well ! Well begun is only half done. And there are too many slips between the cup and the lips. So, knowing our politicians more than we should, we are simply wondering how should we take it. But one of the important parties that signed the agreement is still an “unknown commodity.” May be we can depend on them. The Maoist leadership has shouldered a juggernautic responsibility of partnering with the corrupt and discredited leadership. It may not be vary irrelevant to briefly quote Professor Johan Galtung of the University of Hawaii who, talking to Kathmandu Post said, “It is really very sad your Prime Minister is not accountable to Parliament and the government. He is accountable to Delhi and the United States . It is very unfortunate. This is a major problem.” Could there be a more damaging statement against the Prime Minister of a country? Let us hope the Maoist leadership is quite familiar with the problems it will face and solve them too. Still, we will not grudge to give them some valuable suggestions to make things easier for the new corner in the government. Office holders in the new interim government must be all new faces. Any politician who has ever held any berth in any government should not be taken again. That can prove to be some kind of cushion against political corruption. And the leader of the government too must come from that party which has never participated in any government. Members from the civil societies must be given greater representation in the government and that must include Janjatis and Dalits. Let the politicians for a change, stay out of the government and perform the job of legislators only, at least in the interim government. That way we can hope the elections for the constituent assembly to be comparatively free and fair. Because the new constitution that will shape the destiny of our nation must not be permitted to be influenced by any extraneous forces.
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The death punishment meted out to the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, if carried out, is definite to generate grave repercussions. Whether Saddam Hussein got a fair trial has become a contentious issue. The prejudiced court and the prejudiced judges could not have made an objective analysis of his crimes. Moreover, many detached observers believe a proxy government and a proxy judiciary could not be expected to become impartial. As a matter of fact, the trial of Saddam Hussein has only become a farce. Once he was captured, his fate had been sealed and all knowledgeable people in the world knew this is how the court was going to announce its verdict. If the intentions of the captors had been honest, Saddam Hussein should have been tried, either by the International Court at the Hague or any other neutral court in a neutral country. His fate was a foregone conclusion and no sane man could accept this verdict as impartial. And moreover, the timing of announcing the verdict too is suspect. It sure was meant to bolster the scarred image of the U.S. President George W. Bush, who was facing bleak fortunes in the mid-term elections in his own country. The Iraq war was most unjustified and why Bush started it at all is still a mystery to many because Bush could have no love for Iraq or Iraqis, whether Shias or Sunnis. It could only be a clear manifestation of brute force in his own interest. Bush has few supporters even in his own country and those who supported him were cheating themselves by not being honest. As such, if the world wants to avoid the terrible fall out of Saddam’s murder (if executed) let Bush give second thoughts and use his good offices for the good of humanity.
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