Wednesday, May 17, 2006

-Ashok Uprety, Advocate, Supreme Court of Nepal

Yes! I began my career first as a journalist.

I worked for the then very popular weekly, The SAMIXA, for over ten years or so. In effect, my first training of journalism began with my engagement with the said paper, which was well read among the intellectuals of that period.

Later it should have been somewhere around 1982, I joined the DESHANTAR WEEKLY with a pure what I prefer to call as a "mission"

The mission was to make journalism as a profession which should be established on an institutional basis.

And above all, the main mission of my joining the publication of Deshantar was for the establishment of Multi-party system in Nepal which we had not that time.

I continued with this publication for well over twelve years and when I concluded that my main mission thus has already been achieved with the restoration of a pluralistic society in 1990, I then switched on to an entirely new profession of practicing Law and teaching the same in a major Campus under the Tribhuban University.

Since then as of now I have been continuing with what I said just now.

I am an advocate at the Supreme Court concurrently teaching Law in the Law campus.

Well regarding the various negative comments made by some over the sanctity of the judicial sector, I would say Yes! Questions have been raised in this regard for quite some time now but an appropriate answer to that very allegation or say charges have not yet been found so far.

Perversion in the judicial sector? Yes! I too at times listen about the charges that the judicial sector is not that sacrosanct as it is believed to be so or should be so. If there is the absence of sanctity in the judicial sector, what I conclude is that such an eventuality would do immense damage to the very definitions and the meanings of Law as such.

At best what I can dare to say is that it could be that some men engaged in this sector might have ill intentions or could have joined this profession with some ugly and ulterior motives but that too has not yet been authentically proved so far. So this leads me to assure you all and sundry that Nepal's judicial domain continues to be as sacrosanct as it should be in essence and the men practicing Law too were as sacrosanct as is expected of them.

Unless proved otherwise by a competent authority no one should be held guilty. This is the underlying principles of the theory of natural justice. Let's not presume on hearsay or rumors as to have been the correct version about the judiciary and the men practicing law.

The fresh change and how I have taken it?

Well in a short discussion like this, I cannot dwell at length. But then yet in short what I would tell you that this "people's revolution" has surely provided a new atmosphere for the construction of a new Nepal and possesses the strength of even bringing about dramatic social changes in the country. This revolution has also instructed the leaders to prepare themselves for a sort of economic revolution in the future.

How the recent epoch making changes are being tackled or should have been tackled by the incumbent leaders?

I think that the beginning of the beginning is moving in the right direction. All that the new government formed under Girija Prasad Koirala needed is the broader and unconditional cooperation from all the political forces and the civil society members. If this is so then I can presume in advance that things will move as per the mandate of the movement. The government appears already moving with forward-looking changes. Add to this that the "pressure" from the newly emerged "youths" who provided a shape to the said movement/revolution existed on a permanent basis and hence what could be concluded that the government can not divert its attention from what it has been told to do. Any lapse seen in this regard will ultimately damage the very political credentials of the political parties who will be forced for explanations by the pressure exerting revolutionary youths.

What about the Maoists fresh political overtures?

Things have yet to come from the Maoists quarters in details. But then yet looking at what Dr. Bhattarai and his colleagues have been sounding through articles and interviews what could safely be said of them that they too preferred to come to the nation's mainstream politics. A willingness to join the political process could be felt from what they say.

Nepali population can now take a sigh of relief as the Maoists appear very much willing to be the part of the process for the transformation of Nepal with new social, economic and political dimensions.

What is important of it all that they have exhibited to a convincing level that they too could contribute for the institutionalization of a sort of permanent peace in the country and also have made it abundantly clear that they were able to even steer the nation.

This is a good omen indeed. Let's be optimistic.