On TRC Bill
The cover story pointed out the importance of reaching a true reconciliation to heal the wounds of the past (“TRC: Debate Over Modality” SPOTLIGHT August 17). It shows how South Africa could come out of apartheid regime and march towards democratic development. South African people are now reaping the benefits of their prudent decisions. Instead of engaging in vengeance and revenge, they reached true reconciliation.
Srijana Basnet
Ghattekula
Toothless TRC
The cover story on TRC was interesting (“TRC: Debate Over Modality” SPOTLIGHT August 17). But it appears to layman like me that the very purpose of creating a TRC will be defeated if everybody is given a general amnesty. Past perpetrators of rights violations must be brought to justice. Only justice can ensure peace in a deeply divided country like Nepal. Therefore, there is a need to add teeth in the draft TRC bill to make it stronger
Pranay Gupta
New Road
Don’t Be One-Sided
When preparing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the government must take maximum care to avoid becoming one-sided (“TRC: Debate Over Modality” SPOTLIGHT August 17). It is learnt that in its current form, the draft bill on TRC has a provision whereby all those crimes committed can be given amnesty if the crimes are committed in the name of some political ideology. This is nothing but a naked and shameless attempt to protect the Maoists who have killed thousands of innocent people in course of their bloody insurgency. If the TRC has to be formed, let it be independent and unbiased so that even the Maoist leaders can be brought to justice for the past crimes. Otherwise, they will only try to take action against what they term as elements of old regime. That will be nothing but naked vendetta. If that happens, the country will land in a disaster.
Prabodh Singh
Anamnagar
Arrogant Remarks
Indian ambassador Shiva Shanker Mukharjee’s recent comment on holding constituent assembly elections showed that a small country does not have the right to decide its own fate. We know India is a big power but it cannot intervene Nepal’s internal affair so nakedly. Of course, Nepalese want to see the elections for constituent assembly but it is not for the Indian ambassador to dictate as if he is a viceroy. This kind of statement will serve neither Nepal’s interest nor India’s interest as Indian policy makers must see how Nepal’s northern neighbor responds in a situation when India expresses its dictation in Nepal. It is strange to see that no one has issued any reaction on it except Maoist leader Prachanda who at least termed Mukherjee’s comment as an interference in Nepalese affairs, all our so called leaders listened it as a mantra.
Sonam Lama, Boudha
Reality Check
Reality Check
"What I am earning now is beyond my imagination till five years ago." This sentence extracted from Spotlight (Urban Growth, August 17) shows the reality of today's national life. Yes, lots of people have migrated from rural area to urban area and remaining also like the same. It has impacted on all aspects of national life and I have, personally too, observed the three basic impacts of such migration on Nepalese society: 1) Economic: people who have migrated to urban area have got relatively better job in general and their income level and living standard have grown up and expenditure level and structure have changed 2) Environmental : because of rabid and huge migration rate into urban area the pressure on infrastructures like water supply and sanitation, hospitals, school, colleges, road and transport, communication etc have increased intolerably people are facing the problems of drinking water, beds in the hospitals, heavy traffic jam and road accident, crimes and unavailability of sufficient telephones, mobile etc 3) Social: people in the urban area have been enjoying better life and having the taste of globalization ; they have been integrating into rest of the world and are facing cultural transition too. So not only they are interested to go out of Nepal to have higher living standard than available in Nepal but also the rural people are willing to migrate into urban area for better life. That is why every rural family who has knowledge about the facility and opportunity in urban area thinks of migrating to urban area or sends at least one members of the family there. And those who go to urban areas will never return to rural areas, in general. Psychologically, people in rural area now think of the "Bright Light" of the urban place. We can not change this mindset easily. Importantly, we can not compel them to stay in rural area in this demand driven era. So my suggestion is that the government, policy makers, researchers now should start to work for the development of industrial and systematic small and medium modern cities. Instead of giving heavy effort to rural development it is better to transfer the rural areas into small and medium towns. The development should be considering geographic and resource availability perspectives at first and then economic, cultural sociological and environmental perspectives should be considered. Since we are at the moment debating the restructuring of the country, I wish the commitment and visible roadmap of eight parties will come out before constitutional assembly.
Prakash Ghimire
Kathmandu via-email
