The Rawal affair

The abrupt and unceremonious sacking of Nepal Rastra Bank governor, Tilak Rawal, is yet another instance of the professed good governance of the Koirala government. The sacking of one single individual, no matter how important or powerful he or she is, is not the point. The point is how it affects the nation and how committed the government about sticking to principles and rule of law. Clearly, the sacking of Rawal was due more to personal considerations than to principles. There is no denying that Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya- who did well by resigning when Tilak Rawal was appointed governor-despite his firm, and we hope principled opposition, struck when it suited him best. If this kind of personal vendetta is to be seen more often in national affairs, we are in for a sorry state of state power at its worst.

Nepal Rastra Bank laws, rules and regulations clearly stipulate that a person appointed to the post holds it for five years. It is not without reason that such a rule has been made. The intention of such a system is to make the governor and the bank perform a kind of independent role. The governor would be doing a disservice to the nation if he were to become a mere "Yes-Minister" man to the Finance Minister. And to think that these rules to decentralize power were made during the autocratic Panchayat system, only to be flouted during the present liberal democratic era!

The governorship of the nation's central bank is a very important position and like the post of the chief of police, it must not be politicized at any cost. When this is done, it can only prove harmful to the nation. The situation in today's police force is an example of the result of unprincipled and politically expedient but unnecessary government interference in the past. We had opposed Rawal's appointment and praised Acharya's resignation  precisely for  reasons of the principles involved. Rawal's removal is no less politicized and for this reason, Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya has set in motion a very unhealthy trend in an institution that must not only remain autonomous but also be seen by others to be so. This is needed in order to provide sane and sound advice to the government on monetary, fiscal and economic matters.

The best course for Dr Rawal  would have been to resign when Mahesh Acharya returned as Finance Minister. He however chose not to do so. As a result, there was coldness in relations between the governor and the Finance Ministry. To make matters worse, Rawal's dismissal, rightly or wrongly, has been taken by many as a show of strength by Prime Minister Koirala and his close advisors in the face of the recent rebellion   and its so called resolution within the ruling party. If this is indeed the case, then a bad precedent has been set, but if as Minister Acharya stated, it was due to Rawal's non-performance, then the move should be seen as necessary.

Political leadership and nation's fate 

By Dr  Shreedhar Gautam

Leaders are the custodians of a nation's ideals, of the beliefs it cherishes of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of mere aggregation of individuals.

- Walter Lippmann

A nation's future depends upon the quality of its leaders. Good leaders earn public respect and faith through their transparent and incorruptible personal character. People feel fully assured and secure under their leadership. On the other hand, bad leadership creates sense of terror in the minds of people, and they feel let down by such leadership on all fronts of national life. Such leaders  put self-interest above national interest.

If the political leadership of our country is seen in this context, it appears visionless, confused, selfish and indifferent to all causes concerning the common people. Ironically, our political leaders very often complain against the people for their alleged disrespectful attitude towards the leadership. Some time ago, Madhav Kumar Nepal, the general secretary of CPN (UML), while addressing a meeting organised by the Society for Constitutional Exercise in Kathmandu, complained that "there has been a deliberate attempt to defame the leaders of political parties." He further said, "all leaders are not corrupt and we cannot import leaders from America and Bharat".

True, leaders cannot be imported from abroad, and also there are some   incorruptible leaders, but the overall picture of major political parties is disgusting. These leaders are sweet talkers full of promises, but rarely do the keep their word. They are inaccessible to common people, as they do not think that all are equal. Today, people are disillusioned mainly because of  leaders' inability to keep their word. Such leaders cannot ensure good governance. When there is no good governance, equal opportunities cannot be available to everyone in society.

The mess created by these leaders is a pointer to the subversion of the cabinet system of governance for individual benefit. Today, ministers are neither respected nor believed because everyone knows that ministers are appointed merely to grab anything that comes with office. Their position carries little responsibility and accountability. Our Prime Minister cannot even dream of contemplating any course of action against his corrupt ministers because ministerial berths are a means of buying loyalty.   Parliamentarians of ruling party can resort to the same sort of blackmail to replace G P Koirala as in the case of KP Bhattarai, if all of them are not made ministers turn by turn.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister himself seems a very confused person. He has not been able to instill confidence in the people. He is fond of repeating the same stuff' almost in all speeches. He often says, " I'm not a weak Prime Minister, I am not going to run away from the challenges faced by the country, I am determined to fulfil my commitment;  I am a strict Prime Minister; I have replaced Kishunji not because of power hunger, hut because of concern for the life of the congress party; I will solve the Maoist problem and weed out the corruption." Why does he promise so much? Does he not know that sincere and honest leaders work silently without boasting their greatness. It seems, he is either not serious about any issue or simply says whatever he likes imply to create a false impression on the minds of people. It is a matter of common knowledge that a man of strength, wisdom and vision neither needs any introduction, nor does he announce he is an extraordinary person.

People are getting more and more cynical and pessimistic because of the political leaders' deceptive behaviour in public life. It is for this reason that their tolerance and patience is vanishing  rapidly, and so, they have started questioning the integrity of these self-declared leaders. In such a situation, if  leaders are disregarded,  they  themselves are to blame. If we do not wake up to the call of time, these leaders will not lag behind in turning this nation into a second Afghanistan or Cambodia. Corruption is rampant today because the top leaders themselves are symbols of double standards. They say one thing and behave in just the opposite manner. Corruption cannot be eradicated unless these leaders present themselves as examples of sacrifice and selflessness.

We have such a miserable leadership at the national level because most of our political parties and their leaders are not sensitive to the question of nationalism. Still, we are under the illusion that national development cannot be attained without dependence on foreign powers. No nation can fulfil the aspirations of its people until it has the goal of reaching the state of self-reliance. It is true that mutual cooperation and exchange must he there, but all this can be done first by making ourselves reasonably strong and self reliant in the basics of national life. We have to be in a strong position to put our case vigorously in intentional forums. Countries like Japan Germany, China and America also need foreign cooperation, but by virtue of their strong national position, they can get maximum benefit in any deal made with other countries.

Our case is totally different. We are dependent on other countries even for basic needs. Our planning is not based on long term effects and consequences. Our planners show no national perspective and vision while framing  policies. We are happy to receive any kind of loan from foreign sources without thinking about its implications in the long run. We think only of immediate gains and so we have the distinction of being among the top three poorest countries in the world. It is a matter of national shame that we are moving downwards since the last fifty years while other newly born and freed countries like Israel and Malaysia are moving upwards with spectacular success. They have been able to register immense gains because of their definite goals Israel has had very good relationship with America and has been getting immense help too, but it does not   hesitate to assert itself even at the cost of American friendship when it feels that its national interest is threatened. It knows that it can survive even without the help of America, and it is one of the formidable forces in the  world.

Due to the bitter experience of long term sanctions imposed by  UN after the Gulf war, Iraq is struggling hard. Similarly, China deals with America from a position of' equal strength while  pleading more  facilities. But in our case, things are done without dearnestness. Our political leaders have only one point: how to win elections and stay in power. Our political parties have no consensus on national issues and priorities

It is imperative for our political leaders to be sensitive to our national concerns to raise the morale of our people. Nationalistic vision with transparency can take the nation on the path of self-reliance. Ruling as well as opposition party leaders should take the people into confidence with a sense of urgency. If this is not done, and the wrangling among political parties persists as usual, the people will be forced to take harsh measures to free the nation from the sins and crimes of our political leaders at the top level.

Once upon a time, there was a king

By Razen

History is a very interesting subject. Being a student of History, I often think why we should study those rotten manuscripts and run after the dead people who will never be grateful for our scholarly deeds. However, recording old events have some meanings inside. Past is past but, past teaches us the future.

Today, I take an incident of Nepali history which raises my hair whenever I turn over the page in my history book. Thank god, the people of Nepal have become sober and gentle these days.

 It was God's choice that Sadashiva Malla sat on the throne of Kathmandu from 1575 to 1581 AD and posed as a king to the humble people. He, in Archaeologist Mary Slusser's words, "seems to have been more concerned with satisfying his physical appetites".

He was obsessed with reckless horse riding. The whole country was his -- he had every right to take his galloping career to any direction he liked along the paved streets. But his dream was experiencing something beyond common people's reach. He used to harness his horse tight and the horse was seen sprinting around the field with newly planted rice, turning the farmers' labour into nought.

Next, more ominous than the first one : He was a record breaking rapist. For him, all the beautiful ladies of the country were his possessions and his royal position would stay high only if he crushed their chastity to dust one after another. It was his right and the women citizens' destiny to satisfy his physical appetite for the country's sake.

There was no democracy like today, but people knew the difference between good and bad. People loved kings as incarnations of God himself when the king loved them. And, when the king became intolerable, they knew how to bring him on the right track.

One day, when the king was freaking out around the bank of river Manohara, some farmers prepared themselves for something unprecedented. The tyranny of the king provoked them to attack him with hammers and bamboo batons used to carry twin baskets on their shoulders. The king had never dreamt that such meek people could turn into monsters. Indeed, the unchecked suffering helped them to make history.

The king somehow managed to escape the assault. After hiking and hiding, he sought asylum with the king of Bhaktapur. Giving asylum to any Tom, Dick and Hary had been the Nepali tradition at that time. Still, he did not allocate any refugee camp for him. Instead, he imprisoned the fugitive in a dark chamber because he was aware of his "kingly deeds".

Menace was in his veins. He then made out a way to escape from the prison (though I don't believe he bribed the guard). He ran so far away from the fury of the farmers that even history has not traced his life after that. The courtyard where he was kept is still known as Sadashiv Chowk.

He enjoyed his life to the fullest. But after his disappearance, the state of Kathmandu had to suffer a lot. After him, the throne went to impure blood and a series of child rulers, inconsistent regime and intra-valley battles started.  A historian has no right to blame anybody for his mistakes but I think the extraordinary luxury of King Sadashiv Malla must have something to do with the fall of the Malla dynasty as a whole.

Moti Ram Bhatta : An innovative Gazalkar

By Tejeswar Babu Gongah

Born in 1866 AD at Bhonsiko section of Kathmandu, Moti Ram Bhatta was the precursor of the Gazal in Nepalese literature. He dedicated his entire life to  promote the cause of the Nepalese vernacular. He has several publications to his credit.

Bhatta, who was born in Varanasi in northern India, was immensely impressed by the Persian Gazalists. He introduced the Gazal into Nepalese literature through his own creation. 

Himself being  a connoisseur, Moti Ram created a conducive environment for creative writing. All his efforts were geared towards enhancing the Nepalese vernacular for strengthening nationhood through creativity.

Moti Ram is remembered for the task he had undertaken during his life in shaping and enriching the Nepalese lingua-franca. A nation without a lingua-franca of her own remains speechless. His dedication will ever be remembered. He provided a lively voice to the Nepalese souls for all time to come

A nation exists in the creations and contributions made by creative writers, artists, scientists and dedicated souls and the sons of the soil. Not in whims and slogans manipulated by a sense of power politics but in objective dedication to the service of the people and the country.

Motivator: Moti was not only  himself a mentor but he presented himself as a motivator. His motivational tasks could be prismed through his organisation of poetry symposiums, interactions and recital events of Gazals. He emancipated himself and the nation through motivational tasks which he had thought a necessity for the cause of nation building. His motivational task was consolidated under linguistic unification as against the fractionalisation approach of the politico-scenario of these days.

Research publisher: Moti followed the path underlined by poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya. In fact, he was more a path finder than a follower. He made more enquiries on Bhanu and searched his manuscripts scattered elsewhere. That could be labelled research work. Not only had Moti collected Bhanu's scattered manuscripts but he was also enthusiastic about their publication. Chet Bahadur Kunwar mentioned to Moti's credit that the first publication of Bhanu's Balakanda Ramayana made possible the publication of Bhanu Bhakta's biography in 1891 AD. Bhatta accomplished these two tasks when he was nineteen and twenty five years of age respectively, Nitya Raj Pandey mentioned this in his write up.

Staunch nationalist: He got the sense of nationalism inculcated into his mind since long. This is something that needs to be reiterated time and again in praise of his sense of  nationhood for he  was educated beyond the boundary of his own motherland. He was a nationalist both in terms of giving expression in favour of and affection to the soil where he was born, in the first place, and in realisation of the fact that this nationhood would remain safe under Royal guardianship alone. He didn't shower his gratitude towards the Rana oligarchy. A stunch nationalise is one who does reflect and reverberate action orientation to the cause of nation building irrespective of gain and loss. A gainful approach is all hut a selfish orientation.

Romanticism and drama: It goes without saying that Moti Ram Bhatta is an innovator of the Gazal in the literary horizon of Nepal. Beyond his potentiality in Gazal he had also written a drama entitled Shakuntala. A Poet and Gazalkar, he belonged to the school of romanticism, Most of his creations were based on  soaring emotional touches. And all emotional touches bare the sense of romanticism. However, the sense of romanticism may not only be captivated within the framework of love, affection and erotic feelings. It encompasses a wide range of emotions, tears,  laughter, wars and   weaponry, of birth and of death, of beauties and of monstrous look in a wide spectrum of life.

Republication: The publications in Moti's credit does not exist these days and are no more available in the market. Those publications are to be reprinted as well as distributed to all schools, campuses and universities existing in the kingdom, Studies made on such historic publications will help in the emergence of the aptitude and understanding of state of affairs of the development stages, the Nepalese lingua-franca and trends and courses, undergone now and then.

Anniversary events are to be organised and dissemination of (how thoughts and endeavours made by  nation builders like Moti Ram Bhatta and the likes are to be observed all over the kingdom of Nepal And also it must be a common concern for all educational institutes and organizations in particular. By and large, Nepalese need to imbibe and also inculcate into the minds that nationalists are not

only political figures, but also are the litterateurs who have paved the path of national integrity with the expansion and promotion of the Nepalese lingua-franca and literary creation for Nepalese nationhood at best.