 |
Kathmandu,Thursday February 17, 2000 Fagun 05, 2056.
|
Clear
the rot
The degeneration of moral values and the manner
in which the country’s political establishment appears to be functioning have indeed
become serious concerns. Many political leaders of the day, including at least one leader
from the Nepali Congress (NC), have not only undermined the ethical values of our society
but also led to abuse of authority. Absence of legislation that would have helped to book
those who indulge in immoral behaviour is also another reason for the rank moral
corruption pervading the political leadership. One example of the rot that has set in
among the political leadership can be found in the disclosure the other day of
extra-marital relations between Indira Thapa and Minister for Labour, Housing and Physical
Planning Bal Bahadur KC.
Last September, KC hit the headlines after he
broke into Indira Thapa’s house at midnight. There, he not only misbehaved with the
woman but also manhandled her two children. This apart, he vandalized her house and
disturbed the peace of the locality when she demanded that he pay back 1.1 million rupees
that he had taken as loan from her to contest the May general elections. She had then
reported the incident to the police but KC’s security men convinced her to withdraw
the case a day later. What surprised many then was that the prime minister refused to
initiate any action against KC although there was no dearth of evidence. The police too
did not question him although she had filed a verbal complaint at Hadigaon police station.
All this not only smacked of moral and ethical rot in public life, but it also became
clear that the prime minister was protecting someone whose behaviour made him unfit for
the high position he occupied.
Now with the disclosure from the mouth of
KC’s victim herself, it remains to be seen whether KC will continue to receive the
prime minister’s protection. A man of an immoral character, be it a Khobari Raya or
Bal Bahadur, should not be allowed to occupy the responsible post of a minister. The time
has now come for both the prime minister as well as the president of ruling party to take
the necessary action to clean both the government as well as the party of such shameful
characters such as KC. He has also become an embarrassment for the country. If the Prime
Minister and President of the NC treat his misbehaviour lightly, they will only be
encouraging the degeneration of moral values among the political leadership. Therefore,
the sooner he is removed from cabinet the better it will be.
Other Stories
|
