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Kathmandu Saturday April 14, 2001 Baishakh 01, 2058.
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No worth
noting
The New Year is a time to celebrate, meet
with near and dear ones and exchange greetings with everyone, besides looking forward to
what lies ahead. No doubt, the concern of all Nepalese is the well being of the country as
well as the people. It is also a time for retrospection whether the year 2057 BS has
brought much to be cheerful about. In fact, the previous year has had very little to offer
us. Because the Maoist insurgents have intensified their "armed struggle"
against the establishment and also because of the government action. In the process, many
innocent victims were caught in the crossfire between government forces and the Maoists.
Incidents of brutal killing and human rights violation have increased since early 2057.
This apart, corruption has reached a new height and economic growth has suffered. The 19th
winter session of parliament conducted no business at all as the opposition obstructed the
House, demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation on account of the Lauda Air deal.
The year 2057 ends with the Maoists clearly showing that they are getting stronger than
ever before.
Most people now feel that the government has
failed to maintain law and order, particularly in the western and mid-western regions. The
incidents at Rukumkot and Naumoole, where almost 100 police personnel and civilians died
within a week, are examples of how the government has been unable to provide security to
the people. It is a fact that over 800 people, many of them innocent folks, have been
killed in fighting the Maoist insurgents last year alone. And thousands of people in the
Maoist-hit districts have been displaced as a result of the people’s war. There is
much reason to believe that the government has done nothing to improve law and order in
the country. The Maoist insurgents have not only stepped up their activities but also come
to control one-third of the country. How the government plans to assess this situation
still remains to be seen.
On the political front, Parliament not only
ended without conducting any business but also witnessed disorder and confusion right from
the day the 19th session began. On other fronts, the suspension of Indian Airlines flights
for more than eight months led to a sharp decline in the tourism industry. Frequent
strikes have not only affected economic activity but have also hampered the academic
calendar. The state run corporations have been on the verge of collapse due to corruption
and mismanagement. For much of the year, economic sluggishness, widening poverty and
social insecurity threatened the democratic fabric. The onus of stopping the rate of
killings and expediting the pace of development is on us. Let us hope that the New Year
brings something worth mentioning. And we wish our readers a very happy and prosperous New
Year.
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