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| Kathmandu, Thursday January 30, 2003 Magh 16, 2059. |
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Food, food !
This refers to the news story entitled
"Musahar community reeling under starvation", dated January 25, 2003, TKP.
The harsh winter has crippled the life of the
poor, especially the daily wage earners. "But Musahars have nothing but to starve to
death after the government banned their fishing," said the news report. The
government finds resources to increase defence budget, but what about those who are dying
from hunger. It seems that the government is there to feed a handful of people rather than
to look into the problems of the poor? When you have a government that hardly pays
attention to people’s problem, what is the use of it? At first, we thought that the
Council of Ministers, handpicked by the monarch, would provide service to the people, or
at least try to understand their problems. But we were fool to think in that way. If the
elected representatives did nothing, then how can we expect the current government to
address the people’s grievances?
Some Nepalese have cultivated the habit of
fleecing others. Every citizen pays tax to the government. How does the government spend
that tax money?
The authorities should have thought about the
consequences before deciding to ban fishing. The swollen Rapti river swept away their
houses but the government sent no relief materials because they are in the minority. The
government should immediately rehabilitate Musahars and make them self-reliant.
Bhola Yadav
Birgunj |
