Marxism is not a dogma: Nepal

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov 6: What will be the fate socialism in the 21st century? Socialism that gained a world-wide march in the beginning of the 20th century suffered a death like blow following the collapse of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Since then many communist parties across the globe gradually weakened and frustrated comrades abandoned the classical ideology of Marxism and became social democrats.

"Since capitalism has not solved the problems of the masses, there is no alternative to socialism in the new century," averred the communist leaders at the international meet on socialism that kicked off in capital, today.

They said that only a particular model of socialism failed to deliver—but not the system.

"Marxism is not a dogma rather it can evolve in pluralism and dynamism," representatives of different socialist parties across the world said. They stressed that achievements of science and technology should be utilised for the wider benefits of masses in order to end "artificial walls created by capitalism".

CPN UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that "the successes and failures of communist parties depended on the suitability of the programmes and the actions to the objective conditions and realities of the given society".

"The communist parties should exhaust all possibilities, including political and militant mass struggle and peaceful competition," Nepal said.

Nepal further said that capitalism itself has taken a long course of time to develop and readjusted to the dictates of time. "But on the other hand, some socialist states could not readjust their programmes and policies to the need of time," he added.

"Giant multi-national companies promoted by capitalism are fiercely competing to grab the resources and collaboration and merger process is taking place throughout the globe." It has resulted in centralisation of wealth in the hands of few and creating further miseries to a vast majority of people," said General Secretary Nepal who is also the leader of main Opposition party in the House of Representatives.

Nepal said that his party had adopted the programme of People’s Multi-Party Democracy (PMPD) as the path of Nepalese revolution. "The DMPD aims at increasing the capability of the leftist party by mobilising the people in all circumstances," he said, adding "As the leftist party itself a champion of democracy and human rights, these terms should not be considered alien to socialism."

Pradip Nepal, convenor of the conference said "a socialist mode of revolution was fundamentally a struggle for the transformation of society".

He said that they should correct oversights and devote themselves in building a ‘vision-based socialism by practising the principle "Let hundred flowers blossom".

Communist Party of India, National Council General Secretary D. Raja said that unlike the socialist parties of Europe and Latin America, the socialists of South Asian countries have double responsibilities. "On one hand, we have to fight against the economic exploitations in the region. On the other hand, we have to struggle for the removal of social suppressions such as caste system and religious strife", he said.

He said that monopoly of capital is the last economy of capitalist that would sure to fall. "Socialism, which is a historical reality, has no alternative."

Yu Honhuan, chief of Research Division of International Department of Communist Party of China said that socialism in the last 50 years had contributed a lot to mankind towards the development of human civilisation. "China would continue to the development based on the socialistic pattern," he said.

Ms Betty F. Carlsson, chairperson of Conmmunist Party of Denmark stressed on the unity of action and mass mobilisation for the cause of socialism. She described the ongoing socialist movement in the Europe.

Sukomal Sen, Central Committee Member of Communist Party of India stressed solidarity among the working classes.

Organised by Madan-Ashrit Memorial Foundation in collaboration with Manmohan Memorial Trust and Tulsilal Memorial Trust, the 6 day meet would mainly focus on what should be the nature of socialism in the 21st century, according to the organising committee.

PAC briefed on accord with Lauda Air

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 6: Civil Aviation Minister Tarani Datta Chataut today said his Ministry still abided by its instructions to the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) that it should lease any aircraft through a global tender.

He was however unable to satisfy the Lower House Public Accounts Committee members about RNAC’s over one million US Dollars advance payment in the name of Austria based Lauda Air for the delivery of a Boeing 767 without having received a counter bank guarantee.

Minister Chataut told the PAC meeting this afternoon that his Ministry was still firm in its view that the Corporation should lease an aircraft through a global tender.

Besides, the Ministry, following the instructions of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), had directed the national airline to include the bank guarantee provision in the aircraft-leasing agreement with any foreign company.

But the RNAC’s agreement with Lauda Air fails to meet these provisions. The agreement was reached through negotiations and not through a global tender. Besides, the Corporation has ignored the regulation regarding the counter bank guarantee.

"The national airline’s agreement with Lauda Air should be seen as a special case," Chataut said. "We were hard pressed to lease an aircraft but the Corporation was unable to acquire one even after repeated tenders. We had no option but to go ahead with the sealed offer leading to negotiations."

Accordingly, the RNAC reached an agreement with Lauda Air on September 27 and requested the Ministry for a permit to pay the foreign exchange to the aircraft supplier, he said.

Then the Ministry, Chatatut said, forwarded the Corporation’s proposal to the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved RNAC’s proposal to go ahead and pay Lauda Air saying the Corporation had no alternative but to acquire an aircraft through negotiations.

Chataut however failed to put a clear stance when the PAC Chairman Suvash Nemwang asked him, "Doesn’t Lauda Air agreement go against the Ministry’s standing directions to the Corporation?"

When asked which clause of the agreement specified that RNAC should forward Lauda Air the advance, the Minister said that the RNAC officials could answer the question better.

The Corporation Chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha admitted, "the agreement does not have a provision of the security deposit". He however repeatedly maintained that the Corporation would not lose the money as it would not be transferred to Lauda Air’s accounts until the plane would land in the country on December 1.

As a part of probing the matter further, the PAC decided to ask the Cabinet Secretariat to make its stance clear about CIAA’s instructions to the RNAC about aircraft-leasing within a week.