Lord Buddha’s Message

PRIME MINISTER Girija Prasad Koirala said that Buddha’s teachings are equally relevant in the present context as they were 2,500 years ago and that his message of peace and non-violence need to be translated into practice so as to rid the country and the people of the ongoing violence and terror. Addressing the concluding function of the weekly programme organised on the occasion of Silver Jubilee of the Buddha Bihar Sangh at Aksheshwor Mahabihar in Lalitpur the other day, Prime Minister Koirala said that the messages of Lord Buddha are important for the happiness of humanity, world peace and international brotherhood. Lord Buddha, who was born in Lumbini, Nepal more than 2,500 years ago, is also called the Apostle of Peace throughout the world because he was a strong advocate and practitioner of peace, harmony, non-violence and universal brotherhood. The very fact that the present day world is suffering from numerous problems like conflicts, wars and intolerance among fellow human beings only proves that his messages of peace, harmony and non-violence are as relevant in this milieu as they were during his time. Since Lord Buddha launched his mission of spreading his messages from Nepal, his teachings, over these centuries, have been verily internalised by the Nepalese. It could be for this reason that while Nepal is known as a strong champion of peace and nonviolence in the international arena. Moreover, Nepal has made the five fundamental principles of Panchasheel—which are also based on Lord Buddha’s teachings—as the cornerstones of its foreign policy. It is a proven fact that in an atmosphere of war, conflict and distrust, it is simply impossible to expect peace, happiness and prosperity to reign in any country, including Nepal.

Nepal is currently facing the problem of terrorism and violence perpetrated by the so-called Maoists and which has already claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people. Violence and conflicts are definitely not in the interest of the nation and people since they act as virtual hurdles in the path of development. For, without peace, the overall development of the nation and uplift of the people’s low socio-economic status would not be possible. As such, while the need for the Nepalese people, especially by the misguided perpetrators of violence, to translate Lord Buddha’s messages of peace, harmony and non-violence into practice has indeed become urgent, it is also the duty of a democratically elected government to resort to all means, measures and resources at its disposal to ensure that peace, the sine quo non of development, reigns in the country.

For Durable Roads

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Home and Local Development Ram Chandra Poudel, while speaking at a talk programme entitled "Valley Road Construction: Report of the Auditor General & Good Governance" the other day, said that the government is always sensitive to wipe out irregularities and corruption committed in course of road construction. The important role that the roads play in a country like Nepal which is endowed with a varied topographical relief simply cannot be minimised. To do so would be to freeze the nation in a state of economic stagnation. For, roads are not only the thoroughfares along which goods move, but they are also the arteries through which development ideas, plans and programmes are transmitted from one place to another. For this to happen, there should be a ready medium through which people can easily travel. And in a country like Nepal, this is only possible through roads. The Nepalese people’s desire for such a facility could be ascertained by the thousands of tracks crisscrossing the nation’s varied topography. All settlements are invariably connected by porters’ trails. And, in those areas where commercial transactions are heavy, the people have built mule and yak tracks. Hence, for Nepal to march towards the path of all-round development, there should and must be roads connecting all districts and urban centres.
However, for a cash-crunched, resource-strapped nation like Nepal, building roads is definitely an expensive endeavour. One, because of its challenging terrain. And, more recently, the donor agencies’ stringent environmental guidelines since failure to abide by them could cost the nation dear in terms of funds to build road transport system and facilities. All this, undoubtedly, increases the overhead costs in building the much-needed roads. More worrying to note is that in spite of such a daunting road building scenario obtained in the country, there are some unscrupulous road contractors who are resorting to dubious ways and means to not only bag the road tenders but even in completing their portions of the roads. Shoddily built roads, sooner, rather than later, will start to peel off. And the ultimate sufferer will be the government since it will be forced to seek more funds from donor agencies to repair the shoddy roads. Hence, if the nation’s development arteries are to be built in a cost-effective way, then the irregularities noticed in road construction activities must be done away with. For this, necessary legal measures, backed by strict implementation of the same, are the need of the hour.