Peaceful Co-existence

PRIME MINISTER Girija Prasad Koirala, while inaugurating the annual general meet of the Dharmodaya Sabha the other day, observed that that all spheres of our national life should not only be inspired but also directed by the everlasting teachings of Lord Buddha who is the source of inspiration and a guide for the peaceful co-existence of human society. The very fact that Lord Buddha’s teachings like peace, love, harmony, brotherhood and peaceful co-existence are as relevant today as they were when he propounded them over 2,500 years ago eloquently proves that they verily contain nuggets of truth. It is a truism that only truth has the ability to withstand not only the inexorable march of Time but also the vicissitudes of change. Lord Buddha proclaimed his messages of, among others, love, harmony and peaceful co-existence over 25 centuries. Considering the fact that his preachings still have the dynamism to elicit reverence and faith from millions of believers and non-believers alike even in this new millennium is a telling pointer that they still do have solutions to the vexing problems spawned by rapid technological advancement in all walks of human endeavour and life. Amongst the problems, one is verity the unbridled materialistic pursuit by the people—which, in turn, is causing widespread dissatisfaction—and sometimes even strife induced by intolerance—among the people of the world.

Nepal, in this regard, is indeed fortunate in that it has yet to witness the kind of dissatisfaction and strife seen in other societies. One ready reason for this could be that its people, made up of various races communities adhering to their own socio-cultural and religious practices, have, over these centuries, internalised Lord Buddha’s teachings of peace, harmony and peaceful co-existence. Had it not been so, Nepal too would have been wrecked by ethnic and religious disturbances that are tearing apart some countries and societies. Yet, of late, the country and the countrymen are having to see a phenomenon that is completely against the very societal norms and practices that they hold very dear unfolding before their very eyes. That too, characterised by widespread mayhem and violence. All this, and more, is being perpetrated by the so-called Maoists who, just because they hold opinions that the vast majority of the people have wholeheartedly rejected, have taken recourse to arms and coercion to unilaterally enforce their thoroughly undemocratic and uncivilized dictates. In a peaceful and democratic country like Nepal, such violence acts are not only anachronistic but also completely against the very Nepali character, psyche and belief: that is, live and let others live.

Unsung Heroines

WOMEN in South Asia in general are overworked unpaid and underpaid, and their contribution to the national economies are hardly recognised. This is particularly so with women working in the informal sector. Though their contributions to the national economies are great, they are deprived of social security. Their plight was the focus of a three-day regional seminar held the other day. The seminar on "Women in the Informal Sector: Creating an Enabling Environment" deliberated on how the South Asia states could formulate policies that awarded recognition to the women workers and guaranteed congenial working atmosphere. A revealing nugget of statistics pointed to the magnitude of the non-recognition: Of the 50 million home-based workers in South Asia, 80 per cent are women , and their contributions are not recognised. Government officials and representatives of NGOs from Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka participated in the seminar. It is not as if the men counterparts in the informal sector work under congenial conditions. Indeed, as the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ram Krishna Tamrakar said at the inauguration function, the informal sector is the most vulnerable sector where workers are deprived of the social security prescribed by the regulations. But, it is a well-recognised fact that women are much worse off than their male counterparts working in the informal sector.

More specifically, Minister Tamrakar pointed out that women working in the informal sectors were obtaining very low wages and the absence of a clear-cut relations between them and their employers was very glaring. One of the causes for the plight of the Nepalese women working in the informal sector is the lack of proper legislation in this regard. As State Minister for Labour and Transport Management Surendra Hamal mentioned, the prevailing law does not recognise these women’s status as workers and they are not in a position to promote their cause themelves. Therefore, what is crucial now is to bring about a policy that paves the way for welfare of these workers. The seminar concluded with some pertinent recommendations on right policies to be adopted. Now, rests with Nepalese policy-makers to do further work on this, specific to the Nepalese context. It is to be hoped soon they will bring out a policy that awards recognition to women workers-the unsung heroines.