Towards Peace Ahead

LIKE for many preceding governments, the Maoist insurgency was and still is the major challenge facing the present Nepali Congress (NC) government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Though it was started only in some remote hill areas of the country about six years back, the armed movement of the insurgents took a vicious and brutal turn a couple of years back and many people lost their lives in police-Maoists encounters. A lot of government properties were destroyed or looted and normal life was affected in a telling manner in many places. Furthermore, the government was forced to allot huge sums of the national budget for security purposes and this severely affected the development expenditure, which naturally was not a good thing for a developing nation like Nepal. With the tourism industry also being affected and more sadly, security personnel seeing tragic losses in different outposts they were guarding, both the political leaders and the people in general were desperate to see the end of the confrontation with the insurgents. Therefore, virtually the whole nation breathed a collective sigh of relief, when right on the day he was appointed the Prime Minister of the country, PM Sher Bahadur Deuba called on the Maoists to halt their armed activities and the Maoist in turn reciprocated positively to his appeal.

This was a huge step forward in peacefully solving the problem, which after more than half a decade, had gone on to become the most vexing issue for not only the government but all sectors of the society. Till this development occurred, both the police and the insurgents were involved only in violent clashes, which resulted in the loss of lives and property of nobody else but the Nepalese no matter which side they were fighting on. The present government must be given credit for creating a congenial environment to finally start dialogue with the Maoists. It is encouraging that this initiative of the government got a further boost the other day, when the NC Central Working Committee fully supported PM's peace initiative. With the party's mandate behind it, the government should find it easier to deal with the Maoists. Here it must also be mentioned that the Prime Minister's efforts to take into confidence all other political parties must also be fully appreciated. It can be hoped, with this good beginning, the present government will be able to resolve the Maoist problem and the nation will once more move ahead towards its development goals in an environment of peace and stability.

Lesson Learnt

WITH the departure of a leased aircraft from China Southwest Airlines from Saturday, Royal Nepal Airlines, has been downsized to just two aircraft, forcing it to abandon three international markets in the European sector, Dubai and Singapore from next month. This has cut London, Paris and Frankfurt from its list of European destinations. Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) decided to return the Chinese aircraft two months before the leased period expired as the Corporation states it is not in a financial position to operate the plane. And with the latest developments in RNAC, the national flag carrier’s woe continues. Just 10 years back, RNAC had a fleet of five aircraft of its own catering to the international market – three Boeing 727s and two Boeing 757s. RNAC’s problems began after it decided to dispose off three Boeing 727 aircraft, two of them still in good condition. Then started a period of leasing aircraft, instead of trying to augment the Nepalese fleet. Leasing of aircraft is a normal practice the world over. What has pulled RNAC down is the meddling by the different political parties that were in power for a share in the kickbacks while leasing aircraft. Instead of granting autonomy to the airline, management changed at the fall of a hat. So did the number of leases. According to RNAC officials themselves, RNAC would have owned a medium-sized Boeing or Airbus aircraft by now with all the money that has gone to lease different aircraft in the past eight years.

Royal Nepal Airlines has a history dating back to 1958, and it was an airline that had credibility. Having started with one Dakota DC-3 aircraft, it inducted its first jet aircraft in 1971 and started expanding destinations beyond the sub-continent. It does indeed pain the nation that an airline with such a long history should be in a mess, for no fault of its own. Undoubtedly, international airlines will keep on flying and bringing in the tourists to Nepal, all at the expense of RNAC. However, every effort must be made to revive the national flag carrier. International airlines will be around only as there is money to be made, as proved by Lufthansa that pulled out from Kathmandu a few years ago. Come peace or turmoil, loss or profit, the only aircraft that will be flying is Royal Nepal Airlines. Hopefully, the powers that be within the Corporation and outside it have learnt their lessons well and the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.