Spirit Of Democracy
Remedy For Present Crisis

By Yuba Nath Lamsal

WHAT course the nation's politics will take? What will be the fate of Nepal? These are some of the very pertinent questions every Nepali is asking now.

Faulty Policies

Nepal is now passing through a big crisis. This crisis has not come all of a sudden. The present crisis is the result of faulty policies of the past governments and selfish behaviour of political leaders. Right from the beginning since Nepal emerged as a nation state; government policies have never been people-oriented. Rulers treated people as subjects, not the citizens. People were always exploited for the petty interest of the rulers and the ruling class. The bitter power struggle between rival factions in the ruling families was defined as the politics of Nepal. Right after the death of King Prithivi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal, the rivalry and conflict started among the ruling elites. This power struggle so intensified and worsened that ultimately caused the real power slip out of the hands of Shah Kings to Rana regime.

The Rana rule was the worst part of Nepal's history, which was also characterised by family conflicts and confrontation for power. The rulers bogged down in their interest of power and property rather than the people and the nation. People were fed up and aspired for change, which toppled the Ranas from power and established multi-party democracy in 1950.

The political change in 1950 brought new hopes and aspirations among thepeople. But their hopes were dashed and downed by the rivalry and rumblings of newly emerged politicians and parties. It continued for ten years, which is best known in the history of Nepal as the period of political instability and uncertainty.

The real issues of the people and the country remained on the back burner of the parties and the politicians. This situation paved the way for the royal move by which the elected government was disbanded, political parties were banned and partyless Panchayat imposed. Following this, the period of absolute monarchy began. Panchayat lacked both legitimacy and popular faith. However, it continued for almost 30 years by means of divide and rule policy. During this period as well, the real issues of the country and the people were grossly ignored. The wave of democratic movements across the globe influenced and motivated the Nepalese people to rise against the authoritarian regime. The mass movement jointly launched by the Nepali Congress and the United Left Front (a loose coalition of all leftist groups in Nepal) overthrew the Panchayat and restored multi-party democracy in 1990. The 1990 change dawned a new era in the history of Nepal's political development. A new euphoria sprouted among the large masses. With the change in the political spectrum, people expected change in their life style and livelihood, too.

However, the triumph and euphoria faded very shortly. The political players in the post-democracy period were the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. Rastriya Prajatantra Party came to fill the vacuum created by the head-on collision between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. The agenda of these parties was also to grab and retain power by hooks or crooks. Democracy, national interest and people's problems remained in rhetoric and not in action.

Nepali Congress ruled more than 10 years in the 12 years of multi-party system followed by CPN-UML and RPP in brief intervals. In the name of economic restructuring and reforms, the Nepali Congress introduced market fundamentalism. This ruined Nepal's economy, capabilities and competitiveness of national and indigenous enterprises. Inflation shot up and people's purchasing power nose-dived. Unemployment climbed up and economic opportunities declined. This period added another ten per cent poor people to the mass of almost half of the country's absolute poor population.
The popular euphoria soon turned into public apathy. When governments and the political parties failed to address the nation's burning problems, people naturally tend to look for alternatives. People took democracy as an alternative to autocratic Rana regime in 1950. People rose against the Panchayat in 1990 with the clear alternative of democracy. Democracy is the alternative to all other forms of dictatorial systems. And it is the democracy that delivers goods and solves people's problems.

Any dictatorial systems are centralised governments that concentrate power at the hand of few individuals. And power is misused to strengthen the central state authority and exploit people in real sense. However, it is different in democracy. It is the system that decentralises authority and strengthens the people at the grassroots level. Actors of democratic system may be incompetent. But blame should not be placed on the system itself. When the actors in democratic system fail, an alternative should be sought and found within the system itself. People naturally tend to look for an alternative when the existing system fails to address their issues and problems. That initiative should come from popular level. When people are weak and powerless, politicians easily manipulate the situation for their petty interest. This is the case of Nepal at present. Nepal's 12-years democracy was characterised more by power and money game. Despite tall talks of empowering people, decentralising authority, raising life of the people by attacking mass poverty, ensuring clean, transparent and accountable government and curbing corruption, the problems of the people grew and became more acute owing to the mismatch between rhetoric and actions. The market fundamentalism unleashed by the Nepali Congress rule increased poverty, unemployment and decline in national productivity. Corruption was institutionalised and decentralised. Some national industries were sold out in the name of privatisation. Politicisation and political intervention crippled bureaucracy and educational institutions. In totality, economy ruined, social fabric was dismantled and cultural values destroyed. This is all because of defective policies of governments and irresponsible behaviour of the leaders and parties. In such a situation, it is natural for people to seek an alternative. The growth of Maoist violence can be viewed against this background. Maoist violence is the result of failure of leaders and political parties to address the people's problems. However, exercises and efforts have been made from some quarters to term it as a failure of democracy. This is a mere excuse to defame and derail democratic developments in Nepal. It is true that if governments and parties had properly heeded their attention to tackle the problems of the people in time, the present situation would definitely not have arisen. It is the accumulation of all problems in the long history of Nepal.

Complex

The problem is complex. Situation is going from bad to worse. And the solution is also not easy. It takes a lot of time, energy, patience and hard work to bring the situation back to normal. It is necessary to find out the root causes of the problem and address it effectively. Democracy is definitely not the cause of problems but a solution. Real efforts should be made in the true spirit of democracy, which alone can bring a permanent peace and solution in the country.

Stem Cells: A Wonder Cure

By P.Gopakumar

SCIENCE is also known for not delivering many times and at the same time the most unexpected of avenues yield good result the pace at which both science and technology are moving, it is very difficult to predict anything. Now scientists foresee a dazzling new era of medicine in which the butchery of surgery replaced by the miracle of regeneration. The medical properties of the stem cells are a powerful attraction. All that remain to be proved is that they really are miracle cure.

Potential

Stem cells, building blocks for all manner of cells within human body, hold within them enormous potential for the treatment of disease. To be more precise, stem cells are blank cells that have the potential to develop into any of the few cells types that constitute the human body such as nerve cells, heart cells, kidney cells, brain cells etc. All these types of cells in the human body are committed to do a particular function. A stem cells can be said to be one of the most early stage cells that has yet to be recognised into any particular type of cell and it continues to be the same stage till it gets an indication to develop into a specialised cell.

Stem cells with this unique property come from embryos and fetal tissues. Their importance lies in the fact that these fells indeed have the potential to generate replacements for various body tissues and organs like heart, pancreas and nervous system. This opens up the possibility to mend of replacement of organs damaged due to extremely shocking diseases. Neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's disease could be treated replacing dysfunctional or destroyed cells. In a major breakthrough now, the stem cells have also been developed into blood cells, which help in treatment of leukemia etc.

Medical profession has been commercialised worldwide. Due to the lure of lucre, medical profession has been turned to a profitable business. Hopes are extremely large for the research for stem cells. The hope is that one day stem cells might be used for growing heart, liver kidney or any other organs for people to avoid the transplantation of the damaged organ. As stem cells offers 'wonder cure' for a large number of diseases including incurable disease, both government labs and commercial organisation are involved in the research of stem cells.

Theoretically, this technology might eventually eliminate ever-occurring shortage for blood for transfusion. Maybe, in future there will no need for agonizing wait for donors for kidney or liver transplantations. So if an organ stops functioning stem cells will help a new one to grow. Moreover, stem cells would be proving as an economical therapy for various diseases. In spite of what has been said, much more work is required before scientists can begin considering them as a therapy for people. With all these achievements, scientists across the globe hope stem cells will eventually lead to a novel method of therapy to cure a host of diseases like degeneration of sight, cirrhosis, hepatitis, muscular dystrophy and injuries, skin burns, would healing, rheumatoid, arthritis, osteoporosis, immunodeficiency and several incurable neurological diseases.

In spite of the enormous scopes, stem cell research cooks up controversies. The fact is that stem cells are obtained mainly from embryos that too days old. Stem cells have also been taken from adult tissues in the bone marrow, brain, blood, skin, the retina and cornea of eyes, skeletal muscle, liver and dental pulp etc. Though recent scientific reports show that there are stem cells in the adult tissues, which are capable of populating itself and trans-differentiate into many other cell types. For example, cells from bone marrow can differentiate into neurons. It is not known whether they can differentiate into many other cell types like the embryonic stem cells. It is known that embryonic stem cells can differentiate into most other cell types. This unique feature of embryonic stem cells drives the scientists to go after human embryos. Embryonic stem cells have a high attrition rate. Skeptics arguing life begins at the embryonic stage. Hence destruction of embryos means destroying life. Their argument against the destruction of more human embryos in the name science is totally unacceptable to them. This hinders the research on embryonic stem cells.

Discrepancy

Federal funding is involved in the embryonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research has been a hot potato not only politically but also religiously too. Those who believes in Christianity especially Roman Catholics are vehemently opposing any financial aid from federal fun for the embryonic stem cell research. Even Pope John Paul second raised voice against the funding. But there is a big discrepancy between the point of view of the catholic hierarchy and the rank and file members of the catholic churches around the world. Last year's opinion poll conducted by the Harris poll and done by ABC show in the United States showed 72 per cent of white Catholics are pro-embryonic stem cell research.

TPC On Global Trade Network

By Bijaya Vaidya

TRADE Promotion Centre (TPC) was established in 1971 with an objective to promote foreign trade in general and export trade in particular for expanding and developing the foreign trade of the country by means of export promotional activities. As a national trade promotion organisation of the country various export promotional activities have been undertaken by the Centre for the overall expansion and development of export trade in the country.

Among others, the major areas of TPC activities include identification of export product and development, develop the export conscious & entrepreneurship, conduct training, seminar and workshop, organise and manage Nepal's participation in international trade fairs and exhibition at home and abroad and so on.

The latest development in information and communication technology and the increasing trends towards the globalisation of world trade has necessitated the quick access to the updated and reliable trade information. To keep on pace with latest information and communication technology provide trade information services effectively TPC has been providing trade information and documentation services to it's clients. It has also been providing trade information available on website of different trade related organisations besides the published documents. To promote and expand the export trade of the country it has established the connectivity with worldwide web.

The TPC website has been enriched with basic information about the Centre, country's trade regulation transit procedure, trade and foreign investment policy, trade and transit agreement with India, major export product of Nepal, leading Nepalese exporters, trade data. The hyperlink with major website has also been made. For providing effective and efficient trade information and counselling services in an organised way TPC has been working closely with UNCTAD, WTO, ITC, ESCAP, SAARC and various national trade support institutions. It has always been endeavouring for the well establishment of computerised trade information and trade networking system at the Centre for the efficient and effective trade information system.

In order to facilitate the small and medium sized companies/entrepreneurs for their participation at international trade and make them competitive in the international market by efficient use of information technology TPC has been endeavouring to operate the Trade Point and working for arranging the basic infrastructure necessary for its set up.

On the recommendation of United National Conference on Trade Development (UNCTAD) His Majesty's Government has given acceptance to set up Trade Point under the joint coordination of Trade Promotion Centre (TPC) and the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI). The Trade Point jointly hosted by TPC and FNCSI is being named as Himalayan Trade Point Kathmandu. Through the electronically interconnected network of Trade Points in many countries of the world, the entrepreneurs/companies have enabled them to make their product known to potential customers and find business partners in other countries.

At present 83 countries around the world have set up Trade Points. All Trade Points are interconnected in world wide electronic network - the Global Trade Point Network (GTP Net) now transformed into World Trade Point Network. The Global Trade Point Network is an electronic network interlinking the Central website of Trade Point Programme and website of individual Trade Points. The World Wide company database and the system of Electronic Trading Opportunities and the real time Discussion Forum that have been made available to Trade Point Community to discuss for mutual cooperation at a regional and global level are specific features of Trade Points. The Nepalese entrepreneur and business communities can greatly benefit by associating with Himalayan Trade Point Kathmandu. Being a client of Trade Point they can become more competitive in world market by finding the trading partner through Electronic Trading Opportunities, identify market by getting access to reliable and updated trade related information, making transaction faster at lower cost and expand the business by global network and e-commerce.