Enlightened Leadership

ONCE again, another big section of Nepalese society has expressed its deep gratitude to His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev for being a source of inspiration, hope, belief and trust for all the Nepalese. This time it was Nepal’s industry and business people who offered their heartfelt felicitations to their beloved monarch. At a grand ceremony on Wednesday, His Majesty accepted the felicitations offered by national and district-level leaders of the industry and commerce sector on behalf of the entire Nepali industry and business sector as well as entrepreneurs from different fields. Her Majesty the Queen and Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess also graced the occasion on Wednesday. Ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, the Nepalese people have showered their love on the new monarch, as they have always done in the past as expressions of their affection to the Crown. For those who are aware of the great contributions of the institution of monarchy to nation-building, this is regarded as a natural outpourings of a grateful people. Such outpouring of love and gratitude were clearly manifest when His Majesty was felicitated by peoples of the eastern and far-western development regions recently. The feelings of an average Nepali towards the Crown was well reflected in the letter of felicitations read out by the acting president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Referring to the fact that the builder of Nepal, His late Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah and his descendants have to this day run the affairs of state in accordance with popular wishes as per the democratic norm, the letter of felicitations said that in the history of Nepal monarchy and democracy have been like two faces of the same coin and to this can be attributed the continued existence of national unity and sovereignty. When this state of affairs was disturbed that the country came in for trying times. No sane Nepali can dispute this observation. Also undeniable is the reaffirmation that monarchy has given Nepal and the Nepalese their distinct identity in the world and the Crown is the protector of the nation and a symbol of national unity. In an emphatic note, the letter says: This was so yesterday, is so today and will remain so tomorrow.

Indeed, all Nepalese, who have found peace so elusive over these past years, will easily concur with the sentiments expressed by the industrialists and businessmen. The task at hand now is for all Nepalese, including industrialists, businessmen and entrepreneurs, to make combined efforts to turn the ceasefire into permanent peace, being continuously stirred by the fact that they are fortunate to have a monarch whose main concern is the prosperity of Nepal and the Nepalese people.

Fighting Fire

THE summer months are a time of winds and storms. It is often negligence during these months that fire leads to a loss of life and property. This is mostly seen in the Terai region of the country. With many of the houses made of wood or bamboo, there is more likelihood of any spark of fire leading to a whole row of houses being gutted. The dry months sees the fire move rapidly. There is, moreover, a lack of fire fighting equipment in the villages. Whatever fire fighting equipment that we have is concentrated in the city centres and they cannot reach in time to fight the fires in rural areas.
The news the other day that 400 houses were gutted in Saptari must make everyone realise that our system of fire-fighting must be made more efficient. It is not only the case of one family but scores of families. At a time when the fire brigades in the cities are inadequate, thoughts must go to strengthen it and also see its expansion into the rural parts. For this, thorough study, training and funding are essential. Another fact that must be noted is that the construction of houses must be such that small fires cannot damage them. The case of Myanglung is in front of us. A simple fire just ravaged the whole collection of houses. This tragic event itself must make us realise that a fire-fighting mechanism must be envisioned wherever there is a settlement. Big blazes cannot be fought single-handedly, so the VDCs and municipalities must have a plan in their scheme of things to fight fires. It is preparedness that matters most because when a fire occurs with intensity then much is wasted within a few hours leaving the affected people high and dry unless immediate fire-fighting efforts are undertaken.