THEIR VIEW

It can not ruled out (unification of ML and UML). But the UML should confess about its mistakes and commit that it would not bring any distortions in the communist movement in the coming days.

(Sahana Pradhan, Chair person, NCP (ML) in Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, Dec. 11)

If the electricity tariff was not raised, the donor countries and agencies could stop providing the assistance to the presently running hydro-power projects and the country could face a big crisis because of this.

(Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya in Ghatana Chakra, Saturday, Dec. 11)

I do not know about this (unification of the two RPPs). It is because I do not know about any dialogue taking place, neither has any proposal of unification come. How can I say anything about the unification as no proposal has come forward?

(RPP Chand leader Rajeshwor Devkota in Naya Rastra Pukar, Thursday, Dec. 9)

Now to come back to the election, surprisingly one other panel decided to contest the election. Initially, nobody gave hope to this side, which was headed by Suresh Acharya, who also is a NC supporter.

The refreshing thing about him however, was that he said he stood for “professionalism”. In spite of his open leanings to a party earlier, the bold way he challenged the traditional bastions, was something which many journalists welcomed.

This though, does not mean that democratic candidate Pandidt or the Left Front candidate Gopal Thapaliya, the editor of UML leaning vernacular weekly Chalphal are any less journalists. Nor are the others who sided with their respective panels. They all are hard working journalists who have proved their mettle in the field.

A lot of fault lies on the political leaders, for encouraging such an attitude among journalists, who should be professionals in the real sense and whose motto should be objectivity. Deliberately being led astray from objectivity is not good.

(Opinion by Yug Bahadur about the recent Federation of Nepalese Journalists' election in the Sunday Despatch, December 12, Sunday