COMMENT

When will all this stop?

Its that RNAC deal again. From top level politicians, commission agents, bureaucrats and the media, all seem to be involved in some way or the other in which plane the National Flag Carrier leases and now, also in whether the Corporation will sell the two Boeing 757s it owns. The interest of all is money. A mind boggling sum of commission can be made by any individual who is associated in the successful deal that is made regarding the leasing or selling of an aircraft. This commission chakker has been there right from the time when the Airline bought its first Boeing 727 in the beginning of the Nineteen Seventies. However, as the administration was tightly in control of a few people at that time, one did not hear who made how much, when aircraft were bought and sold. Though even in those days, people with even a little bit of interest in the aviation business were aware some individuals were getting hefty kickbacks. The rules changed completely after the re-ushering in of democracy in the country and with new faces coming to power. The good thing was the people could now ask questions, which should have discouraged any wrong doers, but the unfortunate fact was, even more blatant corrupt deals started taking place.  As the years went by, all the major political parties that came to power, demonstrated that they thought of RNAC as a place where quick and big money could be made. It made matters easier that the corrupt executives within the Airline were only too happy to go along with the vested interest of their political masters. For these people too stood to gain a lot financially. Otherwise how can you explain the always last minute decisions to lease planes, the willingness to hand over hefty amounts of money to political appointees and not point out the huge losses the Corporation suffered due to lop sided decisions. The selling of the two Boeing 727s was totally wrong, the GSA appointing process was completely faulty, not scouting in time to lease an aircraft meant   making hasty decisions and also appointing corrupt people to top posts, all showed that the decision makers did not have the welfare of RNAC, but personal benefit in mind. As all the deals are recorded ones, it can easily be seen who took what decisions which caused how much losses for the Airline.

Now again the Corporation is on a hot bed of controversy. In fact it has already lost an Executive Chairman, just because of the fierce push and pull that takes place during plane leasing time. The media is full of allegations and counter-accusations. While a big hue and cry has been made regarding the delay of the Corporation’s decision regarding the global tender on leasing a new aircraft, new allegations are coming out that a move is being made to sell the only two Boeing 757s the Airline owns. Because of the huge publicity in the media, both the newly appointed Chairman of the Corporation and also the new Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister have been pushed to the wall. Any decision they make now, will not escape controversy. Meanwhile, the name constantly cropping up in many RNAC controversies, including the present one, is that of Sujata Koirala, the daughter of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. Her involvement in previous deals may have been profitable financially, but it has caused a lot of damage to the image of both the Prime Minister and also Sujata herself. Even now, it has been easy for skeptics to make fun of the commitment of Koirala, that he will control corruption, because his daughter’s name has been linked in the aircraft leasing scandal. For now, as RNAC badly needs an aircraft, it would be best for it to lease the Boeing 767 that has been offered cheapest in the global tender. But in the long run, both aviation experts and others feel that the Corporation can soar up in the skies if there is no political interference. If it has to be privatised then so be it. As RNAC plays an important role in not only bringing in tourists, but also in promoting the country’s image abroad, the government cannot afford to make it an inefficient and mismanaged institution. And long as there is political interference for vested interests, it will be just that.

Holier-than-thou!

By K.C. Bhatt

A few years ago, while electioneering in Biratnagar for a by-election, none other than K.P. Bhattarai labeled communists as - harmful as ‘cholera’ for the country. The very next day co- incidentally late Man Mohan Adhikari too had to address a rally in the same town. On being cognizant of such categorization of communists by senior leader of Congress Party the previous day, Adhikari tried to furnish a tit-for-tat, imaginative answer and defined the Congress Party as ‘AIDS’ for the country.

Now, thanks to the media and journalists, corruption has finally and rightfully turned out to become a major issue in this country. In fact, some one who is any body in the country does not shy away from waxing eloquent on this issue - weather in private or public.

Recently the CPN-UML party did a remarkable thing - while it made public a few of the names - those that the major opposition party deemed as corrupt. However, the much hyped list proved to be disappointingly short, incomplete and obviously biased against the people and cadres - those in no way are affiliated to CPN-UML. It is indeed sad to find, while going through the list, that in the list, not a single name has been included — that has any affiliation to the CPN-UML. One wonders whether the CPN-UML has turned out to become a party of saints over the years, not withstanding it’s couple of forays into the corridors of power-alone or in a coalition. Or was it yet another unabashed display of the endemic holier-than-thou attitude of the politicians.

In fact, on the very evening the list was made public, while talking to a journalist of radio BBC Nepali service London, the CPN-UML General Secretary and leader of the opposition Madhav Nepal tried to tacitly imply that: with the division of CPN-UML, the party has been sanctified. Also that, whoever was corrupt in the party abandoned it and joined CPN-UML, the breakaway party. It may be germane to mention here, that the list also includes a few of the prominent CPN-UML leaders.

Thus, not withstanding all lip service and rhetoric even the major political parties are not really serious about ‘controlling’ corruption.  In fact, to the political parties, the issue of corruption too appears to be just another issue, which should be politicized in order to derive a political advantage out of it.

However, at this juncture, politicizing the issue of corruption may prove to be a grave mistake and a criminal disservice to the nation.

Combating trafficking in women and children in South Asia

The White House released the following fact sheet March 22 announcing key international efforts to stop the trafficking of women and children around the world.

The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently launched four new programmes totalling nearly $1.6 million to assist non governmental organisations (NGOs) in implementing prevention efforts, providing assistance to victims, and improving coordination between law enforcement officials and local NGOs.

The Clinton Administration is leading key international efforts to stop the trafficking of women and children around the world. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development recently launched four new programmes totaling nearly $1.6 million to assist non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in implementing prevention efforts, providing assistance to victims, and improving coordination between law enforcement officials and local NGOs.

The new programme reflect President Clinton’s sustained commitment to fight trafficking of women and children, as set forth in his Executive Memorandum issued on International Women’s Day in March 1998.

The vulnerability of women and children to criminals engaged in trafficking is rooted in poverty and the low social status of women.

While the commitment of many anti-trafficking NGOs in South Asia is strong, the majority of them need additional support to continue and expand their activities in light of the dramatic global increase in incidences of this horrific crime. In South Asia, research and media reports suggest that the number of trafficked women and children is rising, and the average age of the victims is falling. In response to these alarming statistics, the U.S. government has committed to the following:

USAID has approved a $1.3 million grant to the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for a programme to combat the trafficking of women and children in South Asia.

This three-year grant will fund regional activities that directly complement the bilateral efforts of USAID mission programmes in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The grant will assist grassroots, national, and regional NGOs in South Asia to expand their advocacy activities and strengthen their networks against trafficking. Regional prevention efforts will increase public awareness about the realities of trafficking.

UNIFEM will assist NGOs to design and evaluate models of successful prevention efforts. A South Asia Anti-Trafficking Information Center will also be established in the region to promote stronger collaboration among NGOs working on anti-trafficking projects and greater exchange of information on prevention and prosecution programmes.

The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Department of State has approved $70,000 for two Indian NGO projects to develop and conduct training programmes to improve anti-trafficking coordination among law enforcement officials and local NGOs.

Strengthened law enforcement and prosecution of traffickers is critical because the crime remains a high profit, relatively low-risk transnational criminal enterprise. Improving coordination among law enforcement officials and NGOs serving victims ensures that victims are afforded the protection and assistance they need to rebuild their lives.

This funding will support interactive training for border officers, police, prosecutors and judges in Calcutta and New Delhi. Police and judicial officials will participate in work-shops designed to assist in building successful prosecutions of traffickers and abettors. Border officers will also receive in-depth instruction on recognizing potential trafficking situations.

The State Department is contributing $200,000 to anti-trafficking activities specifically in India. This additional funding is part of a $1.5 million effort in the South Asia region using Economic Support Funds (ESF). Central to the strategy in India will be: strengthening enforcement of existing laws, supporting NGO shelters for victims of trafficking, and supporting rehabilitative programmes, including skills training and income-generating activities.

Time to find a Leader

As I browse through nepalnews.com, all I read is bitter conflicts between existing political parties. And the subjects behind every conflicts clearly indicates that it is all about race for chairs. I believe that every major parties have been given a chance to run the country for a time or more since democracy came to Nepal. What have they done? What is the significant difference between Nepal-before-democracy and Nepal-after-democracy? If I have to answer these questions then the answer would be..... NOTHING.

I am not asking for change in a blink of an eye and neither am I trying to say that democracy is proven wrong for Nepal. I am also not hoping that  Nepal be changed completely during the short periods that they were or are on power. But the point to be noted here is that there should be at least some sort of sign that Nepal (not only Kathmandu ) is heading in right direction because of the freedom that we have earned. But all I have seen so far is the same old story repeated again and again. Why is it happening? Where did we go wrong? And what are we still doing wrong?

Answer to all these questions, I think, is that we need a leader. Leader is the one who works for the people. A leader is the one who leads the country in right direction. But all we have now is politicians  working for themselves only. They are not capable of thinking beyond that. Now how can we expect them to work for our country and for Nepali people?

It is time for us to find a leader. We need to choose our representatives, from local level to Singh Durbar, for their commitment to work - not because of their party affiliation. And certainly not because of their oratory skills, we need action rather than speech. Surely we can find one true leader among us? Or will the leader stand up and introduce himself or herself? r

SiddhiD@aol.com
Via Internet