COMMENT

Significant session

The Eighteenth Session of Parliament began on Monday.  This session, called the "Budget Session", has been called one month ahead of the usual schedule. This has been done so that the annual budget of the nation can be announced at least more than a month before the new fiscal year begins. The Nepalese fiscal year begins towards the middle of July. In the past, the budget was announced just about two weeks before the new fiscal year began. In a developing nation like Nepal, with difficult terrain and a poor road network, this made it difficult for the budgetary allocations to reach some places in time. There are instances when government offices did not receive their budget for weeks and even months. This session is also significant in that, the policies and programmes of the government will be announced during this time. It will be after a gap of more than five years that a majority government led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will be doing this work. The times and situation have changed to a great extent, since the time when Koirala led the first elected government after the re-ushering in of democracy in the country. The Prime Minister must also have matured as a leader and also the head of the government, after having witnessed and experienced so much in the ten years of democracy the country has seen. This time, the country faces serious challenges, specially on the economic and security fronts. PM Koirala must come up with strong and pragmatic policies if he is to win the confidence of the shaken citizens. The people are eagerly awaiting to hear the programmes of the government at this crisis ridden period. His Majesty the King will read out the policies and programmes on May 19th (Friday). Right after he took up office, Prime Minister Koirala has stressed that security, good governance and corruption control are the three main agendas of his government. He has been pragmatic in correctly identifying the most serious problems of the nation. However, the forthcoming programme guidelines of the government will indicate what he has in mind to tackle these three challenges. Of course, the government will need the cooperation of the opposition parties for it to realise many of its goals. Regarding this, the most important role will have to be played by the CPN (UML), the main opposition party. Just organising protest programmes will not take the country anywhere. The UML and other opposition parties will have to play a more responsible and constructive role for the betterment of the nation. For example, everyone has been demanding for the reduction of prices of essential goods, that is good, but how this can be done, no one has even given even a small hit. The government does not have a magic wand that it can roll back situations beyond its control. It can be hoped this session of the parliament will demonstrate both the ruling party and the opposition have learnt from past mistakes and they will now work together to mitigate the problems of the people and the country.

Protect the children

Children are being used in conflicts as front line fighters,  spies, prostitutes and messengers in many conflict areas around the world today. Though in many places in Asia, they are recruited at gunpoint, other factors like poverty, ignorance, propaganda and social alienation leaves them vulnerable at the hands of armies, paramilitaries and militias. At least 300,000 children are participating in armed conflicts around the world at present. Their innocence and ignorance fully exploited, some of the children are used for suicide missions. Some are even forced to commit atrocities against their own people, own family members. These young victims are brutally stripped of their childhood and denied education. The survivors are left with scarred psychology, maimed bodies and desperation aplenty. It is not hard to imagine where this young population would end up in future, if they were to survive till they became adults.

Any normal human being would consider it his duty to protect and nurture their children. To encourage children to join in any kind of conflict is an unpardonable crime. This crime is being committed in Nepal also, where underage children are made to join British Gurkha Army by over stating their age; and in the Maoist movement recently.

If we, the inhabitants of the earth were to call ourselves civilised and if we think we have a heart, we need to weed out this rising menace that is pushing future generations into the darkness of never ending hate and misery. What kind of future can we envision for ourselves if today we do not put a stop to this horrible scenario where children kill other children and adults; and adults do not hesitate to kill children?

The land mark conference, Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers, being held in Kathmandu could not have taken place sooner. We need to make sure that this unpardonable crime is stopped and the guilty punished. This nightmare must end soon.

Postal rates increase unreasonable

By: Hari Bansh Jha

Communication is the lifeblood of a nation. Development of a country will remain at a standstill if  communication is underdeveloped. Hence, a great importance is attached to the development of this sector. In the process of facilitating   communication network, the rates on various modes of communication are getting subsidized. In several countries, pressure is mounting on the governments to make the Internet facility free. At a time, the world is heading for communication-free regime, it is very sad that the governments of Nepal and India have increased the postal rates perceptibly.

In fact, the hike in postal rates has crossed all the limits! In Nepal, the charge on ordinary letter to India is increased from NRs. 2 to NRs. 15. In India, too, the postal rate for ordinary letter, which was IRs. 3 (NRs. 4.80) for upto 20 grams is pushed to IRs. 7 (NRs. 11.20). This means that in Nepal the postal charge increased by 650 percent and in India by 133 percent. The present postal rate on mail is almost in par with international standard and, thus, it is far costlier than the modern means of communication, like e-mail or Internet.

The postal matters are within the jurisdiction of the government both in Nepal and in India. Any change in the postal rates directly affects the life of the ordinary people. It is not expected from a government believing in the concept of welfare state to increase such rates and that, too, in an illogical manner.

If we go by history, we find that the relations between Nepal and India on postal matters date back to the 19th century. The formal bilateral agreement on the postal matters was signed between the two countries as late as in 1964. At the time, this agreement was signed; the concept of terminal dues was non-existent. In fact, the Universal Postal Union evolved this concept in 1969 only.

Being the member of the Universal Postal Union, both Nepal and India could have introduced terminal due on mail as early as in 1969. Yet, considering the traditional special ties and the interest of the people of the two countries, the terminal due was not charged for mail. Until recently, the postal service was provided to the people at the domestic rates.

A turning point in the Nepal-India postal relations occurred when the Treaty of Trade and Transit was not renewed on March 23, 1989. Following this development, the Panchayat regime in Nepal is believed to have pressurized India for the payment of terminal due out of frustration. This regime collapsed in 1990. But the country’s Postal Department continued to exert its pressure on India to pay for the terminal dues.

Ultimately, India acceded to the Nepalese demand and the postal rates were revised with effect from February 1, 1999 to take care of the terminal dues. Subsequently, India also made Nepal pay for the terminal dues on postal matters. The pressure from the Nepalese Postal Department is largely responsible for the unreasonable hike in postal rates.

In one way, the national exchequers of Nepal and India might benefit from the terminal dues on postal matters. Yet, the poor and ordinary people have suffered. The well-off people both in Nepal and in India might afford to establish contact with each other through telephone, e-mail or Internet.

But millions of these people cannot do so. Are we serious about the inconveniences caused by the new postal regime to the millions of our brothers and sisters from the hills who have been working in different occupations in India, like soldiers, police and watchmen? Did we think of the impact of such regime on millions of the Madhesiya population who go to Hariyana, Punjab, Himanchal Pradesh and in several other states of India as agricultural workers? Are we also serious about many of the poor Nepalese students who cannot use any means other than the letter for communication at home?

Myth not good enough excuse

By Krishna Bhatt

To ones surprise, some of the former ministers are good writers too. At least it appears so, when their work gets published in a renowned daily or periodicals of the country; albeit only after they are finally out of power and their chances of returning to the ministerial residence becomes slim indeed; at least for the foreseeable future.

One wonders why the country did not make much headway during the last decade of democracy; though it saw ministers of various colors and creed. Particularly when many among those were those, who also had the capacity to debate about the problems of the people and make suggestions through their writings.

These capable people got the mandate of the people to reach the corridors of the power more than once in certain instances. Notwithstanding the desirable pre conditions of the right men at the right places- to the misfortune of the country and the people-somehow things did not work out.

In fact our heart bleeds, watching the former ministers’ love for their people in their eloquent writings. Indeed, how honest it is of them to divulge their helplessness from time to time!

 Like these former ministers, we have people occupying high decision making positions in bureaucracy, judiciary and in almost every public office who also want to do a lot for the country. But since this country is said to be jinxed due to the Sharap (curse) of Sati (a mythological female figure), nothing much can be done here. Also, they say, any one who tries to break this jinx would later be discredited.

Good excuse, huh? So sit back and do nothing and blame Sati for cursing and save your backside!

Give a concrete answer

Why is our Govt  misusing the tax payer’s money by using expensive Chinese bricks for the walls of the biggest parliamentary compound in the world (Singha Darbar), instead of ordinary bricks; when nothing concrete ever comes out from the parliamentary session for the welfare of our country and for the people?

Yam Gurung
Lalitpur, Jawalakhel
Via Internet

Diamond cuts diamond!

Memories are still fresh regarding the bold act of hijacking of a RNAC plane carrying 3 million Indian currency belonging to Rastra Bank.

 Minister Banstola now has had to solve the five months old ordeal resulting in the suspension of all commercial flights of Indian Airlines to Kathmandu. Nepal was made to suffer by the abrupt suspension of all commercial flights of the Indian Airlines in the pretext of security lapses at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

 Even in developed countries like Europe and USA, several cases of hijackings have occurred in spite of heavy security arrangements. Even India itself has seen a number of such hijacking, where its planes have been hijacked by the hijackers with different motives. It is unfortunate that India, being our closest neighbour   suspended the flights for so long as five months with no logical reasons.

During this five months period several meetings and dialogues between Nepalese and Indian officials were held without any positive results.

However, is it not ironical that the present  Nepalese Foreign Minister Chakra P. Banstola, who happened to be linked with the hijacking in the panchayat regime succeeded in solving this knotty problem? Bravo Banstola r

Jagdish B. Mathema
Balaju, Kathmandu