COMMENT

Don’t confuse the people

It has become a routine affair for people to make speculations about changes in the government. The present Krishna Prasad Bhattarai led government, has had to bear the uncertainty of its future even more, because of the severely chilly relations between the Prime Minister and the powerful Nepali Congress president, Girija Prasad Koirala. So right from the time it was formed, the present government has had to hear speculations of the people, not only about reshuffles and expansions, but about the longevity of the government itself. Now that the issue of whether Bhattarai will continue as Prime Minister or not, has at least been settled between the two top leaders of the party, the talk is on about changes in the portfolios. There have been predictions, specially in the media, that changes will take place any day now. The funny aspect of this whole political drama, is that neither the party concerned, nor any member of the government, have at any time tried to clear the existing confusion. It is unclear whether they thrive in this atmosphere of uncertainty or the leaders themselves don’t know anything about their own fate.   

The leaders may have their own paranoia or other political fears, but they cannot keep the whole nation in suspense all the time. If there indeed is going to be a change, then the Prime Minister can at least provide a hint as to when such a decision is going to be made. The biggest setback when such predictions of change in the government are made and there is an atmosphere of uncertainty, is that there always is a slow down of work at different ministries and other government offices. Workers refuse to take decisions and sometimes they even refuse the orders of their higher ups, including the ministers. Naturally, such dragging of feet, hurts the nations and the people. For now, Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s advisors  seem to be going on the offensive by trying to highlight the achievements of the present government. But they must realise, that hiding the dirt under the carpet and beguiling the public will not do any good for the Prime Minister and also the government in the long run. The sooner the people in the government realises this, the better.

Good work RNA !

Apart from tourism, if there is one other area where Nepal has earned name and fame in the international arena, then that is in the United Nations peacekeeping missions. More than 30,000 Royal Nepalese Army personnel have participated in different peacekeeping assignments in the long years of the Nepalese Army’s association with the world body. Nepal’s contribution to maintain peace and security in different trouble spots has been appreciated by virtually everyone. From the deserts in the Middle East to the treacherous areas in Africa and also Haiti, they are just some of the few places where RNA soldiers have demonstrated their courage and discipline. So it was definitely a feather in the cap for the country, when the first ever international South Asian Peacekeeping Operations Multi-Platoon Training Event opened here on Sunday. Coordinated by the United Nations Peacekeeping Department and conducted by the Royal Nepalese Army with the assistance of the US Army Pacific Command, soldiers from more than 17 countries, including the US and China are participating in the training programme.

While it is sure the training will help enhance the preparedness of the peacekeepers and also increase international networking in this field, for Nepal, this trust in its capability to hold such a multi-platoon training event, will also be a big boost as far as its international image in peacekeeping is concerned. It was right on the part of the Chief of the Army Staff of Nepal to have taken up this opportunity, when high level army officials from many countries were present, to have requested for the endorsement of Nepal’s request that there be a regional peacekeeping centre within its borders. There must be immense enthusiasm within the Royal Nepalese Army top brass, that the United Nations, some days later lent full support to Nepal’s proposal of establishing such a Regional Training Centre. This assurance was given by UN Assistant Secretary General Young Jin Choi who emphasised that such a centre is necessary in this region. Meanwhile, this type of an initiative from the army, should be observed by the government, and efforts should be made, on how other fields where Nepal has the proper facilities, could be explored to make economic benefits and also gain international reputation. The Royal Nepal Army deserves a salute for its present work.

Hijacking of airlines or peace?

By Ram Bahadur Vishwokarma

While making comments on the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto wrote in Dawn, “The hijacking may have ended. The phase of its repercussions has only begun.” This gives an ominous picture of the worsening of the situation of peace in South Asia, particularly between India and Pakistan. Since Nepal is also implicated in various activities between India and Pakistan,. The relations between India and Nepal might also be affected.

The hijacking of the Indian Airlines has already started making its impact. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee wanted the support of international community to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. The deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Shariff acknowledged, “Pakistan faces a threat of being declared a terrorist state...Pakistan has been isolated, its image has suffered.”

Though the international community, including the US, has not been enthusiastic over Vajpayee’s proposal on declaring Pakistan as a terrorist state, the tension between South Asia’s two big neighbours in mounting.

There is a tremendous domestic pressure on the government of India to break its relations with Pakistan, on top of stopping the bus service from Amritsar to Lahore. Pakistan has already scrapped trade with India. A normalty like situation that was restored after the Kargil war between Indian and Pakistan has been strained again.

Many people in India and outside feel that the hijacking of the plane was not handled properly by the Indian authorities. The return of the passengers from Kandahar in Afghanistan in exchange for the release of three hardcore terrorists have increased the morale of terrorists all over the world. No sooner than the drama of hijacking of the Indian plane was over, an unsuccessful efforts were made by certain elements to hijack the plane of Bangladeshi Airlines, Biman. However, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee maintains that the terrorists responsible for the hijacking of the Indian airlines failed to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

Because the Indian plane was hijacked from Kathmandu, Nepal is also blamed for giving protection to the elements hostile to India. It is for the first time in Nepal’s fifty years of aviation history that a plane is being hijacked from TIA. The alleged involvement of the people hostile to India in the hijacking drama has put Nepal on the defensive side. It has become difficult for Nepal to impress upon the world community that the country’s soil is not being used against its neighbour.

Foreign Minister Ram Sharan Mahat still does not believe that security lapse at the TIA led to the hijacking. However, Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai categorically accepted that the hijacking of the Indian Airlines might have occured due to lack of security arrangement at TIA.

The outright rejection of the Prime Minister Bhattarai’s views on security lapses at the TIA has brought a new controversy. Who is right - the Prime Minister or his Foreign Minister? Being the supreme authority in the parliament democracy, the Prime Minister can even fire any of his colleagues in his Council of Ministers if he goes against his wish. But it is not understandable why Prime Minister Bhattarai is silent on Mahat’s categorical opposition to his views on security lapses at TIA. Non-action against Mahat will seriously erode Bhattarai’s image in the nation.

Many of those who traveled through TIA have found serious lapses in security. What is required most for an international airport is to have a transit lounge. Security pass is issued to only selected persons. Frisking is done to find out if any unauthorized object is carried. Duty-free shop is not permitted in the security zone. Unfortunately, the TIA hardly fulfills some of these basic requirements. Who does not know that the authorities working for different line agencies want their posting at TIA to earn “extra” money? Obviously, the extra money cannot be generated if the authorities concerned do not indulge in unscrupulous activities.

Even if one believes Foreign Minister Mahat for a while in regard to the security environment at TIA, how can he defend the charge of the misuse of the Nepalese soil against her neighbour? No sooner than the hijacking drama of the Indian Airlines was over, the Nepalese police caught an employee of Pakistani embassy red hand for his involvement in counterfeit currency of the denomination of IC Rs. 500. Such activities have detrimental effect on the economy of Nepal and India.

In fact, the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane should be treated as an eye-opener not only for the Indians but also for the Nepalese government. If there is security lapse at the TIA or the country’s soil is used against the third country, there should be no hitch in accepting the reality. Just ignoring the fact will not solve the problem. If the taskforce set up on the hijacking of the Indian airlines finds security lapse at TIA, the government and the concerned authorities in Nepal need not live behind in plugging the security loopholes at the TIA, in the border region or anywhere in the country. Apart from Nepal, the other country of this region should also learn a lesson that it will be isolated once it is engaged in unscrupulous activities like the hijacking of the airlines.