EDITOR'S NOTE
Sri Lankan Foreign minister Lakshman
Kadergamar's recently concluded Nepal visit has confirmed the fears that SAARC Summit is
not in the offing. The postponed Kathmandu Summit 1999 now could be taken as virtually
dead. Even after more than a year the Indian anguish against General Pervez Musharraf of
Pakistan has not abated. The general is still a pariah, not fit to share the table with
the Indians. Pervez dismissed an elected government. That is Pakistani's concern. We have
seen democracy function in 1974 in India. Most recently the richest democracy has set an
example how democracy has set an example how democracy should function. A country's
internal affairs should not have been used as a pretext to strangle a budding regional
organization that could contribute towards alleviation of poverty of over a billion poor
people of the region. Kadirgamar's failure in New Delhi is apt to give credence to the
lurking misgiving that India is yet to develop sincere enthusiasm for the organization
itself. Indeed India is big and powerful. But at the same time she is very poor. One
cannot even imagine that she can afford to ignore the cooperation of her smaller neighbors
for the economic upliftment of the region. Her unjustified obduracy in boycotting the
summit is hurting the smaller nations more than it will Pakistan. Since this is an age of
bilateral and multilateral cooperation, no country, howsoever big and mighty, can
withstand the fierce global pressures by itself. Developing nations, specially, need the
umbrella of regional cooperation to face the challenges posed by the world economy. Let us
hope India will give second thoughts and relent and agree to hold the much delayed summit
at the earliest.
* * *
The Nepali Congress, at the moment, is
engrossed with the ensuing convention. Even though the outcome of the convention is not a
mystery, dissidents are dreaming of some miracle to happen. As long Girija Koirala heads
the organization and the government both he will have his way. It is indeed a great pity
that the rank and file in the Nepali Congress cannot listen to the voice of their
conscience. Even the highly educated in the Nepali Congress are so much given to pelf and
power that they will stoop to any depth to link Girija's boots. And Girija has no dearth
of power and pelf. As long, the clean, honest and patriotic young leaders in the Nepali
Congress do not start educating the masses about the misdeeds, anti-national behavior and
betrayal to the cause of the poor of the so called founder leaders and tried and found
wanting leaders, the Nepali Congress will not be able to free itself from the clutches of
these greedy vultures. Unless nature comes to their rescue, the poor people of Nepal have
no alternative but to suffer the misery of misrule and mal-administration. If they have
guts, they should rise against these selfish leaders and rid the countering from their
evil influence. Or wait for the day when a savior or a messiah will appear and deliver
them.
| Chief-Editor & Publisher |
: Madhav Kumar Rimal |
| Editor |
: Sarita Rimal |
| Consulting Editor |
: Keshab Poudel |
| Senior Correspondent |
: Bhagirath Yogi |
| Senior Reporter |
: Navin Singh Khadka |
| Reporter |
: Sanjaya Dhakal / Sunil Kumar
Gupta(Nepalgunj) |
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