OFF THE RECORD (Spotlight Weekly)

‘No Alternative To Protest’

— SARAD UPRETI

Transport entrepreneurs are launching an agitation in different phases against the government's announcement that it will ban 20-year-old vehicles from Kathmandu Valley. President of the Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs SARAD UPRETI sees no alternative to a strike in the present circumstances. He spoke to SPOTLIGHT on the government's decision and its aftermath. Excerpts:

Why are you organizing this protest program?

We have been compelled to announce this protest program as the government unilaterally announced a ban on 20-year-old vehicles from the valley. There is no justification for the decision.

But the government argues that it is necessary to ban old vehicles to protect the environment?

I don't understand the rationale of this argument. One cannot measure emission on the basis of the vehicle's age. It all depends on the quality of maintenance. Sometimes a new vehicle puffs out more emission than old ones.

What steps will you take if the government refuses to accede to your demand?

We will stop public transport throughout the country as this decision affects the livelihood of thousands of people. How can the government ask someone to pull his vehicle off the streets just because it is over 20 years old?

If the government agree to pay compensation, what will be your response?

It will depend on the nature of the compensation. But we cannot simply evict our vehicles from the valley.

Feudal Culture

Nepal : Communism with Feudalism

Nepalese comrades are yet to get rid of their feudal mentality. Progressive, democratic or radical, our communist leaders have a mode of thought reminiscent of the Rana regime. Following the restoration of multiparty democracy, they have been emulating Rana rulers by erecting dozens of statues in different parts of the country. A statue of communist leader and former prime minister Manmohan Adhikary was recently built at Sanepa. We all know the fate of statues as time passes. Just look at those of some of the big guns of the Rana regime -- they have lost even their places and many are imprisoned within the bounds of Tundikhel. The same could happen tomorrow if we continue to encourage the practice of building statues. Instead of encroaching precious public space with sculptures of the dead, our politicos could try to highlight the positive contributions of those who they think are worthy of remembrance.

Professional Ethics

Are professionals by definition incapable of doing wrong? Every mortal is susceptible to fraud, deceit and simple error. That’s why there should be no problem in acknowledging that Dr. Bhola Joshi, former president of Nepal Medical Council, is no exception. But some doctors are acting as if Dr. Joshi could not have committed a mistake while administering anaesthesia to a patient (who later died) who was operated upon by a fake Indian surgeon. When Dr. Joshi played with the life of a patient, what is wrong in prosecuting him? If he is found innocent of the charges, he will definitely be set free. But no one should be allowed to go scot-free under the misplaced notion of professional infallibility.

Mountain Out Of Mole-hill

Speaker Taranath Rana Bhat recently convened a meeting of senior ministers and parliament bigwigs to discuss an "anonymous letter". The letter, apparently addressed to the Speaker, dwelt on the limits of the legislative branch and its relations with the executive. Sent by an unidentified person/institution, the letter managed to create a sense of panic among parliament officials. Many participants objected to the Speaker’s decision to call a meeting over what they considered such a trivial matter. Some even suggested that people from the parliament itself could have written the letter to create a mountain out of a molehill. At a time when half-truths and even outright falsehood pass for news, that conjecture obviously was not out of place.

Stardom In Kollywood

Though many Nepalese films have celebrated silver and golden jubilees, there is no actor or actress that can be called a star. None of the present lot in Kollywood can pull audiences on account of their personal fame alone. However, there are some signs of change. Actor Rajesh Hamal and director Tulasi Ghimire do command a respectable fan following and their films have succeeded in pulling a reasonable initial crowd. If this trend continues, our Kollywood galaxy, too, may soon have its own constellations of stars and superstars.