EDITOR'S NOTE
The U.N. Summit 2000 has come
and gone. More than one hundred fifty Heads of State and Chief Executives of various
governments rubbed their shoulders in the galleries and halls of United Nations in New
York. Most of the leaders irrespective of the countries they represented again made
promises to alleviate poverty in the world. Even though not the first, it was indeed a
historic, occasion in the life of the UNO. In the fifty five years of its existence the
General Assembly has heard many big and small leaders of the world express their profound
concern for the billions of miserable poor of Asia and Africa. But the biggest irony faced
by the United Nations is that the majority of the developing countries are still very far
from providing even the basic necessities to their deprived millions. Isn't it a sheer
paradox that the rich countries of the world who seem obsessed with the pitiable poverty
of the less developed countries have still not fulfilled their commitment of donating one
percent of their G.D.P for uplifting their countries and the richest country in the world
is the worst offender in meeting its commitment? Isn't it criminally inhuman to spend
hundreds of billions of dollars in the manufacture of man killing hardware and space
programs, when billions of poor human beings are dying of hunger and starvation? Because
of all these. The protestations of the world leaders of rich countries smack of hypocrisy,
these leaders talk of peace while preparing themselves for space wars. Do the billions of
destitute people of Asia and Africa have any option but to swallow their unswallowable
protestation? The millennium Summit 2000 that has just concluded again painting some rosy
pictures to the poors of the world. But the great pity is that the institution that is
responsible for making plans and programs for changing the lives of the poor is not
effective. Secretary General Kofi Annan himself has admitted this fact when addressing the
Millennium Summit he has suggested in his report, "to make the United Nations a more
effective instrument for improving the lives of ordinary people everywhere." Since
the Secretary General's hands are tied without sufficient funds he has exhorted members
"not to be satisfied with declarations alone to treat your declarations as a Plan of
Action and make sure that it is rigorously followed up." We do not know how the big
and rich countries will take the advice of the Secretary General. But we cannot but be
hopeful that this Millennium Summit will definitely contribute towards making the United
Nations Organization a real messiah to the poor and the weak of the world.
The Nepalese delegation to
the twenty seventh Olympics at Sydney, Australia has generated a kind of uproar in the
sporting and other circles of Nepal. That the Nepal Olympic Committee decided to take
sixteen officials for five participating athletes is a clear reflection on the integrity
of Nepal's sports officials and the ministry of sports as well as the ministry of Finance.
Rukma Shamsher Rana who heads the Nepal Olympics Committee has huge business interests in
India. Whether he is at all interested in Nepal's development could be a debatable
question. Why did not the sports ministry cut down the delegation? And how could the
ministry of finance sanction the fund and the foreign exchange? Nobody is asking about the
performance of the team because it is a foregone conclusion. But then, how could the head
of NOC become so powerful? It is for the benefit of those who may not know Rukma Rana is
the youngest son of late Subarna Shamsher Rana who was one of the financiers of Nepali
Congress when it was struggling to oust the Rana regime in Nepal and on whose large
hearted munificence the so called leaders of Nepali Congress ate their bread and butter.
Naturally they could not say no to Rukma Rana.
| 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) |
| Photographer |
: Shyam Chitrakar |
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