EDITOR'S NOTE

It is, indeed, very sad and ironical that the paragon of democratic parties had to take resort to clamp most draconian laws on the people to restore law and order. The brutal violence perpetrated by the Maoists, perhaps, left no option for the popularly elected democratic government of Nepali Congress led by Sher Bahadur Deuba but to declare emergency throughout the kingdom and deploy the army. Nearly two weeks after the declaration of emergency, according to official reports, the army action is proving quite effective in quelling the Maoist insurgency. But, stray incidents in and around the capital keep on generating fears in the mind of the Kathmanduites. Since the Maoists, with the limited resources cannot stand up to the highly equipped Royal Nepal Army for a long period unless their supplies are replenished by some alien forces, it is hoped the county will soon breathe a sigh of relief. Normalcy in the kingdom could return much earlier if the Maoists could pluck courage to lay down the arms in exchange of general amnesty. After all, they also are the sons and daughters of the same soil and can enjoy same rights and privileges as the rest of the countrymen if they chose not to listen to destructive counsels and abide by the laws of the country. The sooner they realize that they have selected wrong ways to achieve their objectives, the better for them and the country as well. They should never lose sight of the simple saying "when brothers fight, the villains profit".

 The imposition of emergency, for howsoever a smaller period, should be avoided as it suspends the fundamental rights of the people. But, if the authority thinks it is unavoidable as has happened in Nepal, it must be put to best use so that the government is able to obtain maximum public cooperation. Our Prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who seems to be the principal actor in the drama being enacted in the country at the moment, has been awarded an excellent opportunity to prove his worth and wipe away the obnoxious left-over of his previous innings. Since quelling the insurgency and restoring law and order has become the prime responsibility of the Royal Nepal Army, Prime minister Deuba can afford to focus his whole attention on toning up the administration. The Nepalese have strong apprehensions that the emergency powers might be misused and the country pushed further towards the brink of disaster. The Prime minister has, indeed, assured the opposition that the government will take all precautions to prevent any abuse of the emergency. Not only that, he should make the best possible effort to give good governance to the country, arrest corruption, punish the offenders and restore some semblance of confidence in the government. If his intentions are honest and if he rally wants to serve the people and the country it is the best opportunity for him to start punitive action against all corrupt politicians who have looted the country, punish the unscrupulous businessmen who have looted the banks and look all those immoral bureaucrats who have looted the government treasury. He could not find a better opportunity to instill some discipline in the people and generate some respect for the leaders and the government. The Prime Minister must be well aware of his own capabilities to face the situation. It is not an easy time and he is confronting great challenges. The country is in great peril of losing the hard won democracy. At the verge of bankruptcy. The governments needs big funds for security operations. As such, the army operations must be short and most productived. The emergency must be lifted as early as possible. Otherwise, we might have to witness the return of Pauranic Bhashmasur. These are very tall orders. Can Deuba cope with them?

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