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LETTERS |
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LETTERS |
A Dictatorial Move Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's
government has taken a dictatorial move by refusing to extend the tenure of the local
bodies and seeking to empower civil servants to handle their tasks ("Political
Vacuum", SPOTLIGHT July 26-August 1). The beauty of democracy is that elected
representatives have the upper hand in governing at the national and local levels.
According to the law, local bodies can rule for an extra year if new elections cannot be
held. Despite this clear-cut provision, the government has created a rule out of nowhere
to empower the administration for governance. This act resembles the Rana regime's rule by
decree. Jaya Shrestha A Good Decision Whether at the local level or the center,
few politicians have abstained from corruption. So what is the point in supporting such
people ("Political Vacuum", SPOTLIGHT July 26-August 1)? I cannot understand why
a popular and pro-public magazine like SPOTLIGHT chose to carry a cover story on the local
bodies controversy. After all, the local bodies were virtually non-existent in almost all
the rural parts of the country. At this time when development work meant only restoring
peace, they had the least role in governing. Why keep these dead institutions on life
support for nothing? Jeevan Shrestha via e-mail Little Meaning Like many of its other political decisions,
the Sher Bahadur Deuba government's refusal to extend the tenure of local bodies is
against the people ("Political Vacuum", SPOTLIGHT July 26-August 1). But, then,
what have elected leaders done for the welfare of the people in the past? Moreover, what
could the people have expected had the tenure of local bodies been extended for a year?
The elected people did not accomplish any work efficiently and "cleanly". Nor
can we expect civil servants to do the job any better. Like the Nepali Congress split, the
controversy over the local bodies actually means little to the general public. Om Sharma Unethical Journalism I was surprised to find you wasting
precious space to speak of Girija Prasad Koirala's "loss of mental balance"
(Editor's Note, SPOTLIGHT, July 19-25). You further go on reminding the duty of the state
toward its ex-premier. The unfortunate fact was that you based your rude comment on rumor.
Having differences with a politician like Koirala does not mean that you can ignore the
ethics of journalism and write in such a ridiculous way. From the piece, it does not seem
that you made even an inch of effort to verify matters. As long as mediapersons misuse
freedom of expression in this way, readers would not be able to differentiate between
active journalists and political activists. As a reader, I can only request you to stop
misusing the freedom democracy has guaranteed. Suraj Nurture Nature Your story on the rains that lashed the
capital ("Wet Strike", SPOTLIGHT, July 26-Aug 1) was timely. The experience has
taught a lesson to residents of Kathmandu valley and government officials on how dangerous
the rivers in region are. Many houses constructed on riverbanks were washed away. The
fault lies with the people who constructed low-cost homes without properThe riverbanks
have been encroached by so called land-less who did not seek permission from government
before building homes. They did not enquire with the concerned department whether the
sites were safe or not. The flood destroyed their homes, property and human life. We can
only hope that people will become more aware of these realities. Since massive
deforestation has caused landslide in many places, we must take care of nature for our own
survival. Nirakar Poudel |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
