Editorial (Spotlight Weekly)

The long awaited cease fire between the security forces of His Majesty's Government of Nepal and the Maoist rebels has after all, been achieved. The country has heaved a sigh of relief. Not only the people of Nepal but all the world powers have welcomed the cease fire and wished success to the peace talks that will take place soon. It has no become evident that the Chand government has been working for this kind of break through right from the very beginning of its coming to power. They had to keep it close to their heart lest it would have been sabotaged by forces that did not want the Chand government to succeed to broker any kind of understanding between the two fighting forces. In a situation when the so called bigger political parties had been urging the Maoists not to negotiate with the caretaker Chand government, that the Maoists did, ultimately, see through the evil designs of the quislings and decided that it was time to stop spilling innocent Nepalese blood has come as a matter of great gratification. If the Maoists are like the prodigal sons whom the country is willing to welcome back as their own. The corrupt and inscrupulous politicians are like vermin that will destroy the very foundation of our hard won democracy and pose greatest danger to our sovereignty itself. Col. Narayan Singh Pun, a member in the Chand government has emerged not only as an adept politician but a truly nationalist Nepali that has put to shame all the corrupt politicians who have only looted the country in the last twelve years. This quick break through in the process of dialogue with the Maoists by the Chand government has proved quite unambiguously that it is not very difficult to reach an understanding if talks are pursued sincerely and honestly. Another glaring factor that has become evident is that if we can act independently without any alien influence that does not work in our national interest, we can achieve greater things which have been deprived from us in the past. If we fail to take appropriate lessons from our experiences, we cannot blame any body else for all our miseries. Since the Chand government was appointed by King Gyanendra under clause 127 of the constitution, he cannot avoid sharing the responsibilities in he activities of the government. Consequently, it can be easily figured out who is really pulling the strings. Since national events in Nepal seem to be coming back to the track, the thing that really matters at this juncture is how strongly the Chand government can withstand the pressures of the defamed and discredited politicians. Whether it be the round table conference or the interim government that would follow the understanding, these depraved politicians must be kept out of our national politics. They must be sent to the place they legally belong to without any ado. Even the other party to the insuring dialogue, the Maoists, must have by now, become wiser to the true nature and character of these anti-nationalist politicians and should not insist on their inclusion in the negotiating team. There are thousands and even millions of patriotic Nepalese who can turn out to be honest statesmen, dedicated politicians and able administrators to replace these things. If the country again misses the bus the men at the helms of affairs in the present scenario shall have to shoulder all the blame for the consequences the nation will have to face then.

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The tragic mishap that broke space shuttle Columbia just a few minutes before landing killing all the seven astronauts on board has cash a gloom over all peoples of the world. The untimely deaths of the brave astronauts who had always risked their precious life in the scientific exploration of space have come as irreparable loss not only to the U.S.A. but to humanity itself Even though all space flights have been put on hold for the time being, the space activities are sure to resume in due course. Human will is too indomitable to be daunted by such setbacks . There are some superstitionists who are taking the tragedy as a precursor of bigger tragedies that are sure to hit the world in the days to come if we give in to baser aggrandizements. But no reasonable person would put any faith in such fanciful figment of imagination. Space program will continue with greater vigor and determination even though such tragedies in future too cannot be completely ruled out. We have in Nepal are greatly shocked at the terrible tragedy and share the griefs of the near and dear ones of all the dead astronauts. We would also like to express our heartfelt condolences to the government of the United States of America and the NASA family.