LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Telegraph

LETTER

As a concerned citizen, I have been trying to understand and analyse the pros and cons of the so called reforms announced by PM S.B.Deuba.

As a slogan, it might be attractive, but what implications it makes on the common mass or to say precisely the middle class of the nation?

I have few questions, which needs to be answered.

1. In democracy do we not have a right to property?

2. Is land a property or not?

3. How much land is enough for one person or family, who decides it?

4. If traditionally, people have been depending on land and do not have other skills to diversify to other sector or do not have the needed cash to do so, are they to be penalised simply because they have few bighas of land or few ropanis of land more than others?

5. When one industralist can own hundreds of industry and employ thousands of labour, still he could be called 'owner', then why a few bighas owner cannot employ peasants to cultivate the land and they have to be targetted by saying 'jasko jot ushko pot'?

6. The constitution of Nepal gives right for all the Nepalese to earn and buy property in Nepal, but the government is so mean only to the common people who can merely live hand to mouth, where as others so called big industrialists borrow the money from Nepalese banks, raise from shares from Nepali public, make their living lavish with public property and take all the money back to somewhere they feel they are more loyal and they are termed more Nationalist in the eye of our politicians.

7. How can a man with a pair of stiched slippers in 12 years can become a millionaire or billionaire and still can be more reformist? Are they willing to part with their property in the name of poor public?

8. Will the few hundred rich part with their excess wealth to the poors?

9. What compensations have the government planned to give to those owners whose land may be nationalised? What rate are they going to pay? Will their rate be very low to that of bank rate or municipality or VDC rate? Which rate should we call genuine?

10. Are all landowners 'shoshak', 'samanti'?

11. Are we not trying to create another Maoist group by forfeiting people's property?

12. Is Nepal so unique that the definition of Democracy is different to that of other developed countries of the world?

My feelings in this regard is that the PM has not done the ample homework and have taken the decision in a haste. I wish all the people to live a content life, but will this solve the problem? When you cannot redistribute the wealth how can you only target the lands?I cannot imagine that our policy makers have that exceptional quality to resolve successfully. Our politicians are like that monkey, which tries to make equal weight to distribute equally and eating out of them all by saying that it has tilted more this side or that side. Let this reform begin from the public figures, let them be example first. We are ready to accept if they declare their excess property and distribute to others. But ultimately, they will all be spared and only the common people will suffer. No person with billions will ever pay a Paisa to the government, just see to this point.

Let us be mature and act accordingly. There is a saying 'lato ladchha aek baldhyang batho ladchha tin baldhyang', let this step not be a boomerang to the PM himself. God save Nepal and Nepalese people.

BRNath