Deadly impasse

Rajeeb L. Satyal, Baluwatar

The government, and political parties, have failed to provide even very minimum sense of security to the common people. We can think of basic necessity only if we live. People are being massacred like livestock in the slaughterhouse and all that government and political parties think of is getting political benefit through propaganda. It seems that they have lost their humanity and compassion. We are, in indeed in crisis, more serious than average people on the street realize.

The common people wonder whether it is really government /political parties' incompetence or their deliberate intention not to solve Maoist problem in Nepal? The underlying reason for not solving this problem appears more mysterious than common people can imagine. And when people say solving problem, they do not necessarily mean just killing the alleged-enemies. They expect it to be solved strategically through negotiation, intelligence and international politics.

Other surprising thing which is being deliberately overlooked and that even an 11-year-old boy knows, is that the Maoist problem can be solved only with a complete cooperation of India. They are operating from India, with or without the knowledge of the Indian government. Many Nepali leaders have visited India, only to shake hand with Indian leaders, which appears more like conspiracy rather than a serious national request for genuine help to solve this problem. Why would India care to solve Nepal's problem when its leaders do not show any genuine intention? And lets also realize that we have neither any expertise nor statesmanship in the country needed to deal with kind of situation.

Now, I think, it high time that we requested for international assistance to assist Nepal to assess the situation, and deal with the problem strategically, without any political prejudice.

"WE SHALL REMEMBER 9/11"

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NEPAL, MICHAEL E. MALINOWSKI

Today we commemorate the first anniversary of an event that left people in the united states of america and all over the world breathless in disbelief as millions sat clued to their television screens watching the twin towers of the world trade center in new york being hit by commercial airplanes carrying passengers on regular, scheduled flights. When the first airplane hit the north tower, people talked about a "tragic accident" thinking of mechanical failure or pilot error. Within minutes, another airplane crashed into the south tower. While everyone tried to come to grips with the reality of this event not being accidental, news broke of a third aircraft having been flown into the pentagon, the u.s. Department of defense building – and then came the story of yet a fourth flight that ploughed into the ground in an open field in pennsylvania but had been destined for another target, possibly the white house and only diverted by the courage and self-sacrifice of its passengers who had been alerted on their cell-phones to the events in new york.

These events proved all too clearly that nobody and no nation is safe. Although the terrorists who planned and carried out this attack may have thought only of lashing out at america and americans, the people who died were citizens of over ninety countries of the world. They had come from great britain, france and germany, from pakistan, india and bangladesh, from argentina, zimbabwe and uzbekistan. This act of terror affected not only the peoples of the united states, but of the entire globe.

The immediate outpouring of sympathy from people and governments, the unity displayed in grief and condemnation, showed that the world realized that it was not just the united states that was under attack – it was an attack on the freedom of the world. It was an attack on our most fundamental beliefs, manifested in our constitution: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are not unique to the united states of america; they are the fundamental rights of all people, everywhere. It was an attack that symbolized all the acts of terrorism all too rampant in the world today; be they acts of terrorism perpetrated by small groups of people against governments or be they acts of terrorism carried out by governments against civilians – we hear, read or see news of such acts every day, in every continent. We experience them even here, in nepal, every day. Those who die are not the only victims; their families, their friends, their communities are equally victims, not only in the grief for their loss but also in the uncertainty of who will be next.

The world’s peoples and governments realized this in their outpouring of expressions of sympathy and solidarity; in their immediate pledges and actions in the fight against terrorism in all its forms in all places. The world stands united in its determination to fight the war against terrorism, wherever it manifests itself and whatever its form. This war shall be fought wherever people live in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones; wherever they are afraid to leave their houses because a bomb may have been placed in their town or they may be caught in gunfire while going about their daily business, and wherever they fear for their safety even in their own homes.

There is no immediate remedy. We all have to stand determined to fight the good fight; to win this war, so that all people may live in peace and strive for prosperity as individuals and nations, not in uncertainty and terror and its inevitable result of increased poverty and misery.

President george w. Bush said "how will we fight and win this war? We will direct every resource at our command – every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war – to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network."

And while we fight, we shall remember.

As a symbol of this remembrance today we are planting trees, symbols of life. The leaves or barks of some trees are used for healing. May these trees, these symbols of life and healing, grow tall and strong. May their strength and power of healing extend to all.

Speech delivered by United States Ambassador on the first anniversary of the September 11,2001 Terrorist attack of the US on September 11 at a tree plantation ceremony held at Satikhel VDC, close to Dakshinkali Temple. Chief editor.

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