Maoists insurgency has already acquired the strength of a force not to be easily dismissed with - Ajay Ghimire, ACE Institute, Baneshwar

Are we a country in truest sense of the term? To me, the kingdom appears to have remained confined within a few locations, for example, in some important towns and district head quarters. In totality, if it is a country then as a whole the form unfortunately is a pathetic one. We are at the bottom comparatively speaking. One would be at a loss today on how to introduce Nepal and the Nepalese while being abroad?

Having admitted that depressing situation, still I would dare to assert that given the prevalence of the talents and the expertise and know-how in the country, we can still achieve a new height, which we used to have not in the distant past. We possess immense potential and the nature has bestowed us with all the needed resources whose effective utilization and exploitation could bring our economic magnificence back.

All that we need is a conducive environment; we can spring back with the same force with which we had proceeded some decades back. The fact is that the required capital for investment will still pour in. We have the needed proficiency. Given the good institutional set-up, we can develop instantaneously. The base is already there.

Why we are lagging behind?

It is very simple to explain. We are still a feudal society and the feudal lords would very much wish to continue with the status quo for the establishments of any functional institutions in the country is apparently not in their interests. Rest assured that feudalism survives in the absence of functional institutions. The 1990 movement was definitely a leap forward but then those who usurped power were having the same feudal mind-set or mentality. The country is still suffering from their same redundant attitudes.

The leaders could have provided a new face-lift to the country in each and every sector. However, they did not pay due attention towards the creation of such functional institutions. They did not allow institutions to prosper instead they consolidated their own personal political base at the cost of the national's interests. To arrest this trend, I think unless the present day leaders' work towards that end voluntarily or a sort of pressure group should press the State towards the creation of development of institutions. Unfortunately, it is the people having guns making impact in the society. This is the most disappointing trend, to say the least. I presume, those who possess guns perhaps don't believe in the democratic values and the norms. By the same token, those who believe in the system and its established norms are bogged down in their own petty political interests. The choices left to us is either get into politics or accept to be ruled by the feudal lords. The third option could be support of foreign forces. Here again, the alien forces will certainly prefer to impose their own hidden agenda, which will in no way be in our national interests. Let's hope that we will not have the fate of Afghanistan or for that matter Somalia and the likes.

Politics? Well! As a responsible citizen, I too had presumed that after the 1990 transition, the democratic system would be strengthened. However, that was not to happen. Here again, those who possess guns are creating the problem. Until and unless a third force having proper regard for the democratic ideal and values emerges, the nation's sickness will continue to persist for long. This force should enjoy certain amount of international backing which later should initiate efforts directed at bringing the holders of the two guns to the table. If this does happen, I would be the one to jump with joy. Tell me who benefits from the prolongation of the status quo? Certainly some people who benefit from the sales of the arms and enjoy commissions from such sales. The rest long for a permanent peace.

I deduce the worst is yet to come if things move as it is made to move. Though I'm not a student of political science but yet I would suggest big reforms to be effected in the political sector in order to bring back the derailed politics in to its original track. I don't know who is governing the country? Really I don't know. It's true that some body should have been governing.

Maoist's problem? How others have taken this issue I can't say, however, for me this entanglement does provide several lessons. The positive side has been that "some privileged groups must be considerate towards those groups who are not that fortunate enough". My tip-off is towards the fact that when there is excessive exploitation of the available resources by a handful of personalities and the rest are left into the cold, such uprising are bound to happen. We all have a lesson to be learnt from the emergence of the Maoists problem. Let us all be clear that "lopsided growth is not sustainable". By the same token, Nepali politicians too should learn from this insurgency. However, unfortunately, Nepali politicians while in power did not read to the signals ventilated by the exploited ones on time, which at the moment has become already a headache to the men handling the state.

To me, the Maoists insurgency is a sort of political struggle, which has already acquired the strength of a force not to be easily dismissed with. Let's accept this fact. Nevertheless, given the international environment and so many other factors, rest assured that the Maoists can't achieve their ultimate goal that of a republican order in the country. Equally true is the fact that the continuation of struggle by both the warring opponents is neither in the interest of the nation nor of the people.

Regrettably, the politicos in Singh Durbar did not take Maoists as a force until they began speaking the language of violence. If we don't learn from our past blunders, almighty will only be the savior of the country.

As regards the ACE Institute, well it is an academic institution that "strives to impart education that would enable our graduates to compete with the products of other similar international academic institutions". Ours is not for providing education for the masses but yet it is affordable to many more, comparatively speaking.

We have up to Masters in Business Administration, MBA and MBA for the Executives who were already employed ones. In addition, we have four-year courses on BBA as well.

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