LETTERS: Election expenditures

This has reference to main article “State funding for elections: Money and muscles” (THT, June 29, Page 8).

According to writer Birendra P. Mishra, it is difficult to have control over election expenditure, as election campaigns are getting costlier day by day and to meet the increasing demands of funds, parties and candidates are forced to acquire donations from different sources and by any means, fair and foul.

If Mishra is right, our democratic values are going to be affected by foul donations that would weaken the actual journey into the betterment of the performance by the winning parties.

I would think that IT-Revolution has made it possible to ban any election expenditure by fully enhancing the role of media in connecting the voters with the candidates and the parties.

The role of media was very much deplorable in the last election that consisted mostly on reporting on the candidates and parties with more spending than on connecting the voters with the candidates without any tilt towards any party or candidate.

Election laws should ban all election expenditures by parties and candidates and the Election Commission should draw the attention of the media for more enhanced role of the media in connecting the voters with the candidates and the parties.

This would very much promote the ways of achieving the fruits of democracy.

Ravi Manandhar, Kathmandu

EPG meet

The Nepal-India reconciliation efforts to revive relationship is greatly appreciated “Eminent persons group to review all aspects of Nepal-India relations” (THT, June 29, Page 1).

Both the governments must be applauded for that. India and Nepal relationship has stood the test of time for centuries from the ancient period to the days of modern history and geopolitics.

Unfortunately, since the last year the relationship took a rough shape and is detrimental not only for the two adjacent national governments but also with respect to the centuries old people to people contact between the two ancient nations.

I humbly request politicians, bureaucrats and media on both sides to be responsible and kindly show restraint and do not respond in the form of knee-jerk reactions.

Both nations are to benefit greatly from strengthening their engagement and establish stronger socioeconomic, geopolitical, diplomatic and strategic ties to enhance trade and commerce, people to people contact and develop infrastructure particularly along the Nepal-India border areas.

Joint management of natural resources such as Joint Conservation Initiative (JCI), Joint Management of Rivers (JMR) flowing between Nepal and India as well as Joint Management of the International Border (JMIB) can help both nations in successfully regulating human, drug and wildlife trafficking along the borders and to curb possible insurgent activities on either side.

Furthermore, if railway and highway network connects India-Nepal-China, it can serve as another great economic corridor for the South Asian region.

Saikat Kumar Basu, Canada