Words not enough

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula’s admission of his incompetence and his vow to compensate the families of those killed in the Tarai are welcome steps. But Sitaula is continuing the culture of impunity of the erstwhile royal regime by persistently refusing to take action against the guilty police officials. This smacks of his desperation to hold onto power without being least concerned about the people’s well being.

Santosh Kunwar, Baneshwor

Oust him

It is surprising to note that some people continue to support the institution of monarchy that is on its last leg. Abolition of monarchy was a clear mandate of the Jana Andolan II. Shah kings were only interested in amassing property at the cost of the common people. No leader who acts contrary to the interest of his own country and people deserves to remain in power.

Shiva Neupane, Golfutar

Suspicious

The Maoists made justice for the disadvantaged ethnic groups and women a rallying point of their war and still use the high-sounding language of inclusive democracy.

However, their actions in the recent Tarai uprising casts a shadow on their real intent. Nepalis cannot forget the way they murdered a young boy and lied about it,

threatened to unleash their army at those demanding equality and dismissed the protestors as “criminals” during the Tarai revolt.

Let’s not forget that Prachanda’s hands are still dripping with the blood of innocent Nepalis.

Santosh Subba, Naya Bazar

Uneducated

Educated leaders are more likely to make knowledgeable decisions as compared to their

uneducated counterparts. With people with proper education one can come to pragmatic solutions. But it is very hard to hold a meaningful conversation with uneducated people and persuade them to come to a negotiated settlement. An ignorant person tries to get things his way — by hook or by crook. I do not think that today’s leaders act like educated people even though some of them are highly educated. Otherwise, the country would not have had to witness bandhs virtually every other day.

When will the leaders realise that it is they who are responsible for brain drain, sluggish development and suffering of common Nepalis? It seems as if the majority of our

parliamentarians have no clue whatsoever about rational politics and good governance.

R Baral, Lalitpur

Rethink

People abroad once used to marvel at how such a diverse group of Nepalis were living together in perfect harmony. It is, however, worth noting that communal tension has flared up after Nepal was declared a secular state, not while it was a Hindu kingdom. The government should reassess the pros and cons of declaring Nepal a secular state.

Saurav Sharma, via e-mail

Shocking

The report “Dutch man charged with child abuse” (THT, Feb. 16) was indeed shocking. This highlights the inefficiency of lax laws to prevent child abuse. Only stricter laws will help

prevent such incidents.

Sabin Thapa, Galfutar