Referendum the best way

There is great danger that regressive elements will infiltrate the Constituent Assembly (CA) and draft an undemocratic constitution which will reverse all achievements of Jana Andolan II.

A national referendum on the question of a republican setup would be the safest and quickest way to consolidate these achievements. After its ratification, such a constitution will become the constitution of Nepal, not just an interim one. The republican interim constitution should be finalised by June/July, to be put before the people in a referendum by October/November.

Ravi Manandhar, Kuleswor

Tiger trade

I would like to thank THT for highlighting the issue of ban on tiger trade, “Experts against Nepal nod to lift ban on tiger trade” (THT, April 20).

Indeed, this is a global issue and a Chinese delegation is lobbying to have tiger trade legalised. I was surprised to read that Nepal is considering lifting the ban on the sale of tiger parts. It seems top government officials have been pleased by the Chinese tycoons through tempting offers.

But the lifting of the ban will be catastrophic for Nepal. Even though the international community may pressure China to ban such practices, Chinese businessmen will certainly push for import of more tigers from Nepal.

There are two reasons for this. One, tigers in the Chinese breeding colonies are extremely expensive, and two, the medicine producers desperately want more wild tiger parts.

I request all Nepali conservationists to raise a strong voice against lifting the ban on tiger trade.

Julia Edwards, via e-mail

Poor system

I am doing my B Sc from a government college in Chitwan. My only regret is that I enrolled in a government college because classes are not regular, teachers do not teach systematically and they do not often complete the courses before the final exams.

Reports from other government colleges tell the same story. The leaking of question papers that sometimes happen, as in the course of the recently held SLC exams, makes the picture even gloomier.

Moreover, cheating is allowed in a number of exam centres, as I have been witness to it, for instance, in Bara and Parsa.

Then what can be expected from our education system? This calls for serious steps aimed at improving the quality of education in government schools and colleges.

Ishwor Singh, Birendra Campus, Chitwan

Nepali time

One characteristic of most Nepalis is that they do not pay particular attention to punctuality. This malaise exists from the top to the lowest level. We talk a lot about the importance of time, but seldom do we practise it.

Whatever the importance of events or occasions, people seem to fall behind time. Most bigwigs are notorious for ignoring punctuality.

Those who want to demonstrate their importance in the presence of others also seem to come late to any event. This quality is something to be ashamed of.

Dwaipayan Regmi, Biratnagar