Koirala, at it again

Former PM and NC president Girija Prasad Koirala is breathing fire again. Hardly anyone had believed that he would bow out of Nepali politics gracefully following successful holding of

CA polls as he had hinted many times before. Koirala comes across as someone who cannot digest his food unless he can order people around. This much was as evident during most of the post-1990 multiparty era as prime minister as it is now in the twilight of his political career and life.

It is hard to comprehend what Koirala’s political ambitions are. Hasn’t he achieved enough? What more could he possibly ask for after holding the country’s top post six times, successfully

leading the 2006 April Revolution, overseeing the overthrow of the monarchy and holding CA polls as Prime Minister? Nothing Koirala may do now or in days to come will compare to achievements. He is now predicting an imminent demise of the Maoist-led government for no good reason. The CPN-Maoist has hardly had enough time to get used to parliamentary democracy and the peaceful political bargaining it entails. They deserve a couple of years at the least to show what they are really capable of.

Meantime, why doesn’t Koirala help Prachanda and his team to implement their programmes instead of hindering their progress every step of the way?

Suman Dahal, Ghattekulo

Lame excuse

Apropos of the news report “Apex bank mired in red-tapism; consumers short-charged” (THT, Oct. 5), why do government bodies always come up with lame excuses when faced with complaints from their clients and consumers?

Redesigning of bank notes and late appointment of NRB governer — both poor excuses cooked up to hide the inadequacies in bank bureaucracy. There is indeed no obligation to use brand new bank notes during Dashain but people have come to include circulation of new notes as an essential element of the festive season. Dashain and Tihar also offer NRB a chance to replace worn-out notes. Sadly, what Nepalis have got are not new notes, but the same old excuses.

Shobhan S Khadka, Tokyo

Rich clubs

This English Premiere League season is proving to be a whole lot of fun. Even last year, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the big four — Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool — would be vying for all the titles. All of a sudden, Manchester City is snapped up by an Arab billionaire and there are five top teams in the league. Now the rumour is that a South African business conglomerate is buying Newcastle. Even Everton has been linked to a foreign businessman. It’s great news for football lovers around the world. But for the smaller clubs who cannot find billionaire owners, any title hope is all but over even at the start of a season. It will be a tough job for EPL to ensure equality among its top-flight clubs in order to keep them interested throughout the season.

Jenith Subba, via e-mail

Distant wish

Though many Nepalis live far from the country, their hearts are in Nepal, particularly during Dashain. They may not get the joy of being among their loved ones in Nepal, but they still wish the message of Dashain to inspire the lives of all Nepalis. Happy Dashain!Ram P Aryal, Bahrain