Election for democracy

In a sense this is related with Aditya Man’s rticle “Politics of brinkmanship” published in THT on May 6. Indeed, political parties mostly failed to articulate programmes and platforms and to attract supporters. In most cases they are small elitist and personalised groups organised around clientele’s interests who only have in mind the distribution of offices, prerogatives and material gains. Two solid questions arise at this point. The first is, which way of life is more desirable? And the second, which is the best constitution and the best way of organising a society? The problem is, how will Nepal’s fragile democracy survive the turmoil that has followed after King Birendra’s assassination and in the context of growing trend to instrumentalise active monarchy and auction politics after October ‘02 in contrast to improve the quality of democratisation by ensuring citizens’ participation in and satisfaction with decision-making process.

It is important that Nepal cannot return to democratic rule under active monarchy, especially in situations where the monarch loves to be flattered and is limited to felicitation. Seems the King has no regard for the common good. The lawless oligarchy should not be allowed to take part in political affairs. Instead, there should be an open dialogue on basic issues between political actors on the basis of mutual trust and respect where much remains to be done. Moreover, due process is an important factor since justice delayed is justice denied. The holding of elections is a precondition for the development of a democratic society. Much more important and challenging is deepening and widening of democratisation. However, at no point, the use of violence can be allowed as an instrument of change.

Ganga Thapa, Tribhuvan University

People decide

The monarch’s call for a person of clean image to head the next government, who could lead the country to the general election, seems to have stirred a hornet’s nest among the political stalwarts; some deliberately pretend to fail to know what it means, others say it is for the people to decide. Through one television channel, the spokeswoman of the RPP went so far as to give a list of leaders with a clean image and on the top the list was the name of a person which evoked a spontaneous fit of laughter, for this man is well known to have anything but clean image. But then she was being loyal to this person, as after the restoration of democracy in 1990, this person was a helmsman, of and on, for 12 years as prime minister, and what he did to push the country into the financial quagmire is an open book for every one to read. Every one agrees that the people should decide this issue as they did in the first general election after 1990. But we, the people, were duped and cheated leading the country to this end.

Bishnu Sharma, Jamal

True love

The article “A portrait of perfidy” published in Midway on May 4 merits praise. The eminence of the writer was overwhelming to my concern, but I just want to ask the writer “Is your wife worthy enough to be blessed with such devotion?” I know unrequited love never appeals for sex or for virginity. I wonder if it was only infatuation or lust that caused her to be with someone else to the extent as mentioned? Isn’t it that she gestured the end of her love for you and she has no feeling left for you? So I guess why waste your real feelings in such a ‘perfidy’. There might be someone waiting for you!

Sanjugotchya Thapa, via e-mail