No one to blame

Whatever the reason, the ex-king is sending all the positive signals, “Gyanendra to quit palace on time” (THT, June 3). There are still plenty of people who remain suspicious of his cooperative behaviour of late. Does he know something that Nepali people don’t? It is unlikely that he is capable of pulling out another rabbit from his hat. Except his close relatives, virtually all his political allies have deserted his camp and Gyanendra finds himself utterly alone.

It is about time that the political parties stop blaming the non-existent monarchy for any further mischief to cover up their own shortcomings. In the past, whenever any trouble cropped up, all the fingers were at once pointed at the king. Now there is no one to blame. If any untoward incident takes place now, it will be the current government that will have to take the blame. But I remain unconvinced that the political parties will not find another whipping boy.

Krishna Chaudhari,

via e-mail

Hike prices

NOC’s losses are mounting by as much as Rs 2.7 billion a month. There seems to be no way out for the only supplier of petroleum products in Nepal. Even if it removes all the taxes it levies on petrol, diesel and kerosene, NOC still stands to make huge losses. What are its options? One, the government could let the private sector import and sell the petro-products. Two, NOC could increase the price of petro-products with a dual price mechanism in place. Three, NOC can continue in the current vein, but for how long?

As far as I am concerned, there can be no two ways about it. The price has to be brought in line with the price in the international market. The country is selling petroleum products at about the same rate even as the price of oil has rocketed from $80 a barrel to $130 a barrel. In this scenario, price hikes and subsidies for the poor are the best ways forward. Let those who seek luxury be prepared to fork out a few extra bucks for their privileges.

Renu Bhandari, Jhamsikhel

Challenge

This concerns the writ petition of Bharat Raj Ojha, general secretary of Nepali Janata Dal, accusing the CA, PM GP Koirala and his secretariat of convening the first CA meeting without the nomination of 26 members stipulated in the Interim Constituion. The petition also claims that the implementation of republican agenda by an incomplete CA is unconstitutional. In strict sense, the procedure of the first CA meeting had a defect as the Interim Constitution clearly states that the CA consists of 601 members. But any challenge to almost

unanimous decision of the newly elected sovereign body — 560 votes for republic v 4 against it — is tantamount to defiance of the clear verdict of the Nepali people.

Ankita Pandey, Ratnapark

A lesson

Maoist chairman Prachanda cheering the crowd from the same window that Prithvinarayan Shah might have used for the same purpose was a solemn reminder that no power can last forever. Who would have thought even a couple of years ago that an institution with such a long history and deep roots in Nepal would be swept aside so soon? Politicians have a lot to learn from this development. All of them will be forgotten some day, and sooner if they fail to carry out their duties.

Rupak Limbu, via e-mail