Pass the baton

The Koirala family carries with it a legacy of fighting for democracy in Nepal. B P Koirala is still remembered for leading a fight for democracy. Another member of the family, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, is credited with bringing the decade-long conflict to an end. By

successfully conducting the Constituent Assembly election, Koirala has also demonstrated his

charismatic leadership.

However, the popular support for NC has declined recently, as evidenced by its dismal showing in the CA polls. Notwithstanding the huge contribution of the Koirala family in the history of Nepali politics, the time has come to pass the baton. People have expressed both their desire for change and their disdain for family-dominated politics through their ballots.

Arunakar B Chand, Kailali

Brain drain

Both my children are pursuing their education in the United States. I didn’t want to send either of them, but why would they listen to their parents? Nonetheless, I am happy to have fulfilled their wish. There was no point forcing them to stay and study in Nepal. Most of my colleagues at work have similar stories to tell. Each one has one or more of his or her wards abroad. The parents who are left behind are ambivalent whether to feel joy or sorrow at their children leaving the country, most of them never to return.

Like myself, they are happy to have helped their children pursue their dreams but are also haunted by the prospect of having to spend the rest of their lives cocooned in their homes. I sincerely hope that the new government will work to strengthen the country’s education sector so that Nepali students will not have to go abroad. It is the youngsters who make the community dynamic.

Without the zeal of the youth to keep it humming, the society will be static and lifeless.

Kamal Suwal, Tahachal, Kathmandu

Dowry

This is in reference to the news report “Torture slur on dowry demanding in-laws” (THT, May 14). It is surprising that even at a time when women are supposedly equal to men in all walks of life, women continue to be tortured and persecuted. What is even more surprising is that the tortured woman was married on the condition that her in-laws would not demand dowry. As long as the practice of dowry continues, women will continue to be made victims of violence.

Son Magar, Balaju,

Kathmandu

Real face

This concerns the news brief “Junta stealing aid: UN” (THT, May 14). For a change, the Chinese are showing their Burmese counterparts how to go about handling a crisis. The state media has been open and honest about earthquake casualties and the authorities have

declared that they will accept help from any quarter. Contrast it with Burma, where aid workers are being evicted on spurious charges and money and resources diverted to private coffers of military rulers.

Irrespective of its form, a government’s primary duty is to look after its citizens, especially at times of distress. The Burmese authorities have shown that they do not even have a semblance of humanity.

Sarita Mainali, via e-mail