Waiting for US visa

The US embassy has denied me, a member of the legislature-parliament, a visa to attend the seventh session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) at the UN headquarters in New York City. The Nepali delegation under Minister for Local Development Dev Gurung comprises 18 representatives, myself included. My entire trip was to be sponsored by the UN.

I was scheduled to present a paper “Impact of Climate Change in the Indigenous Peoples of the Himalayas Region of Nepal” at the gathering. Let it be noted that I was invited to attend the UN session in the capacity of secretary of Indigenous Nationalities Uplift Centre. Thus I applied for the visa accordingly. I was interviewed by the Consular Office on March 25.

Unfortunately, I was handed over a letter stating, “We need to do further administrative processing in your case...If you do not hear from us within two months, call us at...”

As of this writing, I am still waiting for my visa and my passport is still with the

Consular Section. Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal, tried to get me a visa but in vain. There is no valid reason for the American authorities to deny me a visa. If they do not trust a sitting Member of Parliament, how tough must the visa procedures be for

ordinary citizens?

Fatik B Thapa,

CPN-UML Member of Legislature Parliament

Time to go

After subjecting Nepali Congress to a humiliating defeat in CA polls, Girija Prasad Koirala is now offering to restructure the party. Since he has done enough harm to the country, to his party and to his own purported dynasty, he must go without any further ado. The act of his leaving the party alone would trigger restructuring of untold proportions. If the party has more than fossils in it, it is time for the Young Turks to step in.

Bihari Krishna Shrestha, Chakupat Green Block, Patan

Not needed

As Nepalis debate restructuring of the state, it is also high time to think about restructuring foreign aid. One of the mediums for the flow of foreign aid has been International NGOs (INGOs). Currently, there are about 100 of them working in Nepal. Over the past decades, it has been observed that proliferation of INGOs has inhibited the growth of local NGOs. Nepal may need the support of international donors, but not necessarily that of INGOs. INGOs are here due to lack of capability of local NGOs.

Therefore, builders of New Nepal should formulate a clear policy and fix tenures for INGOs operating in Nepal. One of the policy options could be to provide each INGO a 10-year

time-frame so that it can work to develop the capacity of its local NGO partner as its replacement, and then leave the country for good.

Kedar P Badu,

Gongabu, Kathmandu

Wrong pick

The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum has nominated Tilak Rawal, who was implicated by KPMG in a

government-sponsored study as an architect of near bankruptcy of Rastriya

Banijya Bank, for election to the Constituent Assembly. The election of such a figure is highly objectionable, as it will weaken the fight against corruption.

Ramesh B Shrestha,

Lalitpur