Let CA decide on republic

The country is passing through a volatile phase and no one knows for sure what is going to happen next. The Maoists, though they are now a part of the government, still back the Young Communist League that has resorted to violence from time to time. People are beginning to suspect if the Maoists will ever part with their violent ways. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress, the oldest party in the government, has not been able to take a clear stand on the issue of republic even while almost all other parties in the eight-party alliance have made their position clear. PM Koirala has been adamant that the decision on monarchy v republic should be left to the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA).

For once, Koirala is right. If all the important issues are to be settled by the interim parliament, why hold the elections to the CA? All the parties agreed on the CA to settle all important national disputes, restructure the state and delegate power to the people at the grassroots. This should not be achieved in haste.

Though the elections could not be held in June as promised earlier and the next date is yet to be announced, there is no need to panic. In fact, the CA polls held in haste could lead to serious problems. Let us not forget that a new Nepal cannot be built on weak foundation.

Ananta Simkhada, via e-mail

Lawless:

This concerns the news report “YCL men attack police post” (THT, May 9). The lesson I took home from this news was that you are free to take the law into your hands if you want to avoid legal punishment for your actions.

Surendra Bajracharya, via e-mail

Long wait:

With reference to the advertisement of Mero Mobile regarding its launch in Nepalgunj, the caption reads: “Wait for more...” This caption should be copyrighted by both Mero Mobile of the Spice Nepal Network and Nepal Telecom’s Namaste prepaid mobile. While people are waiting for Mero Mobile to penetrate remote areas, they are waiting in long queues for the Telecom’s SIM cards. In both cases, the wait is long.

Manoj Thapa, via e-mail

Return it:

During their 10-year insurgency, the Maoists took away property from many people in the name of redistribution to the poor people. But not all of them were well-to-do people. Some of these victims are now finding it difficult to survive after the seizure of their property. The government has not done enough to return the property to its legal owners as per the agreement.

Dwaipayan Regmi, Biratnagar

Hypocrisy:

The ministers in the present coalition government have not made public their assets. The public should mount pressure for this. Perhaps the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority too could do something about it. The leaders who have promised to take tough action against the corrupt should first prove that they are clean. Otherwise, corruption and indiscipline would rise in society.

Ramesh B Shrestha, Lalitpur