Selfish politicians:

I am getting disillusioned with the current set of political leaders who seem to be interested in nothing besides holding powerful posts. The never-ending bickerings between the leaders of the seven party alliance and the CPN-Maoist is simply sickening. No matter how hard I try to make sense of what is happening, I cannot come up with any logical justification for the events playing out across the country. At this crucial juncture, the most important task before the government is to hold free and fair constituent assembly elections. The political parties should set aside their differences and forge ahead with the common goal of CA polls in mind. Instead, the parties are at tug-of-war for “top” ministerial berths. They have shown once again that what really matters for them is not the wellbeing of the common Nepalis, but prolonging their tenures in the government.

Sajan Baidya, via e-mail

Quite good:

I cannot understand why everyone is blaming the government for everything that goes wrong in the country. We should not forget that the country is in a transition phase at present. It is only natural that the voices that have been suppressed for hundreds of years should make themselves heard on the first chance they get. What is unnatural about this?

I also fail to grasp why the Madhesi groups are demanding the resignation of Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Without him, could the country have come such a long way towards mainstreaming the Maoists? Yes, he has made some mistakes while navigating the tortuous course of nation building and reconciliation in a post-conflict environment. The question to be asked is: Would any other home minister have handled the Madhesi crisis better?

Considering the unrelenting pressure from all quarters, Sitaula has managed to do quite a good job.

No government operating in the transitional phase can be expected to be perfect. There are so many hurdles that even when the government wishes to deal with all of them, with its limited resources, a few bound to be overlooked. Those outside the government should try to guide it on the right path rather than merely spotting wrongs in all its decisions.

Sailu Thapa, via e-mail

Condolence:

The first week of Cricket World Cup has thrown up lots of surprises. On the same day India was trounced by Bangladesh while Pakistan was knocked out of the cup by the rank-outsiders in Ireland. As a big Pakistani fan, I am finding it very hard to keep my interest up with the early exit of my favourite team. But what happened that day was only a sign of things to come. Within 24 hours of their defeat, Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. It’s a very sad day for all cricket fans. I want to express the heartfelt condolence of every cricket fan in Nepal for the bereaved family.

Rambhu Acharya, Old Baneshwore

THT Online:

I am a regular follower of news on THT Online. The website is quite good. It could be even better if you could upload the site more often and give news in more detail.

Ramchandra Bhatta, via e-mail