Be wary of peaceniks

I saw the eagerness and enthusiasm with which the Nepalis welcomed the Norwegian Peacemaker Eric Solheim. And deep inside, my stomach began to churn. A word of advise to the Nepalis, from someone who was a first-hand witness to the workings of this Scandinavian shape-shifter.

We Sri Lankans welcomed them in much the same manner only a few years ago. We hoped they would help us and show us the way where we had failed. Oh, they showed promise. We brokered a ceasefire…a peace deal.

Thousands of mothers and wives would go home to bed with the sound knowledge that their sons and husbands were not being slaughtered. All was well in the paradise isle. How long did this pipe-dream last? Long enough for the present government to wake up and see the blind eye turned by Norway’s Monitoring Mission towards the LTTE’s child abductions, baby brigades, international funding and arms acquirements through European contacts. Sri

Lanka is now in a hapless state, a nation at war, trying to undo the derogatory effects of the so called “peace deal.”

I see something in the eyes of the comrades of my foster nation which I have not seen back home for many a year: I see hope. For a future. And I believe the path to that is through multi-party democracy. Nepal has no terrorist problem. No issue of an “ethnic” conflict. The current issue should be solved by cutting through political red-tape, and the solution should come from great political minds like G P Koirala and Prachanda. Please be wary of the peace brokers. In this day and age, everyone has an ulterior motive.

Suneth Rajawasan, Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara

No clarity

The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) seems to have no clear agenda except of toppling the Home Minister. But Sitaula’s forced resignation would set a very bad precedent. The Forum should understand that it is harming the basic economic rights of the very people it claims to represent. Events like indefinite strikes harm daily wage earners and farmers more than any other group.

It will be wise on the part of the Forum to come to the negotiating table while it is still being heard.

Rajesh Koirala, via e-mail

Why not?

Recently, I visited the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) to acquire a “medical doctor” car sticker, but the receptionist there told me that simply being registered with the Nepal Medical Council did not make one eligible for NMA membership. Why not? Am I not a “medical doctor”? I wonder what exactly are the benefits of a Nepali doctor joining the NMA besides getting to attend cosy meetings and get-togethers!

Dr. Ravi Dayal Sharma, via e-mail

Ignorant

Some days ago, I was in my village in Syangja to get an annual income statement form the local VDC office. But the VDC secretary seemed to have little understanding of what I was saying. I would like to call on the authorities concerned to train the VDC personnel in relevant tasks, and make the people aware of the real costs of filling up various forms so that they are not cheated by unscrupulous officers.

Shiva Neupane, Golfutar