Devious politicians:

In his famous book Prince, Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli outlined a ruthless strategy to seize and hold on to political power. The essence of his approach was expediency: Do whatever is required to get ahead of your competitor. In short, Machiavelli urged those who desired to hold on to power to adopt an approach based solely on usefulness. A successful leader should be above “petty” human virtues like friendship, loyalty and honour, he believed. Looking at the dirty power politics Nepali political leaders are embroiled in, they seem to be the perfect adherents of this brand of Machiavellianism.

Suman Kumar Regmi, Kupondole

Join hands:

Following the success of Jana Andolan II, the people expected the country to head towards all-round development. But the reverse is happening. The nation has been crippled by frequent bandhs and strikes. As a result, instead of progressing, Nepal is sinking further into the abyss of poverty. The need of the hour is to solve all outstanding issues through peaceful means. All sectors of the society should sit in a round-table conference for a peaceful settlement of all differences.

Basanta KC, Syuchatar

No authority:

Maoist Chairman Prachanda wants the interim parliament to declare Nepal a republic. But who are the Maoists, who have entered the parliament without people’s mandate, to make such demands? They should secure the required mandate through CA polls before speaking on people’s behalf.

Amit Singh, via e-mail

Road rage:

Ravi Man Singh’s midway “Speed monsters” (THT, Mar 5) perfectly depicted the chaotic situation on Kathmandu roads. As he asserts, the drivers are the main culprits behind this. How can they be expected to follow traffic rules when many of them don’t even know which lane to take? The men in blue also share the blame for this state of affairs, but frankly they are helpless in the face of increasing number of vehicles and narrow roads. The pedestrians too act as if the roads were their own property. It is important that like in other social settings, our decency should also be seen on the roads.

Geshan Manandhar, via e-mail

Harassment:

Apropos of Rambhu Acharya’s midway “Lolas and lasses” (THT, Mar 1), the reason why most women loathe Holi is that in the name of celebration, women are being harassed. Permitting indulgence in abuse will have a negative impact not only on those directly affected but also the society at large.

Shreyash Pradhan, via e-mail

Step down:

I don’t understand how the PM who is barely managing to keep himself healthy can give the ountry a proper direction. It is about time he stepped down. Koirala will always be remembered for his anchor role in the Jana Andolan II. His legacy is secured. It is also a matter of great shame for a country of over 25 million people, not to find any good alternative to the ailing PM.

Ramji Acharya, via e-mail