Devolution of power :

Apropos of Mahendra Lawoti’s article “Power Structure” (THT, Jan. 30), the failure of Nepal’s democracy to deliver is largely attributable to corrupt politicians who not only make money “to fight elections” amidst the largely poor and uninformed voters, but, under this pretext, also amass huge wealth. But where the authority is devolved all the way down to primary stakeholders, their participation in decision-making assures transparency of management and accountability of leaders. This has been at the core of our widely acknowledged success in community forestry that stands out as an oasis in our development landscape. Thus, without all-out devolution of authority to the grassroots level across all sectors, federalisation would only mean regionalisation of political corruption and further deterioration of our state of affairs.

Bihari Krishna Shrestha, Green Block, Patan

Way ahead :

Nepal is limping back to normalcy through a new, democratic order after a prolonged Maoist insurgency against the Palace and repressive policies of King Gyanendra. The Maoists and the seven political parties successfully waged the struggle against the King’s autocracy and to establish a democratic order. With the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the adoption of an Interim Constitution, a new interim government under G P Koirala will hold the Constituent Assembly elections. From being members of an outlawed outfit to lawmakers, the Maoists have come a long and difficult way. Now all the political parties will have to ensure that the fledgling democracy takes root in Nepal. Democracy should not mean just passing the wealth and privileges from one set of rulers to another. Rather, people should be the focus of all government endeavours. Political stability is crucial for social harmony and prosperity. But if the political system is ridden with corruption, it will lose its importance and legitimacy as a tool for an effective democratic governance.

Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal, New Delhi

Hydropower:

The Nepal Electricity Authority has again increased the hours of load-shedding. It is ironic that Nepal, which is second only to Brazil in its capacity to generate hydroelectric power, has to live with such long hours of darkness. The best solution would be the development of small-scale, community-managed hydropower plants developed with the help of domestic stakeholders. Excessive reliance on foreigners has yielded little dividend.

Hemraj Basnet, Chainpur-8, Chitwan

Valid point:

Dipesh Parajuli’s Midway piece “A thankless job” (THT, Jan. 30) contains a valid argument. Indeed, all authors believe that their write-ups are “masterpieces”. But this judgment is best left to the editors. Not that they are totally free from bias, but I believe they mostly manage to separate the wheat from the chaff. Having said that, the Midway column should remain a platform for budding writers.

Suniel Raj Dhakal, via e-mail