LETTERS

Ensure good governance

The historic Declaration 2063 addresses many national issues. It is now time for the government to take concrete steps to bring about transparency and good governance. For this, there should be zero-tolerance to corruption, mandatory declaration of private

property by all the lawmakers and ministers within seven days of their assuming office, limiting the number of ministers to not more than 10 per cent of the total House seats and

instituting a commission to investigate corruption charges levelled against the leaders and their appointees in the past 16 years.

No progress in good governance can be possible if the leaders and bureaucrats are not

disciplined and transparent in their dealings. The party leaders, who are now at the helm of state affairs, must be accountable to the people who have brought them back to power.

Ramesh B Shrestha,

Lalitpur

Resolve crisis

This refers to the news ‘’Refugees seek action from Rizal panel’’ (THT, May 22).

It is true that no satisfactory progress could be made even after months of the

formation of the Bhutanese Movement Steering Committee (BMSC) led by veteran leader Tek Nath Rizal. The refugees, who had high hopes from the BMSC, are disappointed. Yet, the committee must not give up its demands. The BMSC should first make public its aim and strategy to steer the repatriation process. It should then send an appeal to the prime minister’s office and the foreign ministry in Nepal to urge the new government to form a

high-level committee, which would include refugee representatives, to pressurise the government of Bhutan for permanent solution of the refugee crisis.

It is high time the two countries sought a peaceful resolution to this prolonged crisis. Indian government and the international community, too, could play a positive role.

Devi Pokhrel, via e-mail

No choice

During the 1990 people’s movement, the struggle was only against the Panchayat system. The people accepted constitutional monarchy because everyone believed that the monarchy would cooperate with the parliament and respect the people’s wishes.

But since King Gyanendra usurped state power and started an autocratic regime, the institution of monarchy is now in jeopardy. The monarch should follow the footsteps of his sober brother, late King Birendra, and cooperate with the parliament and the

government. That is anyway the only option left before him to save his institution. The majority of the Nepalis would still accept a ceremonial monarchy if the king displayed a more

flexible approach.

Ramesh Neupane,

Mahankal

Better service

Information technology (IT) has become a vital component of the country’s development. The urban areas of Nepal are now well-connected to the rest of the world, thanks to the

development in this sector.

Accordingly, the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are also increasing. They now have a huge customer base. But not all ISPs’ services are up to the mark. With the increasing number of

customers, they also need to provide efficient services.

Ramesh Adhikari,

Kathmandu University