Challenges ahead

We appreciate the seven-party alliance’s effort to stabilise democracy in the country. As the Maoists and the parties move ahead towards reconciliation, several questions crop up in the mind of a commoner like me. For instance, what compensation will the victims’ families get?

The political parties, including the Maoists, have to think for their own cadres who have worked hard for their respective causes. Also, what about the heavy losses caused to the poor during the insurgency period? Thousands of people are displaced and we have already lost some 13,000 lives. Special care needs to be taken by the new government, together with the human rights groups and all the parties, to protect the rights of those people who are living miserable lives in the remote corners of the country.

Deepak Thapa, via e-mail

Legalise it

The government needs to take some innovative steps to generate taxes. In this context, the arrest of some cricket bookies is a bad step. Instead, cricket betting, which is rapidly gaining popularity in some of the big towns of the country, should be regulated by the government. Being an enthusiastic bettor myself, I feel that Nepal can become a hub for international sports betting, particularly cricket, and generate millions as revenue. THT’s columnist Rakesh Wadhwa also supported betting, an event that has turned the fates of many cities of the world. Macao, Dubai, etc. are rapidly catching up with the popularity of Las Vegas, USA, partly due to legal betting, casinos and prostitution. We’ll have to repent if India legalises cricket betting before Nepal does.

Bharat Shah, Birgunj

Poor grades

Though Tribhuvan University (TU) is the oldest and the biggest university of Nepal, it has not been able to improve its examination system. Particularly astonishing is TU’s grade marking system. Even those students who work hard for exams often get poor results. It is said that carelessness on the part of the professors who check the answer sheets is behind the students’ bad grades. It is high time the TU authorities put an efficient system in place. The

teachers should be responsible because grades matter the most for students’ future. Also, why are the student unions, which are usually active in other matters, silent on this particular problem when it affects them alike? It seems that their work is only limited to politics and when it comes to students’ welfare they are usually numb.

Krishna Gyanwali, Tri-Chandra College, Ghantaghar

King’s role

The 12-point agreement reached by the Maoists and the seven-party alliance can prove to be a landmark achievement for peace-building. But much depends on the King who has now to play a constructive role in this process because without the monarch’s cooperation the current crisis is not going to end. Peace is possible only when the King agrees to return to his

limited role as a constitutional monarch as defined in the 1990 Constitution. But whether he is willing to return to such a position is a big question. Going by his actions and policy decisions since February 1 it seems that he is most unlikely to give in.

Gurudev, via e-mail