Apropos of the news story “NC GC voters urged to judge leaders based on their merit” (THT, March 3, Page 4), the news media are full of covering the 13th national convention of the country’s major political party, the Nepali Congress. A national convention is the major event of a political party that shapes the future political course and leadership.  Indeed, politics is the source of power which shapes the country’s future. It is the politics without which economic progress is not possible. But political parties must chalk out their policies and programmes for the betterment of the country and people. However, it is painful to say that the NC leaders and cadres have not accorded priority to the deliberations of the party’s ideology, programmes and policies. The leaders did not discuss the party’s ideology and future policies and programmes that may help lead the country towards prosperity. Instead, the general convention is becoming an election-centric fever. None of the the party’s presidential contestants has outlined any programme that would lead the country towards prosperity, stability and peace. It is the irony of the country’s major political party that its leaders never discuss the political, economic, cultural and other issues plaguing the nation and its people. They are mostly focused on getting elected to top post, nor do they discuss these issues in closed-door session. The leadership is elected not on the basis of ideology and policies and programmes, rather they are elected on factional basis. Factionalism has taken root in the party rank and file. The 13th general convention should focus on the ways of making the country a prosperous nation by bringing all communities together for the successful implementation of the constitution drafted by more than 90 percent members of the Constituent Assembly.

Saroj Wagle, Bara

Billionaires

Apropos of the news story “Trump slips in billionaire ranking race” (THT, March 3, Page 10), while market vagaries hobble and wobble banks and billionaires elsewhere including the USA, where the likes of the richest man on earth, William Gates, make and lose 4 to 5 billion dollars or more in a year, Nepali banks and billionaires steadily augment their riches by 10 to 20 percent year on year. Do they put money in the bank to receive a sure-shot increment by a safe margin of 10 to 20 percent? Trump has tumbled in ranking whereas that maverick loudmouth Vince McMahon of WWF is out of the billionaire list. The king of good times, Dr. Vijay Mallya, is in a sorry financial state whereas his equally swashbuckling compatriot, a dollar billionaire with two international iconic hotels to his name, is lodging in notorious Tihar jail unable to find 20,000 crore Indian rupees in cash to pay off his creditors. Laxmi Mittal who once climbed up to 3rd ranking is out of prominent place in the list. There must be something that Nepali banks and billionaires do right to insulate them from market vagaries and make them infallible.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu