This has reference to the article “Elections first step: Democracy in action” by the US ambassador to Nepal, Alaina B. Teplitz (THT, November 8, Page 8).

I agree with her opinion that the elections are the first step to making democracy functional. Election matters for the sake of common people’s voices no matter where it is happening, in the United States or Nepal.

Right now, we are on the eve of USA’s most eagerly awaited election campaign. At the same time, Nepal has been preparing for elections to the local bodies. In a democracy, common people cast votes for their candidates through periodic election.

This is the beauty of democracy.To quote the late US President Abraham Lincoln’s “of the people, for the people, and by the people”, to the best of my knowledge the United States has been moving forward by this golden principle of the legendary US president.

However, in Nepal, such principles as well as elections are not speeding up as per the expectations of the common people. It is a bitter truth for us.Most importantly, it is the election through which citizens express their approval or disapproval of certain values, policies, and actions.

Similarly, in elections, common people may go along partisan lines or go by ethnic groups, but they should consider the best ideas, values, vision for a holistic approach to address the common people’s agendas.

After the conclusion of election process common people will see their representatives in the leading positions of the government which are supposed to govern as per the common people’s interests rather than so-called vested interest groups and as per the Constitution and the laws of the land.

To sum up, after all, election matters when it comes to common people’s rights.

Saroj Wagle, Bara

Food crisis

This is with reference to the news story “Severe drought triggers food crisis in Mugu” (THT, November 8, Page 4).

The government should do the needful to address the food crisis looming large in the far-flung mountain district of Mugu where prolonged drought has affected the paddy crop that failed to yield grain.

The locals lamented that insufficient rainfall during the monsoon led to drought which ultimately affected paddy production. The prolonged drought could be attributed to climate change. It is therefore necessary to make investment on adapting to the climate change.

The locals in this impoverished district must be trained to shift to other cash crops that require less precipitation, low amount of fertilizers and human resources.

As a mountain district, Mugu is suitable for horticulture, including apple-growing, herb and livestock farming that may fetch more cash than the traditional farming.

For this the government must identify some areas where the locals can be encouraged to shift their resources and labour to improve their condition of living.

Kailash Ayer, Gamgadhi