Apropos of the news story “Date-expired food sent for earthquake victims” (THT, Feb.21, Page 6), it has been ten months since last year’s massive earthquake and its aftershocks. Still, the earthquake victims are taking shelter in tents with basic amenities to support them. Going by the media reports no substantive programme has been launched by the government to rehabilitate them. The government provided immediate assistant of Rs.15, 000 to each of the victims who could not return to normalcy with such a meager amount. The National Authority for Reconstruction has just started collecting digital data of the damaged houses and public infrastructure in the affected districts. Nobody knows when the collection of the data will be complete and when the victims start receiving government assistance. Sad to say packed food items such as biscuits, mixed food items, baby packs, powder milk, noodles, among others, were not fit for consumption as all of them donated by various organizations were date expired. I wonder why the government agencies collected the date expired foods items as the government agencies know that distributing date expired foods is illegal, and it may have adverse impact on general health. Therefore, I call upon the government to form a separate probe panel to look into the matters related to date expired food being stored and distributed to the victims. The persons responsible for storing and distributing such item must be punished as per the law of the land.

Saroj Wagle, Bara

Off the people

US President Abraham Lincoln has said that “Democracy is for the people, by the people and of the people.” Whereas, in Nepal, our democracy has been “far from the people, buy the people and off the people” as stated by Nepali cine star, Rajesh Hamal. The latest political achievements that institutionalize the republican order, federalism, secularism and inclusiveness have succumbed to temptation of corruption and political instability. It is sure that even the new constitution will not give political stability and lay the foundation of economic prosperity because of its own faulty political system. In order to make democracy functional a constitution must let the people choose their executive through a franchise, not by indirect selection of a lawmaker from Parliament. Many constitutional pundits have pointed out the flawed election system – First-Past-the-Post and Proportional Representation – that does not give any major party a majority in the parliament. There will always be a hung parliament which will always give room for horse-trading and a prime minister will have to appease one or the other party to remain in power. There should have been a single election system, namely FPtP, for the Lower House of Parliament and PR system for the Upper House. No democratic country has two types of election systems for a particular chamber of the Parliament.

Sanjog Karki, Tansen