On my trip some months ago to one of the most geographically and developmentally backward villages of my district, I asked a 12 year old kid, what he wanted to be in his life. In a murmuring tone filled with solid hope, he said, "I want to be a great labourer and bring sacks and sacks of money to my family so that my parents and siblings would not have to work for 11 months a year in India." He represents the aspirations of hundreds of children who have similar tones not only here but endemic in the entire region plagued by poverty and underdevelopment. GON, national planners, law-makers, I/NGO, leaders claim that they have been able to reduce the level of poverty to 25%. Looking at Bajura the level of poverty seems to be ascending from 47.3 to 64.1% and hearing the innocent objectives of these children, would you still prefer to bring  pseudo-statistics and hollow rhetoric? Every year, billions of rupees is invested with national policy book being inked with glittering policies but scarcely creating opportunities for the people who are really in need. On December 10, 2006 in Oslo, a spectacular man of Bangladesh aired a message that one needs to heed. By giving this prize the Norwegian Nobel Committee has given important support to the proposition that peace is inextricably linked to poverty. Poverty is a threat to peace." Always remember this statement of the Nobel Committee, which has summed up the basic cause of conflict in two words. Bajura and its neighbouring districts are the most disadvantaged in terms of human development index. But these districts get the least priority when it comes to allocating annual budget for infrastructure development, health and education. These districts attract the media attention only when hundreds of people die of diarrhea.

Jay Bahadur Shah, Jajarkot

Press freedom

Apropos of the news story “New constitution should guarantee full press freedom” (THT, Sept. 14, Page 2), there can be no second thought about the need of complete press freedom that was guaranteed in the Interim Constitution. Nepal’s democracy owes a big debt to our press for its huge contribution. But for the press of the day, our politicians then on the run would have been severely hamstrung in their fight for democracy. There is no need to sneak in “ifs” and “buts” or any other proviso in the new constitution that our wily politicians can interpret to scuttle press freedom. That said, the media should also promote full freedom and call a spade a spade. It is common knowledge that most press in this country are highly resistant to full media freedom when it comes to the misdemeanour of their advertisers. Demanding full press freedom and not using it fully to expose the ills in the society can go against the very concept of democracy and freedom.

J. Talchabhadell, Bhaktapur