Apropos of the news story “Govt on course to shut National Trading Ltd.” (THT, June 20, Page 1), former finance secretary Rameshwor Khanal’s  opinion to shut the iconic institution National Trading Ltd citing ‘domestic private sector had wholly taken over the export-import responsibility’ is an example of dog in the manger policy, an easy way out to euthanize an ailing person or institution.

Applying his principle, we can shut down the government as many INGOs have ‘wholly’ taken over the government functions like health care, education, infrastructure development and good governance tutorials. By the same yardstick, we can  also push out all retired public servants and aged people as youth has ‘wholly’ taken over all organs and functions of the government including corruption business and trade. How about closing the iconic Tribhuvan University, as education mercenaries have ‘wholly’ taken over education trade?

The solution: how about FDI? Why cannot we sell this mammoth to someone like Jack MA, a Chinese national, whose country had helped establish this icon during Mahendra’s reign? Some of us were lucky enough, courtesy of NTL, to ride fine Chinese bikes, wear terelene clothes, use spring umbrella that most Indians could watch only on James Bond movies, clean our teeth with fine brush and paste and eat healthy parboiled rice in ever poor Kathmandu.

NTL introduced the spice sellers in Indrachowk gullies to trade in modern goods under modern management. Some of them also earned big money by smuggling Chinese umbrellas and terelene and steel crockery and cutlery to our southern neighbour.

India’s richest man’s father started off his money spinning ventures by starting off with terelene production, no doubt inspired by smuggled Chinese products from NTL. If we can convince Jack MA or even lesser mortals from China and India under FDI, they can not only turn the NTL around but will also make private import traders, not exporters, an endangered species.

Nepali intellectuals need to apply their mind properly to a solution before coming up with death knell verdict for something as big a conglomerate as NTL which is beyond their limited comprehension despite their exalted Nepalese background.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Parenting

This is in reference to the letter “Never too late” (THT, June 19, Page 8). I have thoroughly enjoyed the letter having written in a more meaningful manner. Yes indeed, it is the father who does have a great role in showing the behavioral-trajectory and the subtle mannerism that can be transformed or imbued with a sense of parental obligations and as such on the part of kids. I do believe that father and mother have a tremendous sense of moral duty to bolster the future of their kids. There have scores of examples that the kids who are nurtured well by their parents are more likely to become successful persons in various realms. There is the old saying that home is what is called the first school where parents act like teachers to their kids.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne