HELLO NEPAL

The Himalayan Times 25 November 2016 Saying and doing Saying and doing are two different things. It used to be and is still heard from the senior leaders of major political parties that until all the forces unite together, implementation of constitution will remain incomplete. This is not new to hear from PM Dahal “All forces must unite for constitution implementation” (THT, 23 Nov. Page 5). The government he has left already completed 100 days in the office. No concrete measures have been taken in order to win the hearts of disgruntled parties. It was read in the paper a few days ago that the government will move forward in amending the constitution even if the there were no consensus with the agitating parties. On the other hand, Upendra Yadav, convener of the Federal Alliance, has threatened the government saying that if the statute is not amended soon, government has to face another agitation “Yadav warns of agitation for statute repeal if it’s not amended” (THT, 23...

The Himalayan Times 10 November 2016 Give them justice The Maoists who fought people’s war against the state had joined mainstream politics a decade ago and is now one of the major political parties who are now leading the coalition government for the last three months. This party had also got the opportunity of running the country at the onset of republic government in Nepal. However, it had completely failed to address its internal party issues related to its combatants who were disqualified for joining the Nepal Army due to being either underage or late entry into PLA. These disqualified PLA fighters were not properly rehabilitated by both the mother party and the state. So, it is not surprising to read the news “Disqualified PLA fighters padlock CPN-MC HQ” (THT, 8 November, page 1) when their mother party is again at the political helm. They have even threatened the state saying that if their concerns are not properly addressed, country may have to grapple with anothe...

The Kathmandu Post 30 October 2016 ACT SENSIBLY The last time the major parties were singing in chorus was in aftermath of the devastating earthquake last year when they were in a rush to promulgate the constitution (“Top leaders decide to work in unison” 27 October, Page 1).  It is not uncommon for the major political parties to come together when they foresee a common problem (or a threat) that could sully their political image or hurt their interests. It has happened during the abolition of monarchy, the promulgation of the new constitution, the devastating earthquake and now the impeachment of Lokman Singh Karki. It is praiseworthy to see them working together for the common cause of the nation and the people. However, they should also be sincere about moving ahead while making such promises as many of such promises have not been kept in the past. Many earthquake victims are still living in make-shift camps. And it has been reported that the top leaders have agree...

The Himalayan Times 25 October 2016 Who cares about it? Nepal is gradually losing its beauty in many ways and sliding down in the index of naturally beautiful country to visit once in a life time. There could be many reasons behind this. One of them is the government’s poor governance, including the effective implementation of its laws, policies, rules and responsibilities which are the mechanisms needed to effectively and efficiently run the country. There is no proper monitoring and supervisions in place in the government owned organizations and semi-organizations. Most of such offices are heavily politicized and are run carelessly. Corruption is rampant and has been institutionalized causing the state to slide down in the global corruption index. Who cares? It was sad to read the news item “Kathmandu Airport ranked one of the worst in the world” (THT, 23 October, Page 1) to read at such a time when the tourist season is fully on. Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) h...

The Himalayan Times 14 October 2016 Mental Health It is encouraging and interesting to see that many NGOs are gradually coming up to serve the mental ill people. However, it seems that the government has not made its much needed effort on this health issue. It has not yet set aside a separate table in its Ministry of Health and Population to deal with mental health issues. There is one single mental hospital which is overburdened with the patients and lacks adequate and appropriate medical facilities. Some of the private hospitals are found providing mental health services with qualified and trained psychiatrists. Mental health is a concept that refers to a human individual's emotional and psychological well-being. It is a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life. According to the World Health Organization (W...

The Kathmandu Post 23 September 2016 TIME FOR SERIOUSNESS It was encouraging to read the news article (“Serious crimes will be prosecuted: PM” 22 Sept, Page 1) when the country is currently led by Prime Minister Pushpa K. Dahal who headed the decade long insurgency against the state. Speaking at a programme organized to mark the International Day of Peace in the Capital, PM Dahal vowed to bring the perpetrators of serious crime to book. Doing and saying are two different things. Many promises were made to the people by the senior leaders of all the major parties at different times. Most of those promises remain unfulfilled. It is time for the Dahal led government also to complete the peace process. Such an opportunity may not come for him if he does not take it seriously given that he himself is currently at the helm of the government. Everybody knows that the conflict victims are still waiting for justice and fear that there could be blanket amnesty allowing the perpet...

The Himalayan Times 22 Sept. 2016 Resolve the crisis The government does not still seem to be ready to swiftly act on resolving the ongoing political and constitutional problems which had surfaced immediately after promulgation of the new constitution one year ago. For unknown reasons, the major parties wanted to promulgate the new constitution in-spite of taking more time to resolve the critical issues raised by disgruntled parties. As a result, more than 50 innocent people lost their lives due to excessive use of forces. Ordinary people had to excessively suffer from the Indian blockade and Madhes unrest. It was so sad and unfortunate to see the people in the tarai protesting against the new constitution hoisting black flags and burning tyres here and there on the first constitution celebration day as the black day “Black Day observed to protest constitution” (THT, 20 September, Page 7). Here in the capital city, government had celebrated this day with much hi-fi. Pr...

The Kathmandu Post 11 September 2016 TIME RUNNING OUT Time seems to be running fast for the government to implement the new constitution. In the remaining 18 months, all the three tiers of elections should be held without any excuses. Unless the Dahal led coalition government bring out a detailed work plan for the next 18 months and try to strictly follow it, the chances of Nepal to be federated seem dismal. Question may arise here as to what will happen if the government failed to enact the law related to the elections on time. What will happen if the government fails to implement the new constitution by the end of the remaining 18 months? Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, while directing the members of High-level Federalism Implementation and Restructuring Directive Committee in his office, has instructed them to work firmly for the implementation of federalism (“Work firmly to implement federalism: Pm to officials” 7 September, Page 3). But saying and doi...