Spotlight editorial - Madhav Kumar Rimal

VOL. 27, NO. 16, December 28, 2007 (Paush 13 2064 B.S.)

The Seven Party Alliance have, once again, agreed to amend the constitution so that this unconstitutional parliament may declare Nepal a Republic to be ratified by the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly.

The CPN (Maoists) too have agreed to rejoin the SPA government. This new development has cleared all obstacles to SPAM’s unrestricted authoritarian rule in the country for any length of time. The proposed elections to the constituent assembly before the end of Chaitra 2064, (in less than four months), cannot be accomplished by this SPAM government.

According to a senior SPAM politician neither the SPA nor the Maoist are willing to go to the polls. This drama of consensus was only to take the poor Nepalis and the donor countries for a ride. As things stand now this government has no control over the law and order situation in the whole country and they won’t be able to hold the elections in the capital valley even. Moreover, the Madhesi behavior is a loud and clear writing on the wall, warning the SPAM government. If one cannot read that one must be blind. And what force is aiding and abetting the Madhesis is also crystal clear on the horizon.

It is also widely rumored at high places in Kathmandu that those surrounding the Head of SPAM government would not let him use his judgment as they are not at all keen to relinquish their hold on the administration. And poor head of the government, as recent events have shown, has even poorer judgment. Consequently, the poor country and the millions of poor Nepalis have to go on suffering if they cannot rise against the tyranny of the SPAM.

There are people who seem quite unhappy at the indifferences of the so called big donors and democratic countries who are unabashedly not only condoning but supporting the anti national behavior of self oriented politicians. For those who understand international politics there is nothing strange in such a behavior There are examples galore to prove that Nepal is not the only country to suffer from the hypocritical behavior of big countries. No country sacrifices even on an iota of its interest to help the needy and poor countries in distress. Since the money they provide as assistance cannot be best utilized when the country is in turmoil, millions of rupees would go waste as proved by past experiences, if peace, law and order are not restored. Omens in the Nepali sky don’t warrant them and if the poor people are not benefited it is their misfortune. What can the donors do about it? As such it is the people themselves who have to rise up and defend their rights and privileges.

Politicians who shout at the top of their voice in the floor of the parliament criticizing the government have to go to the streets and lead the people to bring down the government that is taking the country to the dogs. Since the elections to the C.A. are indispensable and this government is neither keen nor competent to hold them, the country urgently needs a new caretaker government of honest and patriotic Nepalis to conduct a free and fair elections. Our security forces, the army and the police can no more afford to stay as silent spectators and must take upon themselves the responsibility to impress upon SPAM to make room for the new government without delay.

And it is really high time for the powers that be to become more sensitive to the miseries of millions of poor Nepalis and for a change, stop supporting the corrupt and incompetent government and help and to bring it in an honest and competent government to power so that the Nepali people might get redress from their unending miseries and look forward to a better future.