By Babbler

It is very difficult to understand the Nepali politics. We see the leaders in the Nepali Congress, UML and Maoist Center have not done anything good for the nation and the people, except exploit the people and the country, yet, they are the very parties that are getting the popular vote. This is about the by-elections in the local bodies. If the voters are happy with the very political parties, it is surprising. If we believe in the voting patron, the people seem happy with the present political leaders and the political system.

Traditional thinking

We are already in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and we have expected that the Election Commission and the political parties would enter into the electronic voting. Neither the Election Commission nor the political parties accepted the electronic voting system. Still, the mindset of our political leaders is traditional. Even in India, the electoral voting system has been introduced but the political leaders are suspicious of the use of electronic voting. Having such a mentality of the political leaders, when we will be able to build the nation?    

Operation of Pokhara and Bhairahawa airports

Five international airlines have operated flights to Bhairahawa but there is a scarcity of passengers. Along with the operation of international flights, the government should have opened visa offices, work permit offices, medical check-up labs etc. so that people flying to foreign destinations didn't need to come to Kathmandu. Unfortunately, even after such a long period since the inauguration of the Bhairahawa International Airport, these services have not been started from Bhairahawa.

Why it has been delayed in opening these offices there, we cannot understand. These agencies belong to the Nepal government, still, they have not started these services from Bhairahawa. It seems the government itself is not interested in operating the Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports.

If the government authorities make efforts to reduce airfare by 15 thousand rupees for aircraft flying to and from Pokhara and Bhairahawa for international destinations, compared with the airfare to and from Kathmandu, people in Kathmandu may fly or travel to Pokhara and Bhairahawa to catch their international flights. Whyn't the government think about it, it is surprising.

Converting debts into grants

Earlier to the departure of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to Beijing, China, reports were there for converting debts from China into grants. Whether our Prime Minister put forward this agenda during the bilateral talks, we are unaware.

Nepal procured four aircraft and received two aircraft on the grant but the country was unable to operate the six China-manufactured aircraft, it is Nepal’s weakness. Nepal, if failed to operate them for passenger service, could hand over them to the Nepal Army. Accordingly, the non-operational of the Pokhara Regional International Airport is inefficiency of the concerned government authorities. It is not a mistake committed by China.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

The country's public debt has increased by 3.5 times in the last ten years, reaching 24.34 trillion rupees. The government is raising debts to pay debt instalments. Non-productive sector expenditure has increased, trade loss is mounting, the economy is sick, the education sector has collapsed, the trend of youths going abroad is horrible, and there is mass frustration among the people.

Sharad Raj Pathak

Trump assigned one of the in-laws as ambassador to France and another as special envoy for the Middle East. Biden, while packing his luggage, pardoned his son. This evidence has proved that American democracy is vibrant, like Nepali “loktantra”!

Birat Anupam

On the BRI draft, when Nepal decided to remove the word “debts” and China removed the word “grants”, it was not inked. 

Jagdishwar Pandey

 Nepal is becoming irrelevant in the eyes of traditional/powerful allies for establishing reliable and sustainable relations. Nepal's “windows and doors” are open to undesirable interference in domestic affairs and geopolitical manoeuvring! Is it the result of the negligence shown by the parties in foreign relations for several decades?

Surya Raj Acharya

In the country running by taking debts, its PM is visiting China leading an 87-member delegation. Let’s estimate, an air ticket per member is Rs. one lakh, hotel accommodation Rs. one lakh and allowances for each member in the delegation worth 100 US$, total expenses will be a minimum of seventy to eighty million rupees.

Bhisma K 1962

Excerpted and translated by Sushma Shrestha.