By Babbler

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli publicly said that his government is unable to fulfil the demands of the teachers in agitation as the country’s economy cannot sustain the increased financial burden after fulfilling the teachers’ demands. He spoke the truth that the nation’s revenue is unable to meet the government expenditure. Therefore, he remarked that the government is unable to increase the teachers’ facilities.

If the government removes the provincial structure, it can save a huge amount of unnecessary budget. Also, we don’t need 753 local bodies and 77 district coordinating committees. If the government reduces the number of local bodies and unnecessary coordination committees, a huge amount of expenditure can be saved. The saved amount could be invested in the health and education sectors and also it could increase the development sector expenditure. In doing so, the leadership should have a strong commitment to nation-building. We cannot expect such a commitment from the leaders of the day.

Corruption in Nepal

The following are the corruption details already identified by different investigation teams:

Pokhara Regional Airport - 14 billion; Budhi Gandaki – Rs 9 billion; Wide-Body aircraft –Rs 4 billion; Teramex – Rs 16 billion. In the present loot-tantra, there is no deal less than one billion rupees. The governor’s post was on sale and one billion rupees should be submitted in advance. The remaining instalment should be paid later.

Perhaps, this could be an example of kleptocracy!

Demonstration inside Singhadurwar

Singhadurwar, the government’s secretariat, is the prohibited area for demonstrating protests. People cannot organize demonstrations around the Singhadurwar area. But the RPP leaders, its Chairman Rajendra Lingden, Vice Chairman Buddhiman Tamang, party’s spokesman Gyanendra Shahi, and others demonstrated play cards inside the Singhadurwar on April 20. RPP had warned to break the prohibited area on the April 20 demonstration around the Bijulibazar area and the police were heavily deployed around the area but the RPP leaders organized a demonstration inside Singhadurwar making fools of all the security organs.

Defining the crime

What is a crime? Whether the killing of 17 thousand of innocent people in the name of liberation is a crime or seeking a sustainable democracy and peaceful sustainable development by ending corruption and mal-governance a crime?

For Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda, seeking a peaceful development is a crime, as he has opined. It is a foolish idea to accept those criminals and corrupts as our leaders.

Family in foreign junket

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, also the husband of Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, left for Bangkok for a medical check-up. He didn’t trust the medical doctors and hospitals in the country, therefore, he went to Bangkok. Earlier, he had gone to Singapore for a medical check-up.

His spouse, Dr Arzu Rana, was elected to the House of Representatives from the “deprived women folk” through the proportional election. She was privileged to be the wife of the NC President. She became the Foreign Minister by bypassing many senior leaders in the party. She joined her husband’s medical trip coinciding with a meeting in Bangkok. The couple didn’t miss to include their only son in the trip to Bangkok.

What can we expect from leaders having such a vision?  QUOTES OF THE WEEK

There are three advantages to senior leaders’ foreign trips for medical treatment: 1. Renewal of relations with foreign lords; 2. Eating, sleeping and health check-up at the government expense; and 3. Managing money collected in the country at safe places.

Anar Singh Karki

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has gone abroad again for his health check-up. His wife had also undergone treatment abroad. It is a shame. Sher Bahadur, who ruled for decades, could not build such a prestigious hospital even after being in power for so long, where at least he himself could get treatment with confidence. When the leadership itself cannot trust the health system of their own country, then what to write about the pain of ordinary Nepalis? The country is in the hands of leaders seeking treatment abroad, but what about the fate of the people who cannot go abroad?

Khusbu Oli

The three top leaders of the major parties "agreeing to save the republic" are alike prisoners sitting together to "control crime in society."

Will the republic be saved by those whose misdeeds have led the republic into crisis?

Krishna Gyawali

It is okay for the government to take action against those who sabotage the peaceful movement. But who takes action against the government or the stakeholders when it decides to shoot the people?

Pushpa Raj Purush

In a democracy, when the media takes the side of the country and the people, they become stronger and the credibility of the media increases. When the media takes the side of particular party and the leaders, both of them will fall down and the media will face crisis of credibility.

Surya Raj Acharya

Everest is not just a mountain — it’s Nepal’s pride, the world’s treasure. We need strict laws to protect it from exploitation and ruin. Let’s act now.

Manisha Koirala

When those who became the President and Vice President remain as the slaves of the party cannot stand above the party’s interests, they cannot be the guardians of all the Nepalis. That is why, we need the institute of monarchy.

Swagat Nepal

The more the delay in the release of Rabindra Mishra, Dhawal Shamsher and other prisoners of faith, and the house arrest of Navraj Subedi, detained in connection with the incident of March 28, the more the public anger against the rulers will intensify.

Why is the government refusing to conduct a judicial inquiry into the Koteshwar-Thinkune firing incident?

Dhruba H. Adhikary

Imposing 30% of tax while sharing ancestral property is a daylight robbery.

Babu Lal Bhandari

There are so many activists of political parties in Nepal that they do not allow citizens to remain free even in villages. On the other hand, activists are not allowed to be independent by their leaders and foreign leaders controls the Nepali leaders. A unique unbreakable cycle is existed in the country’s politics.

Mumaram Khanal

 A king will have no intention of taking immediate benefit by capturing power alike the political leaders. The independent existence and development of the country and the prosperity of the people are the concerns of the king. The king and the rulers of the republic cannot be compared,

The late B.P. Koirala had thus said, "No one loves the nation as much as the kings do."

Badri Narsingh KC

Excerpted and translated by Sushma Shrestha.