MIN BAJRACHARYA

The government's stubbornness to hold town elections at any cost has been futile. Its ability to find candidates for only 42 percent of the posts in 58 municipalities clearly proves that the elections were largely boycotted. When ordinary civilians were made to stand for election by force or enticement, it proved that law and order had deteriorated. Ordinary citizens will never back a king pushing for his own sovereignty. The government chief should realise that it is not moral to push citizens towards the path of death by making them stand for election. What could be worse than government minister claiming that the Maoist attack on Lalitpur candidate Dhan Bahadur Rai was just an ordinary incident? The Maoists on the other hand have failed to show any sincerity and sympathy towards the citizens' right to life. Several candidates became victims of Maoist violence. It is neither a political culture nor a democratic practice to deprive an individual of his right to life just because they have a different political stance. Should the seven-party alliance, especially the Nepali Congress and UML, fail to criticise the Maoist attacks on unarmed candidates, then we can easily interpret their silence as collusion with the rebels. The Maoists have already violated the 12-point understanding with their violent actions. It is the responsibility of these parties to bring the Maoists towards peace and to promote a culture of tolerance. By being silent on a culture of violence they have failed to uphold democracy.