Nepali Times
Letters
Democracy begins at home


It is one thing to decide that you no longer want the budget for the royal family to come out of the threadbare pockets of the Nepali public. It is quite another matter to evolve your thinking out of your own feudal mindset and take the full responsibilities of democratic representation to heart. In other words, if you plan to continue as the lord and master of your domestic or work realm, do not think that your feudal mentality and behaviour will not be reflected in your outer society and government. Are you going to write letters and pound the pavement to fight for your rights when you are trying to get your government work done, or are you going to take the lazy way out and pay some baksheesh to some thulo manche to get it done? Are you ready to let the child labourers in your home, office, community go to school, and instead pay proper market rates to people working with a proper shift with regular breaks and holidays to do your work? Are you willing to let the so-called kamis and lowest caste human beings drink water from your glasses, and eat at your table? Or are you too much of a thulo manche for that? Are you ready to see 50 percent of the government seats reserved for female representation? Do you really think you are ready to give up your gender and caste privileges? If you can't answer yes, completely and honestly, to these simple questions, then what you really want is definitely not democracy, but perhaps another brand of feudalism where your own personal overlord status is elevated closer to that of a sovereign. Just taking the Shah kings' photos off of bank notes will not change the feudal mentality. On the other hand, if you are really ready for democracy, prove it by your actions and not merely in slogans. Democracy begins at home.

L Sherpa,
Solukhumbu

. Now the new government is in place, my only worry is if these people who ran Nepal with disastrous results in the past will learn from their mistakes and create a good future for Nepalis. The same old faces, same old attitudes, everything looks the same. It makes me want to cry. The Nepali people want the politicians to promise that they won't repeat their mistakes. Why isn't everyone making the same noise about desh chod to the politicians? As for the king, we need him.

Krishna P Koirala,
email

. Chitralekha Yadav did us women proud when she so eloquently and capably acted as speaker of the reinstated parliament. I had tears of happiness in my eyes as I witnessed her superb performance. "You know", I told my husband, "a woman speaker presiding over a parliament gained through janandolan, is a good omen. It is like Saraswati and Laxmi presiding over Nepal's fragile democracy. I have hope for the future!" And now I hear that a very capable woman is being neglected because she belongs to the wrong party. Have these so-called party leaders forgotten so soon that such very petty party politics got us into the current mess? Have they not yet learnt to honour and respect capability and skills (which Chitralekha Yadav has proved she has in abundance)? And will our politicians ever learn about gender equity? I strongly recommend that Chitralekha Yadav be chosen speaker of the house.

Subhadra Belbase,
Kirtipur

. Everybody outside Nepal thinks the country got freedom and democracy. What I recall is that Mr GP Koirala ruled 80 percent of the time during the so-called democracy from 1990 to 2002. He practically ruined the country's industry, lead the national flag carrier to bankruptcy, the garment industry to decay, his relatives became powerful and his daughter a millionaire. Terrorism thrived. Finally when the king decided to take power, Girija raised hell in the name of democracy! Is democracy equivalent to a political party or does it include the people? Our case proves the theory that democracy, instead of rule for the people by the people, is in reality the rule of leaders rich in financial and muscle power, and of course foreign power. I would request Nepali Times to refresh our memories with details of political events before the king took over. Was it the king's choice, compulsion or an option given by the so-called 'democratic leaders'? You would do us a favour by reminding the self-proclaimed democrats that if the janata can't forgive the king they will not forgive the leaders for mistakes committed twice

Rahul Shrestha,
by email

. 'Letters' have always been my favourite part of Friday morning reading in Nepali Times but when I read a few that had pro-king or anti-loktantra sentiments in them, I was surprised and angered. But after having read the entire issue (#295), it dawned on me that this is a loktantantrik space, a microcosm where remarks like 'Loktantra is not for the people' from J Thapa and 'This country is nothing without the King.Long live the King' from Name Withheld would not be censored. Those letters and people who feel that the people's movement was nothing but political players playing puppet with the people undermine the feelings and values of thousands of people who took to the streets, defied curfew, risked their lives and kept hope alive despite having no political affiliation. I fought for loktantra, was jailed and now I live in a budding loktantra. I am also aware of the long and arduous road ahead but I believe that I will not be suppressed for having an opinion. Please do not withhold my name.

Sameecheeta Jhangad,
Jhapa



LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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