You poll question on the constituent assembly ('What people say', #239) was enlightening: I see that I am not alone in my confusion. We are confused because we have been the victims of doublespeak on both sides of the political spectrum. In spite of many erudite editorials arguing one or other side, there has in fact been no sincere dialogue on how the proposed process should take place. Both sides seem to prefer the smokescreen of misunderstanding to the possibility of failure. If there is a groundswell of support for a new constitution then the will of the people must be obeyed. No democrat can argue with that. However, as the saying goes, the devil is in the detail. How are the polls to elect members for the constitutent assembly to take place: one representative per district? One per VDC? Using existing electoral demarcations? New ones? Will it be a winner takes all scenario?

On the Maoist side: if they lose the constituent assembly they lose all. It is their biggest gamble. No wonder they're not upfront about it. Same is true for the parties. While they're all for polls, there remains the niggling doubt that just maybe in light of the embarrassing errors they have committed over the past decade that just possibly they no longer hold sway over as much of the population as they might like to admit. If they lose, they also lose all. The solution then, on both sides, has been to continue to delay and let confusion reign. And it has worked: your poll is proof that the people are genuinely confused. When will they have the moral courage to come forth and put all their cards on the table: dispel the devil from the detail and let well-informed citizens decide for themselves?

I have purposely removed the sovereign from this equation. Partly in an attempt to help you get this through censors and partly because I believe only Lord Pashupatinath can help him at this point.

Name withheld,
Kathmandu

. Everyone talks about human rights but I suspect there lurks a dangerous disagreement about the definition of the term. What makes me think so? Statements like the following attributed to the Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare: "Restoration of human rights ... is impossible without the restoration of peace in the country." "Restoration" of human rights is impossible for the simple reason that they cannot be taken away. Human rights are not given to us by anyone so they cannot be restored by anyone. We possess them by the fact of being human. They can be respected or violated but never taken away.

Fr Cap Miller,
SJ Rector, St Xavier's, Godavari