Re: Bihari K Shrestha's reply (Letters, #260) to my letter (#259) on his write-up ('Support by default', #258). Politicians are corrupt even in mature democracies, ours was only 12 years old before the king decided to play the messiah by blatantly breaching the constitution. Democracy has a self-cleansing, in-built system to flush out undesirables. In an autocracy, we see the corrupt and ex-convicts foisted upon us. True, elections are the real barometer of knowing public opinion but the king is bent on interpreting the public opinion in a manner that suits him. Elections under this royal government can never be free and fair. Crooks and ex-military officers (there is an ex-general in the Election Commission) overseeing polls is a nightmare. The king wants three years to put the panchayati set-up in place, and the six months since his coup leaves no doubt about his real intentions. As for president's rule (there is such a system in federal India), it can be done only on the recommendation of the elected head, to be duly ratified by parliament. Here the king resorts to Article 127 of the Constitution whenever it suits him. While 'grovelling' at India is undesirable so is accepting the king's ambition to rule above the law.

Sambhav Sharma,
New Baneswor

. Re: 'NGOs next' (#260). After 1990, economic and political liberalisation led to the mushrooming of NGOs in Nepal. On the positive side some of the best hospitals and elite schools were set up but the NGOs also had a negative impact. Fore one, they made society ever more dependent on the mercy of foreigners. Another result was increased corruption and conspicuous consumption by a few in the name of poverty-alleviation. Some of them were Christians proselytising on the side. Unfortunately, the Nepali media and intellectuals have failed to realise that no society has achieved prosperity with the help of NGOs. In fact what you need is effective state intervention. Now that the government finally comes up with rules to regulate this sector, NGOs cry foul. If NGOs are really working for the enhancement of poor Nepalis why do they have to worry about a new regulation? it only proves they had a hidden agenda all along, namely that their lavish lifestyles are threatened.

B Raj Giri,
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