REPEAT AFTER ME

Nepali Times has been among the few media outlets that has raised serious concerns about the implications and futility of a botched election ('No to June', #339; 'Step away from the poll&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#̵'216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;', 'Only fools rush in', #341). I can't understand why the eight parties stick to their rhetoric about holding the constituent assembly elections in June at any cost. Do they know something (or have they agreed to something) that we don't know about? If so, they need to tell us what that is. Surely they haven't forgotten the royal local election already. The two Jana Andolans have proven that informed citizens are also guardians of their democratic rights and, therefore, those of the democratic parties as well.

The silence of civil society and the media at large is amazing. I have not seen any serious analysis about the pros and cons of holding or not holding the election in time from these quarters. It's their duty to come up with different alternatives based on sound analysis, not just echo the agenda of one or another political force.

Sandesh Hamal,
Lalitpur

. How many times do you have to say something before people listen? For the last couple of months your front pagers, editorials, and columns have said a few things repeatedly: a botched election will be disastrous, no elections in June, and so on ('Big questions', #337, 'No to June', #339, 'Step way from the polls', #341). It would be nice to tell Nepali Times to stop flogging a dead horse. Alas, every week, as you hit the nail on the head, it becomes clear that those of us who agree with you were hitting our heads against a brick wall. The parties don't understand anything, do they? Keep saying what needs to be said.

P Bhandari,
email

. The June deadline of the constituent assembly elections may not be attainable. But to delay the formation of the interim government is damaging in every count. It is a betrayal of the people and Jana Andolan II. There are no results because only an inclusive government with proportional representation of all people, including backward and oppressed groups, represents the people. Without this, incidents like the Gaur carnage and the madhesi movement will keep popping up, and make space for reactionary forces.

Bhakti Nepal,
Canada

The Maoists' proposed education scheme is appalling. Why on earth should a child's mind be filled with political rubbish and deadly knowledge about making guns and explosives, and wars? Compare their ideology with the age-old idealistic belief that children should be taught physical education, music, poetry, and natural sciences. If a condemnable scheme such as the Maoists' were to be implemented, I'd rather teach my children at home than send them to school. No conscientious guardian will allow their children's minds to be filled with such rubbish at such a young age.

Khanal,
Stanford University

. The rest of the world may view Maoism as it does the dodo, albeit less fondly. In Nepal people want to give the dying ideology new life by indoctrinating children. This is fanaticism. If Maoists want to be looked upon as reasonable, normal people-i.e., part of the 'mainstream', they had better play the part. Only a crank would want to teach philosophy and economics to nine- and ten-year-olds. Not to mention 'military science', and the technology behind 'homemade guns'. I'm sure the syllabus for 12-year-olds includes a section on nuclear weaponry. And I suppose 15- and 16-year-olds will have considerable practical studies of ballistic missiles.

The Maoists don't seem to just want to replace capitalism with another system. It looks like they want to reach into children's minds and distort their thinking. They think their ideology must be preserved unconditionally, even at the cost of permanently disfiguring childhood.

Manish,
email

. What are these commie educational experts thinking? This ridiculous curriculum will do nothing to achieve what we desperately need-jobs, economic growth, and prosperity, capital, investments, a strong middle class, and a democratic system. How will memorising Prachanda's biography and communist ideologies help our nation?

Yes, the communist revolution has become a significant part of our history, and students must be aware of what it was and the players involved. But this has to be done in an unbiased, objective manner. We should also not forget all the other important actors and events that have shaped our history. More importantly, we need an apolitical curriculum that encourages students to think and analyse critically, that fosters entrepreneurship and rewards hard work. We need a capable citizenry up-to-date with the constantly shifting economic realities of the world. Instead, our students will be taught to live off barter, as in medieval times.

And military education? Fourth- and fifth-graders learning to make guns and explosives works if you want to introduce the draft. Mr Prachanda, if you are listening, our kids don't need to learn route-finding-we don't want to live in the jungle like you did.

Looking at this curriculum, it's easy to imagine Nepal turning into North Korea, with a military dictatorship that glorifies its tyrannical leaders. If this is implemented, I am moving with my kids.

Deepti Satyaki,
email

. Granted Ms Yami's take on education has its limitations, some of which were pointed out in last week's letters ('We will link education with labour', #340, 'Mis-education', Letters, #341). But it was irresponsible to paste the Maoists' guerrilla education policy and curriculum and attribute it to the present-day mainstream party ('Little Maoists;, #341). Had the Maoist stayed in the jungle to fight the war and won, this curriculum might have been implemented. But with the change in their political status, I am sure their education policies have changed, and I don't think this absurd curriculum does justice to their outlook.

Nepal's education does need reform. We do not need the monarchical propaganda replaced by communist propaganda, but we do need reform. And the Maoists' quasi-'scientific' answerable-to-the-people brand of education has merit-as long as it remains scientific and non-communist (between which they've ceased to see the difference), and answerable to the people and not to ideology.

SK,
email

. Re: 'Little Maoists'. Are you serious?! I was about to congratulate the Ass for his wacky genius, but then I realized this was a bonafide story. Thanks to you, Hisila, with your plan Nepali kids in the Maoist version of fundamentalist madrasas will find themselves not only brainwashed with laal salaamism, but also glaringly incompetent in the software-driven Asian economy. We've already paid the price for an educational experiment gone wrong-the Naya Shikshyaa Yojanaa. We cannot repeat the mistake. After 10 years of bloodshed and trauma, our kids deserve better.

Nirmal Niroula,
email

I was shocked that the business community was labelled 'royalis&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;' ('A small, shrinking centre', State of the State, #341). If all other Nepalis have the right to protest in the streets, why can't businesspeople? They have suffered a great deal of mental and physical abuse at the hands of the Maoists and organised crime-attacks, intimidation, kidnapping-and our ineffective government did nothing. Where was this so-called civil society when these attacks were happening? Businessmen should not pay any taxes to this government, which has no moral and legal right to them any more.

PL,
email

. The brutal assault on Hari Lal Shrestha is the latest instance of Maoist atrocities on ordinary citizens ('Enough', Economic Sense, #341). Yet there was no condemnation from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which otherwise is quick to react to human rights violations. With the 'Maoisation' of civil society, it is futile to expect Messers Devendra Raj Panday, Daman Nath Dhungana, and Krishna Pahadi to break ties with the CPN-M. Are attacks on civil liberties part of the economic policies Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai have been outlining in their meetings with the international community and the private sector? If the Maoist leadership is sincere, they must allow the rule of law to punish the culprits and also publicly apologise for their cadres' behaviour. Anything less will prove that they have not renounced terrorism. Otherwise, the people will be compelled to revolt and the rallying cry this time will be "Prachanda chor, desh chod!"

Name withheld,
Kathmandu

. There is a huge difference between the leaders and the members of the Maoists who believe in 'equality'. Pushpa Kamal Dahal says "there should no difference between rich and poor". But in practice, there is a huge difference in the lifestyle and the power people on either end have. Poor PLA fighters live in tents made of plastic bags, while Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai rent a Rs 55,000 house. Dahal flashes a designer watch. He signed the peace agreement with a pen that could have cost thousands more than a Nepali-made pen. He rides a Pajero. But, Mr Dahal, if you believe in equality, love your country, and want to support Nepali industry, live like your compatriots. Use Starline pens, Goldstar shoes, Hulas Mustang vehicles.

Saurav,
email