PUKADA AND BARABHA

To add dissidents to the interim parliament and convert it into a Constituent Assembly without elections as Koirala and Prachanda were trying to do ('New song', #361) is the only way to get out of this mess. It will save money and blood.

Shree Shrestha,
email

. 'Khrushchev's ghost' by your backside Ass (#362) was funny and I especially liked the part about Nepal's guerrilla leaders wanting to visit Japan or the US. Reminds me of the time I was visiting Moscow, and I asked my Russian friends if they would take a photo of me in front of Marx's statue outside Lenin's mausoleum. They thought I was mad. For them, the statues of Stalin and his comrades are painful memories of an absurd past. Our own Comrades PuKaDa and BaRaBha are making a mistake by applying for visas to countries that are certain to reject them. They would in fact be better off visiting Moscow, the long-time headquarters of USSR and which now has the highest density of billionaires. Our comrades could come up with a whole new manifesto on the dictatorship of the proletariat while cruising in Lexus limousines.

B Raj Giri,
email

. I found Prem J Thapa's Guest Column ('2007 to 2007', #356) very relevant. What will ordinary Nepalis gain from a republic? May be a banana. If they are lucky. There will be no big jump in HDI or GDP, in fact the country will surely turn into a Banana Republic. With the monarchy at least we get to preserve a part of our unique history and culture. An institution that sets us apart from the others.

B Luintel,
London

. What's the YCL up to? Why are they undermining the chances of the CPN-M in the elections? If they want to do politics, they have to do it right as you say in your editorial ('Split personality', #362). The idea should be that the Nepali people are able to cast their votes freely. Unless Chairman Prachanda stops the YCL from doing what it is doing then there is no chance for a Maoist constituent assembly.

S Oli, Grade 10
Janajyoti Vidya Mandir, Gorahi, Dang

. Thanks for your editorial ('No turning back now', #361) I firmly believe in the rule of law and have a deep respect for it. We should always put our faith in the truth and in unbiased jurisprudence. But these can only be achieved through the application of the true spirit of democracy. So every party in our country should strive for a firm commitment to democratic principles. Adherence to those values will never fail us.

G Sharma,
email

ONLY NEGATIVE

Daniel Lak has been associated with Nepali Times too long if all he has seen in Nepal is only negative things ('Could be worse', #360). Nepal has its problems, but who is responsible for them? Of course, the corrupt, power hungry politicians, including the Maoist leaders and their followers. Please do not compare these politicians to the rest of the Nepali population, 99 percent of the silent majority are sick and tired of Nepali politics, try to make the best of the existing problems, and try to live a normal life. They are the resilient, proud and capable people of Nepal, not the people who are forever in the limelight, thanks to newspapers like Nepali Times. I see hope in Nepal when I meet young engineers, both men and women, and young doctors and academics, who believe in a future for Nepal. They have my highest admiration. Despite political turmoil, they are optimistic and are trying to help build a better Nepal.

D S Kansakar Hilker,
Germany

KRISHNA BHIR

Re: 'No news from Krishna Bhir is good news', #362. Congratulations to Naresh Man Shakya for his pragmatic contribution in controlling landslides. The country needs people like him and to allow them to do what they do best. And congratulations to you for pointing out that Mr Shakya was transferred to a desk job! That is just scandalous and possibly corruption-linked. It will do good for all to find out who transferred Mr Shakya to a desk job and why. Is it because corrupt officials concerned, maybe in the Roads Department, wanted him out of the way so they could take on expensive projects and skim off commissions? Suggest Nepali Times take on this investigation: start simply by finding out what kind of projects to manage landslides have been adopted by the Roads Department after Mr Shakya's transfer.

Name withheld,
email

GYANENDRAPATH

An interesting anecdote by Chandrashekhar Karki ('Prachandapath, Gyanendrapath, #362) but he must realise that the YCL is not legalised and cannot, by the contents of law, perform such actions on civilians. Nevertheless the army on the other hand have the law in their hands, yes but it was wrong to humiliate you back then. The difference lies in the matter of legality, and ethics. If you look into this then you will surely find Gyanendrapath a little better.

B K Shrestha,
email

TRASH

Uncollected garbage, not the first time in Kathmandu, reflects the uncivilised mindset of the people given the responsibility to carry out certain basic functions (Happenings, #362). The government banned strikes in essential services but lacks the political will to enforce them. It is amazing how Kathmandu's residents are tolerating such filth and chaos when garbage is piling up outside hospitals. Why is the medical profession, consumer rights advocates, and the tourism sector not exerting pressure on the government not to put the public at risk? Is this the New Nepal?

Ram Chaudhary,
email

911

There is a mistake in Diwas Kc's Critical Cinema column reviewing Michael Moore's Sicko ('Sick of it', #361). Moore didn't get an Oscar for Fahrenheit 9/11. He won it for Bowling for Columbine. 9/11 was not even nominated.

Sagun Shrestha,
email