“We are doing our best," Nepal police spokesman
Binod Singh said. "But the problem is that most of the attackers do it
from hiding and then escape." This is a quote I pulled out from the BBC
website. I am glad BBC has finally talked to the police and now we know what
the police are doing to stop this act of violence against schools bearing
international names. But my question to Binod Singh is “Is it not the police’s
job to catch and punish the perpetrators?”
There is hardly any condemnation from the Nepal
Government or any act of law and order maintained by the police in order to
stop the barbaric act performed time and again by the Maoist fraction led by
Mohan Baidya. Despite the fact that the
Baidya faction has been burning and shutting down schools and school buses none
of the civil society members have voiced their concern except one press release
from the UN. What are UNICEF and other large organizations who receive billions
of dollars per year to protect and work for the children waiting for? And since
when is shutting down schools and burning school buses a strategy to make the
government listen as aptly said by the co-ordinator Sharad Rasaili, The
Maoist-affiliated All Nepal National Independent Students' Union?
I met an old friend this weekend who consults for a
UN organization. He wrote a fine press release condemning the current situation
and wanted the heads of the UN to approve it. The press release got shelved
because the UN heads did not want to offend any political party members or
blame any government body as they wanted to maintain the friendship as long as
they are in Nepal. I understand it is important for an international non
government organization to maintain a diplomatic relationship but when they
fail to do their job for the sake of relationships, these organizations
repeatedly fail to fulfill their objective.
I do not hold the international organizations
responsible for not taking out more press releases or for not trying to create
dialogues to pave the way for a peaceful closure. This is an internal matter
and the government should be held responsible and act accordingly. But the
trend in Nepal is such that hardly any person in power is held accountable
whether it is corruption or murder or simply violating the rights of the
people. Why have these innocent children got to suffer and what is the agenda
behind Baidya’s actions against schools bearing foreign names?
I am nostalgic when I think about the olden days
when a murder in the far west would cause an uproar bringing immediate
attention of the then deceased King Birendra. There was a time when a strike in
the country was a taboo, a time when political parties were accountable and a
time when the leaders stepped down if their party members committed an act of
shame. Today the democracy in Nepal has provided so much leverage to the ruling
parties that none of them are held accountable for fraud, corruption and even
murderers are pardoned and allowed to rule.
The Maoists fought a long war sacrificing many
lives, mostly poor; a fight against poverty and corruption. But the same
leaders today are embezzling funds from every department they can lay their
hands on. The extravagant lifestyle of Prachanda is a proof that these Maoists
leaders who survived by sacrificing the poor souls are here to prey on the
poor. It is a scary situation and one
dare not ask questions about Prachanda’s wealth and his lifestyle. The shooting
of one of the chief justice couple of months back is a strong message to those
who dare.
The security in Nepal is at its worst. The goons
harvested by the political parties whip a crime in a whim and the society bears
the brunt of it in utter silence. These goons are committing grave crimes in
the name of politics where students and their parents are lurched in a limbo
watching and waiting in utter despair. And the government becomes a mere
spectator too!
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