| ashu |
Posted
on 14-Jan-02 01:20 AM
What follows is from a development worker Nepali friend currently based in Surkhet. This is here, with slight editing and with his permission, to give you all an informal snapshot of how Emergency is affecting that part of Nepal.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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Seems you guys have a very nice new year celebration... These things are not be possible in western part of the country [here in Surkhet].
One cannot buy drinks except in "black markets" - the bazar shops close by
6 pm. Nobody walks on the street after 6:30pm - partying is a remote possiblity....
Surkhet comes in the news-headline once in a while ... with incomplete and false news, and nobody bothers about such news here..... life is like that...
I am calculating how many kids have died of diarrhoea this year in my programme [in Surkhet], what kind of treatment they got, whether the situation is better
now and wonder whether the trend correlates . . . with drinking water and sanitation program etc.. etc...
Sometimes my job [here in Surkhet] seems like the silliest job in the world. So many people (most are innocent) are dying everyday - and there is not even general record available... no trustworthy source of news. Well they are just gloomy side of life about 90% of our countrymen are facing...
Actually I was shocked while I visited Ktm last time, to see people going
to picnic, for pizza and disco etc... how can people live like that when the
western part of Nepal is becoming Afganistan?
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 14-Jan-02 07:29 PM
The Surkhet Based Nepali dev. worker says:
Actually I was shocked while I visited Ktm last time, to see people going
to picnic, for pizza and disco etc... how can people live like that when the
western part of Nepal is becoming Afganistan?
----
You can see two sides from this para:
1. All the ABLE "SAMARTH-BAN" peoples left villages and remote
districts, a kind of brain drain, money drain from villages, and is
exactly same as peoples in Kathmandu leave Nepal for better life
in western world. The mechanism is same, only scale is different.
For Nepali peoples living in USA, Europe and Japan, when these
peoples look the life in KTM, its so bad: you don't water for bath,
not even for toilet flushing, roads are dusty, ... . . .Such a miserable
life.
I am not sure what KTMuties should do? My understanding is that
its not peoples in KTM be blamed, but, its political and planners
living in KTM and are supposed to have better planning for the
peoples living outside KTM too. What is they duty of KTM peoples?
My understanding is that the peoples in KTM should be paying
the TAX to Govt. declaring all their incomes, without hiding
the taxable income. If general public in KTM have any responsibility
towards those having miserable life in villages, their greatest
responsibility is to pay TAX on all taxable income and monitor
/ask that Govt. is using the raised TAX in proper way in developing
the country, even outside KTM. I can feel the pain, but, its
not reasonable to say that peoples in villages are having miserable
life, does not mean KTM peoples should stop all funs they are
having, as long as thats within the limits given by LAW and
constitution. Well, the NGOs which are supposed to be working
for poor peoples in Nepal (in their name and objectives in paper
work) can find ways to get the money from rich by convincing
them, it could be anotherway to avoid the money wasted in
those fun parties.
Finally, lets not be too emotional. Because those partie mean
again a flow of money from rich to general public because the
clubs or restaurants are also providing jobs to public and
als generating TAXes to govt. (feri, TAX ko kura). If we look
at the VAT (value added tax), its such a great thing that
every time money flows from one node to another govt.
gets the percentage (like comission), and if collected
properly and spent accordingly, there can be huge TAx
collection for the welfare of the poor peoples.
2. Otherside of the story: Even if some peoples stop enjoying
lavish expenditure by looking at the condition of peoples in
remote areas, I am not sure whether the poverty in remote
areas will be eradicated, as long as the govt. and these so
called NGOs make long term and sustainable plans. Well, it
would be good idea of having org. like red cross and other
voluntary org. but, in current scenario most of the NGOs are
for personal benefits, one of such area is Human rights
organizations.
So, peoples are not sure whether if they stop
enjoyment and pay or donate that sum to these NGOs will
reach to the poors? With the attitude of many NGOs
I had seen how these NGO and govt. peoples try to
funnel as much as they can in their own pocket.
The root cause of all these problems is the poor
govt. leadership and plans, and I don't think the peoples
who simply want to enjoy their life should be responsible
for all these mess or miserable life of fellow citizens.
And, life is short, if you are from upper middle class, then,
your partying life will end once you get 40, because you
will start suffering cholestrol, high blood pressure, overwt.
Uric acit .... and finally, as NK quoted, "while you are young
your stomach is like roller coaster, and when you get old
(for Nepalis when you get 40) it should be treated like
Temple", and anyone failing to behave properly will have
to suffer the disease supposed to be for old peoples.
I am not sure what is the right way? All those common peoples
enjoying (look enjoying) also have interest or wishes to eradicate
poverty , but, they have no route to serve or help the peoples.
If they are not sure about (because of no transparency) their
TAX or donations going to SAND or to poor peoples, I do not feel
like donating all the money to some useless cunning NGOs heads.
So, there should be transparancy in their accounting and should not
be wating TAXed or donated money in meeting and TA/DA. I know
a very few are genuine, but, in current Nepal, the leadership has
gone to wrong hands, to Thuggs like Govinda Raj Joshi, Khum Bahadur Khadka
rapist like Bal Bahadur KC .... .fataha like Bamdeve Gautam
HahooGuru
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