EDITORIAL
Those were the days when the then prime minister, Kirtinidhi Bista, had tendered his resignation, taking responsibility for the the Singhadurwar burning. Bista should not have tendered resignation as he was not responsible for the burning of Singhadurwar. Similarly, the then education and sports minister Keshar Bahadur Bista tendered resignation following the death of sports fans when they rushed to come out from the gates at the Dasharath Stadium during a football match. When a sudden cyclone took place with rains, audiences rushed to go out from the stadium which caused the death of dozens of sports fans. Sports minister Bista was not responsible for the natural calamity, even though, he took the responsibility and tendered resignation.
Today, the word “ethics’ has vanished from the dictionary of Nepali political leaders. When a sitting minister was found responsible for the death of two youths in the police firing in Balkumari, the minister denied taking responsibility. Accordingly, a minister was grilled by the Commission for Investigation on Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on the Tarramex scam, he was present at the CIAA riding a vehicle with the national flag. He didn’t feel the issue of “morale”. Similarly, incumbent chief secretary Baikuntha Aryal was found involved in sending the bank account number to the then officer who is under investigation in a corruption case. The officer is found depositing a certain amount of money in the account provided by Aryal. Immediately after such charges, the chief secretary had to stay on leave until finalization of the case, but he didn’t do so. If they didn’t realize their ethics, the Prime Minister had to sack them or take action against them. He also chose to remain silent.
Self-discipline is essential for the function of democracy. If those in power defy the rule of law, they should be punished. Corruption has become a serious disease in the present political system. If corruption is not controlled, it is going to destroy the economy. Unfortunately, we cannot expect good governance and a non-corrupt society from the present leadership and the political system.
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