One could understand the Gang-of-Four parties (the group led by Nepal Congress O3 [Obstinate Octogenarian Ogre] G.P. Koriala) and their interest in spreading mayhem. But CPN-UML? This party is led by an even greater swindler and deciever, M.K.Nepal. He's the one who sees no contradiction of holding "secret" talks with the maobadi madmen last year in Lucknow, even while the commissars murdered his "cadres" in the hills of Dang, no cotradiction of having ministers in current HMG and at the same time supporting his students/goons burning efigies of same ministers in the streets. Talk about split-political personality! Talk about having cake, not paying for it, and eat it!
As the recent Nepali Times observe:
- Give credit where it's due: the Deuba administration has shown considerable courage in taking a potentially-suicidal political decision.
...
Politicians are known for populist grandstanding, that is what they are made for. So it's not surprising the UML comrades want to have it both ways: Supplies Minister Ishwar Pokhrel hikes petro prices with a fishy one-week delay and his party's student wing is out on the streets vandalising public property in protest. Even by the reckless standards of Nepali politics, the UML's two-faced opportunism is stunning. Then Pokhrel makes the shocking admission to us that dealers are allowed to hoard.
All this doesn't make the fuel price hike less inevitable. The 30 percent increase in global oil prices in the past year has put Nepal Oil Corporation Rs 5.12 billion in the red. The corporation's losses are threatening to bankrupt the state as well.
The basic rule of business is you can't sell a product for less than what you bought it for unless you are: a) stupid, b) a welfare state or c) Nepal Oil Corporation.
There you have it! All in black, or more likely RED figures. But where is the effort to communicate this to the streets? Once we got into this irrational rut the emotions of the nepalis take over, like bull seeing red!
No comments:
Post a Comment