Pic: Bikram Rai
From the Nepali press
Kedar Sharma in Himal Khabarpatrika, 14-20 May
Finally we have local elections after 20 years. This is such an important occasion that the people have realised that Nepali politics will miss the bus again if we botch it. It is natural that all political parties want to use these polls to make their foundations stronger. Voters have an even bigger responsibility because local elections are the backbone of our democracy to improve the wellbeing of our villages and towns.
Local elections give us three opportunities: to chose the right candidates to have accountable local leaders, to strengthen political parties, and lastly to remove candidates we do not like. But how to distinguish between good and bad candidates in the first and second phase of local elections. These are the criteria I will use to decide which party and candidate I will vote for:
1. Those which accept and stay within the boundaries mandated by the constitution, and remain within its limits to change things they do not like
2. Those that have not allied with others to weakn their own party
3. Those who ideologically and in practice do not believe in violence
4. Those who do not attempt to legitimize criminals
5. Those who do not need local goons for protection
6. Those who are transparent
7. Those who do not engage in anti-social behavior like shutdowns, strikes, vandalism, etc
8. Those who work in the public interest and speak for the people
9. Those who have made responsible local leaders candidates
10. Those who have the capacity for teamwork
11. Those who run decent campaigns that do not employ publicity methods tht infringe on the rights of others
12. Those who do not make unrealistic promises