i dont agree with dead burton. first, you cant ask for a minimum degree level. because 1) education level is not necessarily correlated with ability 2) how are you going to replace the dolts in power right now? there has to be a systematic way for that to happen. even in the US, what fraction of politicians have advanced (e.g. masters) degrees? how can you expect that of nepal, which already has a much lower literacy rate. in democracy, representing the masses is more imortant than having degrees. how can an aloof phd holder who's led a life of privilege really understand the pain and needs of a remote villager? secondly, you say only people with vision need to be put into positions of authority. how do you suppose we measure "vision." by the level of education? vision is something that does not materialize immediately. lee kwan yew's vision of a better singapore took a few decades to materialize. so even if you could measure *vision* you could never measure *vision potential*. imo, medicine is a much more noble profession, requiring actual analytical ability to diagnose and prognose. it also requires one to take the hyppocratic oath to administer care. so this sense of *responsiblity* is built in. so i would say you are comparing apples to oranges. however, i agree that a system for groomign leaders needs to be in place. it's either market forces that do that, or some sort of dictatorial policy enforced at hte highest level, like in sngapoer. market forces will never produce good quality leaders for at least a few more years, because that's not wehre the money is. the ones with ambition and potential go into ventures that are more lucrative in teh *short and medium* term. so if the market forces are to select good leaders, we need to pay them well. paying a minister Rs 10, 000/mo is a big joke. in america, judges are paid a LOT so they stay uncorruptible. in nepal too, the minimum salary for people in positions of power should be increased. i would say a lakh or two may not be that much, if it prevents corruption on teh scale of crores. this goes for all offices where poeple can be tempted to engage in bribery and corruption. girija and company are old. shere and the others, once they fulfil their current mandate, should go. i hope they go soon. i say 10 yrs or so will be enough to see fresh new faces. another problem is that the more able nepali folks are out of the country. so if something happens and we begin to see a reversal (kind of like in india and china right now) of the brain drain, things will improve. we will see leaders with *vision* in business and politics. i am hopeful we'll see that day...laterzzzz