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VOL. 27, NO. 30, April 04, 2008 (Chaitra 22 2064 B.S.)
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New Leadership
The new leadership of business community faces multi-pronged challenges
By SANJAYA DHAKAL
As it came just on the eve of Constituent Assembly (CA) election, the election of new leadership of business community is set to face a multi-pronged challenge.
Apart from regular business issues, the new leadership of the community will have to face new issues such as federalism and inclusion.
The elected CA will redraw the contour of the nation not only politically but also socio-economically.
The CA is expected to complete the writing of a new constitution within two years. As such, the business community will need to play an active role in giving their inputs during the whole process.
The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) – the umbrella body of private sector – had held its 42nd Annual General Meeting on Wednesday (March 26), which elected its new leadership.
Kush Kumar Joshi has been elected as the new president of the federation. Joshi will head the business community for the next three years. He succeeds Chandi Raj Dhakal whom he defeated on Wednesday's election by over 100 votes.
Dhakal, seeking fresh tenure, and Joshi, a sitting second vice president, had contested the election for the position of FNCCI president. Likewise, three vice presidents and 42 executive committee members, too, have been elected. Krishna Prasad Tamrakar, Pradeep Jung Pandey and Bhaskar Rajkarnicar have been elected as vice presidents.
Suraj Baidya, a leading businessman, was later elected, unanimously, as the senior vice president of the FNCCI, by the meeting of the new executive committee.
The newly elected president of FNCCI Joshi has said his major focus will be the well-being of the business community. "The trouble today is that you can't even come out of your house to conduct business fearlessly," he said.
"The issue of security is the major agenda for the business community," he said.
Joshi said the government must fulfill its commitment on forming the Industrial Security Force (ISF). "There can be private-public partnership in forming such force," he said.
The ISF had been mooted since a long time back. The government had been promising to set up the force to address the issues of insecurity in business sector but has not formed it as yet.
Inaugurating the AGM, Finance Minister called on the business community to help conduct the Constituent Assembly (CA) election successfully. He assured the business community that no force in the country can go beyond what he called as some vital democratic elements including pluralism, rule of law and human rights.
"The problems of business sector are the national problems," he said, adding that economy must be given top priority for the development of the country. "Even amid instability our macroeconomic indicators including inflation, deficit, are all in stable condition. Our revenue has grown handsomely to help us cater to the rising election expenses and oil deficit. If there had been total peace, I am sure, the country would have witnessed 7 to 8 percent of growth," he said.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of its AGM, the FNCCI also, posthumously, honored four prominent businesspersons - Gopal Rajbhandari, Mohan Gopal Khetan, Hulas Chand Golchha and Raj Bahadur Chipalu.
