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Kathmandu Thursday August 17, 2000 Bhadra 01, 2057.
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Leading or misleading arguments?
Since I was quoted in one of your anchor news relating to
immigrant workers in Nepal (dated August 7), let me correct my statement first before
commenting on David Seddon's reactions. Nepal's Labour Act is, definitely, biased toward
workers but I never meant it to be "though". Let it also be clear that the
implementation issue of the act is a different story requiring further analysis and
interpretation. My idea is that a good policy often backfires when it is carried to the
extreme. Take the case of South Africa where the government is now rethinking on its
pro-worker labour legislation. If you do not give a manager the right to fire, he will not
hire also. Labour market flexibility is the key to employment generation in Nepal.
Now, let me comment on David Seddon's reactions. When he says
"number of immigrant workers in Nepal is small compared with the number of Nepali
workers abroad" (meaning India), he seems to be carried away by the absolute numbers.
The important question is the relativity, i.e., absorbing capacity of the respective
economies. It is sheer absurdity to think that India will also retaliate if Nepal is to
unilaterally impose a ban on Indian workers. Only an authoritarian regime like the one in
Bhutan can expel people in masses. Furthermore, Nepali workers are not in India just
because of the good hospitality of our neighbour. It is a question of economics as well.
At a time when our honourable Prime Minister himself is positing the fact that "if
India wants the border fenced, Nepal will not object to it" Mr Seddon's warning is
far off the mark. I could still recall Mr Seddon, speaking a couple of years back telling
his experience on appraising Nepal's two decades of development effort "that to see
the things in the "changed context", even the "lens" needs to be
changed". It is so unfortunate that Mr Seddon seems to be wearing the same old lens
to see the changing patterns of Nepal-India relationships.
As for the remittance money, I want to ask Mr Seddon why
Nepal did not develop even after serving so many years in his own country, I mean, the
British Army? Could he cite a single country in the world which had advanced (developed)
by exporting its people? It is sheerly illogical to claim one's research is
"careful" and others to be "unreliable" or "prejudiced". Let
it be decided by the third party.
Narayan Manandhar
Kumaripati, Lalitpur |
