On Nepal-Japan ties

It is indeed a matter of pride that Nepal enjoys good relations with most countries of the world but the importance it attaches to relations with Japan cannot be overemphasized. This is because Japan, as the most advanced country of Asia, has not only been the largest contributor to Nepal’s development efforts but there is also a sense of deep rooted cultural affinity in the hearts of Nepalese people. In fact, there are so many things in common between the Land of the Rising Sun and the Land of the Mount Everest, in areas ranging from socio-cultural and religious aspects to political realities.

Needless to say, Japan has obliged us in many ways. Being the largest international donor to support our development efforts, its contribution for the general progress of Nepal is something that can be hardly forgotten by any Nepalese. In this connection, the recent visit to this country by the president of the Japanese international cooperation agency (JICA), Mr Kimio Fujita, has only helped to further enhance the already cordial relations so happily subsisting between the two countries.

Mr Fujita’s remark prior to his return that Japan would lay emphasis on infrastructure development and social sector growth, naturally, could not have been more appropriate, as it is these two sectors whose poor state is the main cause of Nepal’s backwardness. What is however noteworthy  is that despite JICA president’s observation, expressing satisfaction over Nepal’s aid utilization, the concerned agencies in Nepal must be able to show a high degree of prudence to ensure that aid is really used properly. This is because allegations or complaints pertaining to misuse of funds donated by friendly countries cannot be altogether dismissed as baseless — be the fund from Japan or other countries.

Clearly, Fujita’s visit, which was meant to review Japanese-assisted projects and explore new avenues for cooperation, is believed to have been productive. It is hoped that new projects will come up in the future as a result of his visit. Through the years, Japan has no doubt proved itself a country that is very serious about the quality aspect in its performance —be it in industrial or social sector. As such, Nepal could learn a great deal from it. In fact, Japan could be of much help to us not with direct financial assistance in various sectors such as water resources, road construction and other development activities. But it could also support us by indirect processes such as exchange of expertise and technical know-how. What would be even more welcome is the flow of Japanese investment into Nepal, as this would not only ensure greater pace in the liberalisation process of the Nepali economy but also enhance entrepreneurship among the Nepalese business community. 

Lessons from the crisis

-By Nishchal N Pandey

There are broadly five different pillars of statecraft that have come into discussion after the hijacking episode, the arrest of a junior Pakistani diplomat, the fleeing of Karmapa Lama that many say was via our territory and more recently the detention of three Indian railway constables in uniform while loitering around Kathmandu city. It is our intelligence mechanism, our overall security system, the country’s contingency plan, coordination among various departments and even more intensely our media handling. Ironically, none of them are handled by the Foreign ministry but all of the above mentioned issues have directly affected the country’s conduct of international relations. The nature of new threats to national security in an increasingly globalizing world subjected to continuing changes in old notions, doctrines and dogmas must be given greater attention not only by the ministry looking after foreign affairs but also by the security services and intelligence agencies and the department that finances them. Unfortunately, despite efforts, there is today a growing debate in Nepal on national security and our capability to handle national crises such as these.

An intelligent evaluation of the performance of Nepal’s intelligence agencies is not possible for the basic reason that they enjoy operating in seclusion and the sovereign people largely remain ignorant of what they are doing. All intelligence agencies function in secrecy all over the world but our secret-service agencies have been deliberately kept away from parliament scrutiny. Hardly in the history of Nepal’s parliament be it before or after 1960 or even more pitiably indeed in the post 1990 era have lawmakers effectively debated over the procedure of recruitment and the achievements of their country’s intelligence agency. They are thus, accountable only to their political masters of the day. But, as the country changed into a multi-party system and as the change in political masters occurred more frequently, loyalties too might have changed. Undercover agents may not necessarily be a genius of James Bond kind all the time but they are expected to be sharp, quick and watchful. Usually, they are also counted upon for their extensive network of sources/friends and aides who constantly keep him/her abreast of the things that are going on at present or going to be in future. These sources could be anybody from a smuggler’s spoilt son to a minister’s kept wife.

However, it has been felt by Kathmandu’s elite that our intelligence agency has generally failed to warn of approaching national crises. This is evident from the fact that political masters have continuously bungled on ways to tackle them. That would not have been so had they learned it a little earlier. “More so, the scanty budget that it is given by the Finance ministry citing its unimportant role in the open context of multi-party polity could have been the main reason behind this”, opine some old liners. Others say that electronic (ELINT) and signal (SIGINT) surveillance that has proved more effective but are quite costly are still not being soundly applied as an alternate to human intelligence. This writer was tempted to analyse the country’s intelligence mechanism basically because Manoj Joshi, political editor of The Times of India said in an interview during the hijacking crisis that “from last several years, Nepal’s security system had failed and even the seizure of RDX in 1997 was only after the Government of India informed HMG/N”. In an era where change is so speeded up that we have begun to see the present only when it is already disappearing, a separate culture of professionalism has to evolve if we are to rescue ourselves from one catastrophe after another in today’s era of terrorist activities.

The government obviously has to view national security in a broader and in an unbiased angle. At the same time it has to form a proficient advisory board on ‘Strategic Review’ comprising foreign and defence experts along with academicians, former chiefs of the Royal Nepal Army and the Nepal Police, journalists, former diplomats etc. with high ranking officials of the Foreign ministry and enable interaction on pressing issues, catechize assessments, analyse them and search for possible options. A joint intelligence committee of the Royal Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Public Relations office too is the need of the hour. A smaller expert group directly under the head of the government that lays out contingency plans for difficult situations will also prove fruitful and will end the confusion especially among  various departments stationed inside TIA. This confusion was evident during the hijacking case. All in all, the just concluded exigency after the IC 814 took off from the TIA has also advised a media cell directly under the cabinet. This will increases intimacy with the media. Of course, it demands a lot of money because a 30 second ad footage in international channels would be up to an astounding three thousand dollars! And here, we are not talking about ads but even more strenuous exercise of building relations with different people with divergent interests inside and outside newsrooms. And there is another peril that is fast becoming the ‘in-thing’ of the new generation. Internet, its various web sites and highlights along with gallop polls that it conducts could easily ruin the country’s image at the click of a mouse!  Soon we will be able to log in to the Internet to hear the world’s first cyber-newsreader relay up-to-the minute news from around the world. The name of this green-hair beauty will be ‘Ananova’-an animated, unreal character. In a sense, with the global electronic and print media dominated by rich industrialized nations, developing countries like Nepal are already being subjected to well crafted information campaigns. But, if Bhutan can do it why can’t we? A recent article in Time magazine where the inert writer censures Japanese monarchy but goes on to praise King Jigme should serve as an example. The Bhutanese are very good at it.

Another component that straightly comes under media handling is the habit of reading which is in deficiency amongst us in Nepal. For instance, if somebody had carefully studied Ashok Mehta’s article in The Pioneer of Oct. 14th 1999 where he explicitly stated, “Nepal has become a conduit of terrorism, a safe heaven for Kashmiri terrorists and ISI, while the terai is fast becoming a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism—narcotics, gold, RDX and weapons are being siphoned freely through Nepal”, things could have been done regarding tighter vigilance. And, if an alert mind had glanced the Dawn of Oct. 9, Kandahar becoming a hotbed city could have been visualized. The newspaper published from Karachi said, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could not have been more open than he was when he said that there was solid evidence to indicate that sectarian terrorists had received training in camps in Afghanistan and said that the Taliban leader Mulla Omar had been asked to close down these camps and last week the DG ISI had visited Kandahar to meet the Afghan leader and raise this issue with him”. Today, Indians have categorically blamed us for security lapse and Pakistanis have criticized us for violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Why? Why couldn’t the security officers arrest the accused Pakistani official earlier? At least, we wouldn’t be proving ourselves lenient on security matters and it would not be getting so much media coverage as it did. The overall contingency plan is also necessary in the light of the encouragement terrorists have received after their successful hijacking venture. We should be more alert in the context of most of our internal airports not even possessing a single metal detector or a departure lounge even in Maoist prone areas. Here we are not talking about our intelligence but more about our police force that allowed three Indian police personnel in uniform into the capital just a few days ago. The Foreign Ministry does not post its officers at the walk-through at the airport but it was the Ministry that had to face the hackles for the hijacking episode. Similarly, Shital Niwas officers don’t guard the border posts of Nepal but it is them that will have to give clarifications if the Chinese describe Sino-Nepal border as a security hazard for China. Again, it will be the poor Nepalese diplomats that will have to rebut if the Indians ask Nepal to negotiate with the Chinese authorities to repatriate thousands of Tibetan refugees that have journeyed through our territory just as we have asked them to help us in the issue of the Bhutanese refugees.

But there is no reason to show panic as we did by burning an effigy of Zee t.v. Even in big countries, it is always emergencies that teach important lessons. Until 1959, for example, Indians had failed to even detect the Chinese building a highway across the Aksai Chin. “Ultimately, in 1968, after RAW came into existence, India’s external intelligence did improve” (Jaswant Singh, Defending India). Therefore, a comprehensive overview of all these salient aspects is already overdue and this is slowly damaging Nepal’s international prestige and our relations with neighbours. If it is not done in earnest, the country’s international image as a peaceful will be the casualty. And ultimate consequences trouble not only foreign relations but many succeeding generations of the country.  

Anyone to join me ?

-By Hitesh Karki

I have a  dream. My dream is to become a business man and that too a successful one. Otherwise what’s the point of dreaming, isn’t it?

This dream of mine took shape not so long ago, it's quite a recent one. This dream took root when I began to see happenings taking place  all around the city.  Well let me not digress any further.

My first venture into the world of business will be with an opening of a school. But then aren’t schools supposed to be service oriented rather than profit making, you might be asking yourself but then I don’t think I need to answer that. Reason, You know what they are like very well.

So, to start with, I’m aware of  the fact that  no parent will be willing to send their child to a school which does not offer computer courses. No hassles, I’ll  buy  about a dozen second hand machines, load it fully with all kinds of games and that’s it. I’m pretty sure that no child will go home and complain to his\her parents  that all they do in the computer lab is play games. And if such case arises, a little bit of typing practice on Word will solve the problem.

Next, I am also aware of the fact that there would not be much student enrolment in a newly established school. But hey that’s also not a big deal either. Just few weeks later after the first session starts, newspapers, FM stations ( with hip hop music running in the background! ) will be flooded with advertisements which will be something like “ due to overwhelming response and huge public demand we’ve decided to extend the enrolment deadline for a few more days or even weeks..”. And wait that’s not all.  The added attraction this time will be “we’ve pool and snooker Tables as well!” .

 This will definitely add a few more students giving quite a boost to my business.

And I nearly forgot to mention the fact that the school’s canteen pricelist will be no less than the one can find in any decent restaurant around the city. And that’s what you call business acumen, killing two birds with a single  stone. Alongside, I’ll be running a restaurant business as well.

 And as far as getting teachers is concerned I don’t think that’s a matter of any concern at all. There are too many unemployed graduates doing the rounds of various offices hoping for a job. You take out one ad and your office will be fully flooded with hopeful aspirants.

Lastly, and above all else, the school fee will include anything and everything ranging from library charges, recreational charges to medical charges.

Right now I’m quite short of money , so any one willing to join hands with me?

Against NGO bashing

-By Pratyoush Onta

A lot of commentary on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nepal is being made these days. Many of the commentators do not have much good to say about NGOs and their refrain includes (i) NGOs have “mushroomed”. (ii) They are said to have, in the words of Bishwa Keshar Maskay “no roots in the native soil”. (iii) NGOs are described as dollar-farming agents and (iv) NGOs are said to lack both institutional competence and accountability.  Those four are not the only complaints against NGOs in Nepal but let us examine only them this time for reasons of space. 

Numbers: When the term NGO is stripped to its core, it can simply be reduced to a bunch of people who have come together for some purpose or another. Peoples’ right to association is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the present constitution of Nepal. When those who evoke this right to form an association wish to register their organization as a non-corporate entity, there is only one legal regime under which they can do so. Hence, all such associations or entities, legally become NGOs, no matter how different their objectives and styles of operation might be.  If the number of Nepali NGOs has increased to several thousands - some say over 30,000 - it is a fact to celebrate, not to condemn! This growth is evidence of the fact that people are learning ways to exercise their rights in an otherwise infant democracy. If a non-flexible legal regime turns all kinds of peoples’ organizations into NGOs, it is not their problem to be sure.  Those who complain about the so-called “mushrooming” of the NGOs mostly do so from the vantage point of Kathmandu or at best the Central Development Region where there is a heavy concentration of such organizations. However when seen from the point of view of the entire country, NGO density is rather thin, especially so in the Mid and Far Western Regions of Nepal. Hence we need more NGOs, not less! 

Origins: Maskay’s suggestion that NGOs have “no roots in the native soil” is an insulting observation. Insulting because those forming NGOs are Nepalis exercising their rights at citizens and it should not be anybody’s business to suggest that the citizens of this country do not have “roots in the native soil”. The insult is even greater because it comes from an economist who is better known for having amassed quite a fortune selling foreign - not Nepali - news products to Nepalis. Talk about rootedness while the money is to be made selling foreign media! Also those of us who grew up in the days of Panchayat when it described itself as the “political system rooted in the soil of Nepal” find it difficult to have patience for “rooted in the soil” type of rhetoric masquerading as analysis.  Dollar-Farming: Some big Nepali NGOs have accessed lots of donor money, given to them because of their track record and or connections they have cultivated with international agencies who have the task of distributing a stipulated amount in Nepal. Some of these organizations, we must admit, have lavish offices, expensive automobiles and pay their employees handsome salaries. But even in organizations that have received substantial amounts of aid, most employees are paid very modestly. As Ekraj Chowdhary, coordinator of the Program for Kamaiyas of BASE (which has received huge grants from several donor agencies) pointed out in a meeting in Kathmandu in late 1999, fieldworkers like him get a pay that is only enough for a simple life.  While admitting some excesses, it must be pointed out that the salary scale in urban NGOs is not very high compared to the cost of living. The problem is that the salary scale in HMG is too low and comparison, especially by civil servants, results in this complaint! Also a majority of NGOs in Nepal do not have social access to donors who can give huge grants. Lack of facility in English, no membership in old boys or girls networks and many other obstacles prevent many genuine NGOs from even being in touch with the donors. Dollar-farming, I would suppose, does not even arise in their dreams! 

Competence and Accountability: If there were a way to compare the efficiency of HMG, the private sector and the NGO sector in Nepal through a standardized test, I would think that NGOs would clearly beat HMG and come neck-to-neck or a little ahead of the private sector, whose own efficiency is often exaggerated. In terms of accountability and transparency, barring some egregious examples, the NGO sector is also ahead of HMG and the private sector. Even though there are significant problems in these fronts within NGOs, the level of self-recognition and introspection regarding these issues is such that they clearly suggest that the problem will be tackled soon.  On the other hand, we have businessmen like Mahesh Kumar Aggrawal, chairman of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (whose rise in that organization is attributed by many to the fact that he is the son-in-law in the Chaudhary Group) who loves to give long  interviews on the need for transparency in HMG but has anyone heard him (or any other business committee) leading a campaign to clean up non-transparency in the business sector in Nepal? Double accounting and tax evasion, with the collusion of auditors, is so rampant in that sector that even when commentators describe this nexus as totally corrupt, not a single businessman or an auditor has the moral fibre to respond to the charge.  Yes NGOs are institutionally not very strong in Nepal but this is a problem they share with all sectors of Nepali society. However here too, there are many signs that give hope. Slowly but surely, NGOs are learning ways to build effective teams within and between themselves.  NGO bashing, especially in the media, has to give way to more nuanced readings of their places and roles in Nepali society. 

CORRECTION: Please read in the introduction to the author in the article The Maoist dilemma published on January 27, the author is Vice President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and former Foreign Minister instead of what was printed.The error is regretted.