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Kathmandu,Tuesday May 23, 2000 Jestha 10, 2057.
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Revealing Royal address
While addressing the joint session of parliament the other day, His Majesty
King Birendra brought to light two aspects of domestic and foreign policies that the
country has yet to make progress on. Also, His Majesty hinted the government has taken no
step to restore peace and provide security of life to the people. Had there been some
efforts to resolve some of the outstanding problems, the government would not have
admitted failure. This is especially true of the law and order situation in the country
where the police seem to be demoralised and the ordinary people have to live in fear. Law
and order does not refer only to the Maoist problem, it also indicates failure on the part
of the government to enforce laws when it is necessary to do so.
On the domestic front, His Majesty the King expressed
"worries" at the deteriorating social, political and economic order due to an
ineffective judiciary system, increasing corruption, widening poverty, slow economic
growth, impoverished health and education system. It is precisely in these areas that
successive governments should have focused in order to improve the life of the common man.
Although various programmes were initiated to ensure all round development, emphasis on
providing fair, impartial, efficient and prompt justice was never a priority. The number
of poor has increased and backward areas have yet to receive special economic packages. As
a result, women, underprivileged, oppressed and backward ethnic communities continue to
suffer in our society even a decade after the restoration of democracy. The government has
also not reformed the financial sector to mobilise internal resources. Neither has it been
able to ensure food security.
On the international front, the Bhutanese problem continues to linger
even after eight rounds of bilateral talks. If the government had succeeded in the
diplomatic battle, the Druk regime would have accepted the repatriation of 100,000
Bhutanese refugees languishing in different camps. Apart from this, New Delhi has, time
and again, violated the "equal sharing of water" agreement between the two
countries by constructing dams across those rivers which flow through Nepal. The
Pancheswor multipurpose project has made no progress. And many more issues—the list
would be quite a long one— must be taken up with India
His Majesty’s address comes at a time when it
has become evident to all that the programmes and policies of the ruling NC, which it had
outlined before it came to power, have hardly made any progress. If the ruling party does
not pay attention to some of these long-standing problems, the country will continue to
slide down. Hence, it is high time political parties, including opposition, came together
and worked to formulate correct policies that will address the problems of the people as
also budgetary allocations to development activities which will make a difference, in
economic terms, in the lives of those living below the poverty line. The government’s
policies and programmes as outlined in the Royal Address make uninspiring reading but it
is to be hoped that the Koirala government will take lessons from the debate on the
address and act accordingly.
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