Misusing state funds

The widespread misuse of limited state funds and resources has always become a matter of grave concern due to ineffective law and poor implementation. The state-run corporations have maintained no transparency, nor has the government taken any action against those involved in such irregularities. However, elected local leaders continue to carry donated materials to their homes. Parliamentarians misdirect financial resources for their personal benefits, or spend state funds without much accountability. The absence of proper record on how the state funds are spent points to this bitter reality: gross irregularities. In fact, corruption has eaten into our developmental effort as it has into the vitals of the economy as a whole. But the country is entirely dependent on loans for any developmental effort. There is not a single sector that has not sought assistance for its development. If successive governments had mobilised internal resources, the country would not have been witness to poverty, poor health and infrastructure. Unfortunately that did not happen. What has happened is that the nexus among politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats has crippled the country’s development process. Those in high places have misused power and state funds, and flouted laws to construct buildings at personal benefit.

A self-assessment report prepared by the Kathamandu Municipal Corporation (KMC) states that elected local representatives misused state funds over 10 million rupees in the last fiscal year alone. Besides, the KMC paid over 2.5 million rupees to local representatives for medical treatment. Among those who misappropriated the state funds included mayor, deputy mayor and various ward chairmen, besides the ward members. The KMC has allowed local businessmen to construct buildings in and around world heritage sites and palaces, violating its laws. Local leaders have encroached upon public land in various parts of the capital city. Yet, the government has taken no action against those involved in such malpractice. Had there been some regulations introduced against such activity, the planning of the capital city would have been definitely better than what it is today. Huge chunk of loans or foreign grants has been misdirected for personal benefit. Unfortunately, the government continues to turn a blind eye to what is going around. The number of people living under abject poverty, that stood at less than 40 percent a decade ago, has increased to 50 percent due to rampant corruption, among other factors. But how long can such unscrupulous activities go unabated? It is time the government brought elected officials to book, and introduced a law to empower CIAA so that it can probe into irregularities independently and efficiently.

Finding solution to insurgency

By Nagendra Chhetri

For Nepalese it is already late to be prudent about finding solutions to six years of the Maoist problem resulting in 1,800 dead, billions of rupees in property destroyed and the loss of democratic credibility in the eyes of the general masses. The much awaited third round of dialogue ended with no concrete result, both sides stiffening their resolve to stick to their demands. Well, for the present Nepalese problem, a dictatorial communist republic or a so called bourgeois republic is not the panacea, the real panacea is to identify and investigate the real causes of the Maoist problem and find out the solutions so that the hungry are fed, the unemployed are employed, the sick are treated, children go to school, the old and feeble are looked after and every true Nepalese get a fair deal, a fair share of the cake. Whoever comes to power must be seen to be doing something for those without a roof over their heads. In the case of Nepal, for multiple reasons, there is no substitute for the benevolent, monarchical, pluralistic social and political order for the foreseeable future. All those who wish to remain proud Nepalese, wishing their posterity to remain independent citizens of an independent country, must understand this. Nepal will always remain in trouble both internally and externally unless and until the monarchy has a substantial say on major national issues.

Now let us look at the real root causes of all the problems including the Maoist one in Nepal. These problems if not addressed with honesty and sincerity will always remain a serious internal threat not only to democratic political stability but also to the national integrity of Nepal. The nature and causes of the internal threat to Nepal are closely inter linked and some causes radiate multiple effects. The politico-national environment and the social and economic condition prevailing in the country are the mother of all problems including the Maoist problem. The political leadership over the years has developed a kind of national psyche for which austerity, tolerance and accountability are of academic value, found only in mythology. This has bred an undemocratic attitude and intolerance in the political system. The poison of uncontrolled and rampant corruption has seeped into the nerve fibre of society which not only encourages lawlessness but is also a major stumbling block in the progress and development of the Nepalese economy. This has led to the contemptuous public attitude towards the civil administration, and politicians (not all) have proved that they hold their personal interests above those of the nation. Sycophancy and parochialism have developed into a character trait of the political culture. Lack of political accountability to regulate morals and ethics and non-participation of people at the grass-root level have caused further alienation and disillusionment with the present democratic political system, driving a section of the people into the bush in the form of Maoists.

Because of the political polarization and horse-trading within, between and amongst parties, no government could stabilise and function for a full term. Politics has remained a personality based whim without any national aims and objectives. Because of the past legacy our bureaucrats have adopted the negative and alien aspects of constitutional bodies, leading to erosion of institutions. Lack of cohesion in policy formulation and implementation of well thought out strategy on national issues is considered the root cause of the prevailing inability of the state machinery to respond appropriately to various challenges including the Maoist one. Loss of ethos and national pride has given birth to multiple forms of corruption, some of which have been institutionalized. People lost faith even in the highest judicial institution. The politicisation of the administration and law enforcement agencies has led to a declining level of professional and managerial expertise among the new entrants, resulting in neglect of merit and unequal opportunities.

The print media is exploited by vested interests that consider journalism a business and not a profession, so much so that senior politicians are strongly sponsoring and encouraging foreign investment in the national media at the cost of the national interest. Thus with the help of political personalities the media indulges in corrupt practices, yellow journalism, black mailing and only negative reporting which go unchecked because there is no public pressure or citizen’s regulatory mechanism, and there is total lack of political and administrative accountability. The electronic media is totally controlled by the government and the situation has been further compounded because of effective and purposeful media management by hostile elements.

Lack of purposeful and nationalistic education is another major handicap for human resource development and for producing better citizens and future leaders. This has also led to unchecked population growth and resource depletion causing a substantial strain on the economy. In fact many Nepalese ills are the result of the population dam busting. Lack of basic education has trapped the illiterate Nepalese in customs and practices that are anathema to the developed world. The politicisation of educational institutions, exploitation of immature students for political gain, and converting of educational institutions into business centres have eroded public trust in the system. Equally, the erosion in the capacity and effectiveness of the law enforcing agencies, long, open and porous borders, patronage of criminals of all kinds and weakening of the judicial system have created a negative impact on the functioning of the democratic system in Nepal.

The growing violence and emergence of militant organisations are a menace to the cohesive nature of our socio-cultural structures. The politico-ethnic exploitation of multiple communal groups, the application of a militant dimension, the increasing external factors and turning of a blind eye by the national politico-administrative and judicial mechanism at the beginning of the Maoist problem have threatened the national integrity of Nepal. This total lack of vision may be termed the principal contributory factor in the problem reaching its present dimension.The economy is not documented, people just do not pay taxes because they do not see any returns accruing to them in terms of improvements in basic public services. Tax payers evade tax in collusion with income tax/excise staff. It is financially more profitable for both to underestimate the tax and divide the difference.

The dilemma that faces Nepal, like other young democratic countries struggling to contain terrorism, is how to reach a national consensus on radical reforms in the politico-administrative-judicial systems and how to strength and coordinate the national security apparatus. Not only this but the mechanism should also ensure its effectiveness without compromising monarchical democracy and the rule of law. A new perspective on security is needed and the focus of the traditional security apparatus has to be enlarged to include and address the new and changing dimension of security threats, both internal and external. National security goals have to be redefined and prioritized for judicious resource allotment for cost effectiveness. The most daunting task before Nepal today is to create a culture of good governance and to restore the viability of its institutions through justice and accountability so that even the Maoists are compelled to join the national political mainstream. To accomplish this, all political forces including the Maoist must come under the all encompassing umbrella of a strong monarchial, democratic system which alone can guarantee a fair deal and equal treatment to every citizen of Nepal.

Kidspeak!

By H Karki

The words in the dictionary, like a friend of mine used to say, are nothing but a part of the cobweb. Unclear. What he was trying to emphasize was that it was indeed tedious, and at times futile, to find a dictionary of any help, for it would only make the matters more complex. You start with a word hoping to find its meaning, but then as you go through the word you suddenly confront another word in the meaning itself which makes no sense to you. So what do you do? Obviously start looking for a meaning of THAT word, and by the time you have poured in a considerable amount of time and hard work, you realize how arduous a task it is to take help of a dictionary.

For more than half a decade, well, that’s when my cousin started to make some sense of the programmes on the idiot box (i.e. after graduating from the Tom and Jerries, Barbapapas’ ), I tried my best encouraging him to keep abreast of the happenings around the globe and to join me while watching CNN and BBC. I think at least each and every mortal soul has to know what is happening around the globe. Unfortunately, when he asked me to justify my point of view, I was speechless. All I could say was "simply because you ought to". Even now I can’t help wondering as to why I need to be aware of the happenings in the world. So there are so many things I need to more aware of! May be, at the most, I could earn a few bucks at the desi lakhapati game show or join the intellect gang in their worthless discussions. But honestly nothing more than that. I build up my opinion and utilize for ‘‘time pass’’. Nonetheless, I achieved what I was looking forward to. Aakash was slowly adjusting himself to BBC and CNN, so what if it was for not more than half an hour.

And as the world changed, so did Aakash. Only a day earlier when he had asked for Rs 5000 for a new pair of shoes as a Dashain gift, which I was in no position to meet, his remarks were " attack on his personal freedom". Completely infuriated by such a demand I decided to scold, and he went: "I can no longer tolerate the barbaric act of yours!". And within no time, he had already formed a coalition, after a quick round of meeting during the evening (the usual time when kids go about with their homeworks) of the kids whose mission was to "carry out a sustained act of defiance until their right to live happily was completely restored". Soon the fights of the little ones, which once was easily handled by my mom with a slap or two on their backs, became a little more difficult to control. A shout at them is now termed "infringement of their right to live peacefully ", and when raising of hands would tantamount to "an barbaric act, a heinous crime". And finally when the cupboard in the kitchen accidentally fell, their interpretation was "spectacular fall of the cupboard resulting in a casualties of all the kitchen wares".

As I was about to leave for my work, I heard a kid shouting to his mom, who was three stories up in the kitchen: "Time is running out, the bus is already there so can you please air- drop the food supply".

I thought the kids were getting a bit more than what I had intended from the news channels. And by the way they don’t need dictionaries any more.

Managerial skills and human resource

By Rajshri Rawal Pant

Many professional organisations are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of the people working for them. This has paved the way for realizing the significance of human resource and its application in an organisation. The main objective of human resource management is to develop the existing human capital and also to recruit suitable and skilful candidates so that the organisation becomes well equipped to handle different kinds of uncertainties. Capable human capital is the biggest asset for an organisation. Human Resource mainly focuses on the development of this asset, which in turn creates value for the organisation.

Different people have their own perceptions regarding the type of jobs suitable for themselves. The definition of the right job may be different depending on the individual’s perception and personality. The right job would probably mean whether the type of job matches the personality and behaviour of the candidate. Many factors play an important role while choosing the right job. Although compensation plays a major role in motivating employees to choose their job, there are other factors of equal importance.

Many organisations have felt that getting the right people is hard and retaining them is probably the toughest challenge for them. As the number of organisations grows, employees will have more and more choice regarding the types of jobs. Many factors play a significant role in making employees switch from one job to another. Employees leave their job not only for more monetary gain, but also due to human factors like better working relationships with management, better geographic location, more job appreciation, better growth opportunity and better work environment. Another primary reason for employees leaving their jobs is lack of challenge.

Human resource can increase retention rates if it gets managers to develop such a plan that the individual feels he/she is getting ample opportunities to develop. If employers are not conscious about the development need, employees will only use the organisation as a platform to gain experience and leave as soon as they get another opportunity. In such a situation, the organisation will never be able to gain the optimal productivity generated by the experienced and trained employee. Such a situation should not be allowed to develop. The solution is to provide growth and development opportunity for the employees so that the capable ones will not have to seek new places for further development. In an effort to improve morale and productivity and limit job turnover, firms have to use employee skills effectively, provide training opportunities to enhance those skills, and boost employee satisfaction with their working condition.

The cost factor in the long run is also quite significant in terms of high employee turnover. Apparently, hiring cost will be the direct and immediate cost involved. However, the indirect cost (of losing a right candidate) would mean that all the benefits that could have been generated from the employee would also be lost. Therefore, the employee turnover issue should never be neglected by organisations. The employer should be constantly seeking to find the underlying causes in this issue. The positive and negative aspects need to be analysed and further investigated to find out the core issues relating to high turnover.

An organisation is like a family. Their working relationship is important. Employees are constantly looking for encouragement, support and appreciation. If the employer is able to provide these, there will be more chances of reducing the turnover. Employees will not feel motivated to work in an environment where their work is not appreciated. They cannot put in their full effort in such an environment. If this phenomenon persists, it will reduce productivity and increase absenteeism and turnover. Besides, employees should be constantly reminded of the importance of teamwork and the type of behaviour expected of them by the organisation. It is important to develop the culture of the organisation in such a way that everyone has a sense of belonging.

As the industry becomes more competitive the employees’ ability plays a vital role in achieving success and employee ability cannot be sustained unless a well-trained and loyal work force is maintained. Creating value for customers is not possible without evaluating the existing human resource of the organisation. Valuing the human resource of an organisation would mean that all the benefits such as high productivity, low turnover, less absenteeism, good training etc would be derived. All these factors contribute to creating value for the organisation. An organisation cannot increase its value without increasing the value of the internal work force and vice versa. Hence, these two factors cannot exist independently.

If an organisation is conscious about the development of its human resource, it would also result in a perception in the community that it is a better place to work. Such a reputation will help attract more and better applicants. Human resource activities should make sure that this in turn would increase the level of employees’ commitment. Improvement of all these functions should mean that the company will start having benefits that can be quantified in the long run. Hence, a successful company should not only focus on maintaining its service to customers, but also provide service and value human capital.