Rescuing Nepal from economic mess

By DR KRISHNA R REGMI

Nepal, known in the world as the land of the Buddha, the apostle of world peace, and once proposed as a zone of peace in Asia and the Pacific is now confronting continued disturbances and violence with lots of casualties and a stream of bloodshed possibly leading to a never ending civil war if the gravity of the problem is not understood, its genesis not well analysed and the problem itself not tackled seriously and well in time. The outbreak of this man-made disaster is partly due to poverty, social injustice and social imbalance, partly due to rising corruption and the attitude of the politicians to people’s problems and partly due to lack of vision and use of indiscriminate force by earlier governments. Even after 12 years of parliamentary democracy, the people of the country are disappointed with the indifferent attitude of their leaders to their problems and have started feeling suspicion and distrust about the mechanism driving the system and the country’s development. The mechanism that is operating as a driving force to the system needs to be overhauled and made more efficient and effective through timely review and amendments.

Deterioration in morals: The parliamentarians, who win elections by fraudulent means using coercion and money, will not be responsible to the people-the electorate. Rather they follow corrupt practices to recoup the amount spent on election and improve their strength to win future elections and occupy higher ranks and positions. As a result, the country’s revenues and resources have been looted by these political bandits who have thus become millionaires overnight. What can the country and people expect from such self-centered politicians who differ in their words and deeds, promises and action like wolves in lambs’ clothing? Hence a drastic deterioration in moral horizons has been noticed in most of the party leaders and politicians. These so-called politicians are after money by any means, fair or foul to resort to wine and women and a luxurious life that was once beyond their reach. A high sense of morals and readiness to make sacrifices are needed for politicians to really be Mr Clean and Mr Ideal.

Democracy or Fraudo-cracy: The norms, values and guiding principles that are ideals for a parliamentary type democracy are not sincerely followed and cherished by the leaders and parties in practice though they frequently talk about them and make a lot of fuss. As soon as one climbs the ladder of power or political position, one starts distributing licenses, quotas, tenders, contracts, favour etc to near and dears ones, puppets and followers. Thus winning of elections through fraudulent practices and coercive means and thereafter earning huge amounts of wealth through corruption and malpractices have converted Democracy into a Fraudo-Democracy. There is still a lack of dedicated leaders like Nehru, Gandhi, Martin Luthar King or even Vajpayee or the martyrs who could sacrifice their wealth and life for the sake of the country. The moral horizon, has deteriorated more among the rightists, the Nepali Congress (NC) and RPP leaders compared to the leftists. Even the supreme leaders or executives in the apex body of the party /government/corporate body are not exempt from this syndrome of corruption and foul practice.

Root cause of Maoist problem: The surgery analysis of the Maoist problem indicates that the root cause of this problem is the vicious cycle of poverty, unemployment, social exploitation and social injustice. The irresponsible acts, selfish motives and corrupt behaviour of most political leaders and the indifferent attitude of their parties to the country’s core issues like poverty and hunger have further aggravated the problem and widened the gap between rich and poor. The Girija government’s futile efforts to control the Maoist problem initially with the use of the police and arms were a grave mistake. It shows lack of vision and far-sightedness during the last seven years, under the NC-led governments. Thoughtless home ministers like GR Joshi and ruthless IGPs like AK Kharel added fuel to the fire and led the country to a possibly never ending civil war of revenge and attrition. Thus, state-run police terrorism, committed in the beginning to crush the Maoist insurgency and that resulted in heavy casualties including some innocent people, aggravated the Maoist-led terrorism in the name of the so-called People’s War with the slogan of liberating people from all kinds of social exploitation, injustice, inequality and discrimination. This movement won wide popularity among the poor and the suppressed, and the neglected tribal sections of society. It was an attraction to the unemployed youths and teenagers and suppressed people across the length and breadth of the country, and particularly in the poverty-stricken and feudal districts of western Nepal.

Depriving of fundamental rights: The government as well as the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) should be more careful and alert not to kill innocent people and harass them in the name of controlling terrorists and their supporters (some under compulsion, fear and threat) during the emergency. RNA and the Armed Police Force are mandated to disarm the Maoists and create a congenial atmosphere to bring them into the political mainstream. Further continuation of the emergency should not deprive the people and left-wing political workers of their fundamental rights and freedom and divert the bulk of national resources and development budget to security purposes. It should be a matter of SHAME for the government or parties in power to be reminded by donors of the prevailing corruption in the country. As demanded by the opposition leaders, the extraordinary powers the government can exercise during emergency with much less difficulty should be utilized to solve the country’s major problems including the Maoist one, and directed towards social
and economic reform and transformation followed by necessary amendments to the Constitution.

Though Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is willing to do so provided there is National Consensus, all parties should make sincere and genuine joint efforts to achieve these goals during the 21st session of Parliament and make it a historic one. Other important bills of national importance pending in parliament should also be revived and passed. NC parliamentarians should support the Deuba government with a full mandate for solving the country’s major problems rather than playing a filthy game of power politics and displaying pseudo-support, with a knife ready to stab in the back.

(To be concluded)

No hanky-panky at TIA

By ACHYUT KOIRALA

Five years ago when I got a job at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), I received many phone calls, letters of congratulation and emails from kith and kin, and even neighbors. Nobody had forgotten to congratulate me. But one of my neighbors, who worked in a district post office, neither congratulated nor called me happily. But he warned me saying, ‘don’t be dirty returning from airport.’

My wife prepared the list of people who hadn’t called or failed to show happiness. Giving me that list she warned me that they would not be my true friends.

I’m speaking the truth, I couldn’t do anything at the airport. My wife is always angry with my effeminacy. She sets many examples that Harke, Kishne and Bal Bahadur have done much for their children. They have collected so much of assets that their three generations cannot spend all the money during their lifetime. My two daughters were wishing for a Laptop, my only son was asking new model Mo-bike. Last time I could not fulfil their demands. Suddenly I was transferred to a deserted office so that my wife was in anger, and my ‘promising’ children have their own grudges.

Even though I never neglected their good education. I never forgot to bring my wife’s most necessary make up assets. For their fulfilment I used to take little service charges. But that was not bribe, that was ‘service charge.’ My friends used to take bribe frequently and more than me, so it was called bribe. But I used to take little bribe, so it was known as service charge. Encouraged by my great public oriented work, people were attracted to me. Then I could build this house, from where I am writing now.

People praised my patience for money and the government awarded me as less corrupted administrator of Nepal.

During the three years of posting at the airport, I couldn’t make much money, as much as Harke, Kisne and Bal Bahadur had earned. For my work, the government again gave me a chance which I missed then. But now nobody is happy for posting at the airport. A state of emergency has been extended and the government is trying to plug the loopholes so that revenue collection would increase. At present, posting to the airport is same as a posting to the post office.

My only one neighbour, who worked in the post office and recently left the job because of fake certificate, congratulated me now. He said to me, ‘Now you wouldn’t be dirty returning from airport. This time my wife and children are also not satisfied. They know the airport is not a Treasure House for ordinary officers these days. People in the list which my wife gave me five years ago congratulated me. Of them nobody was my kith and kin, or neighbors who congratulated me earlier.

The state of emergency draws Royal Nepal Army to the airport, and it is now very strict there. Now I am thinking, actually the state of emergency is very bad. Because I can’t do any hanky panky things now.

Proven international initiatives

By BINOD P BISTA

The disclosure should not only state reasons for failure, but also provide factual data of actions initiated against the persons responsible. These persons have destroyed the industries, the technology and most importantly the livelihoods of people involved directly as well as indirectly in those enterprises. Together with it, there is also a need to highlight the success stories of privatized industries, if any. Only then can the public judge the merits of privatization and provide full support to this campaign. Notwithstanding these facts, the international agencies responsible for bringing about structural reform and assisting the government in its efforts to accelerate economic growth, appear to be pressing for more, and rapid, privatisation of other public sector enterprises. The Structural Adjustment Programme, when first conceptualized and used as the key economic policy in most developing countries, was taken to be the panacea for most economic problems. However, after a decade long experience, especially of the social problems faced by countries which faithfully implemented the programmes, the International Development Gurus admitted that these lacked social security provisions for the weak and vulnerable in society. By then, many establishments had collapsed, social unrest had destabilised many of the functioning democracies, almost to the point of endangering democracy itself.

Nobody denies the good of privatization policy. Privatisation has transformed economies and countries for the better at a speed which was unthinkable under the traditional management of public enterprises. But, no one country can afford to get into this exercise at blind speed without putting in place the vital frameworks that help guarantee the success of privatization. Commenting recently on the state of the Indian economy and privatisation, former finance minister of India Madhu Dhandabate stated that India appears to be pursuing a policy of "Privatisation of profits and Nationalisation of losses". Privatisation is a painful experience in the short-run, but done properly, it assures in the long run economic growth and prosperity the yet unfulfilled dream of the majority, living mostly in developing countries. Besides the accompaniment of effective social security mechanisms with the privatisation of public corporations, it is equally important to generate the process from within rather than through coercive means.

In Nepal today, there would be more than forty public corporations covering the industrial, trading, service, social, public utility and financial sectors. A look at the ‘report of targets and performances of public enterprises’ (brought out by the ministry of finance-2000), strangely enough, tries to seek financial justification from public enterprises in the social and service sectors. There may be an urgent need first to clearly define the mission statements of public sector enterprises together with social gains accounting. By prioritising activities, and further ranking of activities within each of the priority areas, while fully keeping in mind the overriding objective of poverty alleviation, the government can satisfy two major stakeholders: the public and foreign donors. In so doing, activities, on-going as well as planned, need to be streamlined and supported fully to achieve the long-term goal. In view of the ever-increasing expenditure on security measures, expected to be in place for at least another three months, prudent action has become a necessity. A good amount of sensible exercise is warranted before any major action is taken: dismantling of an enterprise or leasing out a company should be given its due as it also affects the jobs of law-abiding, qualified and trained employees who have given their lives in the service of the nation.

Going by the comments made by an honourable member of the National Planning Commission recently (as reported in an English language weekly magazine) it appears that there exists a donor-driven policy in development cooperation, even to this date in Nepal. The on-going review of Foreign Aid Policy for Nepal under the recently concluded Nepal Development Forum provides a good opportunity for both the donors and the government to come to terms with a clear Agenda, which should have the following goals at the minimum:

* Clear and transparent policy, disseminated fully to the level of end users

* Donor-driven approach to be replaced/changed to need-based cooperative approach

* Justification for support to existing plans and programs as well as newer initiatives

* Clear distinction between economic agents derived from proven international initiatives such as privatization, and other global treaties, agreements and instruments mostly on social and environment issues, and subsequent funding proposal to these separate areas.

* Installation of essential social security mechanism wherever job and employment is at risk, on account of either structural adjustment programmes or environment compliance or meeting of labour standards and the like.

Most importantly, it is to be fully understood by the parties involved that all plans and programs, funded by internal resource or foreign aid, as part of development cooperation, cannot operate beyond the parameters of the Nepalese constitution and its system of governance. Nepal, in spite of fully operating under a democratic system of governance and following the economic models of capitalistic society, seems to have been left behind by most developing nations in their race towards sustained economic growth and development. Impatience born out of poverty, destitution and, worst still, lack of hope, turning into frustrations and anger can only lead to violence and disaster. Time is running out for the Nepalese. Unity with a purpose-directed at the well-being of all Nepalese-seems to be the only way out of this impasse.

(Concluded)