Partnership

FORGING an alliance between the government and the private sector was themain theme of the Fifth SAARC Economic Cooperation Conference on Sunday.That the theme deserves discussions is to state the obvious in thepresentday age of trade liberalisation and globalisation. Without a close cooperation between the government and the private sector for promotingregional trade and protecting the region against the risks of globalisation,nations in South Asia become a vulnerable lot to the outside forces. South Asians share many commonalities in the commerce and trade environments. They have a lot in common and protecting their common interests presuppose that they—both from the government and the private sector—come together to formulate a common economic agenda. It is always advantageous to deal with the globalisation forces—which are here to stay, whether one likes it or not—from the strength of regional agenda and cohesion. But, as Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala told the conference delegates, building a cooperation in the regional economy is a challenge. And that challenge can be met only through a partnership between the government and the private sector.

It is equally important that this alliance promotes trade liberalisation in such a way as to promote the general prosperity of the one billion people in the region, and not in a manner that enriches a few at the cost of the teeming millions. But how do the two—the government and the private sector—work in tandem? What is the best way to achieve a productive, smooth alliance? One advice from one of the speakers at the conference is worth mulling over. It went thus: The government should specialise in planning, structuring, and regulation while the private sector should specialise in management, investment, construction and financing. The responsibility should be transferred through, among others, deregulation. Given the magnitude of the task of pulling the majority of the South Asians out of the poverty pits, it is obvious that the two have to seek ways on how best to achieve such an alliance and then work towards it. The average South Asian has been given promises of bounty through increased trade among the SAARC which has unfortunately taken too long to materialise. The proposed South Asia Free Trade Area, even if and when it is created, is not going to automatically be a magic wand in boosting regional trade. For that to happen, the government and the private sector have to start working together right away.

Good Homework

AS the 19th session of Parliament is beginning Thursday, the government, political parties and the Parliament Secretariat are working overtime to present various issues in the people’s sovereign body more effectively. The government is preparing necessary bills and business to be given to the House for discussion and deliberation in the forthcoming Winter Session. The Winter Session is generally known as the Bill Session, as the summer session is engaged more on national policies, programmes and the budget. Thus, the government seems to be busy in giving final touches to different bills to be presented in the forthcoming Session. Similarly, political parties are doing their homework on how effectively to raise different issues directly associated with the people and the country and ensure that the parliament approves them. The exercise different political parties are engaged in to chalk out strategies for the upcoming session of parliament is, no doubt, an indication that the parliamentary system and practice are getting more mature. The Parliamentary system is the best political system, which seeks stimulating debates on various national issues and finding appropriate solution to the problems based on the ideas and views expressed in the discussion. Lively and constructive debates and discussions make the parliament vibrant, from which a concrete outcome emerges. However it is also true that the quality of the parliamentary proceedings depend a lot on the quality of the parliamentarians themselves. If parliamentarians study more and engage in healthy discussion, it helps to seriously look into the issues and find a proper solution to the problem. Previous experiences have shown that on some occasions, many lawmakers did not seriously study the bills presented in the parliament for discussion and passed it without thorough study and look at them. As a result, amendment in some bills was felt within a year of their passage. It seems political parties have now realised such shortcomings and they have started the practice of doing proper homework before raising any issue and taking part in the discussion on certain bills. The government has also started seeking public opinion about the bills before it is presented to the parliament for discussion and approval. The recent example is the nationwide discussion on the draft bill concerning amendment in the Civil Code. The House of Representatives Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Committee conducted a nationwide interaction seeking opinion on the Civil Code amendment bill already presented for the equal rights of women in parental property. This is an exemplary process initiated by the House Comittees, which needs to be followed for other important bills and issues that have a far-reaching impact for the nation.