COMMENT

End the crisis

Once more we have been compelled to delve into the present political impasse, that has virtually pushed the entire nation in a limbo. Even as the important Winter Session has started amidst confusion in the ruling Nepali Congress and anger in the opposition parties, there are several pertinent questions that have to be answered, specially regarding issues related to national interest. There may be individual reasons within the ruling party to ensure either for Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to stay on as PM or for party president Girija Prasad Koirala to take over, but for the majority of the people, that is of little meaning. What they care for, is not any individual heading the government or not, they want to see people-oriented development projects, that will have direct bearing on their lives. But how can this happen when the future of the government itself is in doubt? How can this happen when the health of the Prime Minister is a matter of concern? How can this happen when the leaders of the ruling party are not sure what is going to happen next? And how can this happen when ministries don’t have any ministers to guide them?  These are things which leaders of the ruling party must mull over. It is not possible to expect the people to be eternally patient while maintaining an animated suspense. There could be dire consequences if they don’t act fast and firmly.

At present, for the ordinary observers, each day brings different speculations and rumours. And disturbingly for them, no government wing seem to be functioning. Also alarming  is the security challenge that is day by day increasing. But the sad fact is that all those who are in power seem unperturbed. The only thing they do is provide lip service without initiating any concrete measures. Even the much touted talks that NC supporters say, that is going to take place between the government and the insurgents, is uncertain till now. This is purely because the government has not been able to come to any definite policy on dealing with the Maoists. If not the Prime Minister, at least the Home Minister should make a public statement regarding the government’s stance. This is the least it can do when the top Maoist leader has already made public what the insurgents are waiting for before starting any negotiations with the government. Meanwhile, the ruling party leaders must decide on what they are going to do to end the present political crisis. If the PM is to step aside, then he should do so at once, but if he is to stay on, then he must be allowed to work without any hindrances from his own party. The crux of the matter is, the country should not be held in ransom, just because the NC leaders cannot decide who is to be the PM. They owe it to the people to whom they had promised so much and to whom they have given so little.

Homage to the stronger sex

The International Women’s Day 2000 is being marked amid celebrations today (March 8). The nagging question remains unanswered amidst all rhetoric that mark such occasions - How far have the women in our country come today? If we were to stop and start looking at lives of  95 per cent of   the Nepalese women, their lives have not changed one bit. They remain largely uneducated, under privileged, ill treated, undernourished and lead an unaware, impoverished lives. They bear the brunt of all the mishaps in their families, their communities and their villages the most; and yet continue to nurture and preserve all that they are linked with.

Remarkable is the fact that in face of all the adversities they face; thanks to the shortcomings of our mentality and the culture of our society, they remain unperturbed and continue to hold together and sustain their families. Their strength remains unmatched, their patience and perseverance unchallenged, their devotion to their duties unparalleled.

It is time we acknowledge the steel that the women are made of and learn to respect them. To pretend that success can be achieved without their equal participation in any walk of life is to say one can walk well on one leg only. The women which represents more than fifty percent of our population today deserves our applaud - for being the tough survivor that she is, amidst all odds. Her time has come and all sections of our society must aid her in reaching her status of which she has been deprived for so long.

UNCTAD X and Nepa: Some observations

By Shanker M. Singh

UNCTAD X started from 12 to February 19, 2000 which was held at the Queen Sirikit  National Convention Centre(QSNCC) in Bangkok.  In the QSNCC there was also a meeting of South-South Trade: Buyers / Sellers , on 12-13 February, and a meeting on the UNCTAD/UNDP Global Programme on Globalisation, Liberalisation and Sustainable Human Development on 16th February.

In his message as the secretary-general of UNCTAD, Mr. Rubens Ricupero  noted that UNCTAD X will be a major and symbolic event: symbolic because it will be the first global economic gathering in the new millennium; symbolic, also, because it will take place in a country that we all considered to be one of the success stories of economic growth and development; the same country that was the epicentre of the economic crisis that began in Asia two years ago—a crisis that may be characterised as a crisis of development.

Why a “crisis of development”? Three main reasons lie behind this characterisation. Firstly, because it hit most of the developing countries, almost exclusively, even benefiting industrial economies through falling commodity prices and capital flight. Secondly, and paradoxically, it was more destructive of the most advanced of the developing nations, raising serious doubts as to whether development, as has long been assumed, is a process that reduces the vulnerability of economies to external shocks.

And, thirdly, it has created uncertainties and questions as to whether it will be possible, once the crisis is over, to regain the levels of economic performance in south-east and east Asia that have been the only demonstration so far of the possibility of sustained development over several decades.

Rather than reconcile themselves to the need to adapt themselves to a supposedly unmodifiable global system, developing countries must strive to shape it according to their own development needs at their own pace and in line with their own strengths and weaknesses. This process will, of necessity, go hand in hand with the struggle to integrate themselves successfully into a transformed and more open economic system.

For UNCTAD, as a knowledge-based institution, the implications are clear. Its role must go beyond the effort to understand and interpret globalization; it must play its part in making sure that change is not just change for its own sake, but change for the better. UNCTAD’s mission is not just to promote a kind of unqualified and unreserved integration of developing countries into the world economy and the trading system. It is not the amount and pace of international integration that counts but its quality. In short, what we should seek is the virtuous integration of developing countries into a more receptive and coherent global economic system. In a different way, and in changed times, this effort is the continuation of the unfinished business of building a more equitable international order through the major conferences of the United Nations and other forums.

UNCTAD X will provide a unique opportunity to give form to all these considerations and to establish a strong platform of action designed to secure a better tomorrow for our children and their children.

International co-operation for development is the shared goal and common duty of all the countries. Nepal is of the belief that the political, economic and social well being of the present and the future generations depends more than ever on co-operation among all the members of the international community and their removal of many disparities.

Nepal has always stressed that within the broad framework of the group of developing countries, there should be an increase in the transfer of technology from developed to developing countries and from both to the least developed countries.

 The impact of globalization has been mixed. A number of countries have been able to make significant economic and social progress. However, this is not the experience of all countries, as the differential reach and impact have generated economic asymmetries, at both  the global and national levels, and pose new challenges to our development aspirations.

Many developing countries, including the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked countries and small economies, have faced difficulties in their efforts to integrate effectively into the world economy, and consequently risk marginalization. More definitive and focused programmes of capacity-building, including human resource development, long-term concessional finance and access to technology, are needed to enhance their participation in international trade and investment

Nepal notes with great concern that apparent lack of progress in the effective implementation of the Special Programme of Action for the LDCs and the LLDCs. Progress in achieving the target of 0.15 percent ODA disbursement for these countries by developed countries is far from being realised. Therefore, a LDC and LLDC country like Nepal is seriously affected by declining trend of ODA disbursements. Nepal strongly feels that the agreed ODA target should meet taking into consideration the enormous difficulties faced by LDCs.

The Third United Nations Conference on the LDCs in 2001 will formulate new strategies and an action plan for the sustainable development of the least developed and landlocked countries, and small economies, up to 2010. These initiatives, and the full and expeditious implementation of the agreed commitments and outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits of the 1990s, could significantly improve development prospects in the immediate future. Nepal’s experience in the field of Substantial New Program of Action, which was the outcome of the Paris Conference in 1981 has not been upto the mark. Still much needs to be done in this regard.

Nepal takes debt relief as an issue of vital concern. Developing countries have taken debt to fund development activities and debt is piling up causing severe difficulties for servicing and repayment such debt especially taken by LDCs. Debt servicing eat up the large chunk of export earnings of LDC affecting their ability adversely to invest in socio- economic development. Therefore, Nepal holds the view that in addition to writing -off debt extended to LDCs, measures should also be taken to mitigate the burden of multilateral debt. ODA flows to the least developed countries (LDCs) have fallen just as much as overall ODA flows. Indeed, for 14 of the 21 OECD donor countries, ODA flows to LDCs were actually lower in 1996 than in 1990. Overall, the share of LDCs in total ODA fell from 33 per cent in 1995 to 24 per cent in 1997.

Some LDCs are also landlocked developing countries causing additional hardships and imposing impediment for their development. Nepal notes that with the establishment of World Trade Organisation, a rule based free trading mechanism has started in the world. As there is danger of land-locked developing countries being extremely marginalised, Nepal, therefore,  see the need for launching special supporting measures to these countries in view of the fragility of their economy.

Hence it would be appropriate to note the UNCTAD’s activities on the matters of least developed countries carry great significance. It is hoped the forthcoming UNCTAD-X meetings would concentrate on issues of fundamental importance to least developed countries so as to attract the attention of the international community and the concerned agencies in bolstering the economic situation of such countries.

Talk back

Error

I am a regular reader of your weekly. I go through it as I believe, it writes the matter of public concern without any bias. I would like to comment on a mistake of this paper on today’s issue.

I would like to remind you that Chitralekha Yadav is not the first women deputy speaker but it is Lila Shrestha Subba.

Narayan.

Corruption ridden country

In present Nepal, corruption is rampant. It has pervaded the whole system. This is what we get to read   in different newspapers every day. An ordinary citizen cannot expect to get things done in any office      without bribing.  Most of the people are poor in this country are in no position to pay up. If they approach  party leader or workers, they also demand contribution (bribe) for the work. Such helpless people don’t where to go for help.

The past so called ‘democratic’ decade has driven the common people towards the edge of desperation and frustration.

Bishnu Singh
Via Internet