National 4 (Spotlight Weekly)

‘Because The Big Parties Are Out Of The Govt., The Sinking Ship Has Been Saved’

— Kuber Sharma

Kuber Sharma is the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation. President of Green Nepal Party, Sharma has been inducted in the present Chand cabinet. A chartered accountant-turned-politician, Sharma has been known for his consistent campaign against corruption. He spoke to SPOTLIGHT about various issues concerning the country, in general, and tourism sector, in particular. Excerpts:

How does it feel to become a minister?

I was not expecting to become a minister. I am grateful that His Majesty gave me this opportunity. I have a very challenging task in my hand — that of restoring the reputation of national flag carrier.

What do you think is the mandate for the Chand government?

It is clearly outlined in the five points laid down by His Majesty. The top priority is to restore peace, which includes settlement through negotiations with Maoists. The other task is to control and eradicate corruption and so on.

What are your plans to revamp the image of RNAC?

The first thing is that we would like to bring regularity and punctuality in domestic as well as international flights. We are short of aircraft and we are virtually cash-dry. We will need another 3 billion rupees as working capital to manage the RNAC.

You talk about privatizing RNAC at a time when there are many examples like in the case of Bansbari shoe factory where privatization has gone awry. What would you do to avoid such mistakes in case of RNAC?

Every coin has two sides. The thing is that letting it run by the government alone is also wrong and privatizing it fully is also wrong. We are looking for a better alternative. We are, therefore, looking for capable, experienced buyers either to collaborate, finance or manage it jointly. There are three alternatives — one is to restructure RNAC under one organization separating international and domestic operations with two general managers. Another alternative is to split it into two different entities-- domestic and international operations. The third is to privatize domestic as wwell as international operations. We are considering and evaluating these three alternatives.

We have seen privatization by former governments. Privatization should be for the ultimate benefit of the country and the people. In the past the privatizations had mostly done harms. Do you think your privatization may also give similar results?

You are right that past privatizations have not yielded as expected. It does not mean there should be no further attempts. Our problem is that real genuine entrepreneurs from Europe, America are not interested to invest here. Those who show interest are often incapable, dishonest or immature. These are not good examples. The unfortunate part is that we do not have professional management team in private sector. Mostly they are family-owned and father and son-run businesses. They are no good examples of running big companies.

You have pointed out the need to promote regional tourism to revive the industry. Could you elaborate on this?

I see the big tour operators only think in terms of dollars. To sustain tourism, we will need Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and Indian middle class tourists. We have to have good entertainment facilities in here to attract them. That will work as a perennial source for tourism and it will not collapse like the present one. Then there is another kind of tourism that concerns the tourists who come here on buses. Nobody has given any attention to cater to these tourists, who hold huge potential. My attention has gone to promoting these kind of small-spending tourists who will come from India and China.

Tourism entrepreneurs have been clamoring for some sort of concessions like royalty waiver from the government to help them survive at present. What do you say?

These industrialists and capitalists never tire of seeking concessions from the government. They have taken a lot of loan from banks and have enjoyed tax holidays as well. I know that they are currently in a slump. This slump is also not of their creation. But they should realize that the government is also in trouble. The government has been unable to raise revenues. How can we help them in such a situation? They should come forward and spend their savings to restore the tourism.

Nepal is celebrating the Destination Nepal Year 2002-2003. Then there are special programs to attract Indian tourists. How do you see this?

No doubt, India is the big market for tourists. My idea will be to target people living in provincial cities instead of merely focusing on residents of few metropolises. We will be sending our team to explore and create market for our tourism in such cities.

With insecurity stalking all over the country. How do you intend to bring tourism back to track?

It is a very difficult question to answer. However, in a world where we live today, terrorism has haunted every nook and corner of the globe. But the kind of advantage we have like Mount Everest, natural beauty and people, tourists will always come here. I think tourists will also get used to these kinds of unrest.

You have been raising issues of anti-corruption for long. Now that you are in the government, what will be your actions?

When I was in the street, I had no authority to check corruption. Even though I am in the government now, I still do not have that authority. Our constitution has given that authority to Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). And they are doing their job.

Presently there is no representation of big political parties in the government. Will the government try to include them?

In my opinion, because the big parties are out of the government, the sinking ship has been saved as it has been relieved of undue load.

How optimistic are you of this Chand-government restoring normalcy in the country?

Whether the Chand-government or the government led by anybody else, it will not surrender to the Maoists. We have to see how long Baburam and Prachanda will continue to fight against the state.

Do you think the Maoists are getting any outside support?

Yes, they have got outside support and links. They seem to be very resourceful, I should say. The government is trying, on political as well as diplomatic level, to cut their wings to size.