National 4 (Spotlight Weekly)

‘This Peace Will Last At Least 10-15 Years’

— MOHAN GOPAL KHETAN

Chairman of the Khetan Group and leading industrialist MOHAN GOPAL KHETAN is a well-known figure in Nepal's political circles as well. Known for his outspoken views on important matters, Khetan, who is also Hon. Cconsul General for Turkey, spoke to SPOTLIGHT about various political issues. Excerpts:

How do you see the current political situation in the country?

It is both very easy and very difficult. Easy in the sense that if you look at our history, problems have come up and been resolved amicably at different periods. I think this is the game between the King, the government and the Maoists. It has been settled. When two players play a game, one will win and the other will be the runner-up. Here the King is the winner and the Maoists, the runner-up. This has given a very good message to the whole international community. This news (of cease-fire) has spread like wildfire - that a country without any outside mediator has settled the whole difference in spite of seven years of insurgency. So I am very hopeful that this peace will last at least 10-15 years. Because history is evidence that Nepalese yearn for change every 10-15 years. The other side of the coin is that the political parties were enjoying what I call the so-called democracy, given in good spirit by the late King, which they greatly misused. They never had a big following. They never expected the King to accede to their demands. I have spoken to leaders like Ganeshmanji, Bhattaraiji and others many times in the past. Their main demand (before 1990) was to have adult franchise, freedom of speech, human right and some sort of identification for their parties so that they could fight elections. They never expected this kind of democracy. You know, when you hit a jackpot of a billion dollar, you don't know how to spend it. It will spoil you like anything, as you become habituated to gambling, visiting nightclubs and so on. As a result, these parties could not control themselves. They turned out to be immature people who only knew how to protect a limited circle. This same virus later affected bureaucracy. So, how the next government, which I think will be of the Maoists - I don't want to name them Maoists but rather call them one of the strong political forces - will manage the socio-economic development will chart our future course.

Do you think the Maoists will come to an understanding that will create lasting peace and that the country will go back to the mainstream of multiparty democracy?

Definitely. I cannot say about multiparty democracy, because it is a vague term. What is multiparty democracy exactly? There are countries like the UK and the USA where mainly two parties function. At present, what we have in Nepal is a mobocracy, not democracy. I think the so-called Maoists are so calculative that the way they have handled the peace negotiations and communication will bring lasting peace to the country.

Do you believe the Maoists were supported by external forces?

Naturally, they have been in contact with RIM. In Turkey, which I represent in Nepal, there is also PKK. I came to know that they have got contacts in the international sector. Otherwise, why would CNN present Maoist leader Mahara late last year. Likewise, they wrote to the American president to persuade Nepal for peaceful settlement. This shows that they were very aggressive to spoil them but less aggressive to continue them. In Patna, India, there was a meeting of Asia chapter of RIM participated by similar parties from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal in November last year. To have a safe landing they needed authorization. When you enter a gang, it is very easy but to come out of it you need the clearance. Moreover, the other events like America's war against terrorism, India's fluctuating stand, China's strong support to Nepal, had persuaded them to come together. They did not get strong financial or material aid from outside. But hardliners like MCC and PWG in Indian states of Bihar and so on had supported them.

You are a reputable businessman and people also see you as a veteran politician. Which role do you think is more important?

Generally, in our Marwari community, we are confined to business. But Kathmandu being such a small city and when you are a consul general, you have the dual responsibility and have to be acquainted with different sectors of society. I am even called a political pundit, forecaster or conspirator. Whatever they say, I have always done what my heart dictated. My thinking at present is that business will survive only if there is political stability in the country. So, we are forced to follow politics. I think, for me, both is important. The country is the most important. Only if the country remains, will politics and business remain.

You lead a very old business house in Nepal. Your forefathers came here as businessmen. You yourself have been a businessman for a long time. How do you find the business relationship between India and Nepal?

I have realized that India has taken Nepal for granted. India had developed an idea to treat Nepal at par with Sikkim or Bhutan in 1950 during the negotiations with the Ranas. There is nothing to hide that due to certain reasons, Gandhiji and Nehru did not agree to this idea. So, they had to defer it. That design failed due to two reasons. First, King Tribhuvan became sick and then Crown Prince Mahendra, who was a shrewd King, began to handle the affairs of the state. He could see through the Indian design to use his father's commitment for constituent assembly to suit their exigency. So the cards were changed. He threw out Matrika Koirala and brought back K.I. Singh from China. The second reason is that the Ranas were hard nationalists and they persuaded late King Mahendra to be aware of Indian designs. Hence, Nepal avoid the national danger. Nepalese people must be grateful to the Shah kings for this. Here, I want to add that the recent proclamation by King Gyanendra in Biratnagar where he said Rastrabhakti (patriotism) should be of uppermost significance has a very deep meaning. Recently, at a press conference Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara used the exact word. Right now India seems to have lost the gamble. India thought that they would be invited, that they would be allowed to send in their military. Now they have started to make hue and cry. Mr. Kanwal Sibal, Indian foreign secretary, recently said Nepal was a center of terrorism against India in Paris. Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made a similar statement. They patronized the so-called democracy, they patronized terrorism and now they are blaming Nepal. They started following the British norm of divide-and-rule. If we look at the book accounts of the last fifty years we will find how much India has given to us and how much they have taken from us. So, economically we were exploited and socially we were divided. Just this week, I read a news report that Newar community was going to form a liberation front. This is an example how intelligent people like Padma Ratna Tuladhar and Malla K. Sundar are acting. This kind of divisive game is more dangerous than the Maoists. Why in this critical state of negotiation, they have made this kind of announcement, is a activities of the matter for serious consideration. It shows they are not representing Nepal but other countries. Otherwise, this is not the time to provoke. How can I only blame India when the main demand of our political leaders is to reinstate the House of Representatives where they claim of having two-thirds majority. Who can guarantee that these parties will not sell out the country if someone gives them, say, a billion dollars. Their provocations can trigger ethnic and separatist strife, which could be more harmful than seven years of terrorism by the Maoists.

How about Indian cooperation in the water resources sector?

Nepal has never received any benefits. Whatever it has received is insignificant. I know they gave a lot of money when Kosi and Gandak were built. But the money went directly to the politicians and not to the state. The whole idea was to use Nepalese water for their own benefit. The canals in Kosi, Gandak and Chatra have all become useless as they are already filled with sedimentation. Tanakpur and all other barrages in the border were not built overnight. It was reported only after the construction was completed. More surprisingly, I have seen the letter written by former Indian Prime minister Chandrasekhar offering 25 MW out of total 150 MW of Tanakpur project. But Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala later signed an agreement for 1.5 MW. Because of all this communication gap, we are in deep trouble. The only remedy for all these is either we surrender ourselves like Bhutan, which is impossible because of Nepalese mentality and culture or follow international standard. Canada is also an upstream country to the USA like we are to India. We can follow what Canada did as regards to water resource harnessing. We should not be in a hurry. We are not beggars who live at somebody else's mercy. We must have a think-tank that devises proper strategy for the country. My idea is that only certain issues connected with international relations and protocol should be handled with Delhi. All other issues, we should be talking with our neighbors like Bihar, Uttaranchal and so on. If we start negotiating with leaders of neighboring states and support each other, that will be more helpful. In that case, all issues except Kalapani can be sorted out.

Do you mean to say there has to be a change in Nepal's policy toward India?

Definitely, without it we cannot progress. We will deteriorate further. Nobody sees what the future has in store. In the past, there was Greater India now it is India only. Who knows in future it could become mini India.

What does that mean?

If you had asked this question 50 years ago, nobody could have predicted that Greater India could have turned to the present India with new nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh coming out. At present, India is strong militarily. But if you compare with comparable countries like China, its progress is not very good. With issues like Hindutva Vs Christianity and Hindutva Vs Islam, one cannot rule out anything happening. Even the superpower like USA could not take its status for granted as it found out in 9/11. Unless India goes for all out socio-economic progress and does have friendly relations with bordering countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, it will always face such problems.

What is your advice to King Gyanendra at this juncture?

The King is more educated and informed. After ascending to the throne, his activities, comments have shown that he likes to act quickly. Anyway, we have to behave rightly so that the country can be controlled. We must give him correct information through different channels. He wants to prove to the world that he can handle Nepal very well. He is quite capable of doing it.