Paper tiger Nepali planners!

The Switzerland born Nepal expert, Tony Hagen, once had very candidly told a section of the Nepalese illuminati that this Himalayan Kingdom had no need or whatsoever of the establishment of what we call the National Planning Commission. Elaborating his clarification the Nepal expert had also told that in Nepal since there is no planning and hence no need of a white elephant called the Planning Commission. However, Tony’s blunt declaration could well be brought under severe disputation for each and every modern nation more so a democratic state like Nepal needed well planned scheme of things on various sectors of national life that affect a particular nation and goads the way for its rapid development. Nepal’s practice of having begun the concept of a planned development dates back to the 1950s. Nevertheless, the progress achieved during all along these past five decades of Nepal’s development, in most of the sectors that directly affects the lives of the poor segment have remained depressing. This notwithstanding, the transport, education and the health sector could well be cited here as having progressed a little bit in the past decades. The rest of the domains such as the economy for example, which too mean much for the common destitute of the nation still, lag behind badly and perhaps it would take decades and decades to achieve the targets set a decade back by our paper-tiger planners. Despite the bright pictures painted by our chair-breakers at the Planning Commission regarding the up-going trend of the national economy and the lessening of the poverty in the country, why the nation’s economy and the poverty phenomenon were taking just the otherwise course? Question could be asked here as to why the set targets and the real achievements differ so glaringly? After all whose fault is this that have caused great injury to the nation’s economy? Definitely it is the planners at the NPC whose immature paper works that have all along been cheating the people and instead pumpe x p l o i t e d i n p r o s t i t u t i o n . W h e n t h e y s u f f e r f r o m H I V / A I D S , t h e y a r e s e n t b a c k t o t h e i r h o m e s . T h i s o b v i o u s l y i s institution, which e d f o r m o says l a v e r y . I N G O s a n d N G O s h a v e m a d e s u b s t a n t i a l c o n t r i b u t i n g i n r e s e t t l i n g t h o s e w h o h a v e r e t u r n e d f r o m t h e p r o s t i t u t i o n a n d p r o r s e l l i n g i n p r o s t i t u t i o n b r o t h e l s a n d a r e f u l l y e x p l o i t e d . I t i s i n f a c t t h e v e r y c l o s e r e l a t i v e s a n d n e i g h b o r s u s u a l l y f o r p e t t y i n t e r e s t o f m o n e y , t h e w o m e n a n d g i r l c h i l d a r e t r a f f i c k e d w i t h p r o m i s e s o f b e t t e r j o b s a n d g o o d e m p l o y m e n t . T h e y Contrary to the claims made otherwise, the Lower House of the parliament is losing its credibility slowly but very steadily. It should be this august house and the lawmakers sitting there, which should fight for the people who voted and sent them all to the corridors of power. Instead, the voted ones indulge in horse-trading and only eye for their personal ends. a r e f u l l y s reminded of Tony’s statements. It is perhaps time that we begin thinking collectively including those Nepali intellectuals who for some reasons have opted to remain abroad on how to pressurize the lawmakers and the policy planners to act fast and that too in favor of the common people. Late B.P.Koirala, to recall, had once said drawing the attention of the planners to chart their plans considering the people at the village level. His vision is still applicable. Planning sitting on a Kathmandu chair will yield little. Pressure be also mounted on our lawmakers so that they mean business.

Begging bowl and Premier Mori’s Nepal visit

The world’s top beggar country Nepal will have yet another golden opportunity to stretch her begging bowl the moment Japanese Prime Minister will land in Kathmandu this week for a days long visit. Chances have always favored Nepal as and when she has asked for such alms from friendly countries. More specifically speaking, Japan among the crowd of many international donors has a record history of having pleasingly helped Nepal since long and perhaps would reiterate the same statement at the end of the Japanese Prime Ministers’ short trip here. However, this time the visiting dignitary must tell his Nepali counterpart that they could stop their donations if their tax payer’s money is not properly utilized in the projects for which the donations have come Kathmandu. The Japanese chief of the executive should also manage some time from his busy schedule to talk to the rest of the international donors based in Kathmandu so that a clear cut mechanism is thus developed to coordinate the spending of the donations arriving Nepal from different quarters. This would enable the donors including Japan to collectively check and monitor the manner in which the money were used by this country meant for the less privileged segment of the Nepalese society. Unless this mechanism is devised, it would be futile and irrelevant to pump in more donations to this country all in the name of uplifting the standards of living of the poor people of this nation.

However, this round Japan might seek the Nepalese support for her grand entrance into the permanent membership of the Security Council. Yet another friendly country, Federal Republic of Germany is apparently a potential contender for the same post. It would be really interesting to watch the Nepalese diplomacy regarding how she will proceed in this regard. For Germany perhaps the entire western world will be more than willing to support and if she gets some more support from Asian nations it would definitely add to the numbers. For Nepal, both Japan and Germany are very important development partners. Japan, being a very powerful economy in the world and also an Asian nation, perhaps will feel comfortable in asking Nepal for her support and from other countries as well which belong to the Asian continent. However, the million-dollar question remains; how Nepal will react if neighboring India seeks the same support from her? It is here that the acumen of Nepalese diplomacy would be really tested.

We wish Premier Mori’s Nepal visit a grand success.

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