Nepal cannot be simply compared with so-called failed states like Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan 

Menka Rajbhandari Shrestha Research Scholar, CEDA, TU 

Mrs. Menka Rajbhandari-Shrestha is a very distinguished name in Nepal's academic sector. Her extensive experience in practically all the disciplines has made her to stand on her own. She is the one who is admired and adored among her academic colleagues.

Currently she is associated with the Center for Economic Development and Administration, CEDA, a unit of the Tribhuban University.

She is straightforward in the sense that what ever she has to say, she speaks unhesitatingly.

Basically she is a Management expert and has been working in the sectors, for example, gender; family planning; market; privatization and etc. Mrs. Shrestha also possesses expertise in the budgetary plans and is well abreast with the issues and the problems of workers engaged in factories.

Mrs. Shrestha has had to undergo through a very traumatic period when certain vested interests only recently tried to malign the prestige and popularity of her family. However, her family came out unscathed from the wild allegations.

Mrs. Shrestha has several publications to her credit. Her articles have got printed in Denmark and Thailand. Her article on Culture of Poverty and Culture of Silence is considered to be one of the best from the crowd of many.

She has participated various national and international seminars in different capacities. At times she is the resource person and at other times she is convener, which means she has the expertise in handling seminars in any capacities that is demanded from her.

The seminars which she has participated in more often than not related with women; development; management; literacy factor in the women's issues such as family planning and many more.

This is not all.

She is a research scholar as well. Apart from this qualification, she has worked as consultant to various national and international projects held in Nepal.

The list can go long.

Last week, we approached this scholarly lady for an exclusive interview. Mrs. Rajbhandari-Shrestha agreed to our modest request. Below the results-Chief editor. 

TGQ1:  The notion of "Nepal as a failed state" is slowly picking up. Do you as an expert of management discipline subscribe to this view? If yes, what managerial deficiencies at the state level could have brought Nepal to this stage? Do you consider the situation could be improved? Your suggestions!        

Mrs. Shrestha: To call Nepal a 'fail state' is gross exaggeration and generalization of the reality. Nepal cannot be simply compared with so-called failed states like Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan etc. By all accounts Nepal has got to travel a long distance before it qualifies itself as a failed state to the satisfaction of the doomsday prophets from within and without. Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that Nepalese state is quickly failing in many critical areas. The authority of the state has been confined to the small areas around district headquarters in most of the places outside the capital city.

Development activities have almost come to a standstill. Most of the political activists and leaders belonging to different political parties have been displaced from their homes and constituencies. Democratic process has been almost derailed since the last two years, especially after The King's misadventure to dismiss the elected government of Sher Bahadur Deuba on 4 October 2002. The country has been witnessing a continuous militarization and diversion of resources for the non-productive security expenditure.

The problems, which Nepal is experiencing today, are not only purely managerial problem. It is a very complex problem mainly rooted in our incapability to manage the nascent democracy. So, it is not only technical or mechanical problem, which can be solved by simplicitic looking managerial solutions alone. It needs a wholistic solution backed up by full sincerity, commitment and consensus on the part of all actors like the King, the political parties, Maoists civil society and Nepal external friends.

TGQ2: Also as a gender activist, how you take the present status of women in Nepal? Has it been better compared to pre-1990 days? Which sectors you consider needed due attention? Those who work for the betterment of Women and Jana Jatis are dubbed as dis-integrating forces? How you evaluate their works and comment on this allegation?

Mrs. Shrestha: The overall states of women has not changed qualitatively sense down of democracy in 1990 Nepalese women still rank extremely low in the Gender Empowerment Measurement (GEM) indicators compared to women in other countries, including the South Asia.  Women still continue to be discriminated and marginalized in both society and polities. Women have not been given effective access and representatives in the policy-making and decision-making centers like parliament, political party leaderships, and academic institutions like universities, government offices and business houses.

Nepalese society is still very much male-dominated and patriarchal. No doubt some significant changes have taken places in areas like social awareness and legal rights since 1990, but they are hardly adequate to address the problems of women and their growing aspirations. So far, the response of Nepali state to the legitimate demands made by women seems to be extremely halfhearted and superficial. Unfortunately, even the activities of most of the so-called women's rights activities who have emerged into the scene overnight almost from nowhere during the last decade and half have not contributed much to change the deeply embedded problems of women. These activists do not seem to have neither stronger root in the society nor independent capacity other than donor driven ideas to sustain the movement. So, women's right movement in Nepal needs serious rethinking if it is to become effective and inclusive movement aimed that ensuring gender justice.

TGQ3: As a responsible member of the society, you must be aware of the political hotchpotch that Nepal witnessed during all along these two years. Who is to be primarily blamed: the King or the political parties? Your comments please.

Mrs. Shrestha: To some extent every body is responsible for deterioration of political situation in the country. However situation would not have become so bad if king had not decided to overstep the limits imposed by the constitution of 1990.

TGQ4: It is said that Nepali intellectuals, members of the country's academic sphere and the likes more often than not toe partisan political lines, which have to a greater extent polluted the educational sector of the country. Do you subscribe to this view or simply reject it?

Mrs. Shrestha: This is a total fallacy to blame Nepal's intellectuals and academics for spoiling educational atmosphere in the country. Actually blame lies with the politicians and bureaucrats who have never tried to give priority to the problems in educational sector. Educational sector has always been starved with the funds and resources of higher-level politicians, bureaucrats and businessman hardly send their children to the public schools, campuses and university in Nepal. And these are the same people who wrongly accuse intellectual and teachers for being politically active. It is send and ironic that there are many people in Nepal who want our intellectuals and academics to be indifferent and insensitive to political development in the country which is not at all acceptable to us.

TGQ5: Policy of privatization adopted after 1990, has practically failed in the Nepalese context, though world over the result is opposite. What went wrong in the policy making level that resulted to this situation? What you as an expert would have suggested to avert this result?

Mrs. Shrestha: It is my belief that privatization has not completely failed in Nepal. Except for some haphazard and unplanned privatization or "Sale out" of some publicly-owned industries and enterprises by the governments in the past the impact of privatization and liberalization in many sector like media, transportation and aviation, education health, banking etc. has been very useful some of the problems, experience in privatization has been mainly due to the lack of homework, commitment and overreaching vision among our politicians, policy-makers and planners. 

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