On/Off the Record
By P.R. Pradhan
We cannot hope for a better Nepal from the leaders of the day. They are self-centred and not concerned with upliftment and safeguarding the sovereignty and independence of the nation.
The five political parties developed an alliance by hook or by crook to topple down the government led by K.P. Sharma Oli. The Supreme Court judges and speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota were involved in a big conspiracy against the government led by Oli. As result, neither the government is able to show its presence, nor the House of Representatives is able to function and nor the Supreme Court is able to function. These facts prove that the present political system has already been failed. The government is unable to rectify new laws from the House. For more than one year, the two sets of railways have remained stuck in the Janakpur-Jainagar section. The Indian government, which had constructed the railway line has already handed over one portion of the railway line after completing the construction works. Yet, the government is not able to operate the railway. The government can bring an ordinance to split the UML and scrape the ordinance after the split of the UML but the government is not interested to issue an ordinance to operate the railway. It makes clear that the government is not keen to operate the railway. Six brand new aircraft made in China have been grounded at the Tribhuvan International Airport for years. Neither is the government able to dispose of the aircraft nor is interested to operate them in domestic sectors. People in remote areas are unable to get air service. Even students who have to attend the examination, are unable to get an air ticket. Nepal Airlines has relied on one Twin Otter aircraft in its entire domestic route. It is an open secret that organised political level commission practice has ruined Nepal Airlines.
The government is compelled to hike the price of petroleum products. Due to the open border, the government cannot sell petroleum products at a cheap price than the Indian market. The government has imposed almost 70 per cent tax on petroleum products. We, the consumers are paying the excessive tax on petroleum products. If the government will use the excessive tax collected from the consumers in subsidizing electricity tariffs, people will obviously use electricity instead of petroleum products. On the other hand, the use of electricity by industries will help to boost the industrialisation of the country by creating employment opportunities for thousands of youths. Instead of doing so, the political leaders and Nepal Electricity Authority officials are trying to sell electricity to India at a very low price. We are paying infrastructural tax while using petro products. We don’t know how much fund the government has raised from the infrastructural tax. The government doesn’t disclose the report. It is sure that the government is misusing the fund in other sectors, perhaps, in the non-productive sectors. We have talked much about constructing the Budhigandaki reservoir model in multiple projects. The project is a game-changer for Nepal. When it will be constructed we don’t know. For decades, we are talking about the construction of an international standard airport in Nijgadh. When the construction works will start, we don’t know. The government and those policymakers, for whom we have paid salary, allowances and other facilities, are not working for the betterment of the nation but serving their foreign bosses. They have performed dishonesty to the nation and the people.
More seriously, the government is unable to deploy necessary border security personnel in Nepal’s border with the foreign countries but a large number of security personnel have been deployed for the security of those corrupt leaders. Just recently, the Indian border security force entered into the Susta village in Nepal illegally. They conducted a land survey on the Nepal side by flying the drone. The Nepal government has not been able to speak a single word against the Indian hegemony. The Nepal government is unable to receive the Indian side’s response on the diplomatic note sent by Nepal on the killing of one Nepali youth while crossing the Mahakali River by the Indian border security force. The Indians have occupied a huge area of land in Susta, Kalapani-Limpiyuadhara-Lipulekh and many other districts bordered with India. The Nepal government is unable to speak against India on the encroachment of the Nepali territory. Instead of taking a strong stance against India on Nepal’s burning issues, the political leaders are trying to please their Indian bosses. On the eve of the 14th national convention of the Nepali Congress, those candidates willing to contest for the party president are rushing to India to get the blessing from their Indian bosses. What can we hope from such leaders who are concerned about the Indian interests rather than the interests of their motherland? The situation is hopeless!
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