By PR Pradhan
On 1 October, the Chinese people observed the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chinese ambassador Ms. Hou Yanqi hosted a reception in Kathmandu on the eve of the national day of China. On the occasion, in her welcome address, the Ambassador produced data with comparison of China in the past and its present status. We have witnessed tremendous development of China on all fronts. In the 70 years, an underdeveloped nation China has become the second largest economy in the globe.
Chairman Mao was the leader who founded the People’s Republic of China by unifying the entire Chinese people. It was visionary leader Deng Xiaoping who adopted the economic reforms in China. Deng is thus called the architect of modern China. The Chinese people believe, Deng’s vision introduced in the 80s has led China to its present position. Or say, China started economic reforms 40 years ago and in these four decades, China has become the second largest economy and heading towards becoming the world’s largest economy!
Until some decades back, the Chinese leaders were concentrated on domestic economic reforms. They didn’t see much outside their borders. Today, under the paramount leader President Xi Jinping, China, along with internal economic development, has started to look towards foreign nations to also develop in a similar way. The Belt and Road Initiative introduced by President Xi is the concept of development of neighbouring countries and also friendly countries as well.
A senior Chinese scholar, while talking to this scribe, had once said, “We have realized that China alone cannot remain a rich country encircled by all the poor neighbours.”
He further added, “if the neighbours also become rich, then they can purchase the Chinese products”. Therefore, BRI is the project for infrastructural development of the neighbouring and foreign countries, for their economic prosperity, he had explained.
China is a huge country having thousands of years’ of cultural civilization. President Xi has introduced the Xi thoughts based on the development and prosperity of the entire mankind in the globe, which can also be described as socialism with Chinese characteristic.
It is good to know that the Nepal Communist Party leaders took some lectures on President Xi’s thought. Did our leaders of the ruling party learn something from such a class, it is a serious question.
Immediately after securing virtually two-thirds majority, the prime minister in waiting KP Sharma Oli was said to be reading books on Chinese President Xi Jinping and Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew also did the same like many other leaders. Many of us had thought that obviously Oli would take major steps for economic reforms just like Xi and Lee. Even after more than seventeen months as the PM, Oli has not been able to give a sense of change to the people except from speeches.
Whether PM Oli, co-chairman Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda and other NCP leaders are aware or not that along with the introduction of Xi’s thought, the Chinese President has launched a war against corruption. Many senior leaders have been arrested and they are facing jail term in China. President Xi has given directives to all the government officials and leaders that they even cannot eat delicious meals from the government funds. The government will not pay the bills for alcohol. More food items cannot be introduced in the party menu under the government expenditure. Officers cannot spend more than five days in foreign countries unnecessarily.
President Xi has reminded that those people running behind personal property cannot be a true communist. Are our communist leaders in the government aware about President Xi’s reform efforts? Are they going to follow President Xi’s reform steps? We are doubtful.
If PM Oli was really keen for a prosperous Nepal and happy Nepalis, then first of all he would have introduced a powerful corruption investigation and punishment body. But he cannot do this job as many of his own men, many of his ministers in the cabinet will face action. Why PM Oli has kept pending the report submitted by the high-level committee on smuggling of the 32 kgs of gold? Why Nirmala Pant’s murderers have not been arrested? Why the government is trying to avoid the 4.5 billion rupees corruption case on the purchase of the wide-body aircraft? Why the Melamchi drinking water project has remained incomplete? PM Oli and his cabinet have no justifiable answer.
Moreover, if PM Oli will order the CIAA to open all the files, almost all political leaders of the day will be under the CIAA net. PM Oli knows better why the then CIAA chair Lokman Singh Karki had to face impeachment! The fact is that Karki had planned to catch the big fishes with the approval of Delhi. The fact was that the Parliament was going to be almost vacant as many of the MPs were going to be arrested on the charge of corruption. Therefore, an emergency meeting was held under the initiative of KP Oli along with Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda and Sher Bahadur Deuba to avoid this from happening. The meeting decided to register an impeachment against Karki to save the corrupt leaders.
Karki was a good player. He could influence some of the MPs. Therefore, the impeachment case against Karki had to be registered overnight. Therefore, signatures of MPs taken for another purpose was used in Karki’s impeachment proposal registered in the Parliament. When the political leaders and bureaucrats are corrupt and when PM Oli doesn’t dare to go against such corrupt people, we cannot expect anything else from him.
Of course, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for continuation of cooperation and support between the Nepal Communist Party and the Communist Party of China. One point of the MoU is about exchange of visits. Perhaps, the Nepali communist leaders are more interested with this point. No more than that.
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