The government’s one year tenure has been insipid, failure on all fronts. There were high peaks of political enthusiasm and aspirations. People had high hopes from the incumbent government. Just a year ago, they were riding on high aspirations, and euphoria was created. Unfortunately, their aspirations have been shattered.
In fact, the government failed in all aspects disappointing the Nepali people, who had assumed that the country would make a stride forward after the formation of a government holding a two-thirds majority.
In fact, had the Nepali Congress not played the role of an accountable opposition by abiding by the constitutional norms and values, the government would have failed to formulate any laws within the stipulated time-frame.
Now, having failed to work, the people in the government have been pointing their fingers at foreign powers, the opposition party, saying that conspiracies have been hatched against the government. The ground reality is, however, different. The government is trying to create an imaginary figure to put all the blames on it for its failure. This is ridiculous. This government, despite having the opportunities to prove itself, failed to perform in all these 12 months. Neither the BP Koirala nor the GP Koirala-led governments have had this opportunity. Forget about the Ranas. There were ample opportunities – both internal and external — which the government could have generously harnessed.
What is even more disappointing is that the government in its bid to formulate laws in haste filched the parliament’s sovereign rights to amend the laws. In fact, had the Nepali Congress not played the role of an accountable opposition by abiding by the constitutional norms and values, the government would have failed to formulate any laws within the stipulated time-frame. Moreover, the government has made a mockery of the provincial and local governments while formulating the laws.
The social security plan is an outcome of the continuation of the previous government’s efforts. On the foreign investment scenario, according to statistics released by Doing Business Report and Transparency International Report, there is no enabling environment for business in Nepal. The question is how many industrialists are ready to invest in Nepal given the current atmosphere.
The government’s allegations that the opposition party hindered government’s performance is baseless. Nepali Congress as an opposition party supported the government on its policy and programs, it also aided in the government in enacting the laws. In such a case, where does the government find the opposition hindering the government’s performance?
Talking about diplomacy, claims of improved diplomatic relations with the USA, India, and China is baseless. As for India, just because there have been bilateral visits does not mean the relationship has improved. We have some long-standing issues with the southern neighbor. For example, infrastructural development works under the Indian investment are being carried out at a snail’s pace. There are several issues identified by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) representing Nepal and India. Nothing has been done so far in addressing these issues.
Nepal’s participation in Universal Peace Federation summit and the recent controversy surrounding Venezuela speaks of the government’s immaturity in handling diplomatic issues. Therefore, the government’s performance on the diplomatic front in the past year remained poor.
The government’s allegations that the opposition party hindered government’s performance is baseless. Nepali Congress as an opposition party supported the government on its policy and programs, it also aided in the government in enacting the laws. In such a case, where does the government find the opposition hindering the government’s performance?
Another widely-talked issue is about the issue of Nepal owning its own ship and trains. Prime Minister K P Oli is often heard saying that Nepal will have ships of its own. He has also talked about gas pipes to be supplied directly to the kitchens, and that electricity would be generated from the wind. Nepal needs all of these. However, he needs to come up with a clear vision and plan to realize these goals.
To be precise, I had high hopes of this government because as the citizen of Nepal, I wanted to see Nepal heading on the path of prosperity. The prime minister reiterated his “zero tolerance” on corruption since he assumed the office. The government seemed alert on good governance. These initiatives had raised high hopes. However, the hopes faded gradually resulting in despair. The government’s action against the syndicate sector in transportation did not last even for two months. Corruption level shows no sign of decline. To conclude, the past year was a waste.
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