Nepal's looming economic clawback   Posted on: 2009-11-13 09:57:52 | Comments: 1

There are two kinds of political consensus, namely:



1.Washington consensus



2.Beijing consensus.



Both of them are based on the free will of different countries to partake in mutual understanding while one has to best as well as to put a curb on diplomatic turpitude of the recalcitrant and redoubtable opponents.



The Washington consensus more or less defines the free world and its 'noria' of obligations toward the community of nations linked a priori with each others by means of international treaties and mutual obligations in order to defend the fundamental values of Democracy such as the freedom of speech, thought, actions, rule of law and accountability, to cite the essential, for the general good of human kind.



Whereas, the Beijing consensus consists of a kind of leitmotiv such as 'peaceful rising' that the Chinese officials have adapted in order to consecrate all their forces to hive their national economy to catch up on the advanced ones. Moreover China has never proclaimed to be a democratic country. They have their own codes of life inherited from the visions deeply rooted into Confucianism, quite different from the Greek Democracy envisioned by Plato and Socrates and first put into practice by Pericles which is increasingly prevalent in today's global as well as modern visions of Democracy in the Occident duly improved and adapted in the course of time.



Joseph Nye, the Professor of Harvard, defines them as 'soft power' i.e. the force of attraction carried out by means of persuasion instead of using force.



The instruments of 'hard power' are army and economy whereas the instruments of 'soft power' are culture and ideology.



For the time being, China makes use of 'soft power' to keep Nepal within its sphere of influence. If you happen to go through the 'Art of war' by Sun Zi (VI-V c. BC) you’ll effectively understand as to how does the Chinese mind function.



As the Maoist fringe in Nepal (with 32.36 percent votes and the rest is nonetheless 67.64 percent that makes quite a bunch against) persists and underlines hitherto that it wants neither the outsourcing nor the technology transfer of alien societies into Nepal nobody will force his way through the borderlines unless otherwise invited.



And most probably what the recent impromptu visit of Prachanda to Beijing underlines the invitation thrown toward the Chinese government to accelerate their investments in all directions In Nepal.



But if one believes in the 'trickle down theory' the opulence of rich people finishes by leaving remnants as China and India, the two immediate neighbors, have chosen to be rich and prosperous.



I figure our misnomer neomaoists are born in the wrong century.



Under unfortunate circumstances Nepal could be compelled to morphing herself into another enclave, not to mention, Laos, a country seldom evoked but it appears to have lost its North Star in the mist and archaism of communism in the dreadful jungle, savannah, high plateau and mountains run right across the country by the Mekong river.



Being China's Southern immediate neighbor this country enjoys her sympathy and generosity as China takes a particular care by investing mostly in infrastructure and opening casinos where Chinese can come en masse to pass a spare time leisure during their recesses.



I’m of the opinion that the incumbent premier had a point there to emphasize on the imperative step toward a consensus but without ceding the post of the premier, Defense and Home Ministry, and Finance and Economy to the rabble-rousing opposition thereby letting the people respire a lungful of fresh oxygen (O2) and at the same time restoring widespread enthusiasm for the nascent Democracy at local and national levels.



It is therefore necessary to pin down a date for drafting the new Constitution at the earliest and then all political parties should prepare 'the battle' to increase participation and to be waged with the gravitas to improve their elective profiles for the next legislative elections right after the promulgation of duly adopted new Constitution.



Only the draft of a new Constitution could provide legitimacy for the recalcitrant, political parties to have their say in the nascent Democracy; the rest is nothing but an arsenal of political showcases where everyone comes and recites his beads then clowns around to amuse the passers-by.



A country more than twenty times bigger than Nepal like the USA has just 435 MPs and 100 Senators as lawmakers. Ain't Nepalese too much bumped up while the economy is continuing to bump along the bottom?



Of late, we were largely taken by surprise by the long awaited news about the kicking off of the construction of a four-lanes-fast-track-road scheduled to be constructed between the capital Kathmandu and Birganj with 76.2 kilometers of trajectory costing $706.66 million US dollars (approx.) which could be covered within 90 minutes by car instead of 5 to 6 tedious hours to date.



The present incumbent Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal shall be remembered in the history of Nepal as the pioneering leader to have taken the initiative to kick off such a gigantic project on a national scale of Nepal which could be crucial for the protracted and future advancement of nationwide infrastructure.



Well, nobody could really be fully satisfied as there was a great possibility to shorten this above stated trajectory even more by means of excavating a long tunnel, but as the dictum goes, something is better than nothing. One day in future somebody, a great pioneer, will for sure undertake an initiative to bring headway a train by digging a tunnel through the Siwalik Parbat to link Kathmandu to the outer world en route for good.



As of now, Nepal has definitely ushered in a progressive and sustainable development era by launching and enhancing the epoch molding economic program which will slowly free her from the shackles of the old demons of backwardness, hatred and prejudice.



Next, another longtime ardently awaited International Hub Airport at Nijgar in Bara district in Terai shall be a jewel to be soon underway for construction that Nepal is thriving to possess at the earliest convenience in order to meet the increasing demand of tourism industry as this country is endowed with so many natural marvels of the Universe that the visitors would entertain the thought of finding them when they encounter the majestic Himalayas and the vestiges of past civilizations at their entire disposal.



More so with the birthplace of Siddhartha Buddha at Lumbini in Terai that all Buddhists from other parts of the planet wish to visit. This sacred place for Buddhist pilgrimage will definitely be one of the most attractive places for Nepal to promote the Nepal Year of Tourism, Y2K11.



As a final resort our most desired hope at present is the peaceful settlement of political conflict which plagues Nepal and at the same time atrophies her reputation in the eyes of the world as a very unstable country because of her devastating fever for political squabbling.



Henceforth we firmly hope that the present launching of the fast track road will serve its varieties of purposes by reiterating the much desired boost to flourishing local economy and at the same time helping the populace to envisage something smooth, harmonious and above all peaceful and democratic links amongst the populace, and to see all together toward the same direction for the common destiny far from today's risk of becoming a walking skeleton.



Most probably many Kathmanduists would prefer removing from the congested and sedentary life of the capital by installing themselves away from the city hubbubs thus helping the capital to be depopulated and at the same time serenity found in the countryside far from pollution and shrouded in mist city of Kathmandu.



Ross Gurung,

(Consulting Engineer)