Change is now imperative

As the political stability is ensured, the people were told that the coming days will be a new dawn of progress, development and prosperity of Nepal and Nepali people. It was imagined that politics and governance between China and India, which are on the path of rapid development, will no longer be unstable and will move forward as a bright star in South Asia, but what does this seven-eight years of experience tell us? Now is the time to consider this question without prejudice. Let's see some facts :

(a) Nepal's position in sustainable economic development campaign is pathetic. Economic growth is hovering around 4 percent. According to the World Bank, this year the economic growth rate will be limited to 3.5 percent.

(b) State fails to maintain balance between economic investment and economic returns. There is no stop in the misuse of taxes paid by the poor people of Nepal.

(c) Nepalis pay the highest taxes compared to the neighboring countries, but it is not being used for the benefit of the people but is being misused for the selfish interests of the professional politicians and their bosses who stand in the name of politics.

(d) budget formulation and implementation is limited to the formality of the speech. Parliament acts as a rubber stamp to accept whatever is submitted to Parliament without any amendments or conditions. The government is not accountable for budget implementation.

(e) Government expenditure management is lagging. The share of capital expenditure in the total budget is decreasing but there is no stop in ordinary expenditure.

(f) The government has failed to work except for the speech about the imbalance in trade and the crisis inherent in it.

(g) The growth rate of agriculture is lower than in the 1980s. Agriculture is one of the biggest imports of Nepal.

(h) Fiscal stress has increased due to rising expenditure and weak revenue. The availability of grants and loans from foreign allies has decreased. Nepal's moral base for asking for more loans and subsidies is weakening.

(i) Foreign exchange reserves have increased but the government does not have the capacity to use them in productive sectors.

(j) Nepalis are forced to leave the country due to lack of employment. Young people who studied in good schools are queuing up for permanent residence in countries like America, Canada, Australia.

(so) Bank credit has expanded but most of the benefits have gone to the poor. 9 percent of loans have been used in rural areas through microfinance and cooperatives. But the loot seen in it is clear how the ruling class is playing with the lives of the poor people.

(Th) The country is drying up like a man suffering from diabetes due to the increase in unemployment and corruption and the economy losing its competitiveness. The country is weakening in self-esteem and independence and has become a playground for foreign powers.

Presenting these facts does not mean only criticizing or presenting only images of despair. There is no shortage of people who call Nepal's constitution 'excellent' by looking at the outer cover. Constitutional balance and control, periodical elections, a long list of civil rights, freedom of speech and press, read the long points, there is enough reason to sing praises about the political ground of Nepal. But the real test of any political field depends on how much it has done justice to the ideals it has put into practice, how it is used to raise the standard of living of the people, to strengthen the foundation of national independence, unity and sovereignty. If the constitution is "excellent" but the gap between the state's capacity and the minimum aspirations of the people increases, even if a thousand-page constitution is written, it will not only end up in the trash but may also cause great objections and unrest in the country. Usually the ideal approach to building a new structure gives energy to struggle. After seizing power, that ideal is sold. The rage and heat of power breeds corruption and government destruction begins. If the mindset to understand this reality and be ready to change in time does not find a place, it will become a new highway of chaos.

In our country, after King Gyanendra restored the parliament during the people's movement, the first parliamentary meeting established by its declaration the framework of the institution within the parliament and the constitution accepted the monarchy. In section (5) of the document passed at that time, the parliament decided to make a law related to the royal palace and to determine how many facilities the royal institution will get. From this, it is clear that the constitutional monarchy was accepted by the first meeting after the people's movement. This document of agreement was later rejected and the culture of decision making in Nepali politics is one thing and behavior is another. This is the crux of the problem.

After the implementation of the new constitution, no government has shown any interest in implementing the economic development program by standing on the new ground given by the constitution. The letters written on the pages of the constitution do not make a country. The theoretical side of the concept of proportional representation in Parliament is strong. But in practice its strongest point is its weakest. In the name of proportionality, nepotism, familyism and materialism have prevailed. The problem is not limited to this. Representation structure in the name of proportionality has become a strong cause of instability and ultimately corruption and indiscipline within political stability in the country. The instability inherent in

stability

In the country today, the political stability expected from the 5-year electoral legitimacy is on the outer cover, while the inherent instability within the political structure has now become almost institutionalized. In these seven years, the government has been in crisis or changed almost half a dozen times. Forming and breaking new alliances has become the new game of politics. In fact, the country's politics has become fearfully unstable. There is no address for how long the new minister will be the minister. Naturally, when in power for a few months, the tendency to not hesitate to abuse power for their own interests rather than for the country has become an inherent characteristic of the new progress. Due to the unstable politics, this disease is getting stronger in the administration and other government organs. Its end point is the institutionalization of anarchy and mafia. Therefore, no one believes that those who loot the nation's property in the country will be held accountable for their crimes under the ambit of the law. In other words, no matter how big a crime they have committed, the Thalu class of Nepal will not be prosecuted under the current constitutional system. Even then, it is poorly presented. The fact that even the Court of Appeal is dealing with special facilities there is slowly being confirmed.

Our main problem is the current unstable politics. Our country is between China, which is being recognized as a world power, and India, where seven percent economic growth is now considered normal. The political system of both the countries is different, but they have three main points in common - political stability, rapid economic development and prevalence of nationalistic thinking. We are proving weak in all these three points. Nationalist thinking and national self-esteem is declining. Because of this, the politics of Nepal will be in the hands of external forces and we are not just pawns in the chess game? This concern is widespread. Aren't we going to melt and disappear between two mighty rocks? This question has plagued many patriots. How can we live if we cannot build a small and strong house between the two buildings that are getting bigger?

Our experience so far has shown that there is no option without rethinking the weak political ground. For this, let's consider the following four points:

1. A no-holds-barred mentality must now be the path to our new renaissance. Let us keep the traditional institutions of the nation within the scope of democracy and supremacy of the people and use them to maintain stability and unity in the country.

2. To increase the possibility of political stability, proportional representation but to maintain an inclusive state system, making the upper house stronger and more inclusive than today, an arrangement where the prime minister can be from the upper house can be an option.

3. We had to dare to reconsider the structure of the province. The present structure of the province has become a center of tax wastage and corruption of the Nepalese people. Power must be transferred to the lower level, but it is necessary for all parties to reconsider the current structure of the country.

4. The concept of village government is a strong point of this constitution. But it is necessary to have a fundamental debate on how to make it more economically strong for the people, a basis for investment collection and use for development. Otherwise, it will be difficult to prevent the possibility of these organizations becoming a center of salary allowances, concessions and wastage only with government subsidies.

Political stability is essential for rapid economic development. The Nepalese ruling class, who have imbibed the culture of corruption and robbery, did not understand this fact. Be open to change over time. What needs to be clear is that South Asia is a 'conflict zone' where the US and China's pressure, influence and contours of national interests are growing and will continue to grow. In this environment, people will not forgive us if we enjoy the slogan of 'progress' by cultivating culture of loot and lies in this environment.

At the end of the

to successfully carry forward a chain of changes, in some cases a chain of continuity must also be carried along. New mobility does not mean forgetting one's identity. This approach is based on the principles of concrete analysis of concrete situations. Only then the decision of the present comes to be connected with the reality of the past and the imagination of the future.

Discussing the state of man's fall, Lord Buddha said - Rotting from within means that when a man is engrossed in a life of deception and lies, he begins to abuse Sangha (organization) and Dharma (the path of consciousness) for his ego and desires. Yes, the so-called big leaders of our country are walking on the road to decay. Everyone is seeing this character of lies, deceit and deception with the public. If we want to protect the country while there is time, let us open our minds.

– Lohani is the chairman of RPP steering committee.