But, will he be able to live up to expectations?
The risks are high particularly when the expectations are so high. Without careful and calibrated approach, he might be able to fare no better than his predecessors. For one, he comes from a party, which can no longer claim to be unaware of the bureaucratic machinery that supports parties to either succeed or fail. UCPN (Maoist) now has produced two prime ministers and even a number of deputy prime ministers, more than what the Nepali Congress presently has.
This is not the time to aim big, but to aim something that is realistic and gets fulfilled. There are a lot of frustrations in public due to unfulfilled promises. Miracles that were claimed to happen in a week never happened. The first necessity, therefore, is to speak only as much as is doable.
From what is heard, immediate relief to the people is the top priority of the government. This sounds good. But the question is what brings in immediate relief.
Look at the context in which the election of the new prime minister took place. The day began with public strike called by an outfit associated with no other but UCPN (M) itself. Children could not go to school. Few buses and private vehicles that dared to defy the strike were burnt. Should we take for granted the right to destroy private property like this forever? What about freedom? Just a day before, MP Shalikram Jamarkattel was hit from behind clearly with a motive of terminating his life.
Around the same time, in a dispute over bidding process, a so-called don attacked one CPN-UML cadre. In Gorkha, two groups of people, reportedly belonging to UCPN (M) itself fought over government contract for food supplies. Journalists have been physically threatened everywhere, a few are still in hospital. Youth leaders are openly challenging the security system and taking law into their hand proclaiming that such and such business will be closed and people associated with such businesses will be put in prison.
Will Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai be able to live up to expectations? The risks are high particularly when the expectations are so high. Without careful and calibrated approach, he might be able to fare no better than his predecessors.
There is a breakdown of law and order; in fact, there is an utter failure. Improvement in this will provide the most significant and immediate relief. Impunity is no longer the word used by foreigners alone on our system and us; it is as much felt by ordinary folks across the country. Dr. Bhattarati’s first test will be whether he can end impunity.
The government budget for this year was presented in time, but the parliamentary debate has been slow. The budget uncertainty must end quickly. There might be disagreements on the proposals of the budget, but passing the budget quickly will do good to the economy than wasting time to recast it again. In the remainder of the fiscal year, miracles can be produced if priority projects in the budget are implemented with full vigor than thinking about new projects and programs.
It seems we are rapidly de-industrializing. Several industries have closed their operations in the past. While we are lamenting on the decline of exports, the target of militant trade unions have been on the export-oriented industries pushing them to the brink of closure. If the new government immediately gets engaged with employers and trade unions to thrash out problems and create conducive environment for business, that will definitely send positive signals.
Corruption is rampant. Speaking in the Legislature-Parliament, MP Babban Singh said many things, but one thing is a certain truth. He said development grants to local bodies in the Tarai have just been distributed among political leaders as “fruits of development”. All political parties work in unison no matter what their ideologies are in sharing the “development booty”. This is not just in Tarai, this has spread to the hills and other parts as well. If Dr Bhattarai can stop this, this will bring immediate relief to the people. Quality development spending can do wonders. It will immediately raise the confidence of people in the government.
Development has not only been high jacked by user groups represented by local politicians, dons that capture government contracts for development works also have hijacked it. These hijackers have either delayed the projects or increased the overall cost. This can be changed with a zero-tolerance approach and government will earn quick rewards.
At least in the first seven days, government can prove that it means business by appointing office-bearers to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority and Auditor General’s Office. These have been vacant for a very long time. Staff of Auditor General Office cannot even recall when was the last time they had a full-fledged auditor-general. These appointments would also signal that government is concerned about corruption and accountability.
Every time there is a change in government, the bureaucracy finds itself in a precarious situation as key people expect transfers. Due to this, during the first few months of new government, the bureaucratic machinery gets slow in anticipation of new orders and possibly new transfers. It is an irony when a new government has to prove that it means business, the machinery is not quite ready for it. Transfer of Police and Civil Service staff is also allegedly associated with some monetary give and take. Can the new government stop this? Can the new government say that there will be no transfers at all for the next one year? If anyone is found below the mark, then punish him/her as per the regulations, but do not look for remedy through transfers. In the first seven days, if the government announces that there will absolutely be no transfers for one year, then the ministers can avoid long queues of transfer-seeking staff in the initial stage when government’s attention should on important agendas.
Constitution-building and peace process should be high on the agenda of the new government, but there has been much lip service in the past. If the prime minister spends at least an hour each day to follow up on the deadlines, then it will make a remarkable difference.
The prime minister should also closely monitor select projects of national pride or priority. Each of the Mid-Hill Highway, Tarai Highway, and Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track, Melamchi Water and Upper Tamakoshi Hydro projects is to cost more than 3 percent of GDP. These are mega projects and are good for the economy if they are completed sooner. So are the irrigation projects such as Sikta and Ranijamara. The economic impact of these projects is tremendous. If PM personally visits these projects in the first few days in office and pushes not only the Project Management but also the contractors to increase the speed, this will show the direction of the government. Contractors in Melamchi and Chameliya have not really been giving good performance. Speaking to the government of the country from where these contractors come is what economic diplomacy is.
Managing a coalition government is not easy. If the new PM cannot rally the ministers behind him and require them to focus on the broader issues facing the nation, then the prime minister cannot succeed. Ministers have a tendency of focusing on petty issues concerning their constituency and parties.
A lot of laws required for better economic environment is either pending before the Cabinet or the Legislature-Parliament. This must be pursued. Loss incurred by Nepal Electricity Authority and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) runs in billions. If the government recovers billions from NOC through right pricing of imported petroleum products, the money can be spent in road improvement and hydro-power generation.
There is no better relief to the people than better roads. Pregnant woman in Bajura dies because of lack of road that could take her quickly to hospital. Sick people in Bhojpur have to be airlifted for treatment. Nothing is more important than better roads. Subsidizing fertilizers cannot do what roads and irrigation can do to agriculture. Subsidizing petroleum products, too, has not done any good. Much can be done, however, by having better roads and through hydro-power generation. Unfortunately, in the last one year, the condition of roads everywhere has deteriorated. Please keep this in mind.
On the economic policies, let us not start a new debate. We have had enough of Mao—the nation now needs a bit of Deng.
rameshorek@gmail.com
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