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In the past few days the parallels between Nepal and Sri Lanka have been endlessly drawn. Many fear that if our political class does not soon mend its self-serving ways, people here too could take things into their hands. We have been there before. After all, weren’t anti-monarchy protesters in 2006 uncomfortably close to storming the royal palace? Who knows what might have happened had King Gyanendra refused to step down on time? A common gripe among Nepalis is that while they forced out one monarch, multiple monarchs have taken his place. This is one cliché that increasingly rings true.

Although these ‘new monarchs’ have been elected to office, they act as entitled as the erstwhile Shah kings. Ditto with their lack of accountability, vulgar opulence, and complete disregard for their people. The public perception of the government took a beating during the previous tenure of KP Sharma Oli as prime minister (most notably, when he twice dissolved the elected house). As Sher Bahadur Deuba completes a year in office, overseeing a brazenly corrupt and unaccountable administration, public faith in elected leaders has further dipped.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s economic woes continue to deepen with a steady loss in value of the Nepali rupee against the dollar, rampant inflation and import controls. If its politicians don’t get their act together, sooner or later, Nepal, again like its South Asian cousin, could also start seeing crippling shortages of food and other daily essentials. The signs are ominous. Until this week the person in charge of Nepal's finances was running the Ministry of Finance as his personal fief—à la Sri Lanka’s “Mr 10 Percent” Basil Rajapaksa. 

Like Basil’s elder brothers, Mahinda and Gotabaya, Nepali leaders are wont to accumulate more and more power. Instead of dismantling the centralized structure—when former PM Oli brought vital state institutions like the National Vigilance Center and the Department of Revenue Investigation under the PMO—Deuba was happy to milk the consolidated system to his benefit. In the name of ‘coalition compulsions’ there have been all kinds of unholy give-and-take. Electoral seats were ‘adjusted’ to accommodate the kith and kin of top leaders. Tax rates were tweaked for the benefit of the already filthy-rich conglomerates. Taxpayer money was haphazardly spent on vanity projects like view towers. 

Senior Sri Lankan economist Nisha Arunatilake tells ApEx that extreme politicization of Sri Lanka’s institutions had resulted in “improper appointments in leadership positions… mismanagement, corruption, lack of transparency and accountability”. Moreover, constant personnel changes in state institutions and tweaking the number of ministries to suit individuals reduced the efficiency of government processes. Such a weak system could not withstand the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. The war in Ukraine was the final nail in the coffin of the Rajapaksas’ monolithic state.

All these maladies of the island state sound eerily similar to Nepal’s own recent troubles. It will be foolish to continue with business-as-usual in the face of an approaching disaster. As Arunatilake counsels, “The main lesson [from Sri Lanka] is not to wait until you are in a crisis to fight for change.”

The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) has decided to take action against federal council Chairman Baburam Bhattarai among nine leaders.

The Central Committee meeting of the Chairman Upendra Yadav faction which started on Wednesday and ended on Thursday decided to take action against federal council Chairman Bhattarai, central executive members Mahendra Raya Yadav, Hisila Yami, Durga Sherpa, Prashant Singh, Ganga Shrestha, Ramesh Yadav, Dan Bahadur Chaudhary and Bhakta Bahadur Shahi.

A central member said that the party has decided to take action against nine executive members of the Bhattarai faction and relieve them of their duties.

The JSP, however, has not made public the decisions.

Minister for Forest and Environment Pradeep Yadav, who is also a central member of the party, said that the decisions made by the Yadav faction would be made public by organizing a press conference in Birgunj tomorrow.

"The two-day meeting has made very tough and important decisions," he said, adding, "The decisions will be made public by organizing a press conference on Friday."

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stressed on forging unity among the communist forces believing in scientific approach. 

Addressing a policy dialogue on science and technology organized by Bikalpa Foundation here today, he said there is no alternative to unity among the honest communists with scientific mindset. 

The Maoist Centre Chair said: "I had forged Communist unity last time taking a big risk and making sacrifices with the thinking that it is the communists who have a scientific bend of mind in Nepal compared to others and it would work well to bring them all together. Still now, sincere communists having scientific thinking should be one and this mission of ours would be continued."  

He opined that policy reforms could be made in the science and technology sector to move ahead on the journey of development and prosperity only if those having scientific thinking move forward united. 

Stating that scientific discoveries have been taking place in the science and technology sector as per the need of the general public, former Prime Minister Dahal underscored the need of utilizing science and technology for increasing people's productivity and production power in the present digital age. 

According to him, science should be used consciously for increasing new production and the production capability and for bringing about social transformation in a scientific way. 

Leader Dahal reiterated that the Nepali society needed a new type of discourse with scientific thinking and the communist forces needed to once again stand at one place for leading it and for waging a movement. 

He opined that this discussion should be moved ahead as a campaign in a more systematic and planned way among the political forces committed to the scientific approach, development and prosperity.

National Assembly member Narayan Kaji Shrestha has demanded that the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari should immediately resign.

Speaking in the ‘special hour’ of the Upper House session today (Thursday), he said a name of the member of the CPN (UML)’s Economic and Planning Department is mentioned as M Adhikari and it is the NRB Governor’s shortened name.

The name was mentioned as Maha Prasad Adhikari as one of the members of the Department in 2073 BS but it has been changed now as M Adhikari, mentioning him as economist and planning expert.

“Either documents proving that the name M Adhikari is not the NRB Governor should be made public, if not he should resign from the post of Governor,” Shrestha, also the senior leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre), said.

He has drawn the attention of the UML and the concerned authorities in this connection. “The UML has not refuted this matter in a credible way and the question of whether or not it can do it is serious,” leader Shrestha reiterated.

“Is it proper for him to remain in the post when there is a clear provision in Clause 21 of NRB Act 2058 BS that the Governor, Deputy Governor or any Board member should not be associated in any political party?”

Lawmaker Shrestha also called for withdrawing the bill related to the Constitutional Council, stating that previous government’s works done according to the same provisions had been protested but the same bill is presented in parliament now. He stressed that there should not be double standards regarding the laws while in government and when not in government.

Leader Shrestha also suggested not taking foreign assistance for the election.

Government’s attention drawn on systematizing foreign employment 

Meanwhile, the lawmakers have drawn the attention of the government to the need of making the foreign employment sector dignified and systematic.

They also complained that there has been no change in the situation of Nepali youths to go abroad for employment and having to carry out risky works for lack of adequate employment opportunities at home.

Prakash Pantha said there were no equal facilities and provisions for the youths who have gone abroad for employment. He wondered why such situation existed.

He also underscored the need of making arrangements for the provision of equal facilities to them and to strictly check the practice of the foreign employment agents duping the foreign employment aspirant youths.

Bhairab Sundar Shrestha said life has been affected due to the floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in various places of Jajarkot district in recent days.

He stressed the need of collaboration between the government, opposition and all the sides concerned for resolving the looming economic crisis in the country.