Let Pragmatism Prevail

Yug Bahadur

The country is going through a delicate period, both economically and politically as well. Both these sectors are vital pillars, which make a stable nation with a happy populace. But now, economically, we have a very low reserve of foreign currency. In Sri Lanka, there still is anarchy and insecurity, though both the president and prime minister have agreed to quit office.

The situation in Sri Lanka is really sad, where total anarchy rules and the residences of the President of that country and also the residence of the Prime Minister have been occupied by protestors. When such upheavals are taking place, the practice of allowing mob control, the so-called developed countries have remained deafeningly quiet and the media controlled by them also has not made any comments about this wrongs of such a practice which one day they may have to face themselves.

Mob behaviour

This author remembers one US ambassador here, who had predicted that the then ruler of Nepal would have to flee the nation in the near future. He in fact supported such mob behaviour, but he did not mention some facts which rattled the United States when former president Donald Trump tried to stop the legally voted president Joe Biden from entering the White House and start his term as president of this powerful country. This diplomat probably also had nightmares about how the Americans had to flee from Vietnam after an unsuccessful military mission there and much later from Afghanistan as well, when they failed to contain the Taliban rebels, whom the US had created themselves to fight the then Soviet Union (Russia) when it tried to bulldoze through that once peaceful country. 

The jitters are still there when one thinks of the mob fury in which the then Soviet backed president was hung right in front of his residence. After all, America itself went through such repulsing activities in the 19th century when self-declared ‘posses’ hunted down persons who they thought were guilty and hanged them from the nearest tree they could find. No fair trials or appeals were heard. Such dreadful events bring back memories of persons like Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Muammer Gaddafi of Libya, who were also killed through sheer mob fury and ransoms that the US would give to informers for finding these leaders dead or alive, exactly like the ‘cowboy’ days in America.

Meanwhile in Nepal, it is a worrying fact the market doesn’t have the necessary liquid funds to enhance itself and boost the economy of the nation at present. This is an alarming situation, where again it is certain that the ordinary citizens will suffer the most, while the rich people can just leave the country and go abroad with their ill-gotten wealth.

This author would like to say that firebrand young politicians and other people who say that the ordinary citizens are losing big amounts because of the downward trend of the stock market is simply not something which any sensible citizen of this country would believe. Furthermore, even the Americans, who strongly supported a free market economy, themselves could not intervene, when it saw a stock market crash, and that made many Americans bankrupt and thus put them out of their jobs.

This happened almost a century back when it left citizens of that country in very dire states. Yet the government could do nothing as it followed a free market policy. But with sound policies, both from the government and the private sector, America bounced back and thus they have a healthy economy where all the people have become rich, and the people also got employment opportunities more.

Nepal could have just followed the path of China and India and benefitted from the two neighbours both of which have become strong powers of the world economically. But Nepal has sadly missed this goal both economically and politically as well. About its foreign policy, it is better to say nothing about it, except the fact that Nepali leaders should embrace the foreign policy vision espoused by the founding father Prithvi Narayan Shah, whose prudent remark that ‘Nepal is a yam between two huge boulders’ is still valid. 

For Nepal, in spite of many critics pointing out the failure of the coalition government, which has completed one year in office now, it is a positive sign that this coalition has been able to stick together and do its best to boost the economy and political stability in spite of the ideological beliefs among the parties.

Stable government 

Yes, there is no doubt that many needs of the common people have not been met, but still many feel that some more time has to be given to this government to be really effective. But the top level political leaders and many countries who have openly helped Nepal, should understand that we all want to see a stable government, a thriving democracy, protection of human rights and a free press, among other things, but we also want clean drinking water, a better health service, good roads, sound environment where all can live in peace, and an effective bureaucracy, which are all taken as granted in most developed countries.

For this to happen, more than mere ideology alone, more pragmatic decisions have to be made by the top level leaders and policy makers. At the same time, more rich and powerful nations who want to help Nepal should not try to intervene in its micro-level decisions. Help is welcome but not intervention. This is a message which should be sent out loudly and clearly, and with well-wishing friends around the world and good Nepali citizens here, there is no doubt Nepal can move forward and get out of the present economic and political problems it is facing now if right policies are implemented not in haste, but in time.  

(Yug is a freelance writer.)