Collaboration Imperative For Development

It is a sad fact that the different political parties in the parliament are busy in a bitter power struggle and not allowing parliamentary proceedings to take place smoothly. But it was encouraging to read reports about how the government was serious about beginning the budget session of the parliament soon.

Many experts and leaders in the government have said that the visit of the Amir of the State of Qatar, the first such visit made by the Head of State of a Middle East region to Nepal, had definitely given a boost to not only further strengthening the good relations between the two nations, but also contributed in giving more job opportunities to Nepalis who want to go there. There already are many Nepalis working in Qatar and that Emirate is a popular destination for many of our youths even now. In fact several bilateral agreements were signed between the two countries during the visit. 

Agreement 

An important agreement was signed in giving jobs to Nepali citizens in the Police Force of Qatar and also discussions were held for Qatar to help in the humanitarian cause of finding a Nepali student who was studying in Israel and was held hostage by the Hamas militias. For now, the visit of the Amir of Qatar, a small but much more developed state in the Gulf region, has also given a huge boost to the 3rd Nepal Investment Summit being organised by the Office of the Investment Board (OIBN) on April 28-29, 2024. The OIBN is slated to showcase 151 projects where investment could be made by foreign companies.

As Nepal has friendly relations with almost all countries of the world, it is certain that other more developed nations are willing to support this nation in its efforts to make progress in different fields, especially in the construction of infrastructure and building more hydro-power projects for which it has ample resources. It is certain that the visit of Amir of Qatar and the holding of the Investment Summit next week will not go unnoticed by the people and specially the media and the political parties themselves.

But to come back to where we started, that is the power struggle between the major political forces in the parliament. This should be taken as a normal procedure in any country which has followed the multiparty democratic system. Definitely, the government should be kept alert and on its toes about the wrong decisions it may have taken, but its achievements must also be applauded by all sides. Such an attitude must not be forgotten by the parties staying in the opposition benches, and it should also be taken note of by the media when writing or broadcasting reports about the rights and wrongs of the government.

Persons, who represent different parties and also the media outlets which have much influence on the thinking of the people in general, should also root for the success of this Summit meeting of investors, as it is important in bolstering the tottering economy of this impoverished country. Prime Minister Prachanda and leaders in the government have been emphasising the importance of the need for economic diplomacy for development and it was good to hear Finance Minister Barshaman Pun informing the press about how many American investors have shown much interest in investing on different projects and the World Bank also is willing to provide a huge fund for the development works in Nepal.

Economic diplomacy

Similarly, Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Narayan Kaji Shrestha has also stressed the need of following a pragmatic economic diplomacy for the development works being initiated here in the country. The government seems very serious about following this trend and making its policies successful. Now to again look at the political tussle we are seeing in the country at present, the top level leaders, who so closely worked together to establish democracy and presently 'Loktantra' in the nation, also must trust each other and not forget that they have been voted into the parliament by the people who wanted to see more development and not the presently ongoing tug-of-war between the major parties.

The people wanted total change in their lifestyle and prosperity to live a comfortable life in a political system where the citizens are sovereign, but many detractors are saying that such expectations have not borne any fruit. However, all the efforts being made by the present and past governments should not be looked at only negatively, their good works must be praised, specially, in connecting the nation by roads and also in providing support to the smaller scale industries which have sprung up in almost all parts of the nation. In this regard, Prime Minister Prachanda, while speaking at a function organised by the CPN-UML to mark the 75th founding day of the Nepal Communist Party, rightly said that 'all political parties should collaborate in advancing the nation's development and delivering essential services to the people'.

(The author former chief editor of this daily.)