RSP's Commitments

The huge mandate given to the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the House of Representatives (HoR) election has reflected the people’s desire for change.  They want to see a tangible improvement in their lives marred by poverty, unemployment, inflation, corruption and political deception. For years, hollow promises made by traditional parties during elections were not fulfilled, even after they were elected to govern the country time and again. As the traditional parties fail to pass the electoral test, the people have chosen a new force that has pledged to deliver stability, good governance and inclusive growth. As the RSP is poised to head the new government, with a near two-thirds majority in the HoR, the electorate is enthusiastic about how the party will prove its mettle in implementing the commitments it included in its election manifesto.

 It has become imperative to pore over and analyse the document that serves as the party’s roadmap for development for five years in office. The RSP’s major focus is on attaining good governance, which is the key to development and effective service delivery. It has committed to investigating the assets of the high-ranking officials who have held public posts since 1990 and confiscating and nationalising illegally amassed wealth. The politicisation of bureaucracy, judiciary, constitutional bodies and universities has bred various anomalies that undermine the integrity, impartiality and meritocracy. 

In its manifesto, the RSP is determined to do away with these discrepancies. The party has proposed appointing the judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court on the basis of a meritocratic and competitive system. It has stood against the practice of bhag-banda (share and divide) while picking the judges. It has also floated the idea of live broadcasting of court hearings for greater transparency. The major political parties have expanded their structures into all organs of the state. The RSP wants to put a stop to this by disbanding the sister organisations and party-affiliated trade unions within the civil service. It is considering the creation of an autonomous board to deal with civil 

service transfers.

 Digital governance has been its top priority. To achieve this, the party aims to shift public services to online platforms by 2031 and link the National ID cards with the national database to streamline social security and implement the administrative policies. It also seeks to integrate the 'Nagarik App' and National ID to eliminate the role of middlemen in public utilities. Digital approvals will replace the paper-based decision-making system, and people will not be compelled to visit government offices to receive services. Given the expansion of digital infrastructure, such as fibre-optic networks, broadband internet, and telephone across the country, a paperless civil service is not out of reach. However, digital literacy is essential to make people tech-savvy. 

The party has envisaged developing Nepal as an IT export hub by recognising the IT sector as a strategic industry and offering incentives to it. An autonomous IT Promotion Board will be set up to materialise these goals.  The RSP aims to achieve a 7 per cent annual growth to build a US$ 100 billion economy and per capita income surpassing US$ 3,000 within the next 5-7 years. Its agendas are popular and ambitious. As the party enjoys overwhelming popular support, it is in a position to restructure the state organs and fuel the flagging economy. But it requires devising new laws and a pragmatic approach to translate them into action.  Failure to do so risks losing credibility. The party leadership should be cautious that its drive does not rupture the broader political consensus.