Dreams and Reality

The Nepali people had high hopes from Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattrai when he assumed office some five months ago. The PM was very much aware of this fact. So he lost no time in spelling out his priorities: peace, new constitution, good governance, immediate relief packages for the people, improved law and order and so on. The PM's pledge on these issues kept the people's expectations as well as his "charismatic image" alive for some time. But soon, the people realised that the PM had sold them beautiful dreams. It would not be wrong to say that the PM has not been able to fulfill any of the pledges he made to the people five months ago, so far. And perhaps, he too realises that by now.

Most importantly, he perhaps has realised his limitations as the country's chief executive (It's, however, really ironical as there doesn't seem to be a better candidate for the post than him in contemporary Nepali politics)."Nobody should expect a drastic change at these difficult hours. Things will improve slowly. Cynicism is not going to help," he told a gathering of economic journalists at his official residence in Baluwatar last Saturday. Throughout the interaction, which lasted for more than an hour, the PM had hardly anything new to say. Actually he began by saying that he had nothing new to say! Big infrastructure projects such as Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track, regional airports at Pohara and Lumbini, international airport in Bara, large-scale hydro projects like West Seti and Budhi Gandaki are the government's priority projects now;

Nepal needs a double digit growth; we have not been able to utilise the remittance inflow; neither the government nor the Maoists are against FDI; employment generation and social justice have to be the backbone of our economic policy; we should commercialise our agriculture; at least two new aircraft for NAC this year; 2500 MW of electricity is in the next five years; it's not possible to subsidise petroleum – Dr Bhattarai reiterated some of his old pledges. If one is to go by what the PM has been able to achieve over the last five months, one is tempted to ask: Did he try to sell another set of "sweet" dreams last Saturday? Let's do some reality check before jumping to a hasty conclusion while answering this question. The works of the ambitious fast track and regional and international airports are stuck at only God knows where! The talk about 2500 MW of hydroelectricity looks like a distant dream given the harsh reality of 14 hours load-shedding a day. No one else but the Maoist cadres are the biggest hurdle to FDI; attacks on Upper Karnali and disturbances seen at Kulekhani-3 and other hydro projects and protests against BIPPA with India are a testimony to this.

And they are the ones who have forced several industries to close down in recent times, and thereby decreasing employment opportunities. The government could not stand by its decision to hike petro prices. It means both subsidy and shortage of petroleum supply are to continue. The reality check clearly turns the fresh hopes given by the PM into despairs. Yet, let's not be cynics, as the PM has asked everyone. And let's also not think that his new pledges are desperate attempts by a PM who is facing immense pressure to step down, not only from the opposition parties but also his own party.