Await to be enlightened!

Before the incumbent Prime Minister Madhav Nepal left for India, the awesome, that is Prachanda (the erstwhile Maoist Primo) gave his piece of mind to Madhav not to sign the Pancheswore hydro power project with India. Or else you know what… The reason was the same old conspiracy theory that the water project treaty is lop-sided in terms of sharing the water and the power that can be generated from it.

This is nothing new in Nepal’s opposition politics. Long ago when we restored this democracy the Mahakali Treaty and the Arun III mega hydro projects were made a mountain out of mole hill redundant issues by the political parties in the opposition. And the promising projects never pulled through and till last year Nepalese were having impressive world record breaking power cuts. Worst of it all, the coming winter it is projected that we will be enjoying the darkness of nothing less than 18 hrs.

Everytime the government changes, failing hydro power projects which Nepal needs so badly has been the opposition’s prime agenda. If Arun III had not failed, which was the oppositional doing of the United Marxist Leninist, of course spearheaded by the incumbent Primo Madhav Nepal, we would not have had enjoyed the wisdoms and baby booms of darkness last winter in Nepal.

Weird is Nepali democracy, as a person who was rejected in so called democratic election from two constituencies, becomes a Prime Minister. The prodigal daughter with the same election fate becomes a Foreign Minister. Worst of it all the prodigal daughter would not budge to go to India because it is beneath her familiy’s political diginity to join the Prime Minister’s entroupe, as nothing less but the Deputy Prime Minister.

Somebody I know who is a respected Nepali water specialist, and had become once a water minister also, once told me that the Nepal would develop with harnessing the water resources has become a gaun khannay katha (closest contextual translation of this in English would be…it has become a myth). I am loosing hope and starting to believe that…

What little knowledge I have about water and Nepal’s hope from water, have been all darkened by the ensuing hours of record breaking darkness. I await for the days when our politicians and the political parties mend their ways and Nepali people are enlightened!

Of reforms and ridicules in Nepal

Everytime a new political party or a coalition of political parties come to power in government in Nepal, it sermons about economic reform, education reform, legal reform, tax reform and the latest of it the army reform. You name it and we have it in Nepal–the reforms. But the ridicule of the reforms in Nepal is nobody dares and cares to talk about the ‘political party reforms’.

The latest insightful report the International Crisis Group (ICG) has released on Nepal titled ‘Nepal’s Future: In Whose hands?’, as a question, it hits the bull on the eye. It really is a million dollar question the future of Nepal is on whose hands? I like ICG reports as they are daring, insightful and balanced and do not leave any stone unturned as far as who is to do what is concerned…be it the government, political parties, the donors, diplomatic missions, I/NGOs, the Nepali geopolitical neigbours and any other game players in Nepal.

I leave it to you to make your own assessment of the ICG report on Nepal which you can access at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6269&l=1. In the meanwhile I look forward to the day the political parties in Nepal and others who can influence the future of Nepal, besides of course the Nepali people themselves, make an effort towards ‘political party reforms’ in Nepal.