By PR Pradhan
The government holds virtually two-thirds majority in the federal parliament, yet, it has not been able to demonstrate its strength when it has been required. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is being criticized by his own party’s senior leaders for not being able to run the government and also the ruling party. The government has lost the trust of the people as it has not been able to deliver its services to the people as it had promised. The people wanted a stable government, therefore, they voted for the then UML and Maoist candidates. The voters had thought that a stable government could do much more things for the betterment of the nation and the Nepali people than small parties who would always have to look for new coalition partners. Unfortunately, PM Oli became arrogant and autocratic with the strength of having an unimaginable majority behind his government. The government attempted to impose one after another controversial bills, due to which, the government has become very unpopular. Forget about what was written in the election manifesto, the commitments made by the government after assuming the office are also yet to be fulfilled even after spending one and a half years in the government.
On many occasions we have heard that the Kalanki-Nagdhunga road and Chabhil-Sankhu road would be completed soon. Still, even after the end of the tenure given to the construction company, these roads are yet to be completed. In the name of expansion of Kathmandu Valley roads, almost all roads have been destroyed, but the construction works have been delayed due to the negligence of the construction contractors and also the concerned government officials. The present powerful government has been unable to take action against such construction companies. Kathmanduites have been compelled to suffer from different respiratory diseases due to the alarming level of air pollution in the city.
The government gave different deadlines for the supply of water from the Melamchi drinking water project. At the final stage, the construction contractor left the project after denying to pay a huge amount – said to be 50 million rupees — as commission demanded by the government officials. The Italian construction company had put forward the condition to return to work if the bill worth 350 million rupees submitted to the Project was cleared. But the PM’s development expert, a former chief in the Melamchi Project, was against paying what was due to the Italian contractor, instead, he chose to sign a fresh deal with others for the sake of commission. As per his design, different construction contractors have been assigned for different works without bidding. Clearly, the deals have been made for the sake of making more money while Kathmandu remains dry. The government is also reluctant to clear big amounts of money to those local sub-contractors who had worked for the Italian contractors. If they will not receive the payment for their works, they are going to be bankrupt. By neglecting their problems, when the government assigned new contractors, the sub-contractors who were unable to receive their payments, didn’t allow them to start works in the given time, so again no water for the people of Kathmandu for some more time. If the government will not be able to resolve the local disputes, surely, the construction works of the remaining part of the Melamchi project will also be affected. Furthermore, the Italian contractor is planning to file a case against the Nepal government at the International Court and the Company holds strong evidences to win the case by compelling the Nepal government to pay a huge amount as compensation. Let’s imagine, how much expensive will the Melamchi water be for the nation because of the greed of some corrupt officials and specially the PM’s development expert one will have to wait and see!
Every year, farmers face acute shortage of fertilizers. A stable government could end such a problem, yet, this year also, there has been a shortage of fertilizers in the market. These are some examples only. In each and every sector, such perversion and greed can be seen. The PM Oli led government has proved that a stable government is not an ultimate solution for good governance. This is why political observers believe that the present system is not functional in a country like Nepal.
Oli had a golden opportunity to write his name in the history by serving the nation and the people, however, he has missed this opportunity. He wished to become a dictator. Although, a dictator serves the nation and the works for the people’s betterment, the people could tolerate such an attitude, but Oli has become a self-centered leader who seems to care nothing about the country. He wants to enjoy a luxury life and he wishes to provide luxury facilities for his President from the tax prayers’ money. Besides, he has not been able to take any good decisions for the nation and the people.
Earlier, after securing victory in the general elections, he was said to be reading biographies of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Singaporean leader Lee Kwan Yu, but he was unable to take any lessons from the biography of those leaders.
PM Oli is found enjoying himself inside a small circle of his sycophants assigned by him as advisors and experts. He has not been able to take any decisions by bypassing his advisors and their wrong advice. The advisors are not loyal to the people nor the parliament or the government. They are neither selected by the Public Service Commission or elected by the people. Even though, they are enjoying the executive powers by misusing a weak PM. It is surprising to know that PM’s advisors receive the daily reports submitted by the security organs! Are they eligible to receive such confidential intelligence reports in accordance to the constitution?
Posted inOpinion
How strong is the government?
