Nepal is in a huge bind right now. There is more than enough blame and excuses to go around. There is a lot of finger pointing towards India and to some extent, rightfully so. But India is a separate nation with its own geo-political dynamics. Ultimately, with regards to its neighbors, it can and will do what it sees fit, as is being shown right now. Even if Nepal wanted to, it has a snowball's chance in hell of controlling the winds of changes of foreign countries.
It does not do Nepal much good to pass the blame onto others. To do so, is a distraction from the core issues that Nepal faces and distractions hamper rather than help the situation. This is not the first time that India has imposed a blockade against Nepal. Nepal leaders need to bear responsibility for the present dismal state of the country. Why was the Nepali Government been ‘sleeping on the job” all these years, when there was ample time and opportunity to develop its own resources and be self-sufficient?
The Nepali Government made the mistake of promulgating a constitution that did not pay sufficient attention to certain minority groups, whereby giving opportunist elements in the Terai, a chance to play politics by exploiting circumstances.
Taking responsibility for one's self is the only real path to freedom. At this juncture, if Nepal is to progress, it is imperative for its government, as part of its public policy, to adopt a “Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it” attitude and its citizenry, a mentality of self-responsibility.
With the about-turn, Nepal is now scrambling towards China. As is very evident, the “Chinese solution”, is merely a band aid to the problem. Even when China is willing, given the immensely difficult terrain and harsh weather, it is a Herculean feat to import substantial quantities of goods directly from China. Currently, Nepal's infrastructure is so minimal that it is not up to the task at all. And what if, tomorrow, China's foreign policy becomes such that it blockades its borders to Nepal? Who is Nepal going to run to, then?Nepal did not “make hay while the sun was shining” so it’s paying the price now.
In the present context, Nepal is veering like a pingpong ball between India and China. How is this sustainable? And what about the psychological toll it takes on the Nepali psyche and the damage it does to the Nepali identity?
Nepal is facing an existential crisis. It is high time for the Nepalis to do some serious soul searching.
For the nation to be co-dependent on both China and India, or any other country for that matter, is to run on bad faith. And relationships that hinge on bad faith never end well. It might alleviate the pain for the short term but the end result is disastrous.
In the end game, there is no exit for Nepal except to be independent. To think otherwise is to be in denial and bury its head in the sand. Only as an independent nation, can Nepal have any leverage among its neighbors and be able to exist with its sovereignty intact.
Yes, Nepal is landlocked and all that jazz. But instead of perpetually focusing on what the country lacks and having a defeatist attitude, why not focus on what it does have, i.e. incredible amounts of hydro-power energy. Presently not even 1% of the potential is being harnessed; it's hard to fathom how developed Nepal can be, on its own merit, if just 50% of the hydro-power is tapped! It is critical that Nepal achieve this goal of tapping into its energy resource, by any means necessary. Without energy, nothing doing.
I have heard arguments that it is not good for Nepal to develop hydro-power because India will use it. If ever there was a moronic logic, this is one. The correct logical reasoning should be, it is great for Nepal that there is a market already in place for energy. India is power-hungry for energy and Nepal has the capacity to fulfill that need. Also, Nepal has an ever expanding trade deficit with India. The shifting of focus from importing to exporting on a large scale will close that trade deficit gap.
As the whole world knows, corruption is rampant in Nepal. A zero tolerance policy towards corruption needs to be adhered to and strictly enforced.
Nepal needs to join global trade by making the economic environment more conducive to private businesses and industries; get rid of red tape that Nepali bureaucracy is swamped with, get rid of nationalized monopolies, give tax incentives, encourage domestic industries and invite foreign investments. My observation has been that as "nice" as the Nepali people are, when it comes to business, xenophobia is prevalent in Nepali society. The world is very connected now. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no turning back. In order for Nepal not to regress, the people of Nepal need to rid themselves of this pathology of irrational fear and jealousy towards outsiders. Nepal should learn from its neighbors in regards to implementing foreign investment modules.
The country does not lack manpower. A huge percentage of the population, especially the youth, go abroad to work. Nepali migrant workers in foreign countries have excellent reputations as one of the hardest workers in the world. A lot of these workers tolerate unfavorable circumstances and keep doing their best in foreign countries. Given the opportunity, it can be said without reservation that the Nepali worker will gladly stay in Nepal to work.
The centuries old agricultural tradition needs to be supported by the government. Right now, even basic foodstuffs like potatoes and onions are imported from India. Why? There is no reason for the Nepali foodstuffs to be more expensive than those imported from India, except for the fact that Indian farms are given subsidies by their government while the Nepali Government is not doing so, to its own. Even first world countries subsidize their farmers, why isn't the Nepal Government not doing it?
Alternative energy such as solar, wind etc are viable sources, albeit, at present won’t fulfill a large portion of the energy needs. Nevertheless, the country should invest in it in order to diversify its energy portfolio. After all, non-fossil fuel energy is the future.
It is not a rarity anymore to find Nepalis that are educated in universities, colleges and institutions around the world. Once they finish their education, a substantial number of them stay abroad due to the lack of work and facilities in Nepal. Nepal needs to progress in such a way as to attract the Nepali brain drain back to the country.
Nepal should stop its addiction to foreign aid. Aid, by its very definition, means it is something to be used mostly in dire situations. By relying so heavily on foreign aid, Nepal has forgotten how to function without this opiate or rather, Nepal now dysfunctions with the help of this opiate. Attention should be directed towards doing business as partners with the world instead of living off of handouts.
Given the centuries old caste systems and isolation, even in the 21st Century, Nepal is still not an inclusive society. Nepotism and monopolies are entrenched in Nepali society. Nepal needs to be a no-holds-barred inclusive society in order to ferment the growth via innovation. Only a society that innovates can maintain progress in the long run.
The world famous warmth of the Nepali people has rightfully earned Nepal the goodwill of the world. All Nepal has to do is, build on this. The battle is half-won already.
Nepal is a country that absolutely does not have to suffer in poverty, underdevelopment and humiliation, as is happening right now.
Having said all this, given the state of politics of Nepal's leaders and the complacency of the Nepali people, Nepal's independence and development might be just a pipe dream.
But one can hope and to quote the poet, Alexander Pope, from his poem, An Essay on Man, “hope springs eternal”.
