The change is that people have understood it’s their hard work that will change the fate of their lives. Consider the facts: There has been a record production of almost all crops in last one year. As per a forecast of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative (MoCS), paddy production this year will touch a 60-year-high of 5.07 million tones, a whopping 13.7 percent rise over the previous year. According to the same forecast, per capital paddy production will hit 190 kg (based on 26.62 million population), which is a rise of over 170 kg recorded last year. Production of maize, which is the third largest cereal crop in the country, is to grow by 5.4 percent; millet production will rise by 4.1 percent.
The Balance of Payments situation has recorded a dramatic turnaround from deficit to a record surplus (Rs 46.31 billion) thanks to a steady increase in remittance. There has been a record arrival of tourists (over 700,000), thanks to the common people who never fail to wear the trademark Nepali smile. And, when the nation needed a kick-start after years of strife, Pokhara lived up to its image of unmatched hospitality. After this year’s record tourist arrival of over 375,000 by air alone, Nepal’s Eden is unlikely to look back.
It’s the added vigor to work and excel that distinguishes today’s Nepal. There is a growing restlessness among youth to be gainfully employed and they are acutely wary of the political class (How many bandhs called by political parties in last one year were successful?). The administration has a better grip on the law and order situation and the judiciary is finding its feet.
Almost all economic indicators point to a stable tomorrow. To say that this was achieved by the people alone is no exaggeration. This is an eye-opener for the political class, which so far has given us only cheap antics to account for their extended CA tenures.
While empty soundbites of politicians get high media coverage, news of real boosters of the economy are sidelined.
Look at the daily news in newspapers and TV. Among the assorted lot of top politicians, national agenda and the future direction of the country seem irrevocably lost. The political class is not interested in engagement with people on development issues. When messages are not flowing freely from the top, confusions and misgivings are bound to rise. Even when there is a massive demolition drive on to widen some roads in the capital, there is no government communication. Nobody knows for sure what the government plan is and how long it will take to clear the mess from the roads. At least, there should have been enough government advertisements in the media talking about the project so that people could better prepare. Politicians with narrow interests always curtail communication to serve their selfish ends.
What is the government’s message to the toiling masses that have produced record quantities of crops? How is the government going to consolidate this gain? In fact, the government has not bothered to admit this gain for the nation at all. We in the media do not know whom to trust—the government forecast or the sob story that they dole out every time some remote corner of the country goes without supplies of essentials commodities, especially food grains.
The political class still believes what it says is important. If so, why are newspapers full of political stories failing to attract advertisers? The answer is simple: politics is increasingly missing the dynamism that is a must for a news item to make an impact on the audience. The compulsion to report what the political class claims as true has a price too. That is, the shining body of work done by the common man does not find enough space. Such is our obsession with the political class that the media industry is bleeding but still dares not consider alternatives.
Our engagement with the political class, which is anything but result-oriented, is under serious strain. Recently, when a renowned editor of yesteryears Ram Pradhan faced cost-intensive medical emergency, he had no means but to appeal to media friends who contributed in 100s and 1000s to meet his medical costs. Those who wielded guns and went about creating havoc across the country are being rewarded with cash and rehabilitation plans while those who braved the terror and still talked sense every time the nation faced a cul-de-sac are left to fend for themselves.
So in the coming months and years, if more and more political stories are relegated to inside pages and business and economy take the center stage, the comrades should not term this a capitalist takeover of the media. For if the government fails to communicate its priorities and receive feedback, and fails to give direction to the economy, people will be forced to chart out their own course. That they have done so is evident in the filled granaries, surging Forex reserves and a healthy BoP situation.
None of the achievements on the economic front are thanks to the political class. Had there been deft policy support, the country would have been still better placed. Look at the plight of Nepal Telecom, which is not able to procure and distribute even SIM cards on its own. This state-owned enterprise listed on country’s stock exchange has been losing its stock value every passing day.
The political class needs to show more professionalism and a result-oriented attitude. Development can be either a byproduct or a continuous and sustainable process. As regards the ability of the political class to deliver on peace and constitution, the common man is least bothered.
The author is a copy editor with Republica
arunkumarsrivastav@gmail.com
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