Besides Mao, many other leaders, including late Deng Xiaoping, the reformer who opened the Chinese economy to the world, was remembered on the occasion. The Chinese people today clearly understand that the astounding rates of growth, more than 12 percent in some years, of the Chinese economy in recent years and pulling out of millions of Chinese from abject poverty would not have been possible had it not been for the farsightedness of late Deng. In fact, the progress achieved on the economic front as a result of the liberal economic policies initiated some 30 years ago greatly helped Chinese authorities attain the military might of today. China befittingly paid tribute to their great leaders.
Nepali politicians need to take cues from its northern and southern neighbors to see the difference that a few responsible leaders can make.
India too regularly remembers and pays tribute to leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru for their invaluable contributions made decades ago. It is worth mentioning that India could not achieve meaningful economic progress even decades after independence from the British. In fact, the foundation of an increasingly prosperous India of today was laid by late P V Narasimha Rao who opened the Indian economy to the world. The liberalization of the economy started paying attractive dividends in the form of economic progress as the nation came out of stagnating annual growth rates of well below 5 percent, popularly known all over the world as Hindu Rate of Growth.
The respect that India has earned in recent years as an economic power of global scale is largely due to the encouraging rates of growth of about 8 percent that the economy has registered in the last few years. Needless to say, without the rising economic strength of India, the technological advancement that we witness today would not have been possible. The recent launching of seven satellites in just 20 minutes is a case in point. India today is an economic as well as a military power of global recognition. Indeed, the great Indian leaders deserve the respect that they are getting from their countrymen.
RESPONSIBLE GROWTH
Both China and India are being urged by the world to reduce carbon emission. China was the largest emitter of carbon last year but what is to be noted is that carbon emission is growing less rapidly than GDP growth in China meaning it is moving towards green technology. Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh has recently announced that his country is poised to reap dividends from the massive expansion of its nuclear energy program basically to support economic growth in a sustainable manner. This implies that there will be reduction in carbon emission by the giant economy. The message is clear that both China and India are ready to contribute in resolving global issues without sacrificing growth, which has enabled these countries over the years to acquire military might and provide benefits to the vulnerable section of the society.
It must be noted that while the global economy is still struggling to recover, India is expected to grow by 6 percent and China by 8.2 percent this year. These two nations are more or less out of recession and are expected to help other countries get out it. In this context, China and India were remembered several times at the IMF/ World Bank annual meeting in Istanbul recently. Thanks to the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies by the authorities who do not fail to initiate appropriate measures to tackle problems, be it related to liquidity crunch or prices and supply of items such as potato, onion or pork meat. Authorities in India are worried about the rising level of food inflation and have already initiated measures to ease it through improvement in central as well as state public distribution systems.
Contrary to rapid economic progress of our two neighbors, our economy has stagnated over the years. Even major political changes such as restoration of multi-party system and doing away with monarchy have not brought about any meaningful change. Those handling the affairs of the country have confessed several times that their indulgence in political issues has been at the cost of economic issues. When will they pay serious attention to the economic woes of the mass is still not clear.
Deficient monsoon and heavy rainfall now, which has taken a heavy toll on property and human lives, along with India’s ban on export of food items to protect domestic supply, will undoubtedly exacerbate our problems caused by poor harvest. Deaths on account of starvation are likely to increase because food is going to be scarcer and the food given by donors has often failed to reach the hungry poor due to lack of an effective public distribution system. Even a modest growth of 5.5 percent as stated in the yet-to-be passed budget does not seem likely this fiscal year. The efforts of leaders of the major parties to prepare a common resolution encompassing issues raised by the Maoists such as civilian supremacy and the role of the president have not yielded any positive output. When political issues are left unresolved, there is no point seeking resolution of economic problems. People have to get used to the high level of inflation and scarcity of items ranging from sugar to currency notes as was witnessed during Dashain.
Notwithstanding these problems, people will still be thankful to our present day leaders if they work in unison to prevent the disintegration of this nation created by the great unifier late king Prithvi Narayan Shah some 240 years ago. Let us not forget we have at least one person, if not more, who deserves the genuine respect of the citizens of this country who pride themselves on being Nepalis today.
(Writer is former governor & CA member.)
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