Passport shame

It is a matter of shame that Nepal is once again likely to miss the deadline for introducing machine readable passports (MRPs). We are just 77 days away from meeting the revised deadline of Aug 1 for shifting to MRPs but as things stand now, it seems unlikely that the country would be able to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) deadline that was extended by four months after the country failed to introduce MRPs by April 1. We will be left with nothing other than hiding our faces in shame if we have to once again go begging at ICAO’s doorsteps. Shifting to MRPs is a simple process that countries around the world have done successfully and our inability to do that is atrocious, to say the least. One need not spell out that it reflects badly on Nepal’s ability to get things done, thus besmirching the country’s reputation in the eyes of the international community.



The scars of the last passport scandal are yet to heal and the lackadaisical manner in which we are proceeding is ominous. It is public knowledge what a mess our government made of itself on its way to missing the last deadline. The contract awarded to Security and Minting Corporation India was scrapped following intense protest by the Maoist party, which claimed that the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government had not followed due processes. The matter was also questioned at the Supreme Court. In the absence of transparency, there were charges from different quarters that due procedures were ignored as hefty commissions were involved. However, such charges have so far not been independently verified. Moreover, India was also dragged into the controversy on the charge that it was trying to impinge on Nepal’s sovereignty by attempting to keep a track of the movements of Nepali citizens. The charge too has not been substantiated though.



Meanwhile, there is no point in crying over spilt milk. What happened is history and it is in our best interests to learn lessons from the past and move forward smartly. However, that is not what we seem to be doing. Even with just 77 days, we are yet to begin the process of awarding the bid to an international security printer. True, the apex court’s delay in giving a go ahead and the Maoist-called general strike that went on for six days delayed matters but we cannot present those as excuses to ICAO when the Aug 1 deadline comes knocking on our doors. It is high time for us to tighten our belt and move forward swiftly. Nepali citizens cannot become victims of government’s incompetence and insouciance time and again.

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