The
private sector is on a mission to convince major political parties in minimum economic
agendas at least for the next five years until the country gets a new
Constituent through the second Constituent Assembly (CA) election slated for
November 19.
After
Nepal Congress, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI)
team today met with the CPN-UML leaders and urged them to include the common
economic agendas – giving emphasis on employment generation and economic
prosperity – in their election manifesto.
The
CPN-UML has invited the private sector representatives to its headquarters to discuss
on the economic agenda that could be included in the party’s manifesto.
“More
than 415,818 youth left the country for foreign employment in the last fiscal
year alone,” the umbrella organisation of the private sector said, adding that
the migration has fuelled scarcity of potential and trained manpower for
industries, also hurting the agriculture output.
The
FNCCI has also suggested short- and long-term strategies for the economic development
with focus on arresting rising rate of unemployment, trade deficit, energy
crisis, unequal development, weak infrastructure and corruption.
The
private sector has urged the CPN-UML to focus specially on energy generation as
it is a engine of economic growth. It has asked the liberal communist party –
that has been in power many a times in past too – to help complete various
hydropower projects in different regions for equal and justifiable development
of the country. The FNCCI has asked to help complete 900-MW Upper Karnali Hydro
Project in the Mid-western region; 750-MW West Seti Hydro Project in the
Far-west; 600-MW Budhi Gandaki and 900-MW Upper Tamakoshi in the central
region; 600-MW Upper Marsyangi Hydro project; Lower 400-MW Tarun and 415-MW
Upper Tamor Hydro projects in the Eastern region on time.
Earlier,
the CPN-UML was opposed to the market economy and foreign investment on
hydropower development that has pushed the country two decades back with
chronic power shortage in the country.
The private sector
representatives also urged the party to prioritise at least two storage
projects –including Budhigandaki Hydroppower – in the next five years as the
run-of-the river projects only cannot help reduce power outage.
“Instead of promising of generating 10,000 MW of electricity, the
party should have clear agenda on infrastructure development like big storage
projects for energy generation that will give a boost to the economy,” FNCCI president Suraj Vaidya said, during the meeting.
“The CPN-UML seemed serious on economic development and creating investment-friendly
environment,” he said, adding that the party is also prepared for the CA
election on scheduled date of November 19, which is a great relief for the
private sector. “The election will give some momentum to the economy.”
“The party is also positive on a fixed date for the budget presentation as in
the past six years the budget came only twice on time due to frequent changes
in the governments, which has hit not only the private sector but also the
economy hard,” Vaidya added.
The party has realised that it is the time for economic revolution
unlike in the past, when it was focused on political revolution, said the
CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal after receiving the 16-page recommendations
from the private sector.
“It is high time we concentrate on economic development and industrialisation,”
he said, adding that commercialisation of agriculture sector by mobilising
domestic and foreign investment and tourism promotion through key
infrastructure projects like the Mid-hills Highway are on cards.
The
party has taken the private sector’s concerns seriously, said CPN-UML Standing
Committee member Bharat Mohan Adhikari, who was finance minister during the
late Man Mohan Adhikari and Madhav Nepal governments.
“The party will incorporate their recommendations in the election manifesto, he
added.
The
private sector has been lobbying to include minimum economic agendas in the
political parties election manifesto and implement it, as in the past there was
confusion on the economic agenda among the political parties due to frequent
changes in the governments from liberal democrats Nepali Congress – that has
been avid supporter of liberal market economy – to the hardliner communists
UCPN-Maoist – that was opposed to liberal market economy, economic freedom and
foreign investment in the hydropower. The frequent policy changes has
discouraged the potential domestic and foreign investors.
But the UCPN-Maoist has also been slowly reforming itself and accepting that
they can reach their goal of socialism only through the capitalism, though it
has become too late to develop the country.
After
they realised that they lost chances to develop country and pushed it to almost
two decades back due to their opposition to the foreign investment on
hydropower development and liberal market economy, CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist
–along with other five major political parties – have also agreed and committed
to the hydropower development without hindrance on any hydropower projects.
On
April 11, during the FNCCI annual general meeting, the top leaders of the seven
political parties have committed to the hydropower development, though the
country has already lost many opportunities and chances to economic
development.
“Though,
the political parties have committed private sector promotion and focus on economic
agendas in the past, politics have always pushed the economic agendas to the
back seat,” Vaidya said, adding that this time the private sector wants them to
walk the talk.
The Nepal Inc also plans to hold similar meetings with all the major political
parties to ask them to include economic agenda in their CA election manifestos.
