Highlight economic agendas, entrepreneurs

For centuries, political parties in Nepal have fought for their 'political agenda' but its high time now that they fight for 'economic' agenda. All the political parties including Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxists Leninist (CPN-UML) and Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) in their Constituent Assembly (CA) election manifestos have promised economic growth, and equitable and inclusive development.
Though late, they have come up with economic agenda, observes private sector. The parties manifestos have given a substantial space to the economic agenda but a million dollar question is will that be implemented. Thus, private sector — the backbone of economy — has shown interest in the engagement with parties in ensuring the implementation of economic agenda.
Governments are, around the world, limiting their roles and private sectors are evolving as a major investors in development. Post-1990, Nepal also witnessed this phenomenon.
Around two dozen entrepreneurs from Binod Kumar Chaudhary to Diwakar Golchha, Tek Chandra Pokharel, Niranjan Tibrewala, Laxmi Das Manandhar, Anand Ram Mulmi to Kabindra Nath Thakur are enlisted by the various parties in their PR list to take advantage from the private sector's expertise and professionalism. The engagement will definately be beneficial for both - the political parties and private sector. Its the marriage of convenience.
"Last year, when we had to go to the streets demanding law and order and safety of our business, we, for the first time, thought of being involved in the politics," says Binod Kumar Chaudhary, president of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), who is enlisted in CPM-UML' proportional representatives (PR) list.
Diwakar Golchha, president of Golchha Organisation, who is enlisted in Nepal Congress's PR list, agrees.
"Since the last two decades, the business fraternity has been a silent spectator of national politics but the time has called for our active participation," he says, adding that their involvement is not for politics but for economic growth of the country. "Until there is economic growth, we can never develop," he adds.
"Private sector, the driver of economic growth of the country, has been neglected for long," says Chaudhary, adding that industrialists and their rights — like any others — can be protected by actively involving in the politics rather than being passive and criticising the politicians.
Today power, water, petroleum products, airlines, from anything to everything, whole supply system has collapsed, he says. "Its not the time to sit back and criticise rather be involved and engaged with the political parties to put the country back on track."
Entrepreneurs have been time and again urging the political parties to project economic agenda parallel to the political agenda. "But the parties were so involved in themselves, they never tried to listen to us and incorporate the economic agenda," Golchha says, adding that economic agenda didnot get any priority.
Social and economic security should be guaranteed in the new constitution, according to Chaudhary. Similarly, Golchha says that the new constitution should basically guarantee the economic model, define roles and responsibilities of private sector and government.
Politics alone cannot drive the country towards development. "Any kind of state-structure needs a sound economy for its development," says Niranjan Tibrewal, another businessmen enlisted in CPN-UML's PR list.
"In the development-oriented countries like ours, political decisions should be directed by economic consideration not the other way round," Chaudhary adds.
Going by the election menifesto, political parties also have focused on equitable, justifiable and liberal socio-economic agenda in their menifesto. However, the economic agenda of the two major political parites — Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML — have not much difference. Even, Maoists have almost economic agenda, though they claim political revolution is necessary before economic revolution.
But Chaudhary sees it otherwise. "Political parties' economic agenda are guided by national and international trend," he says. Golchha, however, differs. "From top, it looks similar, but reading between the lines, there are differences," Golchha says.
Meanwhile, the business fraternity is least bothered with the ideology of the parties they are representing. "We have purely economic agenda," Chaudhary says, adding that "the parties don't need us to carry their flags. For that they have their own cadres."
"If they are prepared to own our agenda and give us platform, we should volunteer and participate in the nation building process," he thinks.
"How to take politics and business concurrently is a major challenge in Nepal. Indulging the people with proven track-record of management can be helpful," Chaudhary says, adding that the parties should have clear concept of management in politics.
"We have opportunities but could not exploit," Tibrewal, says. Its also the moral obligation of professionals to help politicians exploit opportunities for the benefit of country.

Manifesto Match

Nepal Congress
· Open market and liberal economic policies
· More investment for eight to 10 per cent growth within next five years
· 5,000 MW electricity generation in five years
· Connecting all 75 district headquarters by road within five years.

Nepal Communist Party (Maoist)
· New transitional economic policy emphasing revolutionary land reform, concessions to FDI, promotion of PPP system and promotion of cooperative movement
· Developing socialism-oriented national industrial capitalism
· Has 10-year, 20-year and 40-year plan of action
· 10,000 MW electricity generation plan within ten years

Communist Party of Nepal (UML)
· Socialism-oriented, welfare-based political-economic direction
· Modernising and commercialing of agriculture sector
· Public, cooperative and private sectors will be developed
· A mixed system of economic policy