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In a country wrecked by a decade-long civil war, a decaying infrastructure, a roller coaster of a business environment and limited internal revenue sources, this mammoth budget seems like an unaffordable extravagance.
Minister Bhattarai plans to pay for this expensive dream of a budget through foreign donations and loans worth NRs 65 billion, internal resources of NRs 129 billion, and by running up a deficit of NRs 41 billion. The government also plans to generate funds through reforms and revised tax rates, domestic borrowing and by using the previous year’s cash surplus.
According to state-owned Gorkhapatra Daily, the philosophical foundation of the new budget is to “eliminate all forms and remnants of feudalism and establish socialism-oriented industrial capitalism.”
The minister’s desire and plan is to usher Nepal into a new era of “socialism-oriented capitalism,” ignoring the fact that the country cannot afford socialism at all. What Nepal needs now is a vigorous push toward actual capitalism.
Seeing a capitalist giant like the United States take a serious blow due to the current credit crisis, it is easy to dismiss the capitalist system as flawed. No one wants to see a crash in the financial markets.
But what happened in America was not due to a flaw in capitalism; it happened because the government did not enact sufficiently strict laws and guidelines and allowed Wall Street to be boss. Without proper regulation, Wall Street’s businessmen went overboard and made bad deals with a short-term focus, bringing on the current financial crisis. Capitalism works, but the government has to be willing to be tough in times of need.
In Nepal’s case, the country has long been run by those who believe government is second only to God and, unfortunately, the people have bought into this nonsense. Business, education, health, economy, culture, religion, national heritage and defense – all aspects of society imaginable – are believed to be the sole responsibility of the government.
If the government does everything, then what is our responsibility as citizens? What is the meaning of being a democracy when you are willing to place all power in the hands of the government?
Not only in Nepal, but in many developing countries in Asia and Africa as well, the government and influential elite have been brainwashing the people to believe that, as mere citizens, they are dependent upon the mercy of the government. The entire social, economic and political structure is set up so that the people are robbed of their power and subjugated by the government.
Socialism is used as the tool to perpetuate this subjugation. The socialist system is used to keep people dependent upon government handouts. The country’s industries are nationalized, businesses are under direct government control and healthcare and education are managed at the whim of the ministries. An entire system of dependency is created whereby citizens are forced to feel powerless.
If you remove the impression of dependence created by socialism and empower people to make their own choices, through free enterprise and a market-driven economy, they will naturally be able to rebuild their nation. Nepal needs this kind of empowerment, where people are encouraged to take back power into their own hands and show government its rightful place.
Another shameful aspect of Nepal’s socialist dream is that the government proudly declares that it expects NRs 65 billion in foreign loans and donations to fund its expensive “pie in the sky” budget. The country has limited resources, so any help is welcome and, frankly, helps the nation function properly.
Unfortunately, over the years, the dependence upon foreign aid has become severe. The current mentality is that the world community is obliged to help Nepal. It is true that the donations and loans help fund vital programs in Nepal, but in the long term, they are not helping the country. The endless aid is simply feeding a developing nation, instead of encouraging it to find its own path.
How many spoon-fed Asian and African countries have actually emerged from poverty in the last decade? If Nepal could only shed its socialism-inspired feeling of victimhood and embrace the opportunity capitalism offers, the government may even begin to feel shame at being dependent upon foreign donations, and have the dignity to create more affordable budgets in the future.
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(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published in OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor to News Front Weekly (Nepal) and Nepal Abroad (Washington D.C.). She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire)
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