By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

Next week, our PM Oli will complete his hundred days in office for the fourth time. There are diverse views and opinions about his hundred days with some saying Oli was able to make some remarkable changes while many argue that his hundred days in office have nothing to boast of.

Oli came to power after ditching Pushpakamal Dahal and joining hands with Sher Bahadur Deuba. While forging consensus with Deuba, Oli agreed to lead the government on a rotational basis with Deuba leading the election government in the second phase. Politically speaking, joining hands with one party and ditching the other has been nothing new in Nepal. Over the years, we have seen many such episodes where one ditches another for their personal advantage. Till date, Oli has moved very cautiously as he is very much mindful of the fact that Deuba has a very unpredictable character tending to swing as per the context. With his ‘please Deuba’ tactics, Oli has been able to ensure his premiership without any hiccups.

However, highly placed reports say that Nepali Congress parliamentarians’ are not happy with the government’s performance. Even other parties in the alliance are reported to express dissatisfaction over the government’s performance. They hold the view that there is no significant difference in service delivery between the previous and present governments. It seems that his coalition partners in the government are upset with him which could trigger eventualities for Oli in near future.

Soon after assuming the office, Oli agreed to undertake austerity measures and endeavors to ensure rapid economic growth. Though it is too early to predict that he would walk the talk, the early signs indicate that it would just remain a rhetoric. This is because the present coalition has parties with diverse ideologies and principles. The Nepali Congress with its centrist approach advocates for a policy attracting foreign investment while the CPN-UML claiming to be communist insists that the country should be built with domestic capital arguing that foreign investment could lead to colonization. In the fight for political ideology, it is the country’s economy which is hit hard. But Oli seems to be not bothered about this.

The governance aspect is another area where Oli failed miserably. Good governance ensures effective service delivery and thereby reduces corruption. However, the leaders of the party leading the government are reported to accept donations from the businessman for the party office. Such a move will neither do anything good for Oli nor his party. The people will criticize for the move saying that CPN-UML will soon become a party owned and controlled by capitalists.

Common sense tells us that when a donation is accepted from businessman, the receiver is bound to give them something in return. No doubt, this ‘give and take’ strategy benefits the stakeholders but it consolidate and institutionalized corruption in the long run. It is surprising that our prime minister was lacking knowledge about it.

Just before Oli assumed office for the fourth time, the corruption cases had become horrific in the country. Take the Giri Bandhu tea estate case. The high voltage scam had exposed many politicians and leaders. The then home minister had committed to bring all the culprit to book. But his commitment proved a catastrophe for his government as it tumbled due to intra-party bickering. Now, those who were allegedly involved in the scam are in the present coalition government. Sadly, our PM is protecting them breeding the seed of a culture of impunity.

Nepal’s wealth is looted and taken abroad in broad daylight. The economy has been dwindling. The public institutions are dysfunctional. The quality of education is not par standard. A large number of competent youths have been migrating to other countries in search of better opportunities. But our PM is engaged in a war of words with the Kathmandu mayor and media. He seems to be least bothered by the day-to-day problems of people. There would have been some consolation if he had nabbed the criminals, filled the potholes and mounted pressure on concerned authorities to complete the projects aimed at the social welfare of the people.

In the time of the floods, the swift action of the government was nowhere to be seen. This was evident in the fact that few people lost their lives after the government failed to rescue them on time. Despite warnings from the Meteorological Department, there was no sign of preparedness from the government. It is really very disheartening to know that some people lost their lives and property worth millions were washed away. How a government which claimed to be the savior of the people can be so insensitive and irresponsible? This issue needs to be discussed and accounted for.

Whether at home or abroad, the present politicians in the coalition government have been likened to ‘thief” accusing them of arrogance, irresponsibility and unaccountability. In the United States, while the UNGA was taking place last month, the Nepalese diaspora shouted anti-government slogans. There seems to be nowhere to turn for hope and belief given the present political landscape of the country.

If media reports are a thing to go by, the present government appears to have been formed to hide its own dark deeds and engaged in legitimizing its corrupt practices. Overall, the first 100 days of the government offer nothing but disappointment and frustration among people.

Everyone hoped Oli to be different from his predecessors. They expected Oli will be more focused on serving the people rather than his political interest. We hope he has learned from his past mistakes, failures and setbacks. To correct his mistakes, Oli still has quite some time in the office. We are anxiously waiting for that.

Source : https://www.peoplesreview.com.np/2024/10/23/pm-olis-hundred-days-in-office-nothing-to-boast-of/