We have heard several stories of rulers with humorous daydreams, but KP Oli outdid all of them by declaring that he is going to end the sad saga of having to import cooking gas by supplying piped gas in everybody’s home. I do not deny that everybody has a right to daydream, but the ones who are given the responsibility of steering the state machinery need to be more serious. I compare Oli’s statement with the Swasthani Vrata Katha.

Swasthani Vrata is a month long fasting at the end of which goddess Swasthani is supposed to fulfil the wish of the devotee. Swasthani falls in the month of Magh (Jan-Feb). Oli is supposed to visit Delhi during the Swasthani season to meet his Indian counterpart PM Modi whose foreign minister Swaraj had declared that if god wished, Nepal’s problems would be solved soon. The final decision maker in imposing an international embargo is the prime minister of a parliamentary country. In that sense Modi is the god that Swaraj implied. By inference, Oli is also going to visit Delhi to appease the same god. Can we not infer that Oli has appeased Swasthani devi and she has directed him to fulfil his wish through the divine power operating in India? Modi is a great Hindu devotee. How can he decline the wish of Swasthani devi? Modi will order connecting gas pipelines directly to Kathmandu as per the wish! 

Not a joke

However, I believe that state management is a more serious business. Oli is where he is by a combination of many factors of national and international politics and he has to portray a more sober figure if we are to expect him to deliver some lasting results. Nepal is trying to emerge out of a prolonged political transition caused more by the folly of our leaders, Oli included, than any external factors. The new constitution is yet to be fully enforced. The Madhesi issues are yet to be ressolved. The country has to be transformed properly from a unitary state to a federal one. These are far more serious matters than cracking jokes.

Moreover, the country’s economy has been damaged first by the earthquakes and then by the undeclared Indian embargo. Nepal was such a lame duck to not be able to tell the world that India had imposed a virtual embargo. Now, Oli is invited to visit India in the near future where apart from diplomatic niceties, the two will review the recent past. Will Oli have the nerve to tell Modi that he spoiled the bilateral relations between the two countries by imposing the cruel embargo?  Oli should have the courage to tell Modi that his embargo has caused India greater social damage than the economic damage it has caused Nepal. 

Finding solutions

Coming back to the comic reference of supplying piped gas to each household, it could be a possible venture in one or two decades if Nepal had the gasoline deposits. But Nepal does not have viable sources of gasoline. Nevertheless, exploration can continue. But given the present condition, we have to import fuel to fulfil our demand. However, there are ways to minimise the need for imported fuel. For example, cooking gas can be made from the lavatories of large groupings of people like the army barracks, or the police stations. In rural settings, biogas from the cow or buffalo dung can be supplemented by connecting it to the household toilets. Similarly, consumption of petrol can be reduced by advocating the use of public vehicles instead of private cars or even motorbikes. 

Oli talked of air and solar power. There are countries in the world that generate power by using wind and solar energy. Nepal is rich in water resources but it is underutilised owing to our bad management. Correcting our behaviour is better than fantasising about impossible options. Harnessing indigenous resources is the best option, but it needs proper planning and sincere implementation. The PM is the head of the planning agency in Nepal. If he believes in fantasy, I do not know what the rest of us will be doing. So, on behalf of all sane Nepalis, I urge that the head of our government should stop fantasising and start planning and acting. 

Going north

The initiative Nepal has taken to import petroleum products and other essential goods from China is the right step, although the move is not taking the expected speed. The great Himalayan range that lies between the two countries is a natural barrier that limits our access to the Chinese market. But there are several passes through which road access can be gained apart from the Rasuwa and Sindhupalchok tracks that are now being used. 

The Mustang track can be easily accessed, but accessing other passes needs long-term planning. The completion of the Mid-Hill highway and East-West highway, connecting to China, can be a base for developing a network of north-south roads connecting all viable economic hubs along the hills. This may not be achieved during the tenure of one government, but it is high time that an initiative was taken towards developing a master plan and starting construction.  Oli can take credit for the initiative. 

It is now certain that Nepal lacks viable natural sources of petroleum products, but we would be prudent to diversify outer sources so that Nepal can concentrate on developing domestic potentials like agro-products, tourism and 

cottage industries. Our hydropower potential is not fully explored either. We have experts in almost all fields. The true test of leadership lies in being able to use them for the nation’s development.

Sharma is a political analyst. [email protected]