Gave our best, but fell short: PM
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Tuesday acknowledged that he had come into office a year ago amid huge public expectations, given his best on all fronts, but had still fallen short of achieving expected goals.
In his 50-minute televised address to the nation, Bhattarai blamed the opposition parties and “traditional state mechanisms” for his feeble showing on political and economic fronts.
The most common refrain in his national address was “status-quoist forces,” referring to opposition parties, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML. He claimed that the parties had acted as stumbling blocks to the government’s efforts to complete the peace and constitution processes.
The PM also pointed at state organs, mainly the Supreme Court’s repeated stay orders on government decisions and the President’s refusal to endorse ordinances, as gradually encroaching on the executive’s powers and as hindrances to attempts to bring about change.
In his address, the PM appeared decisive, stringently defending his actions and showing no signs of resigning in the near future, as demanded by the opposition parties. Without a clear roadmap on ending the current political deadlock, Bhattarai said his resignation would only lead the country to anarchy. Eschewing blame for the current crisis, the PM said the government tried to save the country from a political vacuum by declaring fresh elections.
Pointing fingers, the PM said important tasks in the constitution writing process remained unaccomplished as other political parties refused to coordinate with his government. Bhattarai blamed the NC and the UML’s rigid stances for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (CA). “When the government registered a bill in the Parliament to extend the CA’s tenure by three months, the NC and UML walked out of the government in opposition to the term extension,” he said.
Once again casting the opposition as status-quoist, Bhattarai said, “We were reluctant to give up the agenda of change and progression. Other parties were reluctant to accept them. This conflict was the major reason for the dissolution of the CA.”
However, despite challenges from other parties, Bhattarai claimed his government made progress. “The peace and constitution writing process has not yet been completed, but there have been big achievements under my leadership in both processes,” he said. He then presented a detailed account of the progress made in the peace process, particularly the handover of former Maoist combatants and weapons.
On the socio-economic front, Bhattarai accepted his shortcomings, but said the government had been denied a full budget to address the people’s needs. “A full-fledged budget had all been prepared to target economic growth, eradicate poverty and generate employment, but the government was denied a complete budget,” he said.
The PM also blamed the fertiliser crunch and the ensuing farmers’ woes on budgetary issues. Assuring farmers of an adequate fertiliser supply in the years to come, the PM said the government is planning to establish a chemical fertiliser factory in the country within the next five years.
Bhattarai also defended one of his most controversial decisions—the signing of the BIPPA agreement with India—as necessary to create a proper atmosphere for foreign investment and essential for “double digit growth” in the coming decades. Alluding to the CPN-Maoist’s stance, the PM said that narrow-minded nationalism would only weaken the national economy.
As for the government’s plan to handover the management of the Tribhuvan International Airport to an Indian company, which drew major criticism from opposition parties, the PM said there had been no agreement, but only initial preparations to upgrade and properly manage the airport. “There is no reason to object. Everything will be done in an open and transparent manner,” assured Bhattarai.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
