Kathmandu. Former General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, Dr. Shashank Koirala, represents the House of Representatives from Nawalparasi East Constituency No. 1.{
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} He was born in Biratnagar as the youngest son of Nepali Congress founder Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala. Koirala, a member of the House of Representatives who was exiled to India as a child, is an ophthalmologist by profession.{
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} After being in police custody for some time during the people’s movement in 2046 BS and 2063 BS, leader Koirala left the medical profession and became a general convention representative, a general committee member, a central member twice, and assumed the responsibility of the party’s general secretary at the 13th general convention. Former General Secretary Koirala was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly in 2064 BS and 2070 BS and as a member of the House of Representatives in 2074 BS and 2079 BS.{
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Koirala, who has established himself as a common personality within the party, is advancing himself as a common personality within the party. An edited excerpt of an interview conducted by RSS correspondent Sushil Darnal with Koirala, a member of the House of Representatives, on parliamentary practice, implementation and amendment of the constitution, and the country’s economic development, including current issues in the country:
Honorable Sir, What are you busy with these days?
Parliament is currently in session. The House has just passed the budget for the fiscal year 2082/83. Before that, I participated in the discussion on the government’s policies and programs for the coming year. Along with the activities of the Parliament, I have also done party work. I have been busy with political meetings since morning. Now, the party’s central committee meeting is in a few days. I am mainly busy with the work of the Parliament and the party.{
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How do you analyze the current parliamentary practice?{{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_69}}?{{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_68}}
There should be balance in democracy. One is the ruling party, the other is the opposition. The opposition party acts as a warning. The ruling party should give the opposition a place to ask questions. There is a powerful government now. We fear that if a powerful government becomes too powerful, it will not care about opposition. It will ignore the questions of the opposition party. Therefore, the government should proceed in a balanced manner. The opposition should also be heard. The legitimate demands should be fulfilled. The opposition should not be suppressed, not allowed to speak, or not listened to. This is not good for democracy. Because the government should coordinate with the opposition. The feelings of the opposition should also be taken into account while making decisions on any issue. {
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} {{ TAG_OPEN_strong_67}}How do you view the implementation of the Constitution {{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_67}} {{ TAG_OPEN_strong_66}}? {{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_66}} {{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_66}} {
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} We have decentralized the nation. We have created seven provinces. However, governance is still centralized. We have not decentralized it in practice. The provinces should be allowed to decide what they need. The federation should not interfere in it. It makes its own plans based on what is appropriate to do based on the structure of the province. However, here the federation has interfered with the provinces. This is not good. We would not have gone for federalism. First, it has been said that federalism has imposed an economic burden. We have imposed the economic burden ourselves. After decentralization, they should also be given expenses. Not everything should be done by the center. The provinces know where to spend. That right should also be given to the provinces. Second, proportional representation is good. But it should not be in the House of Representatives, but in the National Assembly. Only elected representatives should sit in the House of Representatives. In my view, this has been wrong. Third, International Affairs was started by BP Koirala. He said that we should keep a distance from India and China. However, geographically, we are close to India. But a balanced relationship should be maintained.{
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What is your opinion on constitutional amendment?{{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_64}}
The constitution should be reviewed every ten years. However, there should be a discussion on which subject to amend. The basis for why the amendment should be made should be determined. Why and why should it be changed? It is not something that comes to mind and changes should be made. The constitution was written by 55 people in the United States in 1785 in four months. The same constitution exists to this day. It has been amended only once, around 1985. Initially, some amendments were made, but the same constitution has been in force for almost 200 years. In 1984, it was amended to increase wages. Since then, there has been no amendment. Those 55 were visionary people. We also had to work like that. That is why we had to go for implementation rather than amendment. Implementation has not happened. And there is no point in amending right now. Let’s really decentralize. {
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What should be done to further strengthen the federal structure ?
Only two or three things in the constitution will not change. That is, there will be no change in international policy, the army, the currency and the national flag. If there is a need for amendment in other matters, there should have been a discussion. The federation will not clench its fist. Let’s do it. We need to create an environment where all seven provinces can work. {
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What should be done to address the question of good governance in the country? {{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_61}}? {{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_60}}
First of all, people should be made sensible. One of my brothers had gone to Japan. He left his bag in a city in Japan. But even after a week, the bag was still there where he had left it. The people there are sensible. They are aware that this is not my bag. We have to build that kind of society. This is also related to education. What kind of education are we providing? It is not just about making doctors, engineers, pilots and lawyers. We should also make them sensible. The day a doctor completely cures a patient, he should be satisfied. I have operated on the eyes of one lakh people. My satisfaction is the day my patient regains his sight. For me, the recovery of a patient is more satisfying than money. If we only talk about money, we will fall morally. People will become corrupt. Now the issue of corruption is also coming up. Corruption is moral degradation. Corruption is done only by people who lack conscience. Therefore, for good governance, people must have conscience. If these people have morality and conscience, good governance will be maintained.{
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What is your opinion on the criticisms being made on the country’s political system? ?
BP used to respect the king a lot. He spent eight years in jail. He respected the king there too. Girija Prasad Koirala also respected the king. He also brought up the issue of Baby King. Later, after the then King Gyanendra Shah had taken everything, there was no place for the king. How can a king be brought in in such a situation? Either he had to be brought in from outside the royal family. That is also not possible. If the king himself is not right, why do we need a king? This is not possible. How can the dissatisfaction seen among the people towards the leaders and workers of political parties be addressed? The governance system that we have adopted in the country is not bad. In my opinion, the people at the implementation level are not right. No system is wrong in itself. The person who rules the system will make the system fail. There is no flaw in the system. The federal democratic republican system is the best for Nepal. There cannot be another system better than this to date. Therefore, we should not question the system. Let’s question the person who runs the system in a haphazard manner.{
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How have you analyzed the situation of the people when the governance system was changing? In my opinion, the most golden era in the last 40 years was from 2048 BS to 2051 BS. This time was the time of Girija Prasad Koirala. At that time, there was a lot of development in the communication and information technology, roads, aviation and medical fields. Based on some policy decisions taken at that time, every citizen now has a mobile phone in his hand. So many airplanes have flown. The number of medical colleges has increased dramatically. The foundation for this was laid by Girija Prasad. He should have led for five years without a mid-term, there has been a mistake. Therefore, to change the situation of the people, it is enough to change the behavior of the leader. If the behavior of the leader is not right, how will the situation of the people change? What happens if the leaders themselves are corrupt? And by blaming the system?{
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The issue of corruption of leaders has also been coming up, What do you say about this?{{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_54}}
Corruption cannot be completely eradicated. It is not even possible to make corruption zero. However, it can be reduced. Corruption also occurs in the developed countries of the world and those that set an example in good governance. I had also raised the issue of corruption in the Parliament. If you now take a bribe of 100 rupees, now you should take only 1 rupee. In other countries, even if you take a bribe, you take very little. But here there is a culture of taking whatever you want. To reduce corruption, the implementation of the law and the leaders must be honest and transparent.{
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What should be done to make the country economically prosperous ?{{ TAG_CLOSE_strong_52}}
First of all, we have to identify what we have to make Nepal prosperous. The first thing to make the country economically strong is agriculture. Nepal has 1.7 million hectares of cultivable land. That is enough to feed not 30 million people, but 300 million people. We have arable land. We never prioritized farmers. The budget for agriculture was previously four percent, but now it is 20 percent. Another is energy, which is being worked on. We have water. We can generate electricity from water and sell it to the world. We are also rich in terms of tourism. Bollywood goes to Switzerland for film shooting, but Nepal is no less natural than that. There is no quality service facility for that. Because there are places to spend money there. But not here. If we want to make the country economically strong, these areas should be further managed and developed. {
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What can be done for the development of Nepal’s agricultural sector ?
Although cultivation is done based on the quality of the soil, we do not have the tools to test the soil. We are cultivating only rice in many places. Different crops can be cultivated based on the nature of the soil. Scientific methods should be adopted in agriculture. There is potential in agriculture. But agriculture should be modernized. I have said many times. Let’s build an agricultural university in Bardiya that can accommodate 5,000 people. But not just certificates, but education with knowledge should be provided from there. It teaches how to make a tractor, how to make soil fertile. Not chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers should be produced from there. Fertilizer should be produced from animal dung. When we talk about dung, cattle farming comes to mind. For that, cattle farming should be arranged. Opening an agricultural university in Bardiya has the potential to provide employment to many people. The world has advanced modern agriculture. But we still have a traditional agricultural system. It should be changed. There should be a change in our thinking and working style. Only then will the returns be good. What is your message to the people? Our future is very good. Our country is a country with potential. You can earn more in Nepal with the same amount of effort than if you go abroad and work in 40-degree temperatures. Now the situation of the people is changing. But, for that, the people have to choose the right leadership. – RSS
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्