Nepali people should play the role of watchdog to guide the politics in right direction: Dhakal
Khagendra Raj Dhakal has been serving as a Specialist at King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thailand. He has been engaged in teaching, research and management positions at different institutes in different parts of the world for almost a decade. Born in a remote hilly district Bhojpur, Dhakal received post graduate degree in education from Australia in 2008 and started his career in the field of education and research. Leading educationist Dhakal joined Non Resident Nepali movement in 2013 as a way of serving the community regardless of the border. Currently he has been serving as the chairperson of NRNA Thailand Chapter. Back in home, he is also running a non-governmental organization named ‘Center for Awareness Promotion, Nepal’ and supporting the marginalized and vulnerable communities in Nepal. www.nepalekhabar.com talked about different aspects of NRN movement with him. Here is the excerpt:
How do you see current situation of Nepal and what could be the role of NRN in this situation?
As you see Nepal is in a volatile situation which should be dealt with due care otherwise there may not be another opportunity for correction. Regarding the role of NRNs, they can present the matter to different international forums to draw the attention of international communities regarding the humanitarian crisis faced by the country. Similarly, they can support to respond the crisis by offering emergency support to needy people in Nepal. NRNA has been effectively playing the role.
How do you find the new constitution? Is it discriminatory as alleged by agitating parties?
There are violent protests in Southern plain against the new constitution terming it as discriminatory but if you go into the detail of the constitution it is not discriminatory. If you look at the history of different movements only the elite people of particular section have been benefitting rather than the real victims. For example, people of elite group have been enjoying the provision of reservation for different groups as the real poor and excluded people don’t have access to it. Even if the current protest was ended there might be different protests if people in real need do not get the benefit intended to them.
Government should hold dialogue with the agitating parties and should seek the opinions of experts on their demands. Their genuine demands should be addressed immediately but it should be open and justifiable. One thing that I have also observed is–Madhesi and Tharu communities are not empowered for ages rather exploited for different interests like first by Maoists and now by Indian establishment. Things became loud and clear that the agitation is directed from somewhere after the Madhesi leaders made a trip to Delhi to negotiate on their demands. Nepali people should learn the direction of the current movement from this incident. If such trend continues, there will be no winner at end of the day, but Nepali people will loose a lot by then.
NRNs have been playing important role for publicizing the issue of Indian blockade at the international level, so, what NRNA Thailand doing in this regard?
Well, we have been working to take the issue at the international level. Some national chapters of NRNA demonstrated in front of UN agencies and Indian embassies, but we (NRNA Thailand) organized a talk program few days back in Bangkok where experts of International Law and Comparative Constitution shared their thoughts. We hosted this event inviting several diplomats, UN professionals, university professors, and other intellectuals of different walks of life. The outcome of the interaction was that the economic blockade imposed by India is against the international law and India has to lift it without any excuses. What India is doing to Nepal now is not acceptable and I believe that it could not be justified in any pretexts. The interesting thing is that the major political forces, which are in the helm of power at present supported two such blockades in the past. This is historical weakness of our inefficient and opportunist political leadership. They still don’t realize that their own blunders are responsible for current blockade. You see, millions of children are deprived of education and there is irreparable economic loss due to the blockade. At this current state of crisis NRNs are trying to put some balm at the wound of fellow countrymen. Our effort is not sufficient, so, the major political forces, which are ruling the country, should immediately initiate concrete action to bail out the country from current situation of crisis.
Current problem emerged due to Nepal’s dependence on petroleum products and imported solely from India, so, what could be done to avoid such situation in the future?
This is blatantly a weakness of Nepal Government. As a member of WTO, Nepal should always see other alternatives to diversify the channels of imports. This crisis should be taken as an opportunity of materializing the long felt need of diversifying the channels of imports. Let’s work on the large scale hydro power projects where NRNs will be happy to invest. For immediate use, solar power plants can also be also considered. Similarly, attention should be given to explore possible gas and mine within the country. On top of it, Nepal should keep the healthy relationship with both China and India as good neighbors. The country should have clear policy regarding foreign policy rather than changing it with the change in the government. We should have stable policy rather than running after whim.
What is the situation of NRNs in Thailand and how they could support for the development of motherland like providing skills and also making investment?
Good question! I am proud that NRNs in Thailand have been striving to keep the language, culture and unity intact. There are 80 thousands plus Nepalese living in Thailand from first generation to third generation. At a local level they are organized in different ways and doing community services. One interesting fact is that more than 95% people of Nepali origin have never been to Nepal though they have great respect and love towards motherland. NRNA Thailand is trying to bind them to the Global Nepali community and bridging them with the motherland. Our work has been focused towards this. However, there are many challenges such as legal identity of NRN to many as they lack the ancestral documents that prove their roots in Nepal. The need of quality education and skill training for youth and women population is another challenge of our community. So, our first priority will be to protect and promote their need and interests. Similarly, at the same time there are really experienced Nepali professionals and intellectuals serving in the UN agencies, universities, different government and non-government organizations. The expertise of Nepali diaspora in Thailand is basically in the field of agriculture, environment, engineering, natural resources, education and development that will definitely be an asset to Nepal. We are in the process of forming a Skill Knowledge and Innovation Task Force (SKI-TF) to tap these potentials and utilize their skills for the benefit of our motherland. To be honest, there are not many Nepali businessmen on the scene but there are some, who are working to bring some foreign investment in the real estate and hydropower sectors in Nepal. However, the result is yet to be seen.
NRNs are criticized for not doing more for the sake of country and just seeking benefit from it how do you react on it? What could be done to bring more NRN investment (in terms of capital and skills) in the country?
Look, I have been hearing this issue all over but this is done without properly analyzing the matter. I think every single NRN is sending some saving back to Nepal to their family and relatives that is already a great help to the motherland. You know that our economy is relying on the remittance sent by people from abroad. Don’t you think all our brothers and sisters, who are sweating hard in the alien land for earning money, are NRNs and they are contributing for the motherland? We should respect and acknowledge what they have been contributing to Nepal. Even if you talk about the proper investment in different sectors, they have invested about RS 30 Billion as per recent study conducted by SEJON. Similarly, NRNs are also bringing the knowledge and skills which is a great asset for Nepal. Although our country’s political situation is not stable and investment is always a matter of risk, NRNs continue contributing to Nepal as a sentimental investors and investing money in different ventures.
It is alleged that NRNA is turning into rich people’s club how do you react as there are many reports of candidates investing huge money to win the election during recently held General Convention of the organization.
This is a creepy question but partly true. When NRNA was formed with a mission to unite Nepalese diaspora for the betterment of Nepal, many people joined this mission and it became a movement. Government started to acknowledge this as a positive step that opened the way for NRNs to expand their businesses in Nepal. Before a decade the movement was just a small initiation taken by few businessmen and was considered as rich people’s club.
However, the situation changed now as the movement got officially registered and got an able leadership thereafter. Just expanding membership, doing some relief work in crisis and occasional charity work in individualistic approach don’t justify the existence of NRNA as an organization any more. If it does not make a leap, it would be like a fair not the organization of NRNs in a real sense. The level of expectation from people has increased so it should act from new perspectives.
I think NRNA should move ahead to be a partner of Nepal Government for a socio-economic development and a true service provider for the Nepali communities all over the world. This allows room for all intellectuals, professionals and skilled population to use their expertise for the greater interest of Nepal; they can possess NRNA. There is a trend of seeking a solution once the problem arises but an organization should have a vision to see the unseen problems and should have a plan to prevent them. For instance, when an NRN needs financial assistance in a critical situation, a few businessmen sit over the tea and donate some cash. This might be helpful act for the particular needy people, but as an organization we should predict such situation and make proper mechanism to address it.
My point is that there is no systematic approach yet to operate the organization for creating positive impact. A clear vision, articulated goals, proper constitution, disciplinary measures and working system are the must to transform the organization. I am not negative, but NRNA ran just with a mission of binding Nepalese diaspora without a clear vision for almost a decade and now it’s an alarm to our leadership. This kind of organization can collapse when the members grow if there is no members engaging strategies and disciplinary measures are in place. For this, NRNA should craft out the vision for next 15 years at least and should have set goals and activities accordingly.
Regarding the issue of money during NRNA election, I also heard the same as you have. It is really upsetting matter. If it is true, such a situation violates the norms of the social organization, so the election regulation and procedures should be reviewed.
Do you have any message to convey to the readers?
First I thank Nepalekhabar team for reaching me for this conversation. I would like to request readers and fellow Nepalese people to play the role of watchdog to guide the politics in right direction. I would also like to urge agitating parties to raise their issues to the government in a constructive way rather than harming the lives of ordinary people. Similarly, the government should not neglect the genuine voices of people. If we think twice before involving in any act that directly or indirectly affects the image of the nation, we could not experience such problems in the future. Although we are passing through very difficult time, let’s hope we will overcome it and move towards peace and prosperity.
(Editor’s Note: How do you find this interview? Please send your feedback to editor@nepalekhabar.com. Nepalekhabar.com believes that NRNs are the pillars for the development of the country. To recognize their contribution we have separate NRN section, so you can express your views and inform about your events from across the globe. Please contact us at editor@nepalekhabar.com)