Promises to keep for new PM 

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli took the oath of office as Nepal’s 38th Prime Minister on Thursday. This episode marks a sharp departure in Nepali politics with the Left Alliance controlling both the houses in Kathmandu and six of the seven provincial governments. PM Oli comes to power with a resounding mandate to work on their campaign agenda of $5,000 per capita income within a decade and a whole host of economic agenda. While these are tall promises, the new government should not hesitate to institute bold reforms to spur rapid economic growth. The details of the power-sharing agreement between the CPN-UML and the Maoist Center is yet to be finalized but people found their campaign slogan of stability and prosperity appealing and chose to vote in huge numbers, putting them at the top. They have already given the clean mandate. Next five years is going to be crucial both in terms of the general direction of the country and also managing people’s expectation of economic miracle. 

Investing in big infrastructure projects like roadways, railways, hydropower and industries are going to be the key drivers of growth. PM Oli has often talked about opening up trade and connectivity with both India and China. He signed the historic trade and transit treaty with China during his first stint as prime minister in March 2016. He will have to walk a fine line in working closely with our two neighbors so as not to appear leaning one way or the other. We will need support and goodwill from both the countries in our quest for prosperity. We hope that Oli will follow on his promises and work to bring investments from both India and China. 

It will also be equally important to see the faces he chooses as federal ministers. Lal Babu Pandit and Tham Maya Thapa are clean politicians and their selection as ministers have inspired hope. The government won’t have the usual luxury of honeymoon period of the first 100 days. It will have to start making decision and working at full speed from day one. PM Oli’s every move and every decision will be analyzed and scrutinized and in the age of social media, his team should be able to get a general idea of the public mood instantly. We hope that PM Oli selects the best minds to advise him on a number of issues. Prime Minister should now do away with appointing only the near and dear ones as ‘advisors’. PM Oli’s first decision on Thursday evening to establish one technical school in each of the local units is a welcome step. He also vowed to weed out corruption. Only his actions in days ahead will show if he is serious about his decisions. We wish him luck and will continue to do our job of keeping the powerful accountable to the people. 

 
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