Rakesh Wadhwa

Kathmandu:

The ‘unsung heroes’ — Shalini talked about them in her speech at ‘the boss’ Top 10 Business Excellence Awards.

We hold them guilty of not paying taxes, yet it is they who generate profits which make all taxes possible. Many times they are taxed without making any money for themselves. VAT has to be paid whether or not there is a profit. They, through taxes, make our government, any government, possible.

We accuse them of exploiting labour, forgetting that they make all employment possible in the first place. Salaries and wages, like taxes, are paid whether there is a profit or a loss. If you doubt what I say, just ask any hotelier. Ask the owners of any hotel – they will tell you they have paid salaries and yes taxes too for years without generating any cash flow for themselves.

We hold them responsible for shortages, for overcharging and other ills which beset consumers, not acknowledging that it is they who provide us with our daily bread, and jam, and butter. They maintain stocks which eased the pain of the blockade and some even braved personal harm to bring food to our tables.

Even when businessmen fight, and they do fight often, it is the good fight, for it takes place in the market place. When they fight, they fight for the custom of their consumers. This fight usually means a lower price for all of us. Ask any hotelier and they will tell you how competition has lowered prices – too much in their opinion. When they fight, they fight for the right to employ the best workers – often poaching from each other. This results in higher wages, benefiting employees. I wish all fights were as productive and as good for society as are the fights which businessmen engage in.

Businessmen are still the best hope for Nepal. It is only if they vanish that civilization will vanish, but, upto the time they are here with us, our hopes will be alive. For businessmen are eternal optimists, however bad times may be, however much they may bemoan their luck, deep inside they are optimists, believing always that good times are just around the corner, for, otherwise, they would just have shut shops and gone and everything good that we know of would have gone with them.

They are our unsung heroes. They are Nepal’s best representatives – largely unrecognised, unacknowledged and unrewarded. I do not know who will win in the marketplace but I know that all businessmen benefit us. All of them benefit us with their vision, guts, and perseverance which they show to us by establishing their businesses which have so benefited Nepal – so benefited all of us.

Recently, ‘the boss’ magazine honoured business persons. The awards were given by Bimal Prasad Koirala, chief secretary of his HMG of Nepal. Any award, any recognition for the people contributing to the economy is one too less.

(The writer can be contacted at: everest@mos.com.np)