Perhaps, if we can ratify the MCC deal soon and get the projects started, it will clear the misunderstandings
With the Nepali Congress (NC) deciding to table the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact in the parliament, it has set the ball rolling for its ratification before February end, the deadline set by the U.S. government. With the NC parliamentary party and central executive committee on Tuesday deciding to vote in favour of the MCC in the House of Representatives, it has urged all other parties to do likewise, which would secure for Nepal a grant of US$ 500 million for two crucial projects. As the February 28 deadline for parliamentary ratification nears, the media is aboil with bitter arugments on whether Nepal should accept or refuse the grant.
While the NC has shown its integrity in backing the compact from the very beginning, the constant shifting of stances by the big communist parties has not only caused confusion in the public but also eroded their credibility. The NC has said the MCC deal will be endorsed with consensus, but people will be watching how the opponents react, especially after creating so much hullaballoo over the issue.
The MCC compact invited no controversy when it was signed in September 2017, when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister and Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' was his coalition partner. Voices were suddenly raised against it at the time of its registration in the parliament in July 2019, following its approval earlier in February by the Cabinet led by KP Sharma Oli of the Nepal Communist Party. Rumours that the MCC agreement is part of America's Indo-Pacific strategy and that certain clauses undermine Nepal's sovereignty have sharply divided Nepali society, even though no one has been able to pinpoint exactly where the compact is suspect. Assurances by MCC's Vice-President Fatema Sumar, during her visit to Nepal in September last year, that it is in no way related to the Indo-Pacific strategy or any U.S. military strategy have not dispelled the opponents' delusion. The communist parties find themselves in a quandary because they are in one way or the other involved in pushing the deal forward while at the same time giving the impression that it goes against national interest for public consumption.
A letter leaked by the U.S. authorities recently even has Prime Minister Deuba and Prachanda assuring the U.S. side that the MCC agreement would be ratified as the coalition has a comfortable majority.
Nepal is not the only country receiving the grant from Washington. Partnerships have been formed with more than 45 countries, with some countries already receiving their second grant. Although sandwiched between Russia and China – countries that don't see eye to eye with the US on many fronts – the MCC grant to Mongolia has not generated any controversy as in Nepal. Since Nepal became a republic in 2008, Nepal has received more than $ 4 billion in grants and almost an equal amount in loans from different countries, including the US, and multilateral development agencies. No one has raised a finger against them. So why the uproar over the MCC deal? Perhaps, if we can get the MCC agreement to be ratified at the earliest and the projects specified by it started, it will clear the misunderstandings surrounding it.
Basic health services
Although the government has announced free basic health care services to the public, people in the rural areas are forced to visit private clinics and hospitals for treatment. Health care services are expensive in the private clinics, but people are having to shoulder the heavy financial burden. While most of the government health posts do not have the required number of doctors, they often even lack basic medicines and simple medical equipment for the diagnosis or treatment of minor health problems.
Many of the health posts in the country, especially those in the remote areas, are run by paramedics, and in a number of cases, non-medical staff are said to examine and treat patients. It is the duty of the state to ensure that basic health care services are available to all its citizens at a reasonable cost, if not free. Therefore, the government should make it compulsory for fresh medical professionals to serve in far-flung health posts and in hospitals outside the capital before they can begin private practice. In addition, the government must provide attractive perks and other career development opportunities to the medical staff so that they are encouraged to serve where they are needed most.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 17, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.