It remains to be seen if the Front will survive until the next general elections
Four left political parties facing an existential crisis have launched the Socialist Front, which is seen by many as a last-ditch effort at staying afloat in Nepal's fast changing political landscape. The four parties, namely, the CPN-Maoist Centre led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, CPN-Unified Socialist led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajwadi Party, and Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand, have set 15 goals, with the establishment of socialism with Nepali characteristics as their primary objective. The launch of the Socialist Front also comes at a time when the incumbent Prime Minister of the CPN-Maoist Centre is unsure how long he will continue as the country's executive head, given the downward spiraling economy and political bungling both on the domestic and international fronts. His latest move could also be a political stunt to challenge the Nepali Congress and the UML, which enjoy 88 and 78 seats respectively in the House of Representatives, should they decide to unseat him. The four parties in the Socialist Front now has 54 MPs, including 32 from the Maoist Centre. Either of the two big parties would need the support of the Front in case a change of government is in the cards.
One of the goals of the Front is to build a socialist economy free from external interference and the influence of compradors. This, however, runs counter to the commitment of the parties in the current coalition government, including the Maoist Centre and Unified Socialist, to liberalisation and a free market economy.
Thus, are the parties in it really committed to a socialist economy or is it just an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the public to garner their sentiment? The architect of the Socialist Front is said to be Baburam Bhattarai, who leads the Nepal Samajwadi Party, but, surprisingly, he is out of the front.
In the midst of the fast-changing political scenario of the country, where young leaders have taken centre-stage, one is compelled to ask if the front, which is led by a crop of fossilised leaders who did nothing during the decades that they held responsible positions in the government or outside, holds any relevance.
True socialism, as envisioned by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Mao, can be achieved only when you have a robust economy. Unfortunately, Nepal's is an import-based economy, with even agro products needing to be imported. Were it not for the millions of migrant workers, who remit home billions of dollars annually to pay for the heavy imports, how it would have managed to pay for the social security allowances and free education and health is anyone's guess. If the Socialist Front is to thrive, it should pass the leadership to the youths who have a vision for the country. Even the big parties like the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) are feeling the pinch as they are unable to retain the youth who are leaving in droves to join the newly-established parties like the Rastriya Swatantra Party or the Janmat Party in the Tarai. It remains to be seen if the Socialist Front will survive until the next general elections to be held in another four years' time.
Farmers need support
The National Consumers Forum (NCF) led by Prem Lal Shrestha has urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to strictly monitor the market, which has gone out of control after the government introduced a 13 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on potatoes, onions and other imported vegetables through its fiscal budget. The NCF, in its letter to the PM, said the VAT imposed on potatoes, onions and other vegetables is non-feasible as all of them are perishable goods, which should be consumed within the prescribed dates. Following the introduction of the VAT on vegetables, their prices in the local market have become exorbitantly expensive, beyond the purchasing capacity of the consumers.
A glaring example of how VAT being levied on perishable vegetables is unpopular is the dumping of more than 30,000 kilos of tomatoes in front of the Kalimati-based vegetables and fruit market. Other farmers who grew cabbage are also forced to feed it to the cattle after they could not sell it at fair prices. However, the government has allowed importing vegetables from India without undergoing quarantine checks at the customs points. Paying lip-service to the growth of the agriculture sector is not going to help unless the government takes practical measures to support the farmers.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 21, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
