While anti-MCC views deepen, top leaders under pressure to ratify the compact

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: While anti-Millennium Corporate Challenge (MCC) is deepenning in the society, key leaders of Nepali politics including Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba are under pressure to ratify the compact.

MCC, a 500 million USD grant, has largely been a political issue in Nepal as the main political parties share different positions about it.

In the present scenario, PM Deuba wants the MCC to be tabled in parliament and ratify it at any cost, while the main opposition party, CPN-UML has not stated its position on ratifying the compact yet. 

 Likewise, members of the ruling alliance, CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (Unified Socialist) are the ones who are opposing the MCC stating that some provisions in the compact require amendment.

At the time when the political parties in the country share a wide range of differences regarding the MCC, the American side had recently written to Nepal that it might review its ties with Nepal if it fails to get the MCC through parliament.

US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu on Thursday made telephone calls to PM Deuba, UML Chair Oli and MC’s Chair Dahal to ratify the compact at the earliest.

America has remained one of the largest donor countries for Nepal in its development works.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chairman of CPN (MC), who has established himself as a key leader against the compact, made a telephone call to the Chairman of the main opposition party, KP Sharma Oli on Thursday and asked to make his position regarding the MCC. Oli on his part urged Dahal to make the move first.

The CPN-UML has been maintaining that it will make its decision regarding the ratification of the MCC after the government makes its decision.

Since the compact has become a political issue in the country, representatives of the MCC have made frequent visits to Nepal and tried their best to persuade key leaders of Nepal to accept or reject the grant. 

Recently, PM Deuba and Dahal had written to the MCC for a deadline of February 28 to ratify the compact, according to the MCC. 

As the deadline nears, the United States of America is now apparent to make it move. Experts fear that Nepal might suffer economic consequences as the USA is one of the largest donor agencies for the country. Besides, the USA has a powerful grip on the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other UN agencies.

Protests have erupted in streets of the capital as the fate of the MCC hangs in limbo.