Former PM Bhattarai: Ambitious Election Manifestos Need Structural Reforms to Succeed

Kathmandu. Former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has commented that although the quality of the election manifestos of the political parties has improved compared to the past, those ambitious goals will not be achieved without structural reforms.

Writing on his social media platform Facebook on Friday, Dr. Bhattarai mentioned that the pressure from the growing aspirations of the people, especially the youth, has positively influenced the manifestos of both old and new parties. He also praised the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) for being able to present its points relatively concisely and clearly.

Dr. Bhattarai views the goals mentioned in the manifestos, which appear ambitious, in a positive light. Recalling that he quoted the line from Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota's poem, 'What is the objective? To fly and touch the moon!' in his budget statement for the fiscal year 2065/066 when he was Finance Minister, he stated that it is a matter of happiness that all parties are now setting high goals.

He asserted that he has repeatedly put forward the slogan 'Double-digit growth rate, for two decades continuously' in parliament and has been stating that the problem of youth unemployment will not be solved unless such an economic leap is made.

Dr. Bhattarai pointed out that 'structural reform' is an essential prerequisite for implementing the good aspects mentioned in the manifestos. He stated, 'Specifically, for sustainable political stability internally, the system of directly elected executive and fully proportional parliament must be implemented, and externally, the concept of a dynamic bridge connecting with the economies of the two large neighbors must be implemented.'

He warned that without these reforms, whatever good things are written in the manifesto will be like 'fruit of the sky, missed while looking up' (an idiom meaning unattainable).

Dr. Bhattarai concluded that it is ironic that the major parties remain silent or stand against the issue of changing the form of governance and structural reform.

However, he expressed satisfaction that the RSP has raised this issue. 'At least there is some hope because the RSP has raised these two points, even if faintly,' Bhattarai wrote.

He warned that the dream of a new prosperous Nepal will only be fulfilled if structural reforms are implemented after getting a mandate from the election; otherwise, this election will just be another ritual.