Common minimum program should be strong and not hollow in implementation
Strengths and weaknesses analysis of the Common Minimum Program (CMP) includes an assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Here is a general framework: CMPs often outline key policy initiatives that have broad political support. It aims to address pressing issues that are common on the agenda of alliance partners.
A CMP can be vague and lack specific details, making implementation challenging. This may represent a compromise that satisfies political partners but is not politically sufficient.
The CMP can be used as a starting point for more detailed policy development. It has the potential to unite different political groups for a common goal.
Political instability or changes in coalitions can derail the CMP initiative. Opposition parties can use CMP agreements to criticize the government's commitment to certain policies. For a detailed analysis, it is necessary to look at the specific content of the CMP and the context in which it was created.
The CMP is a future policy adopted by the coalition governments. The CMP is a document outlining the minimum objectives of the coalition government in
Nepal. This document has gained prominence since coalition governments became the norm in Nepal. Recently, the five-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal released the CMP titled 'Policy Priority and Common Minimum Program of the Government of Nepal'.
The eight-page document covers various topics related to political, social, economic development, and foreign policy, without mentioning the serial number. Political stability, development, and economic prosperity, along with social trust, have been emphasized in the preamble. To provide hope and confidence to the people, especially the youth, and is said to be socialist-oriented about the economy.
Disappointment in the introduction of the minimum policy priority and common sub-concept of the five political parties, building trust. To strengthen the democratic republic by preventing obvious deviations in the administration of the state with the spirit of the constitution, and to create hope and trust in the state in the people by breaking the existing economic laxity, impunity, and commercial despair.
The CMP also aims to protect the achievements and farreaching importance of all struggles and agitations by changing the pessimism, anger and negative thinking manifested in society, especially among the youth; to develop strong and balanced international relations with national independence, sovereignty and geographical integrity and the paramount interest of the Nepali nation and Nepali people at the center; to make every Nepalese proud of their history and self-respect, struggle and sacrifice, change and achievement; to fulfil the national aspirations of a prosperous Nepal, happy Nepalese with political stability, good governance, development and social justice for socialistoriented economic-social transformation according to national needs and people's wishes.
It is said in the questionnaire that in terms of ending economic laxity, economic activities will be accelerated by making policy reforms to remove the laxity seen in the economy from production to consumption and from investment to trade.
Solving problems such as slow credit flow and low capital public expenditure, coordinating fiscal and monetary policy, amending various laws that hinder short-term and mediumterm investment and employment-friendly policy reforms, and fiscal reform to reduce the growing gap between revenue and expenditure, which is a challenge in the sustainable management of public finance.
Austerity in government spending, identification and mobilization of new sources of foreign aid, putting remittance flows into productive activities and making the stock market dynamic through policy reforms, focusing on concessional green finance, access to international markets and technology transfer, implementing a strategy for the transition period after upgrading from the status of a least developed country, and an objective review of the implementation status of the Fifteenth Plan There is a continuation of the old things, like starting the 16th National Plan, etc.
While starting this periodical plan, it is also mentioned that digitization, tourism, agriculture, energy and green industrialization will be defined as the new basis of employment-oriented economic growth and structural transformation and achieve the sustainable development goal within the year 2030.
To make the financial institutions free of anomalies, to solve the problems arising in the financial institutions by gradually implementing the suggestions of the commissions formed at different times and solving the problems related to cooperatives, microfinance institutions, and unfair transactions. Forming a cooperative debt recovery tribunal and starting a cooperative savings and loan protection fund, making legal arrangements to keep large business cooperatives under the regulation and supervision of the national bank for some time, providing shortterm refinancing from the Nepal Rastra Bank on the collateral of assets in the name of savings and credit cooperatives, and current savings and loan transactions.
It is mentioned that the registration of organizations that do business scope extension permission and service center approval, rescheduling and restructuring of loans of microfinance borrowers, etc. are mentioned. Effective implementation of federalism and public structural reforms, governance along with the flow of services, and creating a means of learning skills (skill gain) are also mentioned.
Making necessary legal arrangements for the operation of direct foreign investment and alternative investments, as well as doing country rating to attract foreign investment and automatic digital integrated one-stop service. It is mentioned that the system will be put into use. It is also mentioned about the establishment of the Infrastructure Development Authority. To protect and develop land management, forest environment, climate adaptation and disaster management, youth and sports, tourism, culture and social harmony, Nepali civilization, language, religion, culture, and ethnicity.
The CMP generally ensures, among other things, that at least substantial economic growth and job creation per year are sustained over a decade or more to ensure a secure and viable livelihood for each family.
It also aims to enhance the well-being and welfare of farmers, farmers and laborers, especially in the unorganized sector, and to ensure a secure future for their families in every way. Empowering women politically, educationally, economically and legally can also be another objective. It should also be reflected to utilize the creative energy of our entrepreneurs, businessmen, scientists, engineers and all other professionals and productive forces of the society. The current coalition government has made a solemn promise to the people of our country. The government is trying to 'balance' all the sectors through the minimum common program. The first responsibility of the government is to address the problems seen in the economy and bring them on the 'track'.
It will be important how the subjects put in the common program are implemented. A five-party coalition, more of an arrangement and less of a coalition, is a group of parties in which power and authority are exercised by the government.
The CMP should not be a small wallpaper to cover the cracks and gaps between the recent coalition partners and their outside supporters.
If the paper is to be torn, the question may arise as to the hollowness and contradictions in the mandate claimed by the Maoist-led coalition. The election manifesto of the parties involved in the coalition - "Agenda for Development, Good Governance and Peace" will be separately tabled and analyzed.
It should be distributed as a comparative study. The first casualty of the Minimum Common Program in terms of vision and ambition is the vision of Nepal. The CMP does not present an energizing vision for this nation of 30 million people, home to the world's oldest civilization, with all the necessary resources to emerge as a developing power in the coming decades.
The CMP neither mentions Nepal's rich cultural and civilizational heritage nor does it contain any aspirations for where Nepal should be among the group of nations in the coming years.
It also emphasized the goal of "making Nepal a developing nation by 2026", an aspiration that Nepal has committed to in international forums.
The CMP shows that Nepal does not understand the complexity of the problems facing agriculture, nor the opportunities it has faced. It also does not recognize the need to improve agricultural markets, remove internal trade barriers, develop effective food chain management, minimize waste and losses, incorporate R&D inputs into agriculture and develop the food processing industry on modern, regional and globally competitive lines. The CMP proposals lack fully specific solutions, based on the realities of today's national and international marketplace. The CMP claims to deliver a "corruption-free government". And it has "copy-pasted" the old CMP as being in any period. However, the coalition government seems to be trying to do something about corruption and crime.
It is said that several MPs who have been accused of corruption and other serious criminal offences have been kept in the cabinet, but that should be confirmed. The Prime Minister has also defended the fact that the government under his leadership includes disaffected ministers. Members of the party who support the ministers in the coalition government have already protested.
Their opposition must either be meaningful, or else it will be regarded as mere lip service to the concept of integrity. Overall, the CMP is not bad in itself but its successful implementation requires modality, which would be better if there is a mechanism that includes the private sector.