Oil Politics Tortures the Nepalis
By Mohan Nepali
The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has decided to recontinue supplying petroleum products to Nepal after Nepal’s Prime
Minister Girija Prasad Koirala met Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiva Shanker Mukharjee and requested the Indian
government through him for help. The Nepalis have been going through oil crisis for several days due to the stoppage of
oil supply from India. The IOC had stopped supplying oil to Nepal due to the dues of almost five billion Nepali rupees
to be paid to it by the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC).
Oil prices have been increased several times in Nepal. The price hike in petroleum products has resulted in the price
rise of all goods and services that move through transport system. Nepal is a country where money inflation counts
terribly high with more risks for moderate earners. Daily wage earners have been forced to live under low calories of
food. According to the Nepal Rastra Bank, the monetary authority, inflation has risen to 6.2 percent and the price hike
in food and beverage has come up to 9.2 percent. This has put the poorest people’s life at a higher risk.
The NOC has been pressurizing the Nepal government to increase oil prices and to privatize the oil corporation while
public advocates stress first on the rectification of the NOC itself and the state’s basic obligations to public life.
They believe the fulfillment of state’s obligations comes before privatization because the greatest number of people
live under less than a dollar per day. This situation of mass poverty demands the state guarantee for the smooth and
affordable supply of goods and services to people.
At present, the Nepal government has been imposing heavy taxes on the sale of petroleum products within the country.
Similarly, the corruption and commission network, ill-governance and misuse of resources existing within the NOC have
been publicly raised as some common factors contributing to the price hikes of oil. The Nepal government at the request
of oil profiteers increases oil prices almost every year regardless of stability in the international markets.
The Nepal government could immediately clear the dues to the IOC but has nor done so because of oil politics.
Profiteers, including certain politicians, in both Nepal and India, appear to have benefited heavily from the oil crisis
in both the countries.
It has been customary for Nepali officials to seek bulky commissions from privatization of national corporations. None
of the privatized Nepali companies have ever fulfilled their public obligations. Nor have they functioned well so far.
The big amount of illegal commission they pay to government officials during the time of privatization sets private
owners free from public obligations.
While the media overage of oil crisis is going on in Nepal, media campaign for privatization is simultaneously getting
intensified.
As supplying essential goods and services for human beings is not meant merely for profiteering and politicking, the
world’s governments that have signed international human rights commitments must be responsible for that.
In this context, it is extremely embarrassing that Nepal’s Prime Minister has to meet and request the Indian ambassador
even for running the nation. The nation cannot run smoothly without the availability of petroleum products within the
nation but it does not mean that a prime minister of a sovereign country has to humble to an ambassador every time the
crisis arises. This shows how free are Nepal’s top leaderships from slave-mindedness. This is the main reason why the
ordinary Nepalis see the shadow of Indian dominance over Nepal’s politics.
This relationship like that of a slave and an owner will not let the Nepalis get prosperous and dignified. Therefore,
they are at present on the path of political, socio-economic and cultural transformation. For this, they are determined
to abolish monarchy and continue fighting the deep-rooted feudalism in their country because the foundation of
slave-mindedness lies in the psychological culture of feudalism. The Nepalis want to enjoy their sovereignty in deciding
what ideology to rule themselves for their best causes. Unfortunately, the Nepali Congress headed by Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala and the Emalay headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal have not yet renounced their deep love for feudalism
and puppetism. However, they have been uttering so-called anti-feudalism words in their speeches. But their behavioral
clinging to feudalist thoughts and behavior has proved their love and sympathy for feudalism. This is the main reason
why they had a secret compromise to preserve Nepal’s feudalistic monarchy even when the ordinary masses in millions were
preparing to declare Nepal a republic during the April mass movement in 2006.
ENDS