Nepal’s business community hit the road to defy ongoing transportation strike

Around 1,000 pro-peace and anti-strike Nepalese from different quarters of life assembled on Wednesday morning in Tundikhel -the center of Kathmandu - as a manifestation to their standing against the ongoing transportation strike in Nepal.

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) that has been opposing the ongoing transportation strike since its very first day on November 11 organized the peace assembly where it also introduced a slogan, “Let Nepal remain open for ever.”

Nepal - naturally blessed and politically doomed country in South Asia - has arrived at a critical juncture. A majority of political parties have been preparing to make the November 19 Constituent Assembly (CA) polls a huge success. There is however an alliance of 33-party led by CPNMaoist which has been defying the scheduled election and organizing a series of protests for the purpose.

“Being a student, it’s my right to go to school and study without any obstruction,” Agni Sapkota, a tenth grader from a Kathmandu-based school addressed the open peace assembly here in Kathmandu.

Not only businessmen who have been prevented from running their businesses, tens of thousands of students across Nepal akin to Sapkota have been prevented from going to their schools for last three days.

Farmers have not been able to sell-off their productions which have not only disrupted the demand-supply chain but also have made their daily life hard. “Students are said to be the future’s pillar of the county,” Sapkota stated putting ahead a satirical question, “But have the pro-strike political parties laid foundation for us to lead the country tomorrow?”

He echoed voices of his entire country people when he concluded his addressing saying, “Jaya banda mukta Nepal” (Hail, the strike-free Nepal.)

Another student, Sirju Niraula, said despite she being an innocent has felt prey to the ongoing strikes. “The strikes are not solution to any problems,” she pleaded, “Let’s convey the message that we want to study and do not deviate us from studies.”

FNCCI as in past has also been leading the Nepali people to defy the ongoing strikes. The peace assembly reformed into a peace march which took in to the streets in all three districts – Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur of Nepal’s capital.

“A single day strike claims around Rs 2 billion from the economy,” Suraj Vaidhya, FNCCI President told Xinhua over phone reasoning on why has FNCCI been defying the ongoing strike. “Ironically, the 33-party alliance has organized this strike to fulfill its political motive, but subsequently innocent people and business community has been tormented,” he added. The FNCCI has also formed a Peace, Dialogue and Coordination Committee (PDCC) aiming at requesting the disgruntled parties to roll back their decision to launch the strike and also to motivate people and businesses to continue their works despite calls for the strike.

“After the agitating political parties cold-shouldered to our repeated requests to withdraw the strikes, we are forced to hit the streets collaborating with various professional organizations,” Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar, FNCCI Senior Vice President told Xinhua. Numbers of professional organizations and business bodies including, Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association (NTEA), Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN), Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), Nepal Business Initiatives (NBI), National Private and Boarding School Organization of Nepal (PABSON), National Private and Boarding School Organization of Nepal (N-PABSON), Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and number of others have extended their hands in this FNCCI’s anti-protest campaign.

“This is not an end. We will carry on until the Nepalis are ensured to work freely and carry on their livelihoods without fear,” Surendra Bir Malakar, General Secretary of NBI told Xinhua, “The private sector defies each and every strike no matter who organizes it and for whatsoever reason.”

Meanwhile, public transportations in Kathmandu and across the country have been plying on the roads in a move to refute the 33-parties organized transportation strikes.

(This article was released by Xinhua on November 13, 2013.)