China and India expected to come closer to Nepal

In his maiden interview with a worldwide news organization on May 12, 2014, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala let Xinhua enter into his open and poised inner world. Excerpts:

I am a political yogi

Yogis and gurus are religious people and leaders. They spread spiritual and religious values among people. As for me, I am a political yogi.

Since my days as a student, I dedicated my whole life to freedom. I never aspired for government or party positions. Even today if I am here serving as Nepal’s prime minister, I don’t feel that way. I have certain principles and objectives, and I am not attracted to power. I want to satisfy people’s demands. For us, good governance is essential. Corruption is rampant in a developing country like Nepal. We want to ensure transparency, accountability, austerity and freedom from corruption. I am very conscious about this and I have asked ministers and government officials to abide by such values.

I am married to democracy

Whenever people ask me why I never got married, I always answer that I am married to democracy.

I cannot say how different my life would have been if I were married. Actually, I didn’t have the time. I was in an Indian jail for 3 years and for 3 to 4 years in a Nepali jail. We were living in very difficult days. I don’t aspire for anything. I just want to improve the living standards of Nepal is and to make it possible to harness our country’s resources.

I have no magic wand

During the second CA election, voters told me, “You want my vote, ok, but complete this road first”. I answered them that I am not a magician and that within 15 days I could neither complete a road nor make such a promise. I have no magic wand.

I don’t think I have failed in my duty as the prime minister. My government is only two and a half months old. We have made significant achievements over a short period of time. The parliament has passed the bills on Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on Enforced Disappearances, paving the way for completing the peace process. We have established five different CA committees. Our utmost priority is to write the constitution. We have promised the people that we will complete it within a year.

I am looking forward to going again to China

I have been to China twice. The first time was in 1992 with the late PM Girija Prasad Koirala. We visited many places and I was very much impressed by China. During my second visit to China, I stayed there for 3 days.

The 2nd China-South Asia Expo is going to be held in Yunnan Province this June; it is very important for me to attend such an event. I am looking forward to going again to China, but I cannot say exactly when this will take place. My schedule might not allow me to attend the expo in Yunnan. We have to complete the constitution first; this is our topmost priority. But I will of course visit China in the future.

We enjoy a very good relation with China, and we are willing to further develop it in future. Nepal has many resources and we seek help from China to tap them. We can collaborate in hydropower, agriculture, tourism, and so forth.

We do not give in to external pressure

We have an open border with India and we share social, cultural and religious relations with our southern neighbor. Consequently, India is very sensitive to its security. China is also very sensitive about Tibet. In Nepal, we are committed to ensuring that our land does not turn into a platform for anti-China and anti-India activities. We abide by the OneChina policy. We do not give in to external pressure and not allow our land to be used against our neighbors.

We want India and China to come closer to us

This is an era of peace. In this particular historical phase we should do our best to restore peace across the world. The ties between China and India are gradually developing. We want India and China to come closer to us to understand our development as well as our problems. India and China are engaged in talks regarding border issues. Peace can be restored and we will benefit from it. Both China and India believe that Nepal needs democracy and stability. They are very eager to help us. Nepal can take advantage from both of her neighbors.

I am very optimistic about Nepal’s future

Nepal is full of potential. We feel proud to be rich in water resources. Our country is beautiful with tremendous opportunities to develop tourism. In terms of agriculture, we used to export our food grains, but now we have to import them.

All this shows that Nepal can be very rich, but Nepal is still poor because we have not been able to achieve stability and democracy. Now it is high time for every political leader to realize that we have to ensure stability to develop our country.

The government is committed to creating a friendly and positive environment for investors. We are open to anyone willing to invest in Nepal. This is why I am very optimistic about the future of Nepal as many countries are interested in our country. We want to grab this opportunity by restoring stability. This is why we are channeling our efforts on writing a new constitution.

We are willing to work with all nations for development

Despite our resources, we are lagging behind. Our political parties seriously want to develop this nation. Our first priority is to write the constitution within a year and to create favorable conditions for development. Countries from all over the world are willing to invest here and it is our responsibility to create an investment-friendly environment. Peace and stability are essential for Nepal. Unless we have a stable and democratic system, we will not be able to achieve growth.

We are expected to hold the SAARC Summit on November 18, 2014. The Summit will bring together all SAARC countries as well as China and other nations as observers. The upcoming Summit offers SAARC countries and observers a great opportunity for cooperation and collaboration.

I hope there will be an increase in terms of air, road, and railway connectivity to help countries in the region to come together for peace, development and friendship.

(Titled Eight sentences to spell out an authentic Sushil Koirala, this interview was published by the 10th issue of APD in May 2014)

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