KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has prepared a political report to be presented in the 15th General Convention. The report presents the political, ideological, organizational and economic political line of the Nepali Congress for the next four years, from introspection to caution against the government, policy of not forging alliances before the elections, restructuring of the party, collaboration with the private sector, youth participation and the concept of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Honored Nepali’.

In the report prepared by Thapa, it has been admitted that the Congress has given priority to position and power over its main objective in the last two decades. It has been said that coalition management, division, factionalism and give-and-take politics have weakened the moral ground of the party and the tendency to protect its own side of the people in corruption and irregularities has weakened the autonomy of public institutions.

The report reads that the party’s distance from the younger generation has increased and the party has not been able to understand the expectations of the people due to the change in the people.

Thapa’s report mainly covers the following 29 topics:

1. Historical Contribution of Congress and Self-Review

The report acknowledges the political movements of 2007, 2046 and 2062/63 and the achievements of constitution-making as historic contributions of the Nepali Congress.

However, in the last two decades, the party has been focused on position and power rather than its objectives, and the politics of alliance, division, factionalism and give-and-take have weakened the moral ground of the party.

“The tendency to protect one’s own side of the party in corruption and irregularities has weakened the autonomy of public institutions and distanced the party from the younger generation,” reads the report.

2. People’s upheaval and defeat of Congress on September 23/24

The report states that the people’s uprisings of September 23 and 24 should not be dismissed as mere conspiracy. It has been accepted that the demand for good governance, opportunity and fairness is the legitimate dissatisfaction of the citizens.

Stating that it was wrong for the new political forces to take the entire ownership of the movement, it has been proposed to conduct an impartial investigation into the use of state force, violence, loss of life and property and suppression.

The report states that legal action should be taken against the culprits and truth, justice and reparations should be ensured to the victims.

The defeat of the Congress in the March 21 elections has been reviewed as a result of the increasing social distancing and political weakness in the last two decades. Accepting the mandate, the Congress has pledged to play the responsible role of the main opposition.

3. New Antagonist Role

The report has proposed that the Nepali Congress, which has 38 seats, should effectively monitor the government in the parliament.

It has been stated that the government’s actions would be questioned on the basis of evidence and facts, and to raise voice against corruption, rights violation and misgovernance.

There is also a proposal to practice ‘shadow government’ to monitor the ministries of the government at the federal and state levels, giving priority to the long-term national issues rather than the day-to-day political disputes.

4. New Policy on Elections and Alliances

Thapa has also proposed not to forge an alliance with any political party before the upcoming elections.

It has been proposed to go among the people with its own tree symbol, its own candidate and its own agenda and to give priority to merit, contribution and performance rather than faction, access and protection in the selection of candidates.

The party has pledged not to change the rules of the membership at the last minute to influence the convention or candidacy, while giving importance to the primary election, public opinion polls and direct vote of the members.

5. Ideological renewal of Congress

Giving continuity to nationalism, democracy and democratic socialism as the main ideological basis of the party, it has been proposed to renew its ideology as per the needs of the 21st century and the changing socio-economic situation.

The proposal also proposes linking nationality with the national capacity in energy, food, technology and finance, and real participation in citizens’ decision-making process and public power instead of limiting democracy to only elections.

It has been proposed to link BP Koirala’s socialist vision with modern social market economy and to link Pradeep Giri’s study, debate, self-criticism and issues of excluded community with the ideological tradition of the party.

6. ‘Prosperous Nepal, Honored Nepali’

According to the report, the economic growth rate should not be considered only as the measure of prosperity.

Education, health, nutrition, skills, capacity and genuine freedom of the citizens have been proposed to make capacity building, access to opportunities and co-construction as the main methodology of development.

It has been proposed that the government would advance development through collaboration among citizens, community, private sector, cooperatives, universities and experts and not alone.

7. Five-question accountability system

A system has been proposed to seek answers to five questions in every important government and public decision.

What was the decision? Why was it done? Who is responsible? What was the result? What was the improvement if the expected results were not achieved?

These five questions are proposed to be made the basis of public accountability.

8. Open-source citizen dashboard

It has been proposed to develop a digital system where citizens can directly view the details of development projects, budget expenditure and responsible officials.

There is a proposal to institutionalize real-time monitoring of government works and citizen monitoring, by making public the details of which projects have reached where, how much has been spent and who is responsible for them.

9. Economy and Private Sector

It has been proposed to accept the private sector as the main engine of wealth creation, production, innovation and employment, and not just a source of tax collection.

It is proposed to create a conducive environment for doing business by ensuring the safety and policy stability of private investment, and to shift the relationship between the government and the private sector from regulation and tax collection to cooperation and partnership.

It has been proposed to convert remittance into productive investment in agriculture, industry, tourism and technology, and make hydropower and clean energy the basis for industrialization and green energy export, keeping production, enterprise and employment expansion at the centre of the economic policy.

10. Predistributive justice

The concept of ‘predistributive justice’ has been put forward to create equal opportunities from the outset, rather than seeking solutions through taxes and subsidies only when inequality has increased.

An economic policy has been proposed to ensure equal access to education, health, skills, finance and employment to ensure a just condition of the citizens.

11. Employment and Foreign Employment

It is proposed to make production and expansion of decent employment within the country a national priority and to make foreign employment safe, systematic and rights-oriented.

It has been proposed to create an environment where the remittance from abroad can be invested in productive sectors and create economic opportunities for the youths to build a future within the country by incorporating their rights and social security in the policy.

12. Migration and Population

The report states that the declining population in the hills, increasing migration in the Madhes and highway areas and increasing pressure in big cities should be addressed in different ways.

It has been proposed to formulate development plans as per the demand for real accommodation, transportation and services rather than administrative boundaries and formulate education, health, housing, transport and social security policies as per the new lifestyle of the Nepalis connected with villages, cities and abroad.

Along with changing the family structure, it has also proposed to include children, senior citizens and caregiving in the state policy.

13. Agriculture, Industry and Production

It has been proposed to shift from import-dependent and remittance-dependent economy to production-oriented economy.

Similarly, agriculture, water resources, energy, tourism, industry and digital technology would be made the major bases for economic growth and to link agriculture with modern technology, market and enterprise.

It has been proposed to convert remittances into agricultural and industrial investment and to provide policy protection and facilitation to the private sector for production and employment generation.

14. Climate Change and Green Development

It is proposed that climate change should be seen not only as an environmental issue but also as an economic and national security issue.

The concept of intergenerational justice has been put forward linking disaster risk with development planning, infrastructure and settlement development, ensuring sustainable use of natural resources and ensuring that today’s development does not take away the rights of future generations.

Green energy, water resources and environmental protection have been proposed to be linked to economic opportunities.

15. Technology and Artificial Intelligence

Stating that artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing the nature of jobs, education, knowledge and competition, Nepal needs to prepare for new opportunities arising out of the technological advancements.

It has been proposed to make education and skills system adaptable to new technologies and promote media literacy and fact-based dialogue against misinformation and hatred in the digital age.

16. Social Sector

There is a proposal to link the NC with the social campaign on the issues of caste-based discrimination, child marriage, gender-based violence, malnutrition, education, health and environment.

Making public education and health as the basis for equal opportunity among citizens, strengthening the social security cover of senior citizens, children, women and vulnerable communities and incorporating mental health, loneliness and changing family structure in the State’s long-term policy, the bill has been proposed.

17. Federalism and Constitution

Acknowledging that although the structure of federalism has been established, its performance is still weak, stressing the need of effective coordination among the federal, provincial and local levels.

It has been proposed to link federalism to local respect, civic participation and access to services rather than only to division of administrative level by improving administrative capacity and financial federalism.

The report states that the debate on constitution amendment should be based on national consensus rather than the power equation of the time.

18. Transitional Justice

It is proposed to complete the remaining tasks of the peace process and ensure truth, justice and reparations to the conflict victims.

Transitional justice should not be used as a tool for political division or power equation, but should focus on the trust of victims and the credibility of the institution.

19. National Independence and the Changing World

National autonomy should not be limited to formal sovereignty but national capacity should be enhanced in energy, food, finance, technology and knowledge.

It has been proposed to expand Nepal’s diplomatic options while maintaining independent decision capacity in the changing geopolitical competition and to pursue a foreign policy based on national interest.

Internal economic capacity and external relations should be linked to each other.

20. The New Concept of National Reconciliation

BP Koirala’s national reconciliation has been proposed to be developed not only as a political agreement but also as a basis for socio-cultural unity.

The proposal is to strengthen common Nepali identity among the mountains, hills, Madhes, Diaspora and different religions, cultures and communities and give priority to coexistence, dialogue and democratic culture.

21. Organization reform and the journey of five generations

It has been proposed to make the NC a party that is constantly connected with the citizens and not a party that is active only during elections.

The proposal is to combine the experience of the old generation and the energy and knowledge of the new generation by making membership, participation and internal democracy transparent and to open an institutional path for the transfer of leadership among the five generations.

A ‘Leadership Training Institute’ for cadres and youth leadership development, a ‘Policy Academy’ for policy research, an election bureau for election preparation and a ‘Governance Institute’ for assisting people’s representatives in policy, budget and good governance.

22. Control of Corruption and Internal Discipline within the Party

It is proposed to enforce high ethical standards for party office-bearers and people’s representatives, make financial transparency and public auditing mandatory.

It has also proposed not to protect anyone involved in corruption, to implement a clear suspension process against those accused of corruption and to form an independent internal ombudsman to investigate into the conduct and corruption in the party.

23. Public Commitment to ‘What We Won’t Do’

The NC has proposed that there will be no partisan division in the judiciary, constitutional bodies, universities and administration.

The proposal includes a public commitment not to use public property and rights for the benefit of parties, factions or individuals, not to give opportunities on the basis of money, access and closeness to leaders, not to discriminate against one’s own people in corruption, and not to change the rules at the last minute to postpone the convention or influence the candidacy.

24. Two terms of Prime Minister

It has been proposed to take initiative for the constitutional provision that a person cannot serve more than two terms in the post of Prime Minister.

The report proposes to set a term limit for the prime minister to prevent a long-term personal grip on power and leadership.

25. Electoral Reform

It has proposed the use of the primary system in the selection of candidates, the possibility of the option of ‘no candidate acceptable’ and legal and constitutional initiatives to give voting rights to Nepalis living abroad.

It has been proposed to make the election more participatory, transparent and representative by deliberating on the alternatives of reforms in the election system including the mobile reserved electoral constituency.

26. Endowment Fund for Martyrs, Wounded and Displaced

A revolving fund of Rs 100 million has been proposed to be set up for the education and health support of martyr’s families and injured and displaced cadres.

The report has also proposed to provide long-term protection to the families contributing to the party’s political movements.

27. Special Provision for Youth

It has been proposed to set up a special task force comprising independent young experts to study the discontent and demands of the Gen-Zi generation.

It is proposed to make the recommendations of the taskforce compulsorily implemented in the party’s policy-making, to make youth participation and leadership development at the centre of the party renewal and to increase the participation of youths in the policy-making and party decisions through digital medium.

28. Deadline for implementation of ‘progression

The report has also proposed a timeframe for the implementation of the concept of ‘prosperity’.

It has been proposed to conduct political and organizational review from 2062/63 to 2082 in the first 100 days, start review process in all seven provinces, make public the first ‘prosperity policy paper’ and prepare a record of community contribution.

In the first year, there is a proposal to form a province-level taskforce on education, nutrition, employment, good governance and green development, to start citizen dialogue and monitoring of public services and to implement the policies and programs at the province level.

It has been proposed to make public clear criteria for selection of candidates before the election, to make community works, moral conduct and work execution the basis of the candidacy and to move ahead the process of primary election.

Similarly, it is proposed to conduct an internal review every three months, publish a public progress report every year and evaluate the leadership of the four years on the basis of the implementation of policies and commitments.

29. Original message of the report

The political report prepared by Thapa has not limited the renaissance of the NC to leadership change or organizational reshuffle, but also to political culture, economic policy, private sector, employment, social security, federalism, good governance, youth participation, technology, climate and national independence.

The main theme of the report is ‘National Renaissance and Prosperity’. The report aims to acknowledge the shortcomings of the past, reduce the distance with the citizens, strengthen democratic institutions, increase production and employment by collaborating with the private sector, and transform the party’s policies and commitments into measurable results.

Thapa has proposed to develop a system to evaluate the leadership on the basis of results by regularly reviewing the policies, organization and programs during the four-year leadership.