I am just back from a weeklong stay in Singapore. Once upon a time (btw it was in the early '90s when we had a fresh political system and the new leaders selling stupendous dreams), a political heavyweight sold the dream of turning Nepal into Singapore. More than 30 years after that reckless prediction, the dream is long shattered and we are not much better off. Meanwhile, Singaporeans have transformed their land of dreams into even more developed, prosperous and beautiful mix of modernity, nature (oh!! the amount of greenery!!) and a popular sentiment laden with discipline, direction and dedication.
While our natural beauty and resources have not been properly used to gain prosperity of any kind, Singapore has been galloping with technological development, adoption of modern ways of living & doing things, enhancing natural beauty, preventing pollution while at the same time promoting trade, business ventures, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. A far cry from Nepal's doldrums in our effort towards development, our lackluster vision, poor planning, chaotic implementation and a financial ecosystem prone to abuse, corruption and exploitation.
I have dared to draw a few conclusions:
1. Each and every person needs to be professional, dedicated, honest and willing to do their bit.
2. Political system should be stable and led by a person of high integrity. It does not matter how free a society is if it is led by a good leader, and operated based on system, rules of law and enforcement of law uniformly across the spectrum.
3. Inculcation of love for the nation, pride about the country, discipline, dedication, enterprise and a tendency to take up challenges from a very young age.
4. A business environment that is based on modern technology, devoid of personal self-interests, pragmatic and well-defined so that people willing to invest here are not deterred by red tapes, nepotism, corruption and surprise rules/regulations.
5. Control unnecessary luxury and high-value imports such as expensive cards and divert that forex for goods needed for infrastructure development. Airports (one good international hub) and roads are most crucial for Nepal. Railway (especially commuter system in big cities) a big boon but can be longer term as it needs large investment.
6. Have a good public transport system to discourage unnecessary import of vehicles. This helps in controlling import as well as reducing pollution. Short term: bus networks driven by technology and no syndicates. Long term: railway and metro in major cities.
7. Invest in tourist attractions and make them self-sustainable.
8. Implement technology based service delivery - especially g2p services along with wide adoption of electronic payment.
These are not things that are out of the ordinary or impossible to do. Simply because people have done these things in Singapore and many other countries, including our next-door neighbors. We can very much do that, on a gradual basis. If we do not start, we shall be nowhere. If we have a good start, the process can propel itself forward once we start to see the impact and feel the benefits.
Better start now. And we can do it. Just need to think that it is possible and be honest with ourselves. We have all the exposure, inspiration and desire. Just need honesty and self-evaluation in terms of commitment and contributions. If they can, we can too. We just need to behave like them.
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A comparison based on worlddata.info
| Nepal | Singapore | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product: | 41,183 M US$ | 498,475 M US$ |
| Gross national product: | 40,940 M US$ | 378,815 M US$ |
| Exported goods: | 2,733 M US$ | 925,952 M US$ |
| Imported goods: | 15,462 M US$ | 733,876 M US$ |
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