MCC Good or Bad for Nepal?

Millennium Challenge Corporation

Millennium ChallengeCorporation (MCC) is a grand international project by the government of the US. It is an innovative and independent aid project sometimes also called U.S. foreign aid agency. MCC is introduced for helping developing countries to fight against poverty through economic development.

The entire discussion in Nepal mainly in social media is fully against MCC. Except one or two top political including the government leaders and some intellectuals, almost all are projected against MCC.

According to the Nepal Embassy in Washington, MCC grants accompaniment other U.S. and programs for international development. MCC has got two major types of grants named compacts and threshold programs. It provides funds to well-performing nations with large-scale grants to fund mainly the solutions in reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth.

[MCC for Nepal]

MCC has approved 10 Million USD. It focuses the following areas to be improved in most of the developing countries which have strong commitment in democracy, freedom and liberty.

Areas of MCC Support

agriculture and irrigation,

 transportation (roads, bridges, ports),

water supply and sanitation,

access to health, finance and enterprise development,

anticorruption initiatives,

land rights and access,

access to education.

MCC has selected Nepal for its support. The US has understood Nepal’s strong commitment to democracy, economic freedom and good governance. This is the outcome of  MCC and Nepal's diagnostic study in Nepal in 2013-2014. Energy and transport sector are two major binding constraints for higher economic growth in Nepal in the American understanding and conclusion and thus, these two areas of its focus to support in Nepal.

MCC opens its office in Nepal in 2015. With some investigation and combined studies of US-Nepal, MCC approves 500 million dollars from US side and 160 million form Nepal's side. The donation of MCC is understood to invest in energy sectors whereas Nepal is investing its money to the road construction.

Why MCC good for Nepal?

This beautiful and hot question can be rephrased as: What the supporters of MCC say in Nepal? To address this question, it is very importance to glance social media. In social media majority of the people who support MCC have many claims and assertions. It is the special claim of people the MCC will certainly bridges the gap of develop and developing countries in a long race. It with no doubt will help to promote democracy and implement in our everyday life or in a more advance sense we will subconsciously cultivate the democracy suitable to Nepal. Developing true democracy in our life and society is far better than just grabbing the financial support or enjoying the materialistic success.  They further directly claim MCC is not all about 500 million, It encourages other funding agencies and international banks such as world bank, Asian Development Bank etc in one hand on the other many INGOs and the direct funds of European countries, Australia, Canada etc will increase the support to Nepal. Such opportunities should not be loosed from Nepal.

Why MCC bad for Nepal?

The opponents of MCC claim this is like the entry as East India Company of UK. According to them it is the same wine in different bottle. MCC has been designed not for the Nepali people and Nepalese.

These people are whether semi unified making some sort of aligns or not but attacking MCC as it is their death or bad luck. It seems like who is fueling against MCC? Nepal has so many things similar to India and India is in indirect trade and culture war with China. India by creating some southern force as political parties to control and regulate Nepalese internal concern and priorities but India is failing in doing so from a long history more than a century. Everywhere cultural and religious solidarity seems prevalent. For example.

Dubai (UAE) and Qatar, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran they are fully united in many respects. There is the overt harmony among in people's level. One can take the example of Canada and US as well as UK and Australia and Denmark and Italy never are in controversy. One is supporting another. It is not only political level and business level, it is equally working in people's level.

But in case of Nepal and India, they are interdependent with each other in many respects besides religion and culture. The lifestyles and value system of Nepal and India are not similar but the same. Indian PM comes to Nepal and delivers the speech at Nepalese parliament the Nepal and India are two brothers. India is big brother and Nepal is small brother. Furthermore, there is the relation of ROTI and BETI. ROTI means employment and work whereas BETI means marriage between Indian and Nepali.

Whatever the case, it is not only Nepali people, Indian people nowadays clearly understood that Nepal is not going to accept all the Indian proposals and treaties. The Indian news agencies and TV News Channels as well as Majorities of Indian citizens have the clear understanding of this reality.

Ordinary Nepali people, farmers, students and teachers, small businessmen etc are angry with Indian exploitation on Nepal. Culture, religion and many other things have become weak to face the people's desire of financially prosperous.

Many Nepali people doubt that MCC is going to work in design of India than Nepal. First of all, it is good, great and beneficial for the United States. Secondly it is in short term and long term guided to give advantage to India.

Raising all these things directly and indirectly more than 80% of common Nepali people seem against of MCC.

Is it golden opportunities for Nepal to work with US?

Some people think so! It depends on how Nepal actually takes all those things. The government of Nepal has to consider all those things seriously. The United States is not bad in itself. Some of the countries in US campaign in various international movements and align. Nepal and Nepalese people can learn many things and aspects from the US funding agency and people in one hand and on the other hand Nepal is still a virgin land where many things can easily be done. It is always easier for Nepal to work with the countries and funding agency like MCC. Nepal can import the international technology, manpower and experiences.

References

Timilsena Discussion (2021) International affairs and contemporary issues.

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