Discussing the motherland is a favoured topic for intellectual Nepalis living in North America. Being Nepali is clearly a strong identity we carry with us wherever we go, so it's only natural that we discuss the political deadlock New Nepal has been experiencing. Most often, we talk of the absence of good governance and leadership.

But when these same intellectuals decide to return home, for whatever period of time, most choose to work as researchers or consultants to the Government of Nepal, or with international organisations. As specialists from various walks of life, they make policies and plans for the development of the country. But who implements these policies? Is it the same government that they deride as incompetent?

This reminds me of a story told by Nanda Raj Shrestha in his book, In the Name of Development. One day at a cocktail party, so the tale goes, a couple of development advisors thought about doing something about the low milk production of Nepali cows. They decided to invite an animal husbandry expert to evaluate the situation. The expert concluded the organisation should fly in a few foreign bulls to cross breed with the local cows. Accordingly, a bull was shipped in and taken to a village, and farmers were invited to bring their cows around.

The villagers and the advisors gathered around, anxiously waiting for the bull to begin mating with the cows. But hours passed, and nothing happened. The bull didn't show any interest in the cows. The advisors got frustrated, the villagers found it funny, then got bored and began to leave. Finally, a villager muttered to the advisors that there was a sage in the village who could communicate with animals. Desperate, the advisors summoned the sage to ask the bull what was wrong with it. The sage arrived, and whispered a few words to the bull, which seemed to shake its head. When asked what the bull had said, the sage responded, "Well …the bull says it's here to advise – not to work."

Why is development and growth so limited to planning and policymaking? The convenience of being a consultant aside, isn't development really about action and implementation? Why can't intellectuals or educated specialists be implementers, frontliners, and grassroots workers? Why can't they work to implement their own research? If they are to count on the incompetent government to act on their plans and policies, then a better Nepal is still out of reach...

Source: http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2010/08/13/Nation/17353