Harmonious Development
On September 8, Kaman Singh Lama, the Nepalase Ambassador to Korea, sat down for lunch with representatives of the GIC and Gwangju City, and then to an interview before his talk that afternoon. When questions about the sometimes-uncertain political situation in Nepal came up, he answered: “Now, I am a diplomat,” he said, “not a politician.” His answer at lunch revealed a forward-thinking man who prefers to move towards the future rather than dwell on the past, and that is where he kept the focus.
In terms of time, Nepal has moved further into the future than the rest of the world. A quick look at the ambassador’s curriculum vitae shows that he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2048. Ambassador Lama accounted for his apparent time travel to Gwangju and the past of 2013 by explaining, “Right now, it is 2070, Bikram Sambat, B.S. ‘Bikram’ is the name of a king; ‘Sambat’ means calendar.” He said that the king is important because he gave amnesty from all problems, along with providing help with past financial problems. “The main things, King Bikram solved, and then he started a new calendar, like a fiscal year. At the end of the fiscal year, everything will be closed. And it starts again in the New Year. Everything starts new.” The ambassador suggested that the beginning of the new calendar also signaled the start of a new era of harmony.
Indeed, the ambassador often noted the harmony of the Nepalese people. Even though there are 102 ethnic groups living in Nepal and 92 languages spoken there, the people are able to live in harmony now, he said. “Nepal has had parliamentary democracy for more than 20 years, since 1990. We established a multi-party democracy at that time. It is working pretty well.” Even though the parliament was dissolved in May 2012 and has not met since, the ambassador holds hope for the future. “We are having a constitutional assembly election in November,” and he expects the parliament to be reestablished. “After this,” he said, “I am sure peace will occur in Nepal. So this will be a wonderful thing for our country.”
Before the parliamentary democracy was established in 1990, the ambassador had already demonstrated his hope for the future when he was involved in the pro-democracy movement as a student. “Thirteen times, I have been in jail in the fight for democracy, when I was a student activist.”
Before he became a diplomat, Ambassador Lama was a politician, having been elected as a member of the Parliament in the House of Representatives twice. He has been on the central committee of various incarnations of Nepal’s communist parties (there are several), most recently with the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). As noted, he was politically active as a college student, and he was later a founding member of the National Teachers’ Association.
From his diplomatic positioning, much of the conversation addressed the future of Nepal and Nepalese-Korean relations. He has big dreams for the future of Nepal, which, according to the U.S. State Department, is still a developing country, ranking 207th out of 229 countries in GDP per capita at $1,300 per year (for comparison, the U.S. is 14th at $50,700; Canada is 19th at $43,400; the U.K. is 34th at $37,500; and South Korea is 43rd at $32,800). In order to strengthen Nepal’s economy, the ambassador hopes to attract foreign investment to the country to develop the infrastructure. A developed infrastructure will open more foreign investment in various sectors of the economy.
Ambassador Lama explained that Nepal has had diplomatic relations with Korea for 45 years. Next May 15 will mark the 40th year since those relations were raised to the ambassadorial level. He hopes to build on the celebration of that anniversary to organize a symposium with Korean government and business leaders to discuss future economic cooperation between the two countries.
When Nepal’s new constitution is established, the stability will create even greater investment opportunities. The ambassador stated that soon, his government was going to be an “investment-friendly environment,” which includes utilizing untapped natural resources and inexpensive labor. He looks to Korea as a model for developing an economy by hard work and investment.
He expressed admiration for the Korean people as well as for the Korean economy, making a connection between the two: “Koreans are very laborious, very genuine. And also, they love their country. Korea is more developed than Nepal. We have to learn from Korea.”
The ambassador believes that Saemaeul Undong (“The New Village Movement,” Korea’s rural development movement) is an ideal example to follow. “Korea grew [its] economy very fast, in 40 years, so this model is very appropriate for Nepal. Around 50 years ago, the situation of Korea was similar to that of Nepal. In 1969, when we first established diplomatic relations, our economies were similar.”
According to the ambassador, Nepal has the world’s second largest hydropower potential, after Brazil, so using that great natural resource would enable greater economic development. The ambassador talked about the hope of building a hydroelectric dam to harness some of that power. While recognizing that the four rivers project has been quite controversial in Korea, he thinks that Nepal can learn from it by turning its own rivers to more positive economic purposes. He also talked about building railroads to increase ease of commerce within the country as well as between it and neighboring countries. An even grander project is building a canal from Nepal’s waterways to the Bay of Bengal with India’s help, adapting the technology of the Panama Canal.
The ambassador’s goals for the future reflect his pride in the past, when Nepal was “never fully colonized” by European powers. He affirmed that Nepali people believe in harmony and in peace, and are brave. He further explained that even though there is no compulsory military service now in Nepal, yet, “in the time of the East India Company, every person participated in the fight against the East India Company, so they could not defeat us.”
He also attributed Nepal’s historical independence to its rugged geography. That geography is also a contemporary attraction, as the country is, of course, famous for its trekking and mountain climbing. A lake could add to the diversity of outdoor experiences available in Nepal, since a trip to the top of the world may not be an outdoor experience that most tourists are ready for. Indeed, if one cannot make the journey to the peak of Mount Everest, there are plenty of other opportunities for touring in Nepal, as the ambassador explained.
“If you go to enjoy the view, natural beauty, then Nepal has the elevation from 70 meters above sea level to 8,848 meters, Everest, the highest mountain in the world. It means in the same season you can find all the leading climates in the world. So we have environmental diversity, and also in Nepal, there are many ethnic groups living very harmoniously. So you can experience this natural beauty and cultural beauty. A place you can enjoy in just one day is the birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini.” For clear skies and mountains, the Ambassador mentioned that this time was the best to visit Nepal, up to November.
“We celebrate spring festivals from the beginning of March. We celebrate Buddha’s birthday at about the same time as Korea. We also celebrate the Lotus Lantern festival.” In fact, Nepalese monks participate in Seoul’s famous Lotus Lantern parade: “We brought an eternal peace flame from Lumbini and permanently installed it in Doseonsa Temple this May.” That gesture of solidarity with Korea and the hope for a peaceful future are fitting symbols for the ambassador’s forward-looking perspective as his country’s representative in Seoul.