Demystify MCC: A plea to US government

The one thing that is ruling Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) debate in Nepal is- extreme confusion. Owing to the statements made for and against MCC by some prominent political figures, foreign policy experts, and Medias of Nepal, the country is doomed to remain under ambiguity. The requirement of parliamentary rectification for passing MCC has further fuelled the controversy as many Nepalese citizens, as well as political stakeholders, have started to believe that the agreement will prevail over Nepal’s law in case of conflict. Nobody in Nepal seems to have convincing discourse regarding MCC, and due to the same confusion, there is a kind of cold war going on between members of parliament.

Is it so hard to clear the confusion regarding a state-level agreement? Or the matter is just creating an echo-chamber inside Nepal only, and the US government is unaware of it? In such context, the United States as the proposer of MCC compact needs to clear the doubts of political stakeholders and peoples of Nepal.

On the one hand the Prime minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli is openly supporting the MCC agreement by trying to clarify that it’s in no way against the sovereignty and security of Nepal. While speaking in the recent National Assembly, the PM mentioned that “Those who are opposing the MCC have not understood the document. I urge them to go through the agreement and then comment on its contents”. But on the other hand, even during lockdown, thousands of citizens, including university students, are still protesting against MCC compact with a claim that it’s against the national integrity of Nepal. Apart from ongoing protest, the social media feeds are flooded with hashtags like “back-off MCC” and millions of such posts are being shared by Nepalese people.

The situation doesn’t seem in control of Nepal government as people are not ready to buy the statement made by foreign minister and PM himself in the National Assembly. They are not even ready to believe the verdict of government formed task force, which advised the government not to endorse MCC in the current form. It proves that the groups of people supporting and opposing MCC in Nepal are equally active without any convincing reason.

Millennium Challenge Cooperation agreement is growing like phenomena in Nepal as many leaders are protecting their position by speaking for and against MCC, experts are attracting media focus, mainstream medias are getting engaging stories, many online portals are selling the controversies and thousands of confused Nepalese are spending leisure by arguing for and against it in social media platforms.

So the broader question here remains; Is MCC really a vague agreement with hidden agendas or some interest groups are creating an unnecessary buzz in Nepal? The ongoing scenario of confusion is fuelling anti-MCC leading to ant-American sentiment in Nepal as many people, including politicians, experts, and university students here, believe that US army will enter Nepal after the project is ratified from parliament. Today in Nepal, the provisions and clauses of MCC have become like the Victorian poetry on which every interest-group is making their own interpretation.

Amid such context, the US government should explain loud and clear to not just the government but also the Nepalese citizens regarding controversies of MCC. And rather than submitting confusing reports to the government, US should speak via the mainstream Medias of Nepal and respond to the queries of people in a comprehensible tone. Also, for the sake of its National image, the representative from US government should come ahead in reputed Nepali media to respond to the controversies and explain every string attached with MCC.