About a month ago, a Nepali daily mentioned that the “ex-president will receive rent-money until the government can build him a house. He will get a car, 200 liters of fuel per month, vehicle maintenance, hospitality, and miscellaneous expenses, including four civilian workers.” It seems as though the current Prime Minister KP Oli has chosen to be extremely generous on taxpayers’ money. The retired vice-president and the speaker are getting similar but fewer privileges.

Practice in other democracies

Former Indian presidents and prime ministers too enjoy government privileges but at the cost of many critics. In a 2004 article published in India Today, Priya Sahgal wrote, “There are as many as six former prime ministers, two former presidents and one presidential widow who enjoy a lifetime cost-free perk of sprawling bungalows in the heart of the capital. And this does not include the two bungalows occupied by Sonia Gandhi  and daughter Priyanka Vadra.” She concludes, “In no other country are there so many former heads of state or government living off the exchequer.”

Besides large bungalows, the other perks an Indian Cabinet minister receives includes: 14-member secretarial staff, office expenses, six domestic executive class air tickets annually and security cover, which can mean that up to 25 police cars remain nearby. After the death of these retired Indian leaders, their widows continue to live in the houses.

 Prior to 1958, former US presidents received no benefits whatsoever after leaving office. The Former Presidents Act enacted that year now provides them with a pension, support staff, office facilities, travel funds, and mailing privileges. These enable the former presidents to cope with the post-presidency correspondence and speaking requests. Besides, they receive lifetime security, but not free houses. Their spouses also get a pension.

Former British prime ministers also earn pensions equal to half of their ministerial salaries. They also have “an office, secretarial support, and a car and driver.” The pension that a former Canadian prime minister gets roughly equals that of a retired Member of Parliament. Former US presidents, British and Canadian prime ministers all return to their own houses.

Elephant keepers

An ordinary elephant consumes about 149-169 kilograms of vegetation daily, but at least it brings some income to its master by allowing tourists to mount it. But no one rides a white elephant because some people consider it to be holy. Rich people and kings kept the animal for the sake of prestige.

However, no matter how anti-India our new Prime Minister KP Oli may sound while voicing his thoughts on the Indian blockade, he has followed our southern neighbour’s practice of providing a free house to our former president. Yet, we know that the retired president has a house in Janakpur and another one in Kathmandu. Why does Oli need to provide funds for Yadav to rent a house until the government can build him one? Is Oli is setting a precedent so that he gets similar benefits from his successor?

When asked to provide details about his assets, former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said that he owned only two mobile phones when he entered Baluwatar. Before he left that mansion, the ‘poor prime minister’ had distributed gifts close to Rs 3 billion. No one can object to the money Koirala provided to victims of the 10-year Maoist war, drivers who lost their vehicles during various strikes, government workers injured while fulfilling their duties, sick literary figures, ailing musicians, and living martyrs. But he has also doled out money to his party projects, conferences, and favourites. People belonging to the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist), and Parliament have received most of his gifts. Even Congress crooks like Khum Bdr Khadka and Govinda Raj Joshi (he received Rs 2,780,000 for medical treatment) have benefited. On January 18, the former finance minister Ram Sharan Mahat received Rs 2,83,897 for his treatment at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York. Was Mahat not receiving a salary that he had to depend on this dole?

According to Arthik Rastriya Dainik, for his medical expenses in the US, Sushil Koirala took Rs 2,926,328, 1,916,200, 14,338,845, 875,390, 58,385, 40,997, and 21,606 on seven occasions. The hilarious bit is that he had to beg even Rs 21,606 from the government. Did he not have a monthly salary higher than that? Our present Prime Minister Oli lives on medicines; and Koirala, using our tax money, dealt with him generously. Oli got Rs 5,996,000, 6,639,167 on two occasions.

Give it up

Merely criticising the political class benefits no one. Therefore, here are a few suggestions.Positively, many Nepali politicians have chosen not to use government money or go out of the country for health reasons. Certainly, Sushil Koirala, KP Oli, and others should follow these good examples.

Second, politicians who have serious health problems should not run for government posts. In the US, presidential candidates go through detailed health scrutiny in hospitals and through the press. Third, former presidents and prime ministers should return to their own homes. Yadav should set an example by retiring to his own house in Janakpur or Kathmandu. He should live on his pension, accept government security (most retired politicians have enemies), but take no other privileges.

And lastly, parliamentarians and others who have taken government funds when they already had enough should return them. The people will respect them for doing so. After all, ordinary citizens sell land, ornaments for medical expenses. Why should politicians, meant to serve people, loot them instead?

During her 2014 visit to Nepal, Burmese leader Aung San Suu Ki sarcastically said that she had never met so many former prime ministers in any other country. In the future, we shall add more retired presidents, vice presidents, and speakers to that list. The more white elephants we keep, the less money for the country’s development.

Khatry is executive director of Association for Theological Education in Nepal