Both Switzerland and Nepal are mountainous and landlocked, but they are as apart in economy and culture as the Himalayas are from the Alps. That doesn’t stop Nepal’s politicians from selling the dream of turning their country into Switzerland to voters. But do Nepali leaders really know what makes Switzerland a success story?
Khem Lakai doesn’t think so. He may not be a politician but he knows Switzerland more than any public official in Nepal. Lakai is the president of the Nepali-Swiss Friendship Society and the founder of the Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education in Kathmandu. In this video interview, The Diplomat asked him to compare the two countries and tell us what it would take for Nepal to become like Switzerland.
More than cheese and chocolates, or banks and watches, Switzerland is about its belief in the dignity of labor, he said.