Spread the love

By Our Reporter

If we look at the social sites these days, they are full of comments that Nepal will soon become the next Bangladesh. Obviously, such comments are from the frustrated Nepalis who have been fed up with misrule, corruption and a syndicate of the major parties in Nepal.

Similar were comments earlier after the fall of the Sri Lankan government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2022.

‘Nepal is heading to the path of Sri Lanka’ had become a buzzword in Nepal after the collapse of the Sri Lankan Government following protests by the people affected by the economic crisis in the island nation of South Asia.

Now, when the government of Sheikh Hasina fell on August 5 and Hasina fled the country because of violent street demonstrations in which over 300 people were killed, Nepali people have started predicting that Nepal is likely to become another Bangladesh.

Political instability has been common in South Asian nations located around India, the largest democracy. Though stability has been maintained in India, with most of the government formed after 1999 snap polls completing the full terms of five years in India, it has not been the case in other countries. Coups are common in Pakistan while Bangladesh too faced a similar situation before Hasina came to power in 2009 through elections and ruled the country with iron fists for 15 years. No government in Nepal has completed a full five-year term since 1951 while the falls and formations of government are common in the Maldives.

As such, the comments of the Nepali people on social sites that Nepal could be another Bangladesh do not look unusual. As said above, the comments came out of frustration prevalent among the people.

No doubt, the leaders are responsible for the present situation in Nepal, where corruption, bad governance and nepotism have thrived, resulting in a poor pace of development, economic backwardness and unemployment. When many of the countries in East Asia made tremendous progress in the last five decades, Nepal has failed to make that progress, and its rulers should be blamed for that.

However, still, there are slim chances for the Nepali rulers to face the fate of Hasina in the near future. Nepali leaders have not yet made Nepal a fertile place for similar demonstrations in Nepal. First, no Prime Minister in Nepal had a chance to rule for more than three years and accumulate power as Hasina did in Bangladesh. Yes, KP Oli, during his earlier stint tried to capture the state mechanism by appointing his ‘yes’ men to the constitutional bodies, but his government could not survive. Now, he is again leading the government but is not in a position to appoint his ‘yes’ men as he is leading a coalition government of UML and NC.

Secondly, Nepal’s democratic system looks more liberal than it is in Bangladesh and other South Asian countries including India. At least, the rulers here do not dare to jail the opposition leaders as in Bangladesh and suppress the voices of the opposition. They have also not suppressed the free press. Hasina imprisoned former Prime Minister and chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Khaleda Zia for 17 years on a corruption charge in 2018.  She restricted the media which wrote against her. But in Nepal, no former PM and opposition leaders are jailed.

Both Nepali politicians and the people are liberal and tolerant, maybe because Nepal is the birthplace of Buddha. The people ended the Rana rule in 1951 but did not demolish the statutes of the Rana Prime Ministers. They are still standing around Tundikhel and at the main junction of New Road. They restored democracy in 1990 but did not demolish the statutes of the kings. Only the Maoists and those who launched violent movements in Madhes pulled down a few statutes of the kings and poets. But in Bangladesh, the demonstrators destroyed the statutes of Sheik Mujibur Rahaman, the father of Bangladesh.

Even Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of any movement aimed at destabilizing social harmony. Although Nepal is not likely to be another Bangladesh, the ousting of Hasina could be a big lesson for Nepali leaders. They should work very cautiously leaving no chance for people to take to the streets. They should not take any decision that could spark violence because in Bangladesh a small spark of protest that began by opposing the reservation system in government culminated in the toppling of the government and inviting a chaotic situation.