By Shashi P.B.B. Malla Recent man-made and natural calamities in our country have highlighted the poor state of preparedness and the non-resilience of the political system in general. It can also be said that institutional memory is non-existent. Who do we thank for this state of affairs? If you hesitate in giving an answer, congratulations! You have identified yourself as a member, relative, supporter or otherwise dependent of the exclusive elite establishment of Nepal. For millions of toiling Nepalese, you also belong to the blood-sucking Mafia families that call themselves so-called political parties.

Floods caused by glacier lake outburst hit Thime village

To return to the beginning of the discourse:
  • It is common knowledge that Nepal’s civil aviation sector badly needs reform from the bottom up. But nothing is being done since years. Hard decision-making is required from the top, but the Dons have other fish to fry.
  • ICIMOD has pointed out since many years that the upper reaches of our Himalayas have critical glacial lakes that have suddenly formed and may burst at any time.
However, the government only springs into action after the devastation has occurred.
  • The Brain & Brawn Drain has reached alarming proportions, but those in power are busy ‘making hay while the sun shines’.
Entire villages have been abandoned or are populated only by old people. Not only is the food security of the country in acute danger, but it can be said that the country’s national security as such is being attacked. To summarize:
  • In the domestic arena our national security has been compromised on many fronts.
  • In the international field or vital national interests are being ignored and neglected by the Dons and their hangers-on.
One could go on and on .  .  . One can have sympathy for the astrologer/tantric – who finds the country’s situation so hopeless that he resorts to hocus-pocus to get rid of the Dons – sorry, I mean our respected leaders. To expect that Loktantra – will reform itself is a forlorn hope. The Dons and their Mafia families have already chartered the path until the next elections – power sharing and sharing the spoils of office. And don’t expect that the next elections will bring transformation – it will be the same mixture as before. After all, Nepal is an electoral democracy – we have the fundamental right to elect kleptocrats, who from time to time hold political musical chairs for the amusement of the vox populi. The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com