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Local youths wearing the T-shirt printed with Mayor Balen’s image were detained by the police during the Indra Jatra festival.  

By Yug Bahadur

Last week a mention was made in this column of how incompetent individuals have been appointed in the past and now also, in important positions, including as diplomats. However, looking at the decisions of the political parties and others, it seems the situation has become worse.

The worst part is how many clever individuals seem to dodge away from their responsibilities by using complicated jargon and making even the wrongs they have done something which is actually right.

One does not have to look further than what is happening in the country now to see the incompetency of the so-called most ‘learned’ and clever persons who are dominating politics, the bureaucracy, security forces and other sectors. If they were really visionary, learned, farsighted and honest citizens, who meant well for the country, we would not be in the dismaying situation in which we are now.

These selfish people seem to be interested in only making more money, providing positions to their family members and living a lavish life, not caring at all about the misery of the lesser privileged persons.

There are too many examples of such behavior in recent days. I have no friendship or hatred for some people like Kailash Sirohiya or others like him, who have not worked for the welfare of Nepal, as they actually have come from other countries to settle in Nepal and exploit it. Still, it is disheartening to see Nepalese who have lived here for decades or even centuries, also behaving in the same way. Don’t they have any love for their own country? Looking at their attitude, the answer seems to be No.

Listening to the woes of an old man on a popular TV channel, who had been tricked by his own son and daughter-in-law, was a heart-wrenching experience. For any simple person to hear such a story was indeed a shock. But exactly like betraying one’s own father, betraying one’s Motherland is also very tragic. But these people who we see worshipping besides wealth, our religious deities also, one just can’t fathom the enormous greed and only self-interest they have. So their religious activities actually are simply just hypocrisy, to say the least.

One good piece of reporting was done by a popular TV anchor who showed how our own agricultural products were being ignored, though they were better and cheaper than those products the country imports from outside and the people also buy just because of their ‘looks’. This time he gave the example of apples for instance. He said how a person who had bought apples from Mustang to sell in Kathmandu, was now in dire trouble and he had no other option than to give his apples to monkeys, and cows, or just throw them away as the sellers refused to buy them because the imported apples looked ‘more attractive’.

But Dr Hari Bahadur KC spokesperson of the Agricultural Ministry tried to preach to us the presence of the ‘free market’ policy. This man should look no further than the very countries which introduced this policy, including the US, France, Germany, Canada and others perched high up in the development index. They all have certain ‘protection’ policies for their agriculture and different products that provide employment to their citizens.

Following the ‘free market’ policy blindly will not be good for any nation, specially a nation like Nepal, where the majority till recently were engaged in the agriculture sector for their livelihood.

Now to move on to another issue which is drawing the interest of the people, they are the efforts being made to protect Ravi Lamichhane in the cooperative fraud case in which the parliamentary investigation committee has already said action should be taken against this man. None less than the chief of the investigative committee, Surya Thapa openly said in an interview with a popular TV anchor of Image Channel, that Lamichhane was guilty and the committee had suggested to the government in writing to take action against him. But leaders of RSP like Sushmita Gautam and also Swarnim Wagle have tried to fool the people by saying Lamichhane had received a ‘clean chit’ from the investigation committee.

What sort of characters are these individuals, who are blindly trying to fool and confuse the public?

The explanation of Manish Jha, a co-worker, a dubious character himself, can he say the same thing? I have pity for the innocent individuals who fell into the trap of the smooth-talking leader and now they have to defend him.

Gagan Thapa is far better than these fellows. He has more logic and finesse while talking. Maybe he has also committed some mistakes, exactly like Balen, but he is better than the other fellows, like Ravi Lamichhane, for instance. Not that I have any antagonism against Ravi, but he should realize implementing what he preaches is important and that will bring him more respect and popularity rather than only making populist remarks.

According to public feedback, Mayor Balen is the best-liked person in the country at present, and I also agree with such a viewpoint, exactly like hundreds of thousands of Nepali people, I want to see people like him at the helm.

But he has to act fast and ‘hit the iron when it is hot’, otherwise those parties which have deep-rooted organizations may try and harm him. The time to demand for direct election and come to power to save the nation is now when virtually all the people are backing him.

Yogesh Bhattarai of the UML also seems to be a good leader, though he has presently been maligned for trying to protect his party president KP Oli in a blatant manner.

While speaking of Mayor Balen and the UML, we must tell young Sunita Dongol to also rise above politics and her affiliation to the UML, the party that leads the government now, if she wants the respect of the people. As said by one person, she will get the votes of the people if she leaves this party and works for the welfare of the people, not by going against Mayor Balen.

What support Balen has among the people could be seen even during the formal function organized at the beginning of Indra Jatra just about a week ago. The people present there were all chanting the name of the mayor instead of the president or the prime minister. Probably the authorities didn’t realize it, but they aggravated the situation further by virtually arresting more than a dozen youths who were wearing T-shirts with Balen’s picture.

The time has definitely come for change and we cannot expect any change from the old leaders and the traditional slavish loyalty of bureaucrats and security personnel.

We need more new faces in the government and probably we may be able to see such a change, but if the new generation cannot succeed then they will too have to pass over the reins of power to another newer generation. Perhaps it is only then, by the time we will all be long gone, the nation will see a better future. That is what at least this writer prays for, not only for the nation but for the future generation as well.