Spread the love

By Yug Bahadur

This author does not want to share any negative energy or be some sort of a dooms day sayer, but there are clear indication that our nation is heading towards more turmoil, if not disaster in the days to come.

All the major parties seem to be engaged in some form of protest or agitation without showing any concern of the common people who are in real hardship. The political parties and their leaders seem to have only their own agendas, with no thought of the citizens or the country in mind.

What the people need is the fulfillment of their basic needs not the changes in the government or the leadership of one party or the other.

Like our political leaders constantly warn us of the threat to democracy or what we now call ‘loktantra’, and like what foreign powers and their agents here in Nepal preach us about things like democracy, human rights, gender equality and recognition of the right of the ‘third gender’ people, we agree with them.

Of course we need democracy, of course we want human rights, of course we want to see gender equality and other such magnanimity in the society where everyone should be able to live a life of equality and security.

But we first need other basic essentials as well. Like for example an easy access to drinking water, better health facilities, access to better education, good roads and other physical infrastructure, more social security and an easier access to government services. But no one seems to be giving a thought to such matters, specially our political leaders who seem to be interested in only vested political interests or in earning more money and promoting nepotism  or in giving benefits to their cadres.

This is what has been happening and bringing a more disasterous situation to the country. Unless the basic needs of the people are fulfilled and they are given a sense of security, the idealistic talks of the political leaders will mean nothing, just like the complicated rules and regulation that are introduced by cunning bureaucrats for their own benefit instead of clearing the way for the general public.

Why are the major parties also engaged in disturbing the normal lives of the people? In the Nineties we saw some very violent protests, specially those organized by the Leftist parties and as an active journalist at that period, I was witness to some very terrible moments and I also heard of how some of my close friends too suffered just because they supported one party or the other. Such attitude of the political parties is not only dividing the society, but also sowing the seeds of the antipathy of the public towards the politicians, who wanted to just show their power by going to the streets.

Exactly like that is happening now, as well. Maybe there has been no violence like in the past, but a more dangerous situation is being developed by the poor vision of our own leaders and the prompting of outside powers and their agents here within the country.

The people are being divided through different ways and this does not suit a country like Nepal which earlier lived in peace and harmony with no communal division. The political, social and even religious divide has made this country more accessible for foreigners to make it a playground for their own vested interests.

For example, the once most feared party, the Maoists are also in an agitation mode, but what benefits has it gotten from their old style of threatening the government or the people? Nothing. When their own cadres now don’t believe in the rhetoric of their leaders, how can it expect the public to support it?

It is the same with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), a newly formed party on which the common people had much faith. But the leaders of this party also turned out to be the same as the older parties and they only seemed interested in power instead of bringing in real change, as they had promised. For instance, some of the party leaders are shouting hoarse for the release of their president Ravi Lamichhane. If they are really honest, they should be talking about how the people who are suffering due to the cooperatives embezzlements should be given justice, not only about the release of the leader.

Let the law take its course, if Lamichhane is innocent, he will be released, but if he is found guilty, then he will have to be punished. This is not something which can be decided from the streets. And even now we are witnessing the dwindling support of the masses in this party and also the scuffle among some top leaders to take benefit of this situation.

Here it would not be going out of the way in mentioning the so called ‘awareness’ campaign of the CPN (UML), whose party president is the prime minister of the country now. The party definitely has the right to hold demonstrations, but how can it defend many wrongs committed by its leaders in the past?

We will talk about this issue in more detail next week, but it is surprising why some people are making a huge hue and cry about the impending visit to China by prime minister KP Oli.

For example Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoists, who doesn’t want to see the Belt and Road Initiative or BRI coming to Nepal through Oli’s leadership is also baffling. Why is the UML’s coalition partner, the Nepali Congress also not want Oli to sign any BRI projects during his visit unless if it comes in grants, this is also confusing?

This is the same party which stridently supported the signing of the MCC Agreement with America.

Definitely we know that nobody distributes ‘free lunches’. There are always some strings attached, but now at this time of crisis, Nepal simply cannot refuse any helping hand for its support.

These same political critics are also questioning why Oli has chosen to go to China instead of India where most Nepali head of state usually visits soon after assuming office.

As China first extended an invitation to Oli to visit China, it is the discretion of the prime minister to decide where he would like to go. What if, America had invited Oli first, would it be offending for neighbours India and China, when he made a decision to visit the US first? Or if Britain had invited Oli or some other country, would it be disturbing to our neighbours?

Nepal is a sovereign country and the prime minister has the right to visit any other independent country at his own discretion, not thinking how it would send a wrong message to others. This means the persons who are talking against Oli’s visit are also being manipulated by some outside powers.

Two other complaints against the government are the arrest of notorious medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai and also the arrest of the pioneer of the Greater Nepal campaign Fanindra Nepal. While Prasai could be accused of trying to defame the current prime minister, it is absurd why Fanindra Nepal was arrested. Does an individual not have the right to express his thoughts when freedom of expression is parroted all the time?

Therefore both the acts of the government and also the opposition parties does not bode well for the common people, who only want their basic needs fulfilled and live in an environment of security.