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By Yug Bahadur

Politically, the country seems to be heading towards a hazardous stage. All the so-called democratic parties seem to be involved in a bitter struggle to just get in power or stay in there and they seem to be not caring at all about the problems the country is facing and the people are going through.

Right now in spite of the different hardships faced by the people, the so-called established parties and also the newer ones which claimed they would bring change in the country are only involved in accusing one another for what misdeeds they have done and not at all working for the development of the nation or solving the problems of the people in general.

Amidst all this political confusion, few people are seeking to solve the immense difficulties the majority of the people are having to live with. These people are living a life of poverty and also misery where just getting two square meals per day and proper health facilities are far-off prospects.

But the political leaders never talk about such problems, they only are involved in blaming each other and trying to bring one another down.

Here, one cannot also spare the media as well, which sometimes makes a mountain out of a mole hill’ if it suits them, but they don’t really bring to the forefront the failure of the political leaders and the senseless manner in which they are talking. The difficulties of the people are also hardly mentioned.

Only foreign-funded agendas like human rights, gender equality, and freedom of speech among other popular seminar topics are mentioned. Sure, we all need things brought up by these activists, but we also need better social security, health care and access to better employment opportunities and better education.

Many have also complained of how not only the top-level executives at different universities are appointed on a ‘pie sharing’ style among the major parties, but of how the students are also divided on a political side basis.

This is one of the saddest parts of the way our country is functioning now. Right from an early age when education should be foremost in the lives of these young people who need to be educated, they are instead given tuition only in party politics.

That is exactly one reason why this author complained many times in writing why it was wrong to use school children as political cadres like the Maoists did many times in the past.

One mistake made during the panchayat period was appointing many teachers who were not only less paid but politically affiliated as well. These individuals were more concerned about spreading party slogans rather than teaching the students. Thus we are now seeing thousands of youngsters more interested in politics rather than contributing to building the nation.

Right now also, we are seeing many professional journalists who have been brought up in such an environment. Many are not only full-time cadres of one party or the other, but at the least, they have some affiliation with such political parties. As an old-time journalist, I can notice these things simply through their attitude, forgetting to write or broadcast news.

At present, the main target seems to be Prime Minister KP Oli, like the way the former kings were when they were in power.

Many times the media are also right for blaming Oli for the many misdeeds he has committed. This author has no differences with these media persons, but at the same time, we must not also forget some good works he has done. He may have committed more wrong deeds than the few stands he took for the nation’s sovereignty, but still after the former kings, this person seems to be a nationalist as well.

Again, why is he in such a hurry to make happy the Indian political leaders? If the Indians don’t want to invite him, then don’t go to India, it is as simple as that. He can make arrangements through diplomatic channels to visit America or Britain or Germany or France among other friendly nations helping Nepal in its development efforts.

Oli has made a name for himself by taking a tough stance against India, a nationalistic stance. If one remembers, the late Marichman Singh Shrestha had also done a similar thing when India had unilaterally put an economic embargo against Nepal. This author had at that time, met a high-level US State Department official who had called India to settle things through bilateral discussions rather than putting such an embargo on a landlocked nation like Nepal.

Have our own ambassadors been able to do that now when the country is facing so many difficulties? They are only remaining silent, earning their pay in dollars, or making claims like bringing peace in Gaza or taking Nepal out of the ‘black list’ of the European Union nations as not a safe air travel nation.

This is laughable, to say the least. But what can we expect from diplomats who have been appointed purely because of nepotism, being close cadres of some party or the other or untrained officials of the Foreign Ministry?

To come back to local politics, it is definitely sad to see the intense bickering among the political parties who are only thinking of themselves, including the Rastriya Swatantrea Party or RSP which claimed it would bring change to the nation by not acting like the older political parties.

The leader of this party, Ravi Lamichhane, has become the deputy prime minister and home minister two times, but what did he accomplish? Actually, he seems to be only a talker and not a doer. No wonder his party itself is in disarray like the older established parties which he wanted to replace.

What the nation needs is a real new leader, not fake ones who claim to be the ‘younger generation’ but are actually groomed traditionally.

If we need another strong man who can bring security to the people and also some sort of development instead of outright corruption, so be it. We do not need to have leaders like Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Nepal and others who have only benefited themselves and their relatives, but done nothing for the country and the common citizens.

The country definitely seems to be in a difficult position and the activities of the leaders, both in power and some who are in jail, do not give us any confidence in making Nepal a better place to live in. No wonder thousands of young people are leaving Nepal for different destinations every day, whether for employment or education. These issues have to be tackled first before any high-sounding promises are made and decisions are taken only for party or personal benefits.