By Rabi Raj Thapa

The politics of the big bang is happening all over the world. In Nepal, the year 2082 BS has been the year of revolution – one revolution initiated by the royalists, another, “Blue Revolution” just proclaimed on June 17 by the youngest political party, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). This has given a jolt to all parochial political stalwarts to see all RSP parliamentarians entering the parliament in attractive blue scarves. This event and initiative seem to be beyond their anticipation.  

Today, it is not only Nepal, but the whole world is embroiled in political conflict and war. Look at the pathetic, inhuman states of helpless, hungry and suffering Palestinians in Gaza, look at the bloody Russian-Ukraine War and the recent Israel-Iran war. Still, even the sky has a limit. Once, people believed Israel to be invincible, its territory and sky impenetrable because of its mighty advanced weaponry and full American support. Yet, Iran’s missiles succeeded in penetrating through layers and layers of Israel’s Iron Dome and its air defense shields. 

Today Nepal is not fighting that type of war. Nepal is embroiled in parliamenterians' fights like that of cats and dogs. It seems to have given ample ground for people to suspect whether Nepali is drawing near to a failing state with ‘erosion of state capacity to govern, inability to perform basic functions of state responsibility’ and so on. Today, Nepali aircraft cannot fly over Europe and America due to the EU's blacklist on them. Nepal has fallen under the “Grey List” by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Speaker of the Parliament has totally failed to run the Parliamentary assembly rightly and impartially. Most alarmingly, Nepal is poised to become a lucrative market for gold and human smuggling, with government institutions also implicated. The most pathetic situation is that of Nepal’s oversight bodies, where ministers vehemently struggle to prove their innocence while many of their officials come under the net of the country's constitutional body to investigate abuse of authority by government officials and political leaders. Now people think that there should be no question when taking action against any perpetrator, whether he or she may be a sitting minister or a former prime minister.

There are many politicians, individuals, business people and government officials deeply engaged and involved in human trafficking criminal networks. They are successful in Nepal because they all work under tacit consent or with little or no oversight from the government. Today, Nepal is caught in a slippery slope of crime and corruption, where political leaders and government high officials are inextricably implicated. In such circumstances, it is naturally disheartening and frustrating to those Nepalis who can neither tolerate such national anomalies nor fight against them at all.

That may be the reason why Nepali people feel excited when they see their social and political top guns get indicted for criminal offenses. They watch what happens next like that in a suspense movie or an exciting cricket match.

In such a scenario, it gets more exciting and sometimes annoying to see the accused brag and challenge the system, intimidate and threaten the people who voted them to be ministers and prime ministers.

Recently, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s behavior, denial and intimidation challenges indecent and objectionable. That gave birth to the Blue Revolution which was never heard before.  

It is an obvious fact that Nepal’s Members of Parliament are losing people’s respect. The Speaker of the House looks weak in maintaining decorum and discipline within Parliament. His indifference to the voices of the opposition parties was despicable. For weeks, Nepal’s legislative parliament looked like a chaotic classroom of vandals. Today, Nepal’s rulers must understand that people are getting angry and highly frustrated. They have begun to feel this political system is more of a national liability than an asset.

May God Save Nepal and the Nepali People!