By Narayan Prasad Mishra
Our country Nepal, once known to the world as the land of Mount Everest and Lord Buddha, a sanctuary of natural beauty and spiritual purity, is now infamous for something entirely different: corruption. Once praised for its ancient monuments, exquisite wood and stone carvings, and a society of simple, loving, honest, and righteous people, today’s it tells a tragic story of moral collapse and national betrayal.
In the last three and a half decades, the very political forces entrusted to protect and develop the nation have instead turned into its worst enemies. Democracy was supposed to be a blessing. Instead, it became a cover for unrestrained plunder. The government—rotating among the same corrupt hands—has built nothing of substance, only layers of lies, deception, and decay.
Our country is no longer just struggling; it is bleeding from wounds inflicted by its own leaders. From administration to judiciary, police, health to education, land to diplomacy—corruption has infected every organ of the state. We are now witnessing the complete collapse of public morality and state accountability. We are all aware that there are dozens of corruption scams and scandals, each standing as a stark symbol of national shame. But none is more damning than the Cooperative Scandal—the biggest financial fraud in Nepal’s history—in which nearly one-third of the population has been openly cheated. It exposes the depth and pervasiveness of the rot of corruption, while laying bare the tears, agonies, and shattered hopes of millions of victims now crying out on the streets.
Even a movie, महाभोज (Grand Feast), inspired by the plight of Nepal’s Cooperative victims, has been released, bringing their struggles to the nation’s attention. Yet we do not see the government acting with an honest heart to punish the culprits and deliver justice with the urgency the situation demands. This is not a legal grey area—it is a clear case of fraud.
The victims of the cooperatives should not be forced to plead in court for the return of their own deposited money. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure justice by compelling the looters to repay without delay—or, failing that, to return the money on their behalf by confiscating the looters’ properties, including land, houses, ornaments, and hidden or unaccounted cash. I wish the government, its machinery, other political parties, and parliamentarians would focus on this matter without delay if they truly oppose irregularities and corruption rather than acting like hypocrites.
No major political party can claim innocence in this disaster. Leaders and followers alike are complicit. Power is not used to serve the people but to loot the country. Political parties have become mafias. Parliaments have turned into auction houses of influence and favoritism. The law exists only to shield the powerful.
But one question haunts every honest Nepali:
Why are the hundreds of thousands of followers and members of these very parties—the Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party (UML), Nepal Communist Party (Maoists), and Rashtriya Swatantra Party—so silent?
Are they blind to our country’s ugly transformation? Have they been brainwashed into defending the indefensible? Do they have no conscience, no eyes, and no ears? Surely, not all of them are beneficiaries of this corruption—many are ordinary, struggling citizens. But their silence has become complicity. Their loyalty has become national betrayal.
And another pressing question must be asked:
Why do our international friends—India, China, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, and Japan, etc —continue to ignore it?
These countries know the depth of our country’s corruption. Their embassies are fully aware of the scandals. Yet they continue their aid, business deals, and diplomatic courtesies with the same corrupt leaders. They speak of democracy, transparency, and accountability in words, but ignore their collapse in practice.
Is it indifference? Strategic convenience? Or quiet cynicism?
Our country does not need interference, but it desperately needs truth-telling and moral pressure from its allies. Aid without accountability only fuels the fire, and silence from friends only strengthens the corrupt.
Today, there is even fear that Nepalese may be denied entry to foreign lands due to visa fraud and criminal scandals orchestrated by those in power. The reputation of Nepal is being destroyed not by its poor, but by its political elites. The day is not far when the world may no longer welcome the passport that once symbolized peace and humility.
Our country with the capacity to be a paradise on Earth, is being disfigured daily. And yet, the honest citizens- the real sons and daughters of this soil—remain silent. But for how long?
This is a call to those who still carry truth in their hearts, who still feel pride in their heritage, and who still dream of a better nation. We must rise—not with violence, but with conscience, unity, and resistance. We must say “enough” to the corruption, to the lies, and to the betrayal.
Our country belongs not to the corrupt few who rule it, but to the millions who love it.
It is time for an awakening.
It is time for a peaceful, honest revolt.
It is time to reclaim the nation from the hands that are selling it.
Let history remember this generation—not as silent victims, but as brave restorers of a fallen nation.
Comments:
Leave a Reply