By Shashi P.B.B. Malla

The interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has made her political mandate clear.

Lately, she said that the Gen Z movement sent a clear message that our young generation wants accountable, responsible, and corruption-free governance (The Rising Nepal, Nov. 16).

She also noted that the Second Himalayan Republic is moving forward on its democratic journey.

However, the former Chief Justice’s tenure is too short to realize all the radical change that the Gen Z movement envisages.

PM Karki has also indicated that her main mandate is to supervise the parliamentary elections to the lower house of parliament in March 2026.

Thus the new government after these elections will have a lot on its plate.

The new democratic government of the Second Himalayan Republic will have to govern decisively, as well as reform radically.

It will be a difficult but necessary task to clean up and reform all the institutions of the state – akin to the tasks of Hercules in ancient Greek mythology!

The new government will have to start with itself:

  • The Executive.

Previously, the executive was the main source of political dysfunction, according to Prof. Ghanshyam Bhatt from the Tennessee State University, US.

Corruption control mechanisms were weak and biased, law enforcement uneven, crisis management inadequate, and party interests outweighed public welfare (Op-Ed., Republica, Nov. 16).

  • The Legislature.

Also did not live up to its promise.

The Proportional Representation (PR) system was degraded to serve party interests.

According to Prof. Bhatt, in the First Himalayan Republic, we practised “democracy in form, not in spirit”.

  • The Judiciary.

Also faced repeated public scepticism.

Even members of the legal fraternity questioned its integrity.

“Allegations of favouritism and controversial verdicts have shaken public confidence” in the justice system (Bhatt).

  • Law Enforcement

Also suffered from similar inconsistencies and politicization.

“Some escape accountability while others face excessive scrutiny, a pattern that corrodes trust and perpetuates corruption,” writes Prof. Bhatt and cites the case of Rabi Lamichhane.

He also suggests that it is time to reinvent democratic institutions, beginning with the political parties themselves.

“When internal loyalty and patronage override merit and vision, a party ceases to be democratic; it becomes a syndicate” (Bhatt).

This culture of patronage over merit has driven Gen Z youth to form an alternative movement.

Bhatt writes that the new world era is equipped for enlightenment – it is multilaterally connected, informed, and technologically empowered.

The new generation of Nepalese is, therefore, quite capable of creating a new and reformed/reinvented Second Himalayan Republic.

The writer can be reached at: shashimalla125@gmail.com