One hopes, Nepal will get a New Dispensation that it Truly Deserves.
What has played out in the streets of Kathmandu and in other parts of Nepal, was just another round of musical chairs, when all too suddenly, the authorities decided they will mute the music. So, unwittingly, the game became both, even more sinister and opaque, blowing out into an open defiance, with thousands hitting the streets.
Over the last two decades, they have played the game, they thought to perfection. So much so, they thought people either did not care or were not intelligent enough to understand; all along, perhaps there were some disgruntled voices, at best or at worst, there always are, some such. The games witnessed the same actors, between them, merely shuffling their chairs. Every time the music stopped, they occupied a new seat. There were the famous four, changing loyalties, friends, portfolios; from an art, it became a pedestrian game. This time when the music stopped, as they were planning playing another round, the people led by the youth, said they have had enough of it.
It was not just a clampdown on social media, but in the true sense, the lifeline of half the country’s population. Intrinsic to their lives, not just to keep updates on politics, which indeed they are almost rabid about, but in their economic pursuit, as a viable and sustainable alternate eco-system that had evolved, giving them new hope of staying connected with friends, family, business and the outside world. Shutting down the app world, meant shutting their lives, for which they were not prepared.
Not social media, as the term goes, but beyond, the all-encompassing eco-system around which their lives had become interwoven. It spelt death to their dignity, of which they remain a proud people. It was their connectivity, to business and life around.
What played out in Kathmandu in the last few days was surely all too sudden, little realised by those in power, who seemed oblivious to the reality on the ground. So, on day one, only the home minister resigned, owning moral responsibility for the deaths of the protestors. But within the next 24 hours, the situation got worse, leading to the prime minister resigning, along with his entire cabinet. The government had fallen, all too sudden, but not unexpected. The signs had been all over – festering – the frustration, the anger, the anguish – it was just waiting for that spark to ignite what was simmering beneath the surface, ready to boil over. A culmination of apathy from the ruling dispensation, refusing to change, narratives of how the rich were getting richer, soaked in corruption, mired in controversies and total distrust.
Culmination, which is also a new beginning. Hopefully, not going to end in some cosmetic surgery as this would only hurt the public sentiment more.
The youth in Kathmandu is hugely aspirational, educated, very conversant with what’s happening in South East Asia, the Middle East; they or their friends travel frequently, they get updates on how prosperity has reached other nations. They want to be part of this economic growth which they have witnessed elsewhere. They have been deprived of this potential, thanks to these musical rounds, deepening of the pockets of the elite, the rich and the influential who have only got richer with every successive change of chairs – the fruits of all this dispensation never reached out to the commoner.
Founder of NGO Hami Nepal, a youth driven activist.
The youth in Kathmandu, again, is much different than in many other parts of South Asia – literacy levels are high, women emancipation in the city is very noticeable. Every third vehicle is being driven by a helmet wearing lady, obeying traffic discipline, which is often unbelievable for us living in India. No city of India shows this level of discipline. No jumping traffic lights. Everybody is in a queue. There are no multiple lanes at any crossing. A walk down Darbar Marg shows it all. The big Apple store, the gadgets locals are buying, the Hard Rock café downtown, the international cuisines, families out for a meal. Within Nepal, domestic tourism has increased considerably, with hotels showing an upside in Nepalese staying. Not to mention, incoming revenues from Nepalese staying overseas, including India, sending back remittances, an ever-growing number, not only means money coming in, but also awareness of the world outside.
The question on everybody’s mind, is there a foreign hand, in the fast-paced developments we have seen? Perhaps, not to start with, that it was home grown, the frustration is real, and inspired by the people. It is a peoples’ uprising, which explains its suddenness and its impact. But then, by the time the spark ignited, there would be these few inevitable global powers, that would have been keenly watching and waiting. This might have been till the music stopped. And the flames lit. Not to mention, the big power rivalry, and trading of interests is another musical game, this time between another set of players! There are deeply intrenched Chinese interests, as much as those of the US, not to mention India, which shares a 1700 km border with it.
What will be the sound of this music, when it starts again? Will it be the same players, in new robes? Will bigger power plays influence and how, and whom? One prays for the future of Nepal that the changes that are brought about are not cosmetic, but far reaching, and which answer the aspirations of the youth of the country. These young leaders who have emerged should not be dismissed, but in fact, encouraged. They are the true future of Nepal. Gen Z leaders have said no person with a political affiliation is acceptable to them. A few young leaders have emerged out of this movement, who given space and opportunity, can start a music score afresh; by a coincidence, one of them, Balendra Shah, the first independent candidate elected as the Mayor of Kathmandu, is an established rapper!
Sushila Karki, the former Chief Justice of Nepal, the only woman to have held the post, appears to be the most favoured choice of the youth, as a neutral leader to head an interim government.
