The fastest growing industry in Nepal is the service industry, but the service they provide is literally disservice to the customers. Let’s take an example: my family moved to a new place, it took us more than a week to set up the landline, two weeks to get the solar hooked up, and the carpenter ignored our calls (since he needed electricity to use his equipments).
On top of that, it is customary in Nepali culture to serve tea for these workmen while they are working. And some of these men (it’s a male dominated service sector) expect tip at the end of their slow and procrastinated work schedule (included in their fees). At this rate, it is no wonder we take two steps forward, and fall five steps behind. [break]
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One would wonder why. Maybe they don’t have enough manpower, technical support, don’t get paid enough, and so on. But the reality is, there isn’t an overseeing organization to regulate or demand consequences from the service sector. The same goes with the retail industry. There could be a difference of three to five hundred rupees, some time thousands, depending on where one buys the same stuff. The innocent publics are the ones who suffer. The worse thing is: there isn’t a legal government to complain to.
Our political leaders cannot agree on what they want over what is good for the nation. For them what is good for the gander is good for the geese. Maybe they need to learn the difference between “wants” and “needs”. What they “want” is power, what we “need” is a fair constitution, legal system, quality education for ALL, clean water, better roads, job opportunities, fair and inclusive election process. And the list goes on.
Our country itself has a lot of potential, but its people don’t. Nepotism still dictates opportunities one can have, not abilities. My cousin, a recent nursing graduate, is job hunting. Even before she can hand in her resume, she is asked if she knows someone at the hospital (and they aren’t implying the janitor or the guard). She went through a board exam and then the licensing exam, and still had to go through another entrance exam to get shortlisted at reputed hospitals. After all this, you still need connections. Why bother with the exam/s then?
The culture of bribery has spread like wild fire. From applying for a citizenship to getting a permit to build houses (of course against the rule book), bribery is everywhere. In Nepal, the “survival of the fittest” can be changed to “survival of the richest.” It is tough being a Nepali, even tougher being an honest Nepali; but it is worst being a poor, honest, naïve, and hardworking Nepali.
I understand we don’t have a constitution yet, but what little laws we have are easily ignored by the people and the personnel who guard it. They actually turn deaf and blind when they come across illegal activities. Why? Because they get paid more to be dishonest than to do their job. How do they get the job in the first place? They knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone, who pulled some strings for them (Disclaimer: I am not saying all the officials are dishonest).
One can only handle so much. When you see the people around you, those who don’t abide by the law get what they want and some more. And law abiding citizens have to wait to get what is rightfully theirs. It’s no surprise that the public doesn’t trust the law or the government. In order to get things done, an honest person unwillingly has to resort to what dishonest people do– bribe. It’s like they say, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” (Disclaimer: I am not promoting bribery by any means)
What I don’t understand is the amount of patience we Nepalis have when it comes to everything related to politics and government. Politics in Nepal has been a family business; and for some reason there isn’t a retirement age. It would be fine if the politicians had best public interest in mind. They are public servants, run by our tax money, and god willing, and they are supposed to be responsible to us. But we sit around expecting a miraculous solution out of the same bunch, who created the problems in the first place. Can you explain that? I sure can’t. In fact, we should dedicate an award to us– to the citizens of the country with the most patience, faith and understanding towards its corrupt government.
And what is it with our “leaders” running to a neighboring country for “paramarsha”? Obviously, they were so busy that they could not pay attention to their own poor citizens; but thought hearing the same words in Indian English would make more sense! Are we sure we don’t want a retirement age for our politicians?
John F Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” What we ask is: what other countries can do for us. With the trend of overseas employment and abroad studies, we ask ourselves: what we can do in other countries? We might not have the best service industry at home, but we are ready to risk our lives to provide services abroad. I don’t blame anyone for it. After all, everyone has the right to dream of a better life. But what bugs me is the loss of manpower and brain drain created due to lack of opportunities.
I understand Nepal is just a fledgling nation at the time, but if our leaders were to actually think of the greater good, we could all move forward as a nation. Together we could bring positive changes. Instead of pulling each others’ legs, if we held each others’ hands (not just for the front page news); and walked shoulder to shoulder, we could actually get somewhere. If we could embrace our differences and focus on our commonalities, we could all stand tall and be proud of who we are.
Nepal is a small country, sandwiched between two giant economic forces. They might have different political ideologies, but they have sorted out the “needs” of their nation. In comparison to them, Nepal looks malnourished, like it is suffering from Kwashiorkor. For once, if we looked at the bigger picture and put the future of our country and its people as our priority, we too could meet our “needs” and not have to send our sons and daughters in search of better life elsewhere. I believe it is high time we started building our nation, and stopped bickering about who said what. Let us have a problem solving attitude and not problem creating one.
The author is a science graduate and freelance writer
lama_aastha123@yahoo.com
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