The Indian economic blockade has not been entirely bad for Nepal. It has for one injected much-needed realism in Nepalis: that in the world governed on realpolitik, there can be no such thing as 'special relationship' between two sovereign states. In the international arena every country is looking to protect only its interests. So it makes sense to diversify Nepali trade so that no one country, however powerful, can bully Nepal into working against its own interest. The other big plus has been the unprecedented level of unity and sense of brotherhood recently seen among common Nepalis. Our youngsters took the lead when it came to helping the victims of the economic blockade. Even in the first few days of the blockade Facebook pages on 'carpooling' were up and running. It was not just those with fancy private cars who were offering free rides. Barely-functioning motorbikes were also brought to good use to offer free pillion rides to those stranded due to fuel shortage. The Nepali youth has been rather creative in other ways too.The youth from the Pahade community held 'dhoti rallies' to express their solidarity with common Madheshis. In other places, common kitchens are being operated to skimp on scarce cooking gas. The underlying message of all these initiatives is that, first, Nepali people are capable of looking after themselves, without the support of any foreign friend. Second, it is impossible in this day and age to subvert the energy and freedom of the eager youth. The spirit of solidarity witnessed post-blockade is reminiscent of the post-earthquake outpouring of help from Nepalis in every part of the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Nepal could somehow leverage this seemingly inexhaustible youth energy for national development? Why wait! This initiative can start with the new government of KP Sharma Oli.
Prime Minister Oli has said rebuilding Nepal is among his top priorities. If he is serious, he would do well to take on board some of the same enterprising youths who have been so forthcoming with help of every kind for their brethren suffering from the prolonged economic blockade. Many believe PM Oli will have nothing new to offer. It's said he is incapable of looking beyond his personal interests; and the old baiter of Maoist and Madheshi parties will continue to be a divisive figure. This is a wonderful opportunity to prove them wrong. Oli should try to capitalize on the sense of solidarity after the blockade and channel the collective anger in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged country. If his goal is to make Nepalis self-reliant, as he has repeatedly hinted in recent past, he must be able to employ the energy of the youth in creative ways inside the country. Thousands of acres of fields lie fallow in the absence of youth to till them. Local industries, likewise, have been decimated by prolonged political instability and acute power shortage. At long last, we now have a constitution, which spells a much-awaited end of the painful political transition. The constitution in the bag, what better time to channel the collective energy of enterprising Nepalis in national development!
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