I could have easily titled this piece as “leaders vs followers” but the sweetness that comes with the use of Nepali words neta vs janata, in a politicalized context, can never be found in English words.
There is a simmering debate taking place among Nepali intelligentsia over whether the ills of Nepali society rest with bad netas (political leaders) or with passive and apathetic janatas? Janatas need netas and netas need janatas - each compliments the other, in reciprocal ways.
Chicken-Egg Paradox
The debate is akin to the chicken-egg paradox - who came first? The chicken or the egg? Should we blame our leaders for all the ills and bad things happening around us or the sheeple (people) who voted them into power? Are the leaders responsible to the followers or the followers to the leaders? There are other similar debates taking place like neta vs niti (leaders vs policy) or byekti vs prabriti (individual vs nature) or bebastha vs awastha (system vs situation).
Movement Against Netaraj
Swollen river sweeps away hydro power canal
Read any social media, one will be bombarded by highly personalized, anti-neta swearing messages. While attending public gatherings, our netas, now, have to think twice. No one can predict the mood of the crowd. For no reason, they may have to face anti-neta sloganeering and booing.
There is now even a call for a civil movement against neta-tantra or neta-raj, something akin to gunda-raj or, simply, goons in English. It is true that for long, “the democracy for the people, of the people and by the people” have been hijacked to be transformed into “for the leader, of the leader and by the leader”. There is a need for a purge in all political parties, including injecting fresh blood. Equally, there is also a need for reforming the electoral system which has been reduced to pork-barrel politics. Votes and notes are now indiscernible.
The Dead Woods
Not more than a dozen political leaders have continuously dominated and monopolized the country's political landscape for the last 30-35 years. They are into a kind of playing the game of musical chair or a rotating door ad nauseam. Recently, somebody tweeted, “the problem is not with shreepanch, it is with shreetin - the original title of Rana prime ministers but, now, referred to three leaders, namely, Mr Deuba from Nepali Congress, Mr Oli from CPN-UML and Mr PK Dahal from the Maoist Party. Recent outpouring of public support for the former monarch is believed to be more due to despair with these leaders than a hope for the abolished monarchy.
The leaders are not only aged, old fashioned and outdated, they have turned out to be equally inept, inefficient, power-hungry and corrupt to the core. They have failed to come out of their coterie and family circles. As a result, there is a growing call to replace them. However, the truth is that one cannot import netas from abroad, or a new brand of netas produced overnight. They are the product of society. Recently, we have seen some new, younger generation netas. Carefully watch them wearing tika, unique attire, hair style and the way of speaking. Their behaviour and eccentricity exhibit no difference from the old netas. Self-aggrandizement and empire-building are their hallmarks. Age-specific studies on corruption have shown that younger the age, the more they are prone to corruption.
In defense of netas
The political leaders work with three constraints. First, they are attracted by highly visible events or activities. That is, they are media fiends. Remember PM Oli reciting poems, releasing books and addressing the public at random? Second, they cannot think beyond the next elections, hence short termism is a determining rule. Third, they are, primarily, driven by partisan interests. For them, working for their constituency takes a priority. However, these features in no way match with public interests which are not visible, takes longer term to achieve and benefits diffused among the larger populace.
People or Sheeple?
Who is important here - the leader or the followers? During a situation of crisis, the netas guide and goad janatas, but it is the janatas that produce netas. It is pointless expecting good leaders from bad followers. By the way, the word janata is too broad, diffused and all encompassing. Instead of Nepali janata, what we have here is Congressi voters, UML supporters, Maoist fans, rajabadi. Don’t get surprised if you find an equal or even more number of supporters outpouring, than rajabadis, during the upcoming street demo on 28 March, proposed as a show of force, by the Socialist Front in Kathmandu. If you assume janatas to be the poor, the voiceless and powerless people without any connections, you are not talking of janatas, you are talking of sheeple.
With increasing numbers of youths helping the economy through remittance money, the jantas are creating a relaxed environment for the netas. They have to do nothing to manage public discontent. During the Panchayat days, we were told that foreign aid helped to sustain the system, it provided a safety valve in a pressure cooker of public discontent, otherwise it would have exploded a long time back. The same goes with the present-day businesses of foreign employment. They act as a safety valve in the pressure cooker of public discontent.
To conclude, unless and until, the followers are not prepared to lead, the leaders will not be prepared to follow. There is no point putting blame on netas for the ills of the society. You reap what you sow. And we are sowing what we reap.
