This has resulted in our economy heading towards recession, millions losing their jobs, children deprived of education, and the sick dying due to lack of essential drugs at hospitals. The year 2015 will also be remembered for Prime Minister's KP Oli's sheer ignorance, ineptitude and recklessness when it comes to helping the earthquake victims, who are dying by the day as harsh winter envelopes Nepal's worst-hit districts. He is well on his way to shattering the records set by previous prime ministers in forming disgustingly large cabinets.Against all odds, Nepalis showed remarkable maturity, humility and courage and love throughout the year. In the immediate aftermath of the April and May earthquakes, Nepali youth from all over the world came forward to support the victims within a few hours of the tragedy and even before our government sprang into action. They used social media platforms and their connections in helping locate the victims and deliver essential relief to those in need. This demonstrated the power of young, educated and dynamic Nepali youths who are the only remaining hope for this country. The overwhelming empathy and support shown to the people by the young of Nepal was a defining moment in many ways. It showed the power of togetherness, love and fortitude of our youth force, which, if directed properly, can transform the country in a few years.
The common people, both rich and poor, lived side-by-side in the open spaces, helping each other and adjusting to a difficult situation. We found no significant reports of rioting or looting during this period. In fact Nepal Police reported a sharp decline in crime in the Valley during and after the quake. Tudikhel, our biggest open space in Kathmandu, was jam-packed. And thousands were supporting neighbors and strangers alike. A humble reminder, this, of the true spirit, courage and kindness of our people.
On the other hand, the role of our government in response to the tragedy was disappointing. While any government would be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of such a monumental disaster, the pace at which Singha Durbar worked to reach out to the survivors in the first few days was dismal at best. People sent requests for immediate rescue but there weren't enough systems in place to respond. The international community sent in plane loads of relief materials but these simply accumulated at the only international airport and the usua red tape hampered speedy distribution of the relief.
The promulgation of the constitution on September 20 marked another difficult episode for ordinary Nepalis in the year 2015. Select members of the Madhes-based parties walked out of the Constituent Assembly in the run up to the final voting on the constitution. The major political parties failed to accommodate some of the demands put forth by the Madhesis and a rather unsuccessful Indian involvement at the last minute only morphed into an unofficial blockade and protests in the Tarai-Madhes. Meanwhile, diplomacy took a back seat and soon the struggle became one of egoes between political leaders in Kathmandu and New Delhi.
The leaders of the Tarai-Madhes will have a lot of explaining to do as we move towards implementation of the new constitution. They occupied no man's land along the Nepal-India border, a clear breach of international law and the national laws of both Nepal and India. The Indian government did nothing to stop protesters attacking Nepali police stations and property from the Indian side of the border. Rampant violence, destruction of property, and closure of schools, hospitals and local markets in Tarai-Madhes have impacted both our economy and the future of our children. They weren't able to go back to school for over three months. Continued misinformation about the new constitution and the banning of all activities to promote factual truth about it have been resorted to very effectively by the Morcha. And in the meantime, the government in Kathmandu became a mere bystander.
Average citizens waited in line patiently for hours for a few liters of petrol and half a cylinder of cooking gas. Prices of daily commodities shot up. Millions lost their jobs. The economy is limping and the black market is king. Some of my foreign friends were surprised to see endless queues all over Kathmandu and not a single incident of violence or unrest. People are suffering, and coping in their own ways. The anger in Nepal towards Indian Prime Minister Modi has never been so real. A majority of people think that our friendly neighbor to the south is simply punishing us for bringing out a constitution of our own. While the people continue to suffer from the twin tragedies-- earthquake and economic blockade--our government has been busy expanding the cabinet in Kathmandu.
Soon after KP Oli became our 38th Prime Minister, there were hopes that this man would end the crisis and take concrete steps in implementing the new constitution. The Oli government has only been full of empty words and zingers. His people have profited tremendously from the crisis. Black marketeering in oil and gas has been carried out with full consent from the highest levels of government. Oli's administration was successful neither in ending the crisis nor bringing the needed supplies from China. Even after four long months of the blockade, our government has basically done nothing to improve road infrastructure in the north. Yet Oli never fails to mention how he works 18 plus hours a day to end the sufferings of the people. His words have stopped making any sense to the Nepalis. And rumors of a change of guard at Singha Durbar are already swirling in Kathmandu.
While we underwent extreme suffering in 2015, we want to put that year behind us and look forward to 2016. The choking Indian blockade will come to an end soon. After flirting with many systems and regimes, we now finally have a constitution written by the people. We will have to implement the new constitution. Development projects that suffered horribly in 2015 will make up lost ground in 2016. Hundreds of communities across the country will be rebuilt from the rubble of the earthquake. And we will have finally seen the back of the much discussed "transition phase" and will move forward with a singular focus on development. Maybe this whole year of 2015 was a cathartic process for us as a nation, and will hopefully unite us like never before. We cannot waste 2016 in internal squabbles. We have a lot to do. Let us hope and work to ensure that our brightest days are ahead of us!
Happy New Year 2016!
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