The Oli government’s long list of achievements in the first five months appears like a basic list of job that a government has to do on a regular basis. People across the country do not yet feel the difference in any aspect of their life. Ministers, including the prime minister, are busy giving long, meandering speeches on prosperity but no one seems to be working to ensure that relevant systems and laws are in place to move things on the ground.
People across the country are protesting against unnatural tax hikes. Elected officials so far have only increased their perks, leaving the vital duty of addressing people’s need. There is widespread collusion and corruption when it comes to public procurement and contracting. A handful of people who are close to power centers are enjoying all the benefits. People expected this trend to end after the elections, but not so fast, it appears.
Let’s live and let live
Prime Minister Oli and his team must sit down and think hard on why the media has been harsh on his administration. Only criticizing the media’s critical reporting won’t help. Like it or not, unless people feel the difference in their everyday life, the government will always be at the receiving end of people’s wrath. While Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli may have been briefed by his extremely limited circle of people that media is not reporting the reality on the ground, it would serve his administration well to rely on experts before making big decisions.
We want to see this government succeed. People want to see this government deliver on their campaign promises. The country has been patient so far, but the signals coming out from this government do not point to the right direction. The Oli administration has no excuse not to deliver. People are closely watching every step of the government. They have the right to criticize its wrong policies and actions based on objective evaluation. It has to go for bold, decisive and lasting decisions to fundamentally alter the state of our economy and state delivery systems.
