Not all ministers in Nepal are as rational and morally upright as Tek Bahadur Gurung and Lal Babu Pandit
Foreign employment agencies are closed these days. They have been protesting government decision on free visa and ticket to migrant workers. This decision, effective from July 6, now allows employees to receive free visa and travel ticket to seven nations—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. However, employment agencies supplying thousands of workers to these nations have demanded a high level commission to 'look into the matter'. This insistence of manpower agencies seems aimed at compelling the government to roll back the decision through political and economic leverage.
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In fact, most companies in these countries that employed Nepali workers had been providing free visa and ticket even in the past. Yet, in order to make some extra bucks, these employment agencies had been charging poor workers another lump-sum in visa and ticket fees. Thus the demand of these agencies to roll back the decision is nothing more than a demand to be allowed to continue charging unreasonable sums from poor laborers.
State Minister for Labor and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung has laudably stood by his decision till date. Gurung has asked employment agencies either to abide by the law or shut their business if they still seek to earn illegitimate profits from poor citizens. As migrant workers in the Gulf countries support this decision, Gurung has said that he is ready to resign but not back down from this decision which benefits thousands of workers.
Unfortunately, not all ministers and high level authorities are as rational or as morally upright as Gurung or Lal Babu Pandit. In most cases our government is compelled to take back its decision when a bunch of people stage protest and use political power to get their way.
For the past few years I have stopped travelling in cabs after having bitter experience of being compelled to pay a sum of Rs 200 for travelling a distance of just three kilometers. Rarely do any of the cabs around Kathmandu agree to run on meter, and those that do often have tempered with their meters. I remember the huge chakkajam (road blockage) of taxi-drivers, back in 2010, when the traffic started punishing drivers charging unfairly. Capitulating to this protest, traffic police let taxi drivers continue to charge arbitrarily.
Occasionally, these days, while I travel by taxi, and when the drivers ask me for a lump sum, I ask them, "Dai, how do you feel when you go to a shop to buy a packet of Wai-Wai and the shopkeeper charges you Rs 25 while you know the MRP is just Rs 15?" Listening to my question, a few agree to use meter, some stay silent and others tend to make excuses for denying a fair price.
Even our beggars demonstrate for minimum amount of money to be given to them. In 2012, a bunch of beggars in Biratnagar held placards demanding that they be given a minimum of five rupees! While taxi-wallas and employment agencies cheat so blatantly, why would poor and hungry ones feel awkward in asking for 'minimum wage'?
Another classic instance of anarchism is the protest by the 'DV Lottery Victims' in front of the American Embassy in 2007. The 'victims' who were chosen in the first and second rounds of selection decided to stage a hunger strike demanding approval of their visa. They even threatened the doctors, working as authorized medical clearance officer for the embassy, to stop signing medical clearance forms of other applicants. The US government is not as weak as Nepali government to be threatened by a bunch of protestors and thus the protestors had to give up.
Many more anomalies can be listed. The fault lies with our leaders who misuse their political power and authority. Thus the change has to start at the top level. With high level authorities in line, the rule of law will be gradually implemented in the society.
Moreover, while we blame our leaders for being corrupt and not able to lead the country, we, as responsible citizens, should remember that, somehow, we too are contributing to anarchy. Small changes at individual level can lead to a positive societal change and ultimately a revolutionary change in the country.
prayash.koirala@gmail.com
