1. Some people have started saying that the system will improve itself if the 'top leaders' take retirement.
When political party-affiliated fraternal organizations of government salarymen, professors, lawyers, doctors, engineers, journalists, school teachers are kept intact, and no one says a word against it, thus politically corrupting every organ of society, will the present system improve just if the ‘top leaders’ retire?
How will it improve? There should be a limit to lying! Which country in the world has developed by spreading a web of profession-based and caste-based organizations across its expanse? Is there such a country? Will all the political party-affiliated organizations of government employees and professionals be dissolved after the ‘top leaders’ retire? How are the system and the situation going to improve without the dissolution of all these organizations? Still, thousands of young people, civil society leaders and media personnel are swayed by this pathetic thought.
2. Nowadays, there is no shortage of people who say that everything will be fine if 'good governance' is delivered and that rapid economic transformation is possible. Is the country truly in a situation where it can progress solely on the ‘wheel of good governance’? There was a time when transformation seemed possible if we could set in motion the 'wheel of good governance; achieving the long-term welfare of the country was also within reach.
But we have turned the wheel of good governance into a 'cycle of bad governance' in such a way that it has also made the wheel of 'long-term interest' of the country shabby. When the long-term interests of the country are in tatters, good governance cannot be envisaged. A cursory look at the failed or failing states of the world is ample evidence of this.
3. The wheel of the country's 'long-term interest' is the country's geopolitical balance, internal peace, stability, social harmony, morality, sovereignty, geographical integrity, reputation of the 'nation and state' and the continuation of all of them. But all of them have been weakened by the republican system.
Revised interest rate corridor system introduced
Now, can this system truly improve when some self-proclaimed 'good' individuals attempt patchwork solutions? You fix one issue here, and another hole pops up there. Repair that, and a new hole surfaces elsewhere! Are we willing to let our country suffer due to our stubbornness? It has already become an unbearable place to live. Is that not sufficient? Come on!
4. In the name of agragaman (progress), we have made the constitution (system) such that it cannot bring the dishonest to the path of honesty. What are you going to do? Can we talk about good governance and economic transformation after politicizing schools, universities, administration, foreign affairs, courts, constitutional commissions etc? Each and every layer of society has seen a downfall.
The constitution should keep the citizens in the right place. But we have made such a constitution that does not allow the citizens to live honestly, even if they want so.
5. Yes, you have to win elections to build the country. But the electoral system is so bad that how long are we going to keep this electoral system in which ‘individuals win but the country loses’? Doesn’t it need an amendment?
6. Every sector is reeling under a 'syndicate'. So much so that there are several types of 'syndicates' of media organizations and journalists who should be fair and objective as far as wisdom and conscience go. They write news about business and transport ‘syndicates’! And we say ‘wow’!! Recently, at a party, a senior editor proudly said, "Who has defended this constitution as strongly as we have?"
The job of a journalist is to protect the constitution or to tear the constitution? Or is it to objectively resolve the debates on both sides about the constitution? In such a situation, why is it surprising that social media and YouTube channels dominate the mainstream media in forming opinions? Doesn’t everyone need to think about it? Or should we do whatever we want just because we stand to benefit from that or we happen to like that?
7. The 'non-top leaders' are as problematic as the 'top leaders'. The fault is not that of the 'non-top leaders'. Because the culture has become such that if the ‘non-top leaders’ do not follow the path shown by the ‘top leaders’, the political life of the ‘non-top leaders’ will come to an abrupt end. Then what are these poor souls supposed to do! In such a situation, will things improve just because the top leaders retire?
Isn’t ‘Prachandapath’ created by Prachanda the path for the ‘non-top leaders’ to tread on? If you think that you can reach the destination of long-term peace, stability and growth in the country through Prachandapath, you are in a great illusion.
8. In the case of Nepal, internal sensitivities, including geopolitical and institutional ones, have become so complicated that we do not know what will happen next. Can we still afford to be a slave of our political ideologies? Is the country more important or our political ideologies? Ideologies belong to individuals or parties. The country belongs to all the people. Should we ruin the country thinking that we are educated enough and our ideologies are greater than the nation?
9. We have always created the false narrative that ‘individuals are bad, not the system’. There is an irrevocable relationship between the system and the individual. As people continue to deteriorate, the system deteriorates too. Then it should be overhauled; mere ‘servicing' will not be enough.
10. Is the country only the property of our generation? Should we not think about the generations to come because we stand to take political, economic or professional benefits from that? Our own family members are no longer willing to stay in the country because of the sorry state the country finds itself in today. Yet, we are not tired of swelling with pride saying ‘we brought this system with our blood and sweat’. Was the ‘blood and sweat’ shed for our ideologies or the country? If the blood and sweat were shed for the sake of the country, should we not think seriously after the country has come to such a pass?
11. This country cannot be brought back on track by the ‘top leaders’ taking a break or walking on Prachandapath (republic, secularism, federalism). If we keep trying, as the saying goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", we will end up in hell. And there too, we will fight about who is responsible for landing us in hell!
12. There is no one who has not committed a mistake here. We all are responsible for this sorry state of the country. So, let us all learn from past mistakes. Let's all forgive everyone. The 1990 Constitution was accepted and praised by all. Let's amend the 1990 constitution by incorporating the good things following the 2006 change. Let’s forge a new understanding among the King, the political parties and the people through a peaceful transition.
If we don't forge a new understanding, let's keep talking big and stay as usual. Let’s do anything for our vested interests. Let’s grab whatever comes our way – juicy positions and money! Let’s send our children abroad. Let’s swell with pride saying ‘my children abroad are doing great!’ Let's go abroad to join our children there after getting old. If that doesn't happen, let's suffer every minute, waiting on our deathbeds for our children to arrive from abroad to see our faces. Let the children of 70-80 percent of the people of the country go to hell – who cares? Let's say our own ideologies are great – and die!
