The holiday season 
True, Nepal today has plenty of problems, and many of them seem intractable. More than a year after its promulgation, the new constitution that was supposed to herald an era of peace and prosperity instead remains bitterly contested. A lone doctor has had to repeatedly put his life on the line to wrest the medical sector from the ‘medical mafia’ and to make quality healthcare available to each and every Nepali. This noble initiative should have gotten a resounding support in the sovereign parliament, but the vast majority of our MPs shamelessly remain noncommittal on the doctor’s most legitimate demands. The national economy continues to be buffeted by the aftereffects of last year’s earthquakes and border blockade; the plight of our industries and businesses made worse by the perennial load-shedding. Remittances, which comprise 30 percent of our national GDP, are on a downward trend. Tourism, another mainstay of Nepali economy, continues to struggle as foreign tourists are still reluctant to come after last year’s twin scares. There are so many things that are not right with modern-day Nepal. So as we head into the Dashain break, do we have anything to look forward to? 

We most certainly do. This time last year the country was reeling under a crippling economic blockade. With transport fuel in acute shortage, it was only with great difficulty that people reached their ancestral homes, if at all. Even if they were lucky enough to get a seat in one of the out-bound passenger vehicles, they had to pay as much as three to four times the normal fare. In any case, with the whole country in a state of siege, most people were simply not in a mood to celebrate. So compared to last year, the situation right now has vastly improved. Even though a great many Nepalis are dismayed with lack of progress on the political front, they also invariably compare today’s situation with the blockade-time Nepal—and there really is no comparison. During this year’s Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, people will at least be able to easily visit their loved ones and celebrate together. The acute scarcity of daily necessities witnessed during the blockade is also long gone. This is more good news. Despite the prolonged political turbulence, the economy might be picking up steam. The World Bank expects growth next year to rebound to a healthy five percent, god-sent compared to the woeful 0.6 percent growth this year. 

In fact, Nepalis have a lot to be thankful for. In this time of festivities, two of our fellow South Asian countries are trading fire at the border. Many fear that the new Indo-Pak conflict could soon spiral into an all-out war. Even though Nepal has witnessed many low-scale conflicts in recent times, there is no imminent threat of a return to war. Nepal is also free of terrorism, a growing global menace. The enterprising youth of Nepal, meanwhile, is revolutionizing every sector of the economy, from the way we shop to the way we eat to the way we communicate with our loved ones. The amenities available to Nepalis today would have been unthinkable even a decade ago. Yes, a great many Nepali youths are leaving the country in search of better education and employment opportunities, but well-educated and skilled folks are also coming back to do something in their own country. So it’s not all gloom. But going into this holiday season, this newspaper certainly wishes that our political class would give a better account of themselves and be more in tune with the aspirations of Nepali people. They should most of all realize that Nepalis with our can-do are more than capable of solving our own problems. So, in fact, we Nepalis have a lot to look forward to. In this spirit, we would like to wish all our valued readers the happiest of holidays. 

 
• tinged with hope
 
• editorial
 
• the holiday season