By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel While people across the country were struggling to cope with the problems resulting from incessant rainfall, a conundrum was taking place very far away. Our PM Oli, who was in New York to attend the just concluded future summit, had an interaction with media persons, scholars, students and academicians on the sidelines of the event. Oli’s response to the concerns of the students was not only below standard but also deplorable for responding so casually making the nation a subject of ridicule. Soon after, the interaction went viral on social media with netizens criticizing Oli and his government for being so insensitive. Well, this is not the first time our PM had to face such a situation. Just last month, the people mainly youths lashed out at Oli while he was addressing the event organized to mark the Gaura festival in Kathmandu. Oli was also strongly criticized in an event held in Kathmandu just recently for having superficial knowledge about LGBTQIA+. But why Oli and his coalition government have been criticized is a big issue. This is seldom discussed and accounted for. Over the years, we have experienced many incidents making a mockery of the nation. In 2022, the then PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart Modi visited Lumbini to mark the Buddha Jayanti. Both attended the event offering prayers and asking people to follow the teaching of lord Budhha. But our PM Deuba became the subject of ridicule. The reason was not big. It was very simple. He was seen sleeping awkwardly and yawning while PM Modi was seen enjoying the event. The video spread like wildfire as dozens of national and international media were live telecasting the event. Every nation, across the globe, has its own hero to whom its people rally behind them to advance social causes. They spiritually and politically unite people. Their name invoked a sense of pride, patriotism and unity among people. Take the example of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln to name a few. They are revered and people pay tribute to their national hero every year. Conversely in Nepal, exception apart, we do not have such leaders to whom we will rally behind to advance social causes. We lack selfless, people-centered, charismatic and far-sighted leaders. Instead, we are endowed with ruthless, arrogant, incompetent, unaccountable and visionless leaders. Look at the present leaders of three major parties. They are neither competent professionally and academically nor persons worthy of trust. Politicians' incompetency apart, our bureaucrats, so-called social activists and diplomats are no less either. The bureaucrats are the building blocks of the nation. They provide technical guidance, suggestions, inputs and feedback to leaders when required. Their strategic guidance and thoughts shape the perception of leaders and help in the decision-making process. But our bureaucrats offer clichéd opinions. On many occasions, they mumble a few words without any essence and also provide pseudo information leading to widespread criticism. In plain words, they are nothing but an additional burden on taxpayers’ money. Similarly, our so-called social activists, in any gathering hosted by foreign diplomats, portray themselves as the experts on every problem in Nepal. They would not even hesitate to speak ill of their own country making it a subject of ridicule. Further, they intend to influence foreign diplomats with their lofty and air talks thinking they will be offered a plum position in diplomatic missions based in Kathmandu. Surprisingly, innocent foreign diplomats fall prey to their sinister design and appoint them despite not having relevant knowledge and experience- academically and professionally. In our experience with seven decades of democratic exercise, we have seen many proposals related to our political system. But this voice has gained currency in recent times. Now, some are lauding proportional representation while others are saying there should be the provision of casting votes to elect the party instead of individuals. But here lies the biggest irony, whether proportional representation or direct democracy, our leaders will manipulate the system to ensure that their close relatives, girlfriends, and businessmen offering the highest amount are recommended for the highest government position. The recent selection of some ambassadors to different countries is a case in point. The close relatives, party cadres and businessmen offering the cash in advance popularly known as pre-paid commissions have been rewarded as ambassadors. Whether the envoy comes from the outside or the foreign ministry is not a big headache. It is also not a big issue whether the envoy is a favourite or relative of the ruling establishment. But the thing is that those who are selected must be in possession of the expected knowledge and qualities from the perspective of diplomats. Clearly, this is not the case here. Common sense tells us that envoy should be selected on the basis of their personal experience, academic credentials and understanding of international diplomacy. Likewise, common sense also tells us that ambassadors must be good managers having the capability to interact with media persons, civil society leaders and scholars and contribute to strengthening bilateral ties and relationships. Sadly, exception apart, the selected envoys lack all these expected qualities and skills. Very often, our politicians, bureaucrats, ambassadors, so-called civil society activists etc represent us in many international events. In such events, they are shouldered with the responsibilities to share their knowledge and interact with media persons responding to their queries. But a wrong and incompetent representative can misreport the country, its historical legacy and its achievements through democratic struggle making a mockery of the nation. Our PM Oli’s interaction with students on the sidelines of the recently concluded future summit in New York is just one example. There are several others.