On/Off the Record
By P.R. Pradhan
How strong is the foundation of “loktantra”, as one single man, Durga Prasain, has challenged that he is going to alter the present system! Prasain, who was in a public awareness campaign to save the nation, claimed to demonstrate a human sea against the present political system on Thursday, 23 November, in Kathmandu.
Worried about Prasain’s challenge, Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal has started to say that all the forces who were involved in bringing the present system with republicanism, federalism, and secularism will remain united to defeat the regressive move led by Prasain. Meanwhile, PM Dahal, in consultation with the opposition leader, K.P. Sharma Oli, decided to impose a ban on TikTok as Prasain used this platform to expose the wrong deeds of the political leaders, especially K.P. Sharma Oli and PM Dahal.
Moreover, PM Dahal held a meeting of those political parties involved in inking the 12-point agreement drafted by the South Block and RAW in New Delhi. The participants expressed their commitment to safeguarding the “historical achievement” of declaring Nepal a secular, federal republic.
Prasain, a medical entrepreneur, has claimed that he would restore the institution of monarchy to save the Nepali identity, culture, tradition, and the country’s existence.
In counter to Prasain’s claim, PM Dahal is saying that they should not dream about the restoration of the institution of monarchy. Moreover, PM Dahal also consulted with the security organs about the situation after Prasain claimed he would demonstrate a human sea against the present political system on 23 November.
Although TikTok has been banned, those who are using social networks have expressed their solidarity with Prasain’s campaign, saying that this beautiful and peaceful country was destroyed by the leaders of the day.
The ground reality is that the country’s economy is facing a crisis. The government is unable to collect the targeted revenue. The country’s debt burden is continuously increasing, and there is no sign of improvement in the economy. Remittance revenue has increased by establishing a new record, but the domestic market has not been reactivated. The slump in the real estate business continues, and the share market has not improved. Local industries have not been able to operate at full capacity due to a decline in market demand. The main reason behind the prolonged recession is the government. Due to the lack of funds, the government is unable to clear the bills of different sectors, including construction companies. As the construction companies are unable to get payment, dues in the market have mounted, which has caused a chain effect in the demand and supply mechanisms. After the government’s expenditure in the non-productive sector increased tremendously due to the operation of seven provinces, it was compelled to take loans from international agencies as well as from the domestic market. This has contributed to an increase in government debts. Despite taking on debt, the government is unable to meet the expenditures. Understandably, a reduction in expenditure towards the non-productive sectors is necessary, but the government is helpless. The present political system is based on providing employment to the political cadres rather than generating employment opportunities for the youth. When the youths are unable to get employment within the country, they are compelled to go abroad, seeking dirty jobs. The government, which lacks vision among the leadership, is not interested in encouraging the domestic market and domestic products. For example, we had enough flowers for the Tihar festival this year. Farmers were asking the government to ban imports of Indian flowers, but the government didn’t respond to the demand of the farmers by allowing imports of the Indian flowers, from which local flowers’ consumption declined, which suffered the local farmers. We cannot imagine the flourishing of the agricultural sector as well as the industrial sector under such a government policy.
Oddly, the sugarcane farmers were unable to get payment from the sugar mills; on the other hand, sugar was shortage during the festival season. The scarcity of fertilizer during the farming season is not a new trend. Every year, farmers suffer from the scarcity of fertilizer. As the economy is controlled by half a dozen brokers and mafias protected by different political leaders, local consumers have become victims of such a practice. The fact is that the political system has already failed in every aspect.
Such type of anomalies exists in every sector. Politics has been dominated by corruption, malpractice, and bad governance, there is no hope for a better future for the country. When Prasain advocated the plight of the people, he became a new hope for the people.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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