By Rabi Raj Thapa
Many New Years we celebrate in Nepal. We celebrated Tamu-Lhosar at Tundikhel playground on December 30. Then Nepalis also celebrate Tamangs’ Sonal Lhosar and another one by the Sherpa community. Now many affluent people will fill most of the expensive hotels to celebrate the Gregorian New Year 2025 throwing parties wishing more money, progress and prosperity. During the Tihar we Nepali celebrated Nepal Sambat 1145 in November running around the street of Kathmandu valley in motor and motor-cycles. Then the final one will be the Bikram Sambat 2082 that begins from April 2025. Despite six New Year celebrations, the destiny of poor people has not changed old chronic maladies in politics and the poor economy has not changed. The destiny of Nepal and Nepali has not changed at all.
The most prominent economist and proponent of the Millennium Developmental Goal (MDG) opined that there should be value in democracy and rule of law prosperity and so forth. Despite six New Year celebrations and all these best wishes, Nepal has ever remained elusive and a nightmare even today. Why and who are to be blamed?
What else has happened in the world in 2024?
In the year 2024 over half of the world’s population of 193 United Nations member countries went to the polls. But very few nations could produce real democratic leaders. Today, many power-hungry conspiratorial autocrats have been elected in the name and façade of democratic leaders. For example, so-called democratic leaders of Israel, Russia, Hungary, Ukraine, and many Asian and African countries are elected by their people. Now the world is waiting to see the performance of US President Donald Trump in the coming four years. Hopefully, his Administration does not look like the democratic practices of ‘by the people’ and ‘for the people’ like that of Nepal.
Now there are promising leaders are emerging in Nepal too. Strong voices against DEEP STATES are reverberating across South Asian countries. Names like Soros and Élan Musk and their conspiracies across Asia have become familiar and become the talk of the town. Meanwhile, Nepal is getting much too much attention and priority not because of its good work and achievements, but because of its geopolitical location, and vital geopolitical interest of primarily the United States and China. India is seriously interested because of Nepal’s border proximity, fragile political complexity, unreliability and dubious nature of the leaders of Nepal. That is why; Nepali people also have become allergic to the excessive populist gimmickry and rhetoric nature of politics for decades.
Since Nepali Prime Minister K P Sharma Oil visited China, this has created uproar in India. Consequently, the Nepali king’s visit to Bhutan and the Bhutanese King’s visit to Nepal has created curiosity; many questions and speculations. The recent visit of Nepal’s king to India and resounding voices of restoration of the 1990 Constitution seem to be gaining momentum. The malady of Nepali young people leaving Nepal for just Kam, Mam, and Dam (engagement, food and income) is pathetic and getting worse that must be lessened by all means.
Let us pray and hope this New Year 2025 will stop wars and hostilities, bring peace and stability to the world order, minimize human sufferings by genocidal killing, and hostage release; stop forceful drive and displacement of civilian populations in Palestine, Syria, Sudan and other countries of the Middle-East and Africa.
Let us hope that Nepali rulers also learn lessons in time to bring peace and reconciliation to bring peace and unity within the country and try their utmost to mitigate environmental catastrophes and ecological degradations. Let Nepal be able to take serious measures to control corruption, practice good governance and focus on people’s welfare; and finally and most importantly; stop sickening political rat-race and horse trading business in local, regional and national politics.
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