By Narayan Prasad Mishra
I love the proverb “One of the best ways to achieve justice is to expose injustice”. I always think that not speaking against injustice encourages the figures of injustice (oppressors, perpetrators) to cause more crime and trouble for the helpless. Still, many of us try to avoid making a voice and fight against injustice. I remember myself in this regard, bearing injustice and not doing enough to fight against it. In this context, I vividly remember how 22 Tribhuvan University’s high officials of the special and first-class level, including myself, the Chief of Tribhuban University Service Commission Office, and my beloved wife Shanti Mishra, the creator of Tribhuban University Central Library, were given forced retirement in the name of self-retirement by Kedar Bhakta Mathema, then Vice-Chancellor. I am sure he did it under the guidelines and direction of Girija Prasad Koirala, then Prime Minister in 1992. I was then just 49 years old. To snatch the job of an honest and dedicated person is undoubtedly considered a heinous crime in civilized countries. That also would be against human rights. But in our country and among our Democrats, it appeared to be no more than killing a small ant. My wife and I had a record of serving the university with blood and flesh and unparalleled dedication. Still, we lost our jobs without any fault under the Mathem Group’s conspiracy. We swallowed the injustices done to us, except by writing some articles against it. The perpetrators enjoyed life with prestige and high positions, and we had to stay idle, being able and active with God’s given knowledge, serving power and attitude to serve the nation.
I am happy to know that Durga Prasai, the forefront runner and activist for justice who has been known recently as a national movement leader for the cause of the nation, is an entrepreneur. Firstly, he voiced his dissatisfaction with the injustice done to him for not giving affiliation to run his medical college with conspiracy and continued to fight for it. If the universities were run with solid academic rules and regulations for giving affiliation or rejecting affiliation under the genuine criteria formulated by a university’s academic council as an autonomous educational institution without any bias toward anyone, there would not be any grumble about it by Durga Prasai or anyone. We had a system to give provisional affiliation with conditions to a college that fulfilled most of the conditions mentioned in the criteria but had minor remaining requirements to be met. That college would get full affiliation after fulfilling the complete criteria. I know about it from working once upon a time as the chief of the T. U. Academic Council Office, which makes the university’s academic policy, including the affiliation criteria. However, after introducing multiparty democracy in Nepal in 1990, the university was highly politicized, and academic norms and principles disappeared. Everything was influenced by politics, including admission, appointment, promotion, retirement, affiliation, etc.. In this context, Dr. Govinda K.C.’s hunger strike and the Kedar Bhakta Mathema Commission influenced the affiliation of medical colleges. Consequently, Durga Prasai happened to be a victim, which made him an activist. It seems he is a man of great courage, a patriot, and a social justice warrior.
The same professional activist now seems to have become a national movement leader and revolutionary. He started a movement carrying burning national problems to establish a constitutional monarchy instead of a republic, a decentralized administrative structure instead of a federal state, and a Hindu state instead of a secular state by presenting the ugly picture of the present system and government with their mismanagement, nepotism, favoritism, corruption, etc. As an experienced political worker and leader and also a close associate of the Maoist leader and present prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and ex-prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, the chairman of Nepal Communist Party (UML), he has been exposing their wrongdoings to the country and people. His presentation seems based on truth and facts. He is attracting people through his direct and fearless speech, and it seems he is winning the people’s hearts. He also speaks for the poor and oppressed people and their survival problems. His oratory is impressive. His protest rally at Balkhu, Kathmandu, on November 23, 2023, was unimaginable and impressive. A large number of people showed their presence and seemed to support his agenda, but my Republica, the English newspaper, reported that the mass gathering was small. He deserves appreciation for his one-person show and skill.
We know our people have had bitter experiences with the party system and party government since its establishment in 1990, as all the parties who were in government worked visibly only for themselves and their followers instead of working for all the people and country. People are undoubtedly fed up with them as they are witnessing only mismanagement, nepotism, favoritism, and rampant corruption, which has become the talk of the house or village throughout the country—whether educated or uneducated, all are aware of it. At the same time, people seem to think about missing the king as the neutral head of the country, as they witnessed the presidents of the nation working as puppet party workers rather than as the guardians of the country. Similarly, people are sad to see innocent, naive people converted to Christianity or other faiths by the power of foreign money and influence after making the country a secular state instead of a Hindu state, which is becoming a significant challenge to the peace and existence of the nation.
In addition, people are realizing that the country’s federal structure is not producing any results for the benefit of the people. Instead, it appeared only a place for enjoying portfolios of chief ministers, ministers, legislatures, and others for political parties. Durga Prasai seems wise and smart to catch these People’s feelings and sentiments. It seems he also could study Nepali society well and their frustration about all political parties – big or small who are ready to join the government when the opportunity comes and enjoy the power and positions, leaving their political philosophy and manifesto aside. So, he appeared as an independent activist or campaigner with some public concerned political agendas. People call that Durga Prasai Movement, though he himself says it is not Durga Prasa’s Movement but a people’s or civil movement. His protests in Kathmandu Valley present his promising future; as we say, the morning shows the day. There is a big possibility that his leadership will succeed in taking the Nepali people to his agenda.
So far, we see he is the only leader in his campaign, though he said there are many of his caliber like him along with him. If that is so, it might help to continue his campaign; otherwise, no one knows its fate. It seems quite a number of people are attracted to his sweet assurances of the exemption of bank loans and interest up to Rs 20 lakh, which may not be easy for him or anyone to meet his promises. He will be in a big problem if his sweet assurance turns false. Thirdly, he often seems unstable in his agenda of kingship from his presentation – sometimes, he is for the kingship, and sometimes he grumbles about it. Some may be bad of any caste, creed, color, religion, or community – Brahmin, Chhetri, Newar, or Marwari in our society. Pointing to some bad persons in a community, one is not supposed to blame or hate the whole community for it. This is not suitable in a civilized country. That will disturb the peace and harmony in the country. In this context, I think the activist Pasai needs to think seriously and not hurt the Marwari community when he criticizes some Marwari from his point of view.
We see that many old and strong parties love the republic system and are running the government. There is also the Swatantra Party of Rabi Lamichhane, the new republic-loved party in the name of Swatantra (independent), and there are many other parties like his. They all stand to block him forward. In these circumstances, his success in his campaign depends on his unity with other forces, including the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party under Rajendra Lingden, who have similar agendas and could support him and his ability to create a strong organization throughout the country. A large number of people who have trust and faith in kingship as the symbol of the country’s unity and the neutral head of the country are looking forward to his success. These people consider him a nationalist and a true patriot. However, he and his supporters are called the country’s enemies for preferring kingship instead of a republic by K. P. Sharma Oli, the ex-prime minister.
<narayanshanti70@gmail.com>
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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