By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
The new International New Year has dawned upon us. There are elections slated for our neighbouring countries India and Bangladesh, and in both countries it will be the same political parties and the same old leaders that will remain in power.
In aspiring ‘Greater Hindustan’, Sri Narendra Modi Ji, after a thumping springtime victory in India’s general election, will be the uncrowned ‘Bad – Shah-in-Shah’.
In the Himalayan Democratic Republic, the same old crooks are expected to continue to rule over us for another three years, and – God forbid – in one year’s time, the don of the Nepali Congress (as per the agreement among the dons) is to be elevated to be ‘the Don of the Dons’. Let’s see if there is really ‘honour among thieves’!
However, such a smooth transfer of power is definitely not to the liking of the Nepali people. They want regime change now.
The Oxford Dictionary has chosen ‘rizz’ as its ‘Word of the Year’. Rizz, which is taken from the middle of ‘charisma’, means “style, charm or attractiveness” of manner and personality.
We can safely say that our present pack of dons do lack ‘rizz’ or the original ‘charisma’, particularly if the reigning don Dahal-Prachanda spews such nonsense as: ‘Lhosa is the oldest festival of the world’ (The Rising Nepal, Jan. 1). His spin-doctors regularly prepare such oddities, in the hope that the boss can deflect from the cloud of negativity enveloping the country.
From our side we hope the very best for our fellow countrymen in the New Year – this, of course, also means a change of leadership, and system change. It may very well turn out to be ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. Be as it may, much now rests on the shoulders of Rashtriya Prajatantra Party President Rajendra Lingden, his dedicated team and the expected mass of supporters.
The ‘new people’s movement’ must of necessity be of a non-violent nature. It will be a struggle of wills between the forces of democratic change and the retrograde, anti-social and anti-national elements represented by the dons and their dependent political families. In this epic struggle, the security forces must remain neutral.
Lingden must carefully plan his field operations in such a way that the various dons and their Mafia families, as well as, the symbols of power and institutions are overwhelmed by the mass of patriotic Nepalese.
To achieve mass appeal, Lingden must tailor the new people’s movement on basic demands: ending corruption and scams and punishing the ringleaders, introduction of good governance, revitalizing the economy, especially creation of new jobs for the youth.
The basic aim is that the dons voluntarily renounce political power in the interim period when functioning institutions will be built up from the grassroots.
The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.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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