By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
Across the globe, political leaders are viewed as agents of change. They transform the nation in socio-economic, political, and cultural aspects. They invoke a sense of pride among the people who rally behind them, thinking they will address their day-to-day problems. Further, the leaders are supposed to bridge the gap between the government and the people. In the absence of vibrant leaders, we cannot imagine a vibrant democracy. Conversely, in Nepal, the leaders are unaccountable, ruthless, arrogant, untransparent, and incompetent. They are guided by parochial interest and cannot rise to the occasion. These are not baseless allegations, and I have valid reasons to prove my point.
Just recently, Tourism and Aviation Minister, Sudan Kiranti, courted controversy by uttering some remarks that hurt the sentiments of an overwhelming section of the population of the country. Kirati while addressing a function, uttered something that only antagonized an overwhelming section of the population of the country.
The irked citizenry staged a protest throughout the country holding placards reading “Sack irresponsible minister”. They even demanded a public apology with immediate resignation. Though the protest has subsided for the time being, such remarks have only destabilized the social cohesion, peace and harmony that has remained our hallmark ever since the dawn of civilization in Nepal.
The constitution of Nepal 2015 protects religious freedom, stating that every individual is free to practice any religion he desires. At the same time, the same constitution also states that no one has the authority to insult another person’s faith while practising their own. Articles 26 and 4 of the Nepali Constitution 2015 aim at promoting and protecting religious harmony, peace and goodwill in the country. However, some leaders at the behest of external forces are hell-bent on destabilizing our social peace and harmony.
It is beyond our understanding what led the so-called minster to utter such words. It is also not understandable whether he made such remarks unconsciously or under the instruction of some external forces with a sinister agenda. The people need a convincing explanation from the Minister himself.
Some commentators say that the CPN-Maoist Centre, which presently leads the government, may find it difficult to defend Kirati as a result of his statement. They even blamed the Prime Minister for his inability to sack him giving the impression that no one has the authority to insult one religion. Perhaps, the Prime Minister does not want to upset his Janjati voters adversely affecting the next general election.
Over the years, such attempts, knowingly or unknowingly, have only courted controversy with widespread criticism. The oath-taking ceremony of the first Vice President of the Republic of Nepal is a case in point. The Vice President took the oath in Hindi which only triggered widespread controversy compelling the Supreme Court to intervene. They scrapped the Vice President’s oath directing him to retake the oath in Nepali language.
A cursory look at our political parties and their leaders clearly indicates that we are blessed with leaders who are not academically vibrant, incompetent, unaccountable, ruthless, arrogant, and untransparent. The leaders, with their pro-people agenda and innovative ideas and knowledge, transform the nation from socio-economic, cultural and political aspects. The leaders are judged by their agendas and result-oriented approach and strategy.
However, our politicians, leaders and even ministers do not possess any such qualities. This is well reflected in their visit to our next-door neighbor, India. During the visit, they hold a meeting with their counterparts talking about the collaboration for mutual benefit. Likewise, hold a press conference to explain the outcome of the meeting. But, surprisingly, our visiting ministers cannot provide a convincing explanation to the media persons in the press conference. The reason is simple. They do not have vibrant academic backgrounds and subsequent knowledge about the issues. Even worse is that they cannot speak good English making mockery of the entire nation. This is not to say that a leader’s competency is judged by the command over the English language. It is not. They should be able to express their views and opinions in English, otherwise, if they are weak in English, they can use the Nepali language by assigning a translator.
This is a transformative moment for people to transform their anguish into action to an extent that no one dares to insult other religions. Over the years, our politicians have only become the subject of ridicule primarily at the international level as a consequence arising from their poor knowledge and inadequate academic background. They can neither speak properly nor their personality is at par standard. At the same time, our leaders and ministers lack morality which is mainly due to a lack of adequate academic background.
Now the onus lies on us to ensure that we do not elect such crooks who cannot represent us efficiently at the international level. We must use our rational and critical thinking at the time of the polls so that we are not swayed by their bogus and airy talks. We should not see ourselves as subjects, blind political activists and pliant cadres. Instead, we should believe that vested power lies in us and we will vote only for those who are academically vibrant have in-depth knowledge about the relevant issues and can represent us on any international stage with confidence.
With academically sound ministers and leaders, it is very obvious that we will never be looked down upon on any international stage.
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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