By L.D. Pulami
The hordes of youths and others wanting to go abroad from Nepal are really alarming. This is not only alarming because Nepal needs all the manpower it has for its dependence on agriculture, but also because of the setting it has been in for generations a joint family culture. The elderly depended on their children to not only look after the fields but also their parents.
But what is the government doing about this exodus of youngsters from the country? By the look of it, probably nothing. In the same manner, what are the always loud-talking political leaders or their cadres doing for this cause? Again, probably nothing. One feels that the thugs and liars have a free playground in the country because most of the able hands have left their nation to go abroad.
It would not be inappropriate to say here that a strong lady like the late Golda Meir, who later became the first woman prime minister of Israel and the late Moshe Dayan, a famous international personality who also became the Defense Minister, themselves carried mud in their baskets to make what Israel is today now. Amid deserts and enemies all around, Israel managed to survive and now it is considered one of the best agricultural countries of the entire world. Despite criticism from many countries in the Middle East, Nepal was one of the first nations to recognize Israel as a legitimate state. This is a touchy issue even now, especially, when Israel is carrying out a devastating war in the Gaza Region where thousands have been killed. While we can condemn this brutal attack of Israeli forces on innocent civilians, we also cannot forget the way it has managed to develop its agriculture provide enough food for its citizens and also export their produce to all parts of the world. Hundreds of Nepalese agriculturists have been trained in Israel over the years, but whether they have been able to accomplish what they learnt in Israel is a difficult question.
How Israel was established by displacing the Palestinians and what they have been doing through decades to its Arab neighbours with the full support of the United States of America is a political issue which can be debated for many more years, but the achievement of this tiny nation in the agriculture sector is definitely praiseworthy.
To come back to our own country, have any of our present crop of leaders contributed in any way to the agriculture sector? Definitely No. In the same manner, have so many bureaucrats and others who have received training in Israel while at the same time earning salary and perks from the government done enough for agriculture in this country which is so dependent in this sector? Sadly again, the answer seems no.
While we must condemn any acts of violence or the taking over the sovereignty of the people of any state, we at the same time must accept some good aspects and try to learn from them. This does not mean that we, as the only Hindu state of the world, should try and follow in the footsteps of India and humiliate other people of different faiths, but we can learn from the economic progress India has made and how it has prospered. The good thing for Nepal is that the prosperity of some border states in India is lessening the inflow of Indians to Nepal and giving local people more chances to make more income and live a comfortable life. Of course, this does not mean that Nepalese should cheat other Nepalese, but what is meant is the people should have more space without having to compete with outsiders who work in a shoddy manner but at a cheap price which eventually hurts the country’s economy.
To come back to the question of youths going abroad, we should also not be overwhelmed by the entry of some younger people joining and making a mark in Nepalese politics. These individuals seem no less corrupt and incompetent than the generation which is leading the major parties now. For example, leaders like Gagan Thapa of the Nepali Congress, on whom many people had many hopes and also Ravi Lamichhane a newcomer, seem to be involved in one scam or the other, no matter how good they are in speaking and fooling the people. The people cannot be fooled all the time. Also, the grandiose attitude of leaders like independent Balen Shah of Kathmandu and Harka Sampang of Dharan just because of the votes they received is also not in favour of them, The same people who voted them to power, could also vote them out of power if they divert themselves from the promises they made which they made during the election period. For example in Kathmandu, Shah should concentrate on providing water to every household, making the roads better and monitoring the building of illegal houses, instead of trying to stop the sales of tobacco products or drinks, which are out of the municipality’s discretion. Such efforts have failed in the United States and even close to India. So why try to implement such acts that the people will shun and disobey? About Dharan, why should Sampang try to be a populist by allowing the building of a church near an entrance to a holy temple of the Hindus, when the majority of the population are of the Hindu faith? This is definitely questionable.
These people and other political leaders as well as policy makers should concentrate more on how we can keep home our skilled or unskilled manpower and make the country a harmonious place where every individual can live in peace and prosperity. Just giving high-sounding speeches, while the leaders themselves are involved in corruption and looting the nation will not be good enough. If nothing happens now, there will surely be a time when a really new generation or a new figure comes to power to change the way things are happening in the country now. This is definitely a time for change.
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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