By Ankit Thapa
The whole world is in a mess right now. This is not only due to the interference of so-called big powers all over the world, especially in poorer and smaller countries, but also due to other factors that are beyond human control. Take, for example, drastic climate change, which is creating havoc not only in underdeveloped countries but also in more affluent countries that we once thought were untouchable.
For a poor, underdeveloped and small country with an unstable political environment, the trouble is even more disturbing. There is unrest among the people, division among political parties, inflation and various kinds of natural disasters. The popular government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah has also not been able to do much to provide immediate relief to the general public and, quite naturally, is facing criticism from opposition parties and ordinary people who had expected the Shah government to create a much better situation. We all understand, especially people like us, that the government led by Shah, and Shah himself in particular, has lofty goals for the benefit of the nation and its people. But others, including so-called experts and analysts, are beginning to oppose him, along with the opposition parties.
The media, especially television and other visual media, are being used to the hilt either by outsiders or by supporters of the older opposition parties to defame and discourage Prime Minister Balen. This author also agrees with commentators who have criticised Prime Minister Balen for going on vacation at a resort when the country is facing so many problems.
Right now, despite the relatively light rains, people are still suffering from rain-induced disasters. This is a time for the government and the security forces to work on a 24-hour basis and remain alert to help the general public at all times. Whether there are floods, landslides, illness or any other difficulties that people may be facing, the authorities must be prepared to respond, including ensuring the transportation of essential food supplies. Even more aggravating is the fact that people are finding it very difficult to obtain cooking gas, which now costs more. Does this mean that people should remain hungry, or should they go back to the days when almost everyone had to rely on firewood for cooking?
Actually, for the majority of Nepalis, simply making ends meet on a day-to-day basis is a difficult task. If we add to this the problems caused by climate change and natural disasters, we can imagine how difficult life is for the people of Nepal. There is no doubt that Nepal, though impoverished and underdeveloped, is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This has been said by millions of people who have visited Nepal. This author completely agrees with such views, despite the poverty, difficulties and corrupt practices in which political leaders and other high-ranking officials, including security personnel who should actually be protecting the country, are indulging, thereby contributing to its destruction.
I also completely agree with one of the so-called experts who said that nature gifted Nepal a diamond, but we turned this natural gift into a stone. As our own leaders often say, nature gave Singapore only a stone, but its good and visionary leaders turned that stone into a diamond.
But our politicians always try to fool the people by promising that they will make Nepal another Singapore or even another Switzerland. What this author feels is that we do not want to be like any other country; our leaders should first concentrate on making Nepal a better place to live. A very senior travel agent once told this author that Nepal is far more beautiful than Switzerland, but what Nepal needs are better flight connections with the rest of the world, better hotels to attract high-paying tourists, and other facilities that affluent tourists expect in any country. Sadly, Nepal is lacking in all these areas. We receive tourists in large numbers, but many of them are low-budget tourists, which does little to help the economy of the country.
No wonder Nepal is in trouble and also carries trillions of rupees in domestic debt. The leaders, civil servants and security personnel seem to be interested only in buying expensive vehicles and keeping what they call “runners.” This is a total waste of government money; this is not the way a poor country like Nepal should be run. At least for the time being, the government must adopt a policy of total austerity. For example, as we have said before, why should politicians and other top government officials ride very expensive vehicles? Can they not use a low-cost or simple vehicle that can take them to their destination? But no, our politicians and other officials always insist on using lavish vehicles that the country can hardly afford, while the hard-earned money of ordinary taxpayers is being spent.
Another tragedy we see is in the hospitals, where, despite the government boasting that it provides free treatment, this has not actually happened. Instead, poor people also have to pay for medicines. The situation is similar in the education sector, where children receive substandard education while teachers work in private schools where they receive much higher salaries. Is this fair?
It is not for nothing that we said right at the beginning that the whole world is in a mess. Nepal is not far behind in being in a highly vulnerable state. Addressing these problems will require not only the vision of our leaders and decision-makers but also a complete change in the mindset of our society. Let us hope that this dream of ours becomes a reality before the nation is completely destroyed.
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