Let’s Rise Above Petty Interests

As a Nepalese living abroad, I feel sad to note what is happening in Nepal. All of my foreign friends turn their heads the other way round as soon as you mention Nepal’s hit and run democracy. I personally have been convinced that the gist of our 12-year experimentation with democracy has only been the development of a super core of corrupt party leaders who have gone on the rampage depriving Nepalese nationhood of all its civil existence. The Nepalese public must have had enough of them by now! Is it not high time, on the other hand, for all Nepalese to unite, for Nepal to move on and for the Nepalese to unite under the banner of One King, One Country, and One People! Have we forgotten the Dibya Upadesha of King Prithavi Narayan, the great unifier? Nepal’s enlightened citizens must now do away with the patience they have shown for all the terrible days in the past. Let us wake up and start rebuilding our country — not spend our days in oblivion and anarchy blaming each other. We can easily develop our country with tourism and water resources. For this, the solidarity of our neighbours and all well-wishers of Nepalese democracy undoubtedly has its place. I remain fully confident that Nepal and the Nepalese can achieve what they want, if everyone is given a place to pursue peace, liberty and happiness without infringing on other’s rights. This to me is Nepalese democracy — practice not rhetoric. So, let us do away with all bandhs and political fracas. Let us educate each other, and learn from each other. The only bandh we need to put around is on the poverty that engulfs our families in the rural areas of what tourists still call Beautiful Nepal.

Jack Prasai
South Africa