Security Niti

One of most tragic incident in Nepal's history has revealed that we Nepalis tend to take security and safety too lightly. This calls for not only investigations but also introspection as to why we Nepalis take the issue of security and safety so lightly. The issue is - if disaster management has not been perceived to be properly undertaken when it was the matter relating to the head of state, then what is the plight of the ordinary Nepalis? The issue is not to point fingers or blame anyone but to take closer look at why mediocrity is always followed when emergencies demand the best.

The security as being discussed is not limited to the perceived threat of insurgents and other trouble creators in various garbs, but to various elements we encounter in our day to day life.

The major concern is the mannerism in which we take things so easily. The way people hang on to an overcrowded bus; the way cinema halls are built without proper emergency exits, the way fuel pumps are located at the heart of residential areas, gas cylinders being stored in basements that have a single window-cum-door, the non existence of smoke detectors in star-rated hotels, the absence of a zebra-crossing at a busy junction like Kalimati, the allowance of buildings being constructed without proper drawings, the negligence in packaging food products etc. all lead to the much important issue of ignoring safety and taking it too lightly. The pelting of stones at business establishments and burning of vehicles during bandhs and other political agitation have become a way of life here, and never has a stocktaking exercise been done to assess how much really has been the damage to the nation from such activities.

There are many questions that are raised at times of such emergencies but later we tend to forget. The state should not forget that it takes money from the individuals and businesses in various forms of taxation so that it can provide the requisite safety and security. Tax, apart from other reasons of collecting it, is a form of insurance premium that a citizen pays to be covered for any eventuality. However, there are many areas with major problems and if one has to think of this in the context of the entire country not limiting to Kathmandu valley only, one can feel the chill going through spine. Are there adequate operation theatres in our hospitals to take care of needs that may arise from natural or other calamities? Do plans relating to disaster management exist? How many Intensive Care Units we have in the valley? What should be the role of the state media in such cases and what is the role of the state itself as the regulator of the media? How baseless rumors would be curtailed? How would emergency services like water, electricity and telephone be provided? The list of questions can be unending.

At a juncture when the nation is grief-stricken and the government is trying to ascertain what went wrong, the time has also come to look at the security issue in a bit larger perspective. There has to be a total niti that encompasses the security and safety of people living in Nepal. The state has the responsibility and should definitely fulfil it. The policy should prescribe not only the eventualities relating to external security threats but internal security issues as well that have been discussed above. The policy should also look at information dissemination and media regulation as the failure of the state in this regard has been sufficiently exposed already.

The matters that have been discussed above have a direct bearing in the economy of the country. The country already has a high risk rating due to political instability. Now the laxity in security is an important risk that investors feel should be mitigated. Time is running out and Nepal really needs to make a strong statement and convince its citizens that they are secure and safe.