UN sponsored drama exposed functioning of Nepali bureaucracy

For the first time perhaps the United Nations system in Kathmandu accomplished a marvelous job. The job it accomplished perhaps should be copied by other "systems" stationed in Kathmandu so that the Nepali establishment comes to its senses. We suggest all the powerful donors based in Kathmandu to act in a manner the UN system acted on October 31, last month, at its premises so that the government in Kathmandu is given timely and repeated jerks of some five to six on the Richter scale. Though the job the UN concluded on that day is all a known national affair which Insa- Allah-God Willing should have become global by this time.

I can't imagine how the VVIPs-mostly the Nepali bureaucrats- invited to attend the fifty-sixth Anniversary of the UN could have taken the "superb drama" which from the very first minute of its beginning till the "terrible end" were all aimed against the existing ad nauseating behaviour of the men who now man the entire Nepali state-machinery. In effect, the whole drama-deliberate or otherwise, should have put to shame the attending bureaucrats as the ten minute performance of the "great and seasoned actors" depicted in a most naked manner as to how our bureaucrats function in their respective offices. Kudos to the UN system that spoke the minds of the common men as it is the common men who have been the real victims of Nepal's bureaucratic mind-set.

Believe me, after the conclusion of the drama, it were these bureaucrats seated in the front row chair who clapped repeatedly perhaps to pass on the information to the public and the attending mediamen that they too "disliked" their own personal performances as bureaucrats. However, I took it differently. The personality seated beside me was a Sri Lankan diplomat. As a matter of courtesy, I gave him some salient features of the drama. What he understood and how much he understood or even what he concluded internally, I don't know. But yet, he must have understood the "pattern" of the Nepali bureaucracy on how it had been functioning over the years.

The climax of the whole affair had been that the UN system successfully staged the said drama right in front of the Nepalese Prime Minister for whom this must have come as a bolt from the blue. The Nepalese Prime Minister had no alternatives left. Neither he could outrightly reject the function and walk away from the venue because he was the chief guest, nor he could close his eye inorder to minimise the dimension of the shock that the drama might have offered to him. Thanks Almighty that the whole drama went off smoothly in Nepali language or else the diplomats would have shouted "Jesus Christ"!

I can imagine your internal pains Mr. Prim Minister. However, the fact is what has been staged at the Rose Garden of the UN premises Mr. Prime Minister.

Now some gist of the ten minutes play: The whole drama revolves round one Nepali office where most of the officers enter to their office pretty late. This has become a phenomenon in that office. Not very surprisingly, the boss of the office himself comes late. He however chides his junior officers and instructs them all to come office on time. On that very particular day, one junior officer is missing. The chief asks about the whereabouts of the missing officer. His assistants tell him that that particular man had gone to "paint" house. Listening to this, the boss orders one staff to bring in the attendance register so that he can put red mark and declare him "absent".

The chief, however, could not put red mark on the missing person's register for his lady assistant informs her boss that the man had gone to paint the chief's house itself.

The second part of the drama is related with the miniising the damage in case an earthquake of higher magnitude occurs in Kathmandu valley.

It so happened that some years back one team had already made a detailed report on this topic. Unfortunately, the file containing the detailed report is missing and the officers in that office practically blame other for its disappearance. Finally, it comes to the fore that the file had been ultimately submitted to the chief of the office some five years back.

One personality enters into the office and wishes to talk in details about the mechanisms that could be devised should an earthquake grip Kathmandu. The chief is reluctant in holding the talks with the man for the former has some other commitments elsewhere. The chief wishes to avoid the meeting on that day stating that some other day those things could be discussed. The expert suggests the chief not to dismiss the matter for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, an earthquake of higher magnitude instantly rocks the valley and a sort of panic prevails there.

The chief then understands the urgency of the talks with the man who had come to talk about how on such occasions, damages could be minimised and lives of the people under the rubbles could be saved.

Thus ended the drama.

However, the message the drama gave to the public and the manner the Nepali bureaucrats were made "cloth-less" was really superb.

Congrats Dr. Karcher. Congrats the entire UN system. Congrats the AROHAN and the actors who made it a grand success.

I will just wait and see as to which of the international organizations based in Kathmandu embarrasses the government much the same way the UN did so courageously on October 31, 2001.

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