Bad politics leads to bad governance

N.P.Upadhyaya

Nepal definitely is a disturbed society today. Critics might differ with my contention, however, the fact is that it is practically a society whose disintegration socially, politically and ethnically, appears imminent provided some miracle do not take place at the earliest.

Political scientists at times say that conflict in a diverse society like ours is inevitable and that such conflicts if handled with proper care heralds a change that is definitely a positive one.

With due regards to the system now in place, nevertheless, one has to admit the reality that the 1990 change not only brought with it so many forward looking changes but came with them so many ills that we have had not imagined of then. But the fact is that as we failed in arresting those bad trends that crept into our system, we the people are facing the music.

Strikes, Chakka jams, demonstrations, gherao, burning of tires and blocking the normal traffic and Nepal closures have not only become a fashion but an order of the day. Disgruntled political elements have more than enough used these instruments for bending the governments that came to office after the change of the 1990s. In the early days, frankly speaking, we all enjoyed such bundhs and chakka jams. However, when it began to hurt the lay men, here and there and everywhere, the people who had been enjoying have come to their senses.

Now that we have had enough of such growth-retarding mechanisms, it is time that such sad incidents should be brought to a grinding halt or else the nation would automatically go to the ditch.

It is not for nothing has been said that bad politics is sure to lead us to bad governance and when there is bad governance, the entire nation gets derailed from its track.

Politicians come to the streets. The bureaucrats come to the streets or are brought to the streets. Policemen have their grievances and thus they too come to the streets. Trade unionists make us to believe that it is their sovereign right to come to the streets to get their demands met with. The businessmen come to the streets to press the establishment. The pilots observe no-work and come to the streets in order to press the government or for that matter their own companies to get their salaries hiked. The transporters have several times come to the streets. The mini or micro bus wallahs have done so in the past.

And now the taxi walahhs too have come to the streets paralyzing the valley. This they have done reportedly to minimize the torture that they receive from the policemen. They say that the policemen squeeze money from them for no fault and at times they are manhandled as well.

The policemen say that the taxi drivers have got to be tamed or else it is the public who is to suffer ultimately.

In each and every case mentioned above, it is the public who is the ultimate victim and the public is silent.

We have seen the police atrocities. We have concurrently seen how taxi drivers act like butchers during evening time or at time of coming out of the Kathmandu airport. In effect, the drivers squeeze as much as they wish and the public has no say. The government authorities have so far remained unable to tame the drivers. It is said that police and the drivers are close friends and they act in tandem.

I don't have much idea about the currently ongoing strike observed by the taxi drivers. However, what I know is that if the policemen were to be blamed for their highhandedness, which is definitely there, the taxi drivers were not also statues to be worshipped. Both have exceeded their functions. Unless a clear cut mechanism is not brought into force, such incidents will recur again and again.

The politicians have got to be tamed or taught on how to play politics. The bureaucrats should be told to work or face penal actions. The policemen must know that their duty is to protect the people but not to harass them as they have been doing with the taxi drivers. The drivers in turn should be brought to book if found exceeding their normal functions. No more squeezing please.

If we continue with bad politics such symptoms are bound to happen again and again.

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